The legend of the Flying Dutchman, a ghost ship that haunts the seas off Southern Africa, is thought to originate with a ship that sunk while rounding the Cape of Good Hope in 1641. The captain, Hendrick Van Der Decken, is said to have become so frustrated in his attempts to round Good Hope in the face of fierce storms that he cursed God and, in turn, was himself cursed to wander the seas forever.