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March 22, 2005
N14, W61 St Lucia
Well, we arrived! Despite light winds for most of the way, we were blessed with 30 knot winds on our final approach.
Arawacks were probably the first to settle St Lucia, only to be driven out by the Caribs. The first European sighting remains a matter of controversy and it is disputed that Columbus ever came to the island in 1502 on 13 December, which is celebrated as St Lucia's Day, the national holiday. Populated by hostile Caribs, there was little interest by Europeans to settle until the 1600s. English efforts to settle failed. In 1642, the French king granted the island to the French West Indies Company. The Caribs continued to resist, and several governors were killed. 20 years later, the English renewed their claim, and a struggle ensued between the Caribs, French and English. The island changed hands 14 times before becoming a British Crown Colony in 1814, which it remained until independence in 1979. Dominated by French settlers, the influence is still to be seen in the French patois, architecture and place names. The population is 145,000.
Posted by dave at March 22, 2005 11:40 PM