Did You Know… How Pirate Pinel got to Pinel Island?
An “in the know” perfect leisure spot for many on island is Pinel Island. A fun, less known fact is that the island is named after a pirate from the 17th century. And there is a story to that, that starts some islands away.
From many sides of St. Maarten, you can see the towering volcanic island of Saba on the horizon. As Saba became a European Dutch municipality in 2010, it is now considered the highest peak of the Netherlands. That also applies to the Kingdom as a whole; the highest peaks of the other three kingdom countries Aruba, Curacao and St. Maarten barely reach half the height of Sabas Mount Scenery.
This impressive steepness was used to the islands’ advantage in many eras of its history. Sabas elevation worked as a deterrent for many to conquer the island, and those who tried often regretted it.
Amongst those was pirate Pinel. In the year 1689, he made an attempt to conquer Saba, looking for a good place to land along its steep cliffs. Sabans set off a traditional defense mechanism of piled rocks, creating a controlled avalanche wiping out the attack in the process.
Pinel himself did not take part in the attack and remained on board, but it is very well possible his ship did suffer. What is certain is that his ship ran aground at a small islet close to French St. Martin, called Pinel Island since.
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