In 1593 Hawkins, a nephew of Sir Francis Drake, purchased the Dainty, a ship originally built for his father as Repentance and used by him in his expeditions, and sailed for the West Indies, the Spanish Main and the South Seas. It seems clear that his project was to prey on the overseas possessions of the Spanish crown. Hawkins, however, in an account of the voyage written 30 years afterwards, maintained that his expedition was undertaken purely for the purpose of geographical discovery. After visiting the coast of Brazil, the Dainty passed through the Straits of Magellan, and in due course reached Valparaíso, where he plundered the town and captured four vessels.