Why did John Davis believe that a Northwest Passage was likely to exist?
John Davis believed that a Northwest Passage was likely to exist based on his personal explorations of the Arctic between 1585 and 1587. Despite encountering a "mighty block of ice" during his voyages, he remained optimistic about the route's viability, reporting that "the passage is most probable and the execution easy".123
His conviction was informed by his extensive navigation of the region, which included exploring Cumberland Sound and sailing along the western coast of Greenland up to 73° N. These expeditions, which also involved tracing the coasts of Baffin Island and Labrador, provided him with the firsthand geographical observations that supported his belief in the existence of a northern sea route to the Pacific. He later documented his findings and theories regarding the passage in his 1595 work, The World’s Hydrographical Description.3214