INTRO
Antigua
Photo by Ted Martin as English Harbour, fortified and held as an important military outpost that will forever be associated with Admiral by John Galluzzo Horatio Nelson, who commanded he deep history of the settlement of Antigua begins the site for several years. The harbour today is as protective of ships as it with the Ciboney people, then moves through the was then, an important hurricane hole Arawaks and the Caribs. Each native Caribbean tribe to which yachtsmen can turn when a left a legacy on the island, to be somewhat obscured sudden storm threatens the sanctity of a typically beautiful Caribbean day. over time as the age of imperialism dawned. Antigua is the largest and sunniest of the Leeward Islands, today averaging Christopher Columbus visited the island in 1493 and daily temperatures between 75 and 85 degrees Fahrenheit. named it in honor of St. Mary of the Old Cathedral, or Santa The history of the island, seen in its crumbling remains Maria de la Antigua. Nearly a century and a half later, the and restored treasures, as well as its museums, comes with British arrived, during their race to imperialism. Several of the added beauty of the natural vistas that belong only to their early Caribbean conquests quickly failed as colonies, Caribbean Islands—soaring frigatebirds surveying the bluebut Antigua, claimed in 1632, succeeded, primarily due to green waters below, sporadically interrupted by passing the ingenuity of one man, and the back-breaking labor of yachts heading to and fro. Antigua cooks can prepare innumerable African slaves. almost anything that comes from the sea, many of which A second Christopher, this one surnamed Codrington, are by now a specialty, and its young people play cricket like believed that the production of sugar could make the island young Americans once placed baseball. economically viable, and therefore an important source of From the bustling capital of St. John to the rocky coast income for the British Empire. His arrival in 1684 needs no of Indian Town National Park on the opposite end of the historical marker to tell his story—it’s told everywhere the island, Antigua defines the Caribbean: reggae, barbecues, remains of windmills stand on the island, about 100 places. sunsets, verdant natural beauty. The British left their mark, too, at what’s today known
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Captain’s Guide MEGA YACHTS 2013
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