By:Udo Dengler (udo.dengler) on June 25, 2009
Tags: lucia , st. , island , pigeon

North of Castries lies Pigeon Island National Landmark. This 44 acre site was once an island accessible only by sea. It is composed of two peaks, Fort Rodney Hill and Signal Peak. In the 1970s a sandy causeway, made of dirt excavated to form the Rodney Bay Marina, was constructed between Gros Islet and Pigeon Island, turning the island into a peninsula. In 1979 Pigeon Island was established as a national park. Today Pigeon Island is the centre stage venue for the annual St. Lucia Jazz Festival.

Pigeon Island has a spicy history dating back to the 1550s, when St Lucia’s first French settler, François le Clerc, better known as Jambe de Bois (Wooden Leg), used the island as a base for raiding passing Spanish ships. Two centuries later, British admiral George Rodney fortified Pigeon Island, using it to monitor the French fleet on Martinique. Rodney’s fleet set sail from Pigeon Island in 1782 for his most decisive military engagement, the Battle of the Saintes. With the end of hostilities between the two European rivals, the fort slipped into disuse in the 19th century, although the USA established a small signal station here during WWII.

Panorama stitched in Autopano Pro from 6 images taken handheld with Nikon D300 and a 18 mm lens.

Date Taken: June 25, 2009
Date Added: July 6, 2009
Bookmarked: 0 times
Total Views: 1572 views
Snapshots: 6
Size: 0.05 gigapixels
Field of View: 160.0 degrees wide, 57.7 degrees high

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