4 Caribbean UNESCO World Heritage Sites Where Paradise Meets the Past
From a 16th-century fortress to Nelson’s own dockyard, four Caribbean UNESCO sites where paradise meets the past.
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Pirates of the Virgin Islands
The British Virgin Islands have long been associated with pirate activity. There’s fantasy, hearsay, hyperbole, myth and fiction – and a nugget of truth here and there. We know that Sir Francis Drake passed through these islands in 1595 in yet another raid on the hated Spaniard. He mustered a fleet of some 24 ships…
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Plimsoll Line and Coffin Ships
A coffin ship was the name given to a ship that was so poorly maintained that it had only a slim chance of making its destination. These ships were very prevalent in the latter 19th century when emigrants from Ireland and cargoes from Britain were exported in large numbers. Ships were grossly overloaded and ships…
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The Darién: In the Wake of Discoverers and Pirates
After Columbus’ discovery of the ‘new world’ in 1492, the Spanish conquistadores subjugated islands in the Caribbean and then focused on South and Central America. The first colonies were founded in the Darién—a region between today’s Panama and Colombia. Instead of thriving cities, modern maps only show sparse settlements there. The jungle proved to be…
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Bob Fisher the Godfather of Yacht Racing in Puerto Rico
Anyone who has raced sailboats out of Puerto Rico’s east coast in the last 40 years is sure to know Bob Fisher. This Indiana native, who settled on the island in 1951, has long been a driving force on the sailboat racing scene and has helped to put P
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Rock of Ages: The Bizarre Battle for Diamond Rock in the Caribbean
In the early 19th century, the British and French clashed over a most unusual prize: a snake-infested volcanic rock in the Caribbean. This quirky battle, though short-lived, had surprising consequences for the epic showdown at Trafalgar.
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Cra Cra – A Carib Canoe Links Past and Present
Christopher Columbus sent his men ashore on November 14, 1493 to explore and find water. Instead, they encountered a canoe full of Caribs armed with bows and arrows in the Salt River on the island called Santa Cruz — now known as St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands. Each side suffered a fatality during this first…
