Tahitian sailing vessels. 18th century artwork of Tahitians in sailing vessels in a bay in Tahiti. A raft is being paddled at lower right, and fishing is taking place at lower left. This artwork was published in an account of the voyages of the British captain and explorer James Cook (1728-1779). Cook visited Tahiti on each of his three voyages. On his first voyage he arrived there in 1769 to observe a transit of Venus. On his second voyage, he resupplied at Tahiti twice in 1773 and 1774 while exploring the Antarctic. On his third voyage, he visited Tahiti in 1777 before heading into the northern Pacific where he discovered the Hawaiian Islands.