who was gulliver?how did he reach the island of strange little men?

Gulliver is our narrator. He reaches the island of strange little men after he sets sail on a voyage that starts out prosperously but quickly takes a turn for the worse. The ship he's traveling on encounters violent storms, has bad food, and weakens the crew (twelve crew members die) when the ship hits a rock and is split. Six of the crew members, including Gulliver, get into a small boat and row until they are overturned by a "sudden Flurry." Gulliver swims until he is nearly exhausted, but eventually lands on the island where the Lilliputians live.