Hendrik Brouwer

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Hendrick Brouwer (1580 - 1643) was a Dutch sea explorer.

In 1611, Brouwer found a better route, the Brouwer Route, from South Africa to Java, sailing eastward until reaching the right longitude, then turning north to Batavia.

The traditional route, pioneered by the Portuguese, involved following the coast of East Africa after the Cape, through the Mozambique Channel and then across the Indian Ocean, sometimes via India. However, Portuguese occupation of Mozambique and navigational hazards made the route less than desirable. The route travelling east of Madagascar was also troublesome, with problematic winds and currents and the risk of a ship becoming becalmed in equatorial waters, and the crew dying. The solution was the Brouwer Route, discovered by Brouwer in 1610, that involved sailing eastwards at the latitiude 35-45° South until turning northwards at 110° East. By utilising the prevailing westerlies, the Brouwer Route reduced travel time by up to 6 months, and became mandatory for all Dutch vessels. However, in the seventeenth century calculating the 110° East longitude was not an exact science and ships risked being wrecked on the reefs and coast of Western Australia.

He is thus credited for discovering the Roaring Forties.

In 1643, he travelled to Chile to fight the Spanish and look for gold.

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