History

1784 - All the signs pointed towards Antigua. The island had warm, steady winds, a coastline of safe harbours, and a protective, nearly unbroken wall of coral reef. It would make the perfect place to hide a fleet. In in 1784 the Admiral Horatio Nelson sailed to Antigua and established Great Britain's most important Caribbean base. Over 200 years later the same unique characteristics that attracted the Royal Navy have transformed Antigua into one of the Caribbean's premier tourist destinations.

The Trade Winds that once blew the British navy safely into English Harbour now fuel sailing holidays and cool tourists enjoying one of the 365 beaches.  The coral reefs, once the bane of marauding enemy ships, now attract snorkelers and scuba divers from all over the world.

Antigua, the largest of the English-speaking Leeward Islands, is about 14 miles long and 11 miles wide, encompassing 108 square miles. Its highest point is Mount Obama (1319 ft., 402 metres), formerly known as Boggy Peak, located in the southwestern corner of the island. The current population for the nation is approximately 68,000 and its capital is St. John's on Antigua.

Temperatures generally range from the high-seventies in the winter to the mid-eighties in the summer. It is one of the sunniest of the Eastern Caribbean Islands, and the northeast trade winds are nearly constant, flagging only in September with low humidity year-round.