Leeward Islands - Origin of The Name

Origin of The Name

The name of this island group, Leeward Islands, dates from previous centuries, when sailing ships were the sole form of transport across the Atlantic Ocean. Because of prevailing currents and winds, the fastest route west across the Atlantic to the New World from Africa brought sailing ships to a point that was halfway south on the Lesser Antilles chain of islands, roughly between the islands of Dominica and Martinique or nearby. This area became the dividing line between what are now known as the Windward Islands and the Leeward Islands.

In the West Indies, the prevailing winds, known as the trade winds, blow from the southeast to the northwest. When sailing ships arrived, what are now known as the Leeward Islands were down wind, or "in the lee of the wind" to them. In other words, these islands were "leeward" to the sailing ships when they arrived in the West Indies, and could be reached from that arrival point by simply sailing with the wind.

This was in contrast to the Windward Islands further south, which were up wind from the sailing ship's point of arrival, in other words "windward", and had to be reached by sailing against the wind.