Sea of Dangers

I very much enjoyed this history book Sea of Dangers - Captain Cook and his Rivals by Geoffrey Blainey.  The author tells the story of Cook's voyages with a particular focus on the "discovery" of Australia's east coast.  After sailing around parts of New Zealand, Cook headed west with his secret instructions to find the great southern land.  He followed the east coast north and his ship, "Endeavour" hit the Great Barrier Reef.  The story of the ship surviving this collision is very interesting reading.  The other great danger to his ship was the crew's health with many succumbing to scurvy.  Cook learned later that French ships were in close proximity to the "Endeavour" at times.  The story is very well written - fact is stranger than fiction.  41/2/5