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- Nestled amidst turquoise waters, this enchanting island has become a coveted destination for travelers seeking an idyllic retreat. Named after the Spanish word for “turtle,” Tortuga boasts not only a rich history but also a vibrant ecosystem that promises unforgettable experiences.
islekeys.com/things-you-should-know-island-of-tortuga/12 Things You Should Know Before Visiting The Island Of Tortuga
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Oct 12, 2024 · Delve into Tortuga's notorious history as a pirate haven during the Golden Age of Piracy. Discover how it shaped piracy and impacts our culture today.
For decades Tortuga was pirate haven and the best place to sell captured plunder. From 1630, the island of Tortuga was divided into French and English colonies. It provided a good base for Buccaneers' attacks, as well as some other activities like slave trades.
Aug 12, 2024 · Tortuga, an island off Haiti's northwest coast, is famous for its dramatic landscapes, pristine beaches, and rich history as a pirate haven. The island's diverse ecosystems and blend of African, European, and Indigenous influences offer a captivating mix of nature and culture.
Dec 30, 2020 · Tortuga is an island that forms part of Haiti off the northwest coast of Hispaniola, that during the 17th century was a stronghold for piracy operating throughout the Caribbean.
- The Lure of The Pirate Dens
- Barbados
- Ile-a-Vache
- Madagascar
- New Providence, Bahamas
- Petit Goâve
- Port Royal, Jamaica
- Providence Island
- Rhode Island
- Tortuga, Hispaniola
Pirates needed safe harbours where they could hide from the authorities and share out their loot. Ideally, a base was close to the routes taken by merchant shipping, the pirates’ primary target, and, even better, close to a strait where these ships were obliged to navigate through. It also needed to be a place of refuge during the winter or storm s...
Leading up to the Golden Age, piracy had already been rife in the Caribbean for some time. Barbados and St. Kitts were the first British possessions in the West Indies, and they were used for their very remoteness as a useful place to deposit undesirables, ensuring very few would ever be able to make it back to the homeland. During and after the En...
Ile-a-Vache ('Cow Island') was a pirate haven off the southwest coast of Haiti used by many French pirates and by Sir Henry Morgan(c. 1635-1688), the most successful of all buccaneers (privateers and pirates who targeted enemies of their state).
Located some 250 miles (400 km) off the coast of southern Africa, Madagascar was the most important pirate haven in the Indian Ocean (others included nearby St. Mary’s Island, Johanna Island, Mathelage, Réunion Island, and Mauritius). The British had attempted to take control of Madagascar but failed in 1645, as did the French, abandoning their eff...
New Providence harbour on New Providence Island took over from Tortuga as the region's main base for pirates. The small island reached its peak as a pirate haven from the 1670s, first for buccaneers chased out of Jamaican waters and then, from around 1713, for pirates who attacked anybody they fancied regardless of nationality. There were good harb...
Petit Goâve was a port on the southwest coast of Saint Domingue (modern Haiti). It attracted buccaneers from the 1670s after the decline of Tortuga and was particularly popular with French pirates and the notorious Dutchman Laurens de Graff since it was far from the (non-corrupt) French colonial authorities yet close to the Spanish Main. By 1700, t...
Port Royal was the main port of Jamaica, a British possession from 1655. Known in its early days by its Carib-Spanish name Cayagua ('Water Island') and then anglicized as Cagway, it was given a powerful fortress by the British, but the withdrawal of the Royal Navy left it exposed to Spanish warships. From 1657, Governor Edward D’Oyley, encouraged b...
Providence Island, aka Isla de Providencia, and neighbouring Santa Catalina are islands off the coast of Central America used by pirates for their strategic location smack in the middle of the Cuba to Venezuela shipping routes. Providence Island had a good harbour, which was easily defended from its high cliffs. It was first settled by the English ...
The ports of Providence and Newport on Rhode Island were used as pirate havens in the second half of the 17th century and the first decades of the 18th century. They hosted such infamous criminals as Blackbeard, Henry Every, and Thomas Tew. Following less corrupt and sterner governance, Rhode Island lost its appeal to pirates, especially following ...
Tortuga (Ile de la Tortue), located in northwest Hispaniola (modern Haiti and the Dominican Republic), received its name for the resemblance of the island to a turtle when seen from afar. The island became a haunt of cattle hunters and then a pirate base of significance in the mid-17th century when French buccaneers chose it for its proximity to th...
- Mark Cartwright
Sep 4, 2022 · Strategically, Tortuga was a most important island for France. To the Northeast of Tortuga, is Cuba, the last stop of the Treasure Fleet before returning to Spain. France, like most of Europe was at war with Spain for most of the 1600s. Tortuga became a perfect spot to ambush the returning Spanish fleets.
Thanks to Le Vasseur, Tortuga became the pirating capital of the Caribbean. Le Vasseur arrived in Tortuga during August 1642, bringing with him around 100 men, including a number of buccaneers he had picked up in Hispaniola. After a brief battle, the English were easily expelled.
