Captain Cook's HMS Resolution in Dusky Sound, New Zealand

"After 117 Days at Sea"—HMS Resolution in Dusky Sound depicts the scene on 28 March 1773, when after four months crossing the open Pacific without sighting land Captain James Cook's ship could be found in this remote southwestern fjord.

The painting shows the ship weighing anchor in the morning, preparing to move from Anchor Point to Pickersgill's Harbour where the crew would refit, rest, and gather supplies. The calm waters reflect the towering forested cliffs of the fjord.

Cook recorded the arrival in his journal: "After running about two Leagues up the Bay without find'g Anchorage and having pass'd some of the Islands which lie in it, I brought to, hoisted out two Boats and sent one of them with an officer round a point on the Larboard hand and upon her making the Signal for anchorage we followed with the Ship and came to an Anchor in 50 fm water so near the shore as to reach it with a hawser after having been 117 Days at Sea in which time we have Sailed [3660] Leagues without once having sight of land."

The painting draws on primary sources, Cook's charts, and careful historical research into the ship as well as the fjord's distinctive geography. Signed GS and dated 2026 in the lower left, this painting will be on show at the Mall Galleries, London, in September 2026 with the Royal Society of Marine Artists.