Introduction to St. Eustatius

In days gone by, the little Dutch island of St. Eustatius was the busiest port in the Caribbean, a kind of Pirates of the Caribbean scene with some 200 to 300 sailing vessels anchored in the harbor on any given day. The island merchants supplied the U.S. colonies with guns and munitions to support their effort in the War of Independence.

Called "Statia," this Dutch-held island, a mere 21 sq. km (8 1/4-sq.-mile) pinpoint in the Netherlands Antilles, still basks in its 18th-century heritage as the "Golden Rock." One of the true backwaters of the West Indies, it's slowly awakening to tourism.

You may want to visit first on a day trip from St. Maarten to find out whether you'd like it for an extended stay. The volcanic, black-sand beaches aren't especially alluring, and as Caribbean islands go, it's rather dull here, with no nightlife. Some pleasant strips of beach exist on the Atlantic side, but the surf is dangerous for swimming.

However, if you're a hiker or a diver, the outlook on Statia improves considerably for you. You can hike around the base of the Quill, an extinct volcano on the southern end of the island. Wandering through a tropical forest, you'll encounter wild orchids, philodendron, heliconia, anthurium, fruit trees, ferns, wildlife, and birds, along with the inevitable oleander, hibiscus, and bougainvillea.

The island's reefs are covered with corals and enveloped by marine life. At one dive site, known as "Crack in the Wall" or sometimes the "Grand Canyon," pinnacle coral shoots up from the floor of the ocean. Darting among the reefs are barracudas, eagle rays, black-tip sharks, and other large fish.

Statia is about 240km (159 miles) east of Puerto Rico, 60km (37 miles) south of St. Maarten, and 30km (19 miles) southeast of Saba. A sloping agricultural plain known as De Cultuurvlakte -- where yams and sweet potatoes grow -- links Statia's two extinct volcanoes, the Quill and Little Mountain.

Overlooking the Caribbean on the western edge of the plain, Oranjestad (Orange City) is the capital and the only village, consisting of both an Upper and Lower Town, connected by stone-paved, dogleg Fort Road.

Columbus sighted Statia in 1493, on his second voyage, and Jan Snouck claimed the island for the Netherlands in 1640. The island's history was turbulent before it settled down to peaceful slumber under Dutch protection; from 1650 to 1816, Statia changed flags 22 times. Once the trading hub of the Caribbean, Statia was a thriving market, both for goods and for slaves.

Before the American Revolution, the population of Statia did not exceed 1,200, most of whom were slaves engaged in raising sugar cane. When war came and Britain blockaded the North American coast, Europe's trade was diverted to the Caribbean. Dutch neutrality lured many traders, leading to the construction of 2km (1 1/4 miles) of warehouses in Lower Town. Statia was one of the first places anywhere to recognize the United States of America as a new nation.

Don't Miss . . .

• The Quill, the cone of an extinct volcano that rises 5km (3 miles) south of the capital at Oranjestad. Its highlight is to wander inside the crater of the 610m (2,001-ft.) volcano, which is now a primeval rainforest.
• Oranjestad, the quaint capital of the island centering around Fort Oranje, with its three bastions that were extensively restored to mark the U.S. bicentennial celebration in 1976.
• Miriam C. Schmidt Botanical Garden, sprawling across 21 lush hectares (52 acres), is the best showcase of Statia's fauna and flora. Highlights are the Palm Garden and the Lookout Garden.