William Bligh sailed through Fijian waters in 1789 following the mutiny on HMS Bounty, navigating a 23-foot open launch across nearly 4,000 miles with 18 men and minimal provisions. He passed through what is now called the Bligh Water passage — the stretch between Fiji's two main island groups — while being pursued by Fijian war canoes, an encounter he recorded in detail and which helped introduce European knowledge of the archipelago's geography.
William Bligh sailed through Fijian waters in 1789 following the mutiny on HMS Bounty, navigating a 23-foot open launch across nearly 4,000 miles with 18 men and minimal provisions. He passed through what is now called the Bligh Water passage — the stretch between Fiji's two main island groups — while being pursued by Fijian war canoes, an encounter he recorded in detail and which helped introduce European knowledge of the archipelago's geography.