Conversation so far:
When was the first circumnavigation?
In 1679, Dampier joined the crew of the buccaneer Captain Bartholomew Sharp on the Spanish Main of Central America.
What was his position?
CANNOTANSWER.
What happened during the trip?
took part in the capture of Spanish ships on the Pacific coast of that isthmus.
Why did they circumnavigate?
he accompanied a raid across the Isthmus of Darien in Panama.
Where did they go next?
Dampier made his way to Virginia, where in 1683 he was engaged by the privateer John Cooke.
Did he join a crew?
This expedition collected buccaneers and ships as it went along, at one time having a fleet of ten vessels.
Where did he go next?
Dampier transferred to the privateer Charles Swan's ship, Cygnet, and on 31 March 1686 they set out across the Pacific.

Question: What was their goal?
Self-contained rewrite: What was the goal of William Dampier when transferring to the privateer Charles Swan's ship?