Juan Fernandez High Sea

The open Pacific west of Chile leads toward the Juan Fernández Islands, far from the mainland coast. In 1574 the Spanish pilot Juan Fernández sailed west from the usual coastal route to escape the northward Humboldt Current, then turned south toward Chile. On that voyage he sighted islands that came to bear his name. His route made the difficult southward passage from Callao considerably faster and was adopted by later sailors.