Welcome to Statia!

View from the top, or at least the town level.

Fort Oranje

St. Eustatius, or Statia as it is frequently known, is another small island in what is known as the Netherland Antilles, or the Dutch Caribbean.  It has a long and storied history with more than a few interesting things to it.  I had no idea that St. Eustatius was a bustling center of trade back in the 18th century – huge volumes of retail merchandise moved through this island centuries before the invention of Duty Free Shopping and cruise ships. Statia was a major supplier of gunpowder to the fledgling United States during the American Revolution and was the first place where an American naval vessel was accorded military honors and recognition.  This of course did not sit well with the British who promptly invaded.  Again.  Like many Caribbean islands this one changed hands many times in the 18th and 19th centuries, though the predominant governance was Dutch.

Cool flowers on the walk up the hill.

In it’s years as an economic hub the population of the island was as high 20,000 people, many of whom accumulated large fortunes in the shipping and trades.  A lot of products where re-branded, so the neutral Dutch could buy from and sell to the various other factions (French, English, Spanish, etc.) that were constantly warring with each other.  The population now is around 3,000 with a very different economy.

It’s not a cruise ship spot – the waters are too shallow and there are not the facilities here to dump more people on the island than live here now for a day.  So the tourism business, while a critical component of the economy, is also focused a little differently.  For example tonight we are the largest pleasure craft in the harbor.  They LIKE cruisers here, and they are very friendly to the transient yachting crowd.

The island has an interesting layout.  The “Lower Town” is along the water where you can land your dinghy.  There are a few shops and restaurants there, and the basic government services for Customs & Immigration and the Statia National Park service.   But up a steep staircase (and a steep road) is the Upper Town, on a bluff overlooking the harbor.

The Upper Town is where most everything is; government offices, most restaurants, grocery stores, shopping and services.  The architecture here is a mix – you have a lot of old buildings, a lot of old ruins from the boom years, and all mixed in with newer construction.

In the more recent past someone cultivated some Macaws on the island.  We all had a thrill seeing three Scarlet Macaws flying around, climbing in the trees and eating nuts.  They are beautiful birds, although you really, really don’t want a colony of them “singing” outside your window.  It’s not “Polly want a cracker” or “Anchors Aweigh” to these birds gone wild, their cry is a loud and harsh squawk that you can hear from quiet a ways off.  We were all enchanted watching them flashing around in the trees – it is surprising how well a bird with such stunning plumage can make itself disappear.

Statia is a volcanic island; the volcano and it’s bowl are known as the Quill.  Our plan tomorrow is to walk up there and have a look around – so no pictures of that yet.  It promises to be an interesting hike, however.