What is the setting at the beginning of The Cay?

The setting for the opening chapter of Theodore Taylor's The Cay is the island of Curaçao, an island in the Caribbean which was inhabited by the Dutch following their independence from Spain in 1634 (the indigenous residents of Curaçao were Arawak). Curaçao was an important shipping port during the colonial period, and it was also a hotbed of piracy.

As the novel opens, Phillip, the narrator, awakens in his house in Willemstad, the capital of Curaçao. It is February 1942, and German U-boats (a type of submarine) have begun to ravage the Caribbean and scare the inhabitants of Curaçao.

This fear eventually causes Phillip's mother to want to return home to Virginia. They board the S.S. Hato and put out to sea. Unfortunately, a German U-boat successfully torpedoes the Hato. Phillip becomes stranded at sea, setting the stage for his survival on "the cay."