What year did Henry Hudson make his first voyage?
1607. Henry Hudson wanted to find out if it were possible to sail from England to Asia by way of the North Pole. Geographers Robert Thorne and Peter Plancius thought it was possible. They reasoned the sun shines on the North Pole for twenty-four hours each day in the summer. Therefore, there had to be a warm-water, navigable sea near the North Pole. Hudson’s voyage was sponsored by the Muscovy Company. His ship was called the Hopewell. The Hopewell was a bark which is a small, wooden ship with three masts. In 1607, the ship was three years old and had sailed six other voyages. The sailors slept in cramped quarters aboard the Hopewell. They had to supply all their food and drinking water for their voyage. The food could spoil, and the water might be covered by a film of scum. On April 23, 1607, the Hopewell set sail from London. This was Hudson’s first voyage of discovery. Bad weather delayed the voyage for about a week. On May 1, Hudson and his crew were again on their way towards Gree
