Page 211 - The Virgin Islands

SIR FRANCIS DRAKE - Privateer and sea captain extraordinaire,
Drake was a self-made man detested by the old nobility. He eventually
rose to the rank of British Admiral and defeated the Spanish Armada.
He began his career in 1573 off Nombres de Dios (Panama’s Caribbean
port at the time) when he plundered a “silver train” of mules headed
for Spain’s treasure fleet. “El Draque”, as the Spanish called him, raided the islands remain a charming and quiet destination, unspoiled by
many Spanish ships, bringing home the loot to his Queen. Later, when
England was no longer at war with Spain, Drake returned home with
the bounty from a raid, but was disowned and forced to go into hiding
for two years. Only after his triumphant circumnavigation of the globe
did he return home a hero and gain his knighthood. He was buried at
sea in a lead coffin off Nombres de Dios.
During the 17th century, both the Dutch and the British developed
an interest in the Virgin Islands. The British established control and
remained in power there for almost three centuries. They cultivated
a profitable sugar industry with sprawling plantations and imported
African slaves. In 1834, the emancipation of slaves in the West Indies
along with a severe hurricane put paid to the plantations in the British
Virgin Islands. By the middle of the 19th century the land where the
plantations once flourished was sold to former slaves who turned to
fishing and farming. During the 1930s and 40s, livestock, vegetables
and fishing were still the foundation of the economy, but in the 1960s
Laurence Rockefeller built a luxury resort at Little Dix Bay on Virgin
Gorda and tourists began to arrive. The airport at Beef Island, Tortola
was opened in 1968, and the opening of the first charter yacht compa-
ny in 1969 marked the beginning of the islands’ yachting industry. The
charm of these islands is eternal, with a superb climate, unspoiled and
perfectly suited for adventure by land and sea. Today the same coves
that once harboured the likes of Columbus, Sir Francis Drake and the
infamous pirate Edward Teach provide a haven for modern day travel-
lers who have come to enjoy the British Virgin Islands.
Things remained very quiet on the British Virgin Islands until the
1960s, when Laurance Rockefeller and Charlie Cary essentially started
the tourism industry there. Recognizing the tourism potential of the
serene islands, Rockefeller developed the Little Dix resort on Virgin
Gorda and Cary established a marina complex on Tortola. Thankfully,
overdevelopment the likes of which has taken place on the neighbor-
ing U.S. Virgin Islands. Building codes stipulate that structures can-
not rise higher than the islands’ tallest palm trees, hence two stories is
the limit. Also during the 1960s, the British Virgin Islands were given
greater autonomy within the British Commonwealth. The islands have
their own constitution and a local legislative council which handles
island affairs. The governor, who is selected by the Queen, deals in
external affairs and island security.
Many areas of the British Virgin Islands are now under the protection
of a National Parks Trust, a body established by the government to
conserve and manage the natural beauty of the islands. These range
from the highest point of Tortola, Sage Mountain, a well established
forest, to the marine dive site of the wreck of the RMS Rhone. Al-
though some of the islands are still uninhabited, a fine selection of
hotels, restaurants and shops can be found, together with up to date
medical facilities and communications systems. The main airport at
Beef Island offers many connections, throughout the Caribbean gate-
way cities, to the USA, Canada, South America, the UK and Europe.