The Windward Islands are called such because they were more windward to sailing ships arriving in the New World than the Leeward Islands, given that the prevailing trade winds in the West Indies blow east to west. The trans-Atlantic currents and winds that provided the fastest route across the ocean brought these ships to the rough dividing line between the Windward and Leeward islands. Vessels in the Atlantic slave trade departing from the African Gold Coast and Gulf of Guinea would first encounter the southeasternmost islands of the Lesser Antilles in their west-northwesterly heading to final destinations in the Caribbean and North and Central America.
Amazing St. Vincent ~ Windward Island Of The West Indies ~ by John Easley - Whenever you hear a group of divers discussing their favorite Caribbean dive destinations, often with great conviction, you typically hear Grand Cayman, Cozumel, The Bahamas, and the Florida Keys. Rarely do you ever hear destinations such as St. Vincent and the Grenadines in the Windward Islands of the West Indies. I came to St. Vincent to find out why. Jun/05
The three-island nation of Grenada, Carriacou and Petit Martinique makes up the southernmost Windward islands in the eastern Caribbean. Carriacou, 23 miles/37 kilometers northeast of Grenada, covers an area of 13 square miles/34 square kilometers.
All eyes are on the International Whaling Commission as it meets in St. Kitts and Nevis. Since the 1986 "moratorium" on whaling, IWC membership has swelled to 69 countries, including St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Dominica, Antigua and Barbuda, Grenada, Belize, St. Lucia, and St. Kitts and Nevis.
