Contemporary Curaçao
2.2.2 Willemstad, a Secure Port The harbor entrance of Curaçao at the Saint Anna Bay was no more than a small channel leading to the spacious inland water that the Dutch called Schottegat, an ideal and secure dock area for the WIC merchant ships, both as a shelter against enemies and as a retreat in the hurricane season. As the Caribbean is notorious for its hurricanes, Curaçao’s geographical location outside the hurricane belt was also convenient for the settlers.
Piracy played an important role in the colonial history of the Caribbean, as Dutch pirates were active in this region for both strategic and economic reasons. At that time, the Dutch Republic was engaged in a struggle to free itself from the Spanish yoke during the so-called Eighty Years’ War, which lasted from 1568 to 1648. This war extended beyond Europe to the Spanish colonies in the Caribbean. Dutch privateers were commissioned by the State to attack and rob the Spanish treasure armadas. They tried to win the war by crippling the Spanish economy and strengthening their own. Curaçao served as a military base and thus contributed strategically to the struggle of the Dutch to win their independence from Spain. But piracy did not end after the Eighty Years’ War, and a secure stronghold was vital for the economic activities of the WIC traders in the region. The struggle in the Caribbean region between the world powers persisted until the end of the eighteenth century, as each nation tried
Battery on Fort Beekenburg. (Photo: François van der Hoeven) 26