Woodes Rogers
In 1679, the English pirate Bartholomew Sharp, after attacking Guayaquil, took over Gorgona calling it captain Sharp's island. He stayed for only a little more than a month. The island served as a refuge to the English privateers Woodes Rogers and William Dampier in 1709. The island, rich in fresh water and valuable wood, served as a supply station for ships en route from Panama to Peru and back.