I was born in Nottinghamshire and was the third of five sons. My father was not a rich man, but he was able to send me to Cambridge University, where I studied for three years. When I left college, I continued my studies and became a doctor. But I always wanted to travel, and so I made several voyages as a ship's doctor. When I married my wife Mary, however, I planned to stay at home for a while. But after a few years I discovered was not earning enough money from my patients. decided to go to sea again, and this time I joined a ship ng to the islands in the South Pacific Ocean. We started our journey from Bristol on May 4th, 1699. At first our voyage went well. We sailed across the Atlantic, round the coast of Africa and into the Indian Ocean