Saba, a Best Kept Secret

Greetings from Saba! Pronounced "Say-ba," it's a Dutch island least traveled because of its inaccessibility, but also one of the best diving spots in the Caribbean. A dormant volcano, formed around 500,000 BC, it's just 5 miles wide but about 3,000 feet steep. The shelf around the island drops off quickly, and there are diving sites over 100 ft. deep. This makes anchoring tough and anything but a due East swell will make your stay rolly. Maybe this is okay for those who like to be rocked vigorously to sleep. In the right conditions though, the dramatic beauty of this anchorage is worth it.

The entire perimeter serves as an impenetrable fortress, protecting one of Earth's last true nature reserves from human development. It looks intimidating as you approach by air or sea and isn't the place to go if you want a lazy day on the beach. The shoreline all but disappears in the winter. The beauty that awaits inland requires some effort to discover, so be prepared to burn those calves and quads exploring on foot with the goats and donkeys. Many of the trails are still the only roads for Sabans to get back to their hillside homes from town.

Until the 1940s, engineers believed that a main road was impossible. But in 1943, a determined Dutch engineer completed what Sabans refer to as "The Road That Couldn't Be Built." And some of the taxi drivers refer to it as "The Road That Shouldn't Have Been Built." There are retaining walls filled with boulders and a few holes where some have busted through. Some drivers refuse to pick tourists up at certain places on the road, but as Dad Toman points out, without the road, there would be no taxis!!

Before "The Road," Sabans had built over 800 steps where they carried everything that came by sea, the whole way into town. Carved into the leeward side of the island, or Ladder Bay where we were moored, boats could only land when the sea was calm and had to bring cargo ashore by wading in waist-deep water. Among the craziest things carried up the steps over the years were a piano and a bishop.

We got to catch a ride along this road that connects the two main villages "The Bottom" (guess where that one is located) and "Windwardside" at a much higher elevation. We're on what I like to think of as the "physical fitness budget." So when we learned that a cab ride just from Fort Bay (the main port) to The Bottom, would cost us $15, we were prepared to hoof it until "Coochie" offered us a ride. Saba's population is just about 2,000 with families of Dutch, Irish, Scottish, English and African descent.

I found the people here to be exceptionally personable and welcoming. There's nothing superficial about their friendliness, their only motivation being pride for their island. While they do things on their own time, we were always acknowledged and taken care of right away. It has been among the most hospitable places we have traveled to, reminding me of times spent with Carol's family in Bermuda. When we tried to check in with customs first thing Sunday morning, the officer was out most of the office -something we've come to expect on weekends despite posted hours. Sue at the marine park office cleared us in on her end and with a relaxed attitude said, "Go ahead and tour the island and check back with customs later. If you don't make it back by 4:00, just check in with them tomorrow."

Initially feeling like strangers among this small island, we were quickly absorbed into the community when Stephen mentioned that he was friends with James Curran, a relative of the McCarty family responsible for founding Saba Steel. Stephen has been keeping in touch with James through e-mail and we couldn't believe it when he told us he had family on Saba of all places. The world can be just as small as Saba. Coochie, who just happened to offer us a ride when he saw us hiking up the side of "The Road," had grown up with the McCarty's and knew the family well. Coochie offered to take care of us during our stay on the island, free lifts into town included. Knowing that he was close with James' family made the otherwise scary car ride feel safer.

While Coochie insisted that we come into town to enjoy some "nightlife," this was not an island where we wanted to be away from our boat past dark. Not because of crime, of course. The guest houses often don't give room keys because crime is unheard of in Saba. While it was generous of him to offer us rides back to Ft. Bay, I don't know which would be scarier, the dinghy ride around the island in choppy seas in the dark or Coochie's driving down "The Road That Should Have Never Been Built" after a few drinks. A desire to live was reason enough to turn in early every night. And so we got an early start on our ambitious hiking plans every day. This lifestyle helped out our budget, as we spent less than $50 in Saba, which included Customs & marine park fees, a pizza with beers and even some groceries.

The sunsets here were also worth getting back to, as we were anchored along the western shore with an uninterrupted view of the horizon. Having nothing but open sea on one side seemed disconcerting at first, but proved to be comforting since we were secure on one of the free moorings installed by the marine park. Even in the unlikely event that your boat somehow broke free from the mooring, you're on the lee side of the island drifting out into open waters instead of other boats or a reef.

As you can imagine, groceries can be very expensive in Saba, but we were well-stocked from St. Martin. So I try to include photos whenever I can to prove that we are still eating well for all those concerned. Stephen is quite the cook and now breadmaker too! There's nothing sexier than a man kneading dough for bread. This is a meal of steak, avocado and mashed pumpkin. Avocado, pumpkin and banana have become staples in our diet.

And of course, another megayacht photo. I swear they keep getting bigger. This one was about 240 ft. anchored just ahead of us, but further off shore, probably in about 100 ft. of water. They pulled in from St. Bart's just for the day. And can you believe there were only 6 guests aboard? Excluding crew. A lot of big yachts like these pull in for an overnighter just to go diving with one of the three companies or on a guided hiking tour. Diving, Eco-tourism and fishing seem to be the biggest industries.

Unlike most people who visit Saba, we covered almost every part of this island on foot, winding up and over the mountains on steep trails where you encounter all of its rainforest and wildlife which include cows, donkeys, goats, snakes, geckos and the occasional rodent. I swear I saw bats too. My favorite is the goat. There are so many of them and I was sure to get some goat pictures for Daddy who wants to raise some of his own again one day. He used to have pet goats when he was a little boy living in McSherrystown. Back then, I'm sure McSherrystown was a lot like Saba today, where people had large gardens, knew everybody and could still leave their doors open at night. The goats were very sweet and shy and leary of humans since their still a delicacy around here. I have my goat call down, though and like to think I had them tricked into believing I was one of them. They are unbelievable climbers with their hooves - the most unsophisticated hiking shoe. From our anchorage you could hear baby goats calling out to their mamas at night.

The hike that you don't want to miss on Saba is Mt. Scenery. This is the highest point of the island, and surprisingly easy to climb since the park maintains some of the nicest trails I have ever been on. Over 1,000 stone steps lead the way to the top of Mt. Scenery that has one of the most gorgeous views I have ever seen, looking down onto the village of Windwarside. On top of Mt. Scenery, we were above the clouds and even in them at times as they rose up over the peak.

I love this photo, 1) because Stephen looks so cute in it, 2) because you can see Statia (St. Eustatius) and St. Kitts (St. Christopher) behind him, and 3) you can see how on this particular day the ocean seemed to blend with sky. You had to stare closely to figure out where the ocean ended and where the sky began.

On our second day in Saba, we started a 5 mile hike from Ft. Bay, where we landed our dinghy to the other side of the island. We passed through "The Bottom," one of the main villages that is home to The University of Saba's Medical School and hospital. Walking by the hospital was like passing a ghost town. The windows and doors were all open, revealing empty beds. Only staff walked the halls of the building, their voices echoing inside. It seemed their primary job that day was keeping the hospital clean. We had asked Coochie if they had universal healthcare or had to pay out of pocket, to which he replied, "I don't know, I've never been sick." And this is a man of at least 30. Clearly living here is good for your health. At the end of the village, a man pointed the way to the Sandy Cruz Trail through his backyard.

From there we reached the Top of Troy Hill just above "The Bottom" where we saw beautiful homes like these, with views that many people dream of. What I love about Saba is that views like these are not restricted to the wealthy. From working class to upper class, almost everyone has a view of the ocean, the only difference being the size of the home and amenities. On our trek back from Hell's Gate to Windwardside, a school bus driver named Yvonne picked us up on the side of the road after dropping the kids off at home. She told us about her house in St. John's Village above the island's gorges dense with forest, and her view of the valleys, Statia and St. Kitt's in the distance.

The "Sandy Cruz" and "All Too Far Trail" leading to the other side was my favorite hiking in all of my experiences so far. These trails wound around the outermost edges of the island and almost every inch offered ocean views over cliffs and through the trees. While the drop-offs were steep, the trails were well-maintained and I never felt unsafe. On the beginning of the Sandy Cruz Trail we spotted Synchronicity at anchor so far below.

The only trail we decided to keep away from was the "North Coast Trail," since the brochure stated, "WARNING: Guided hikes only. Do not proceed without a guide. Several people have been lost here!" Having survived the "Peligro trail" of the Monte Verde cloudforest in Costa Rica, we learned that dangers in less litigious cultures are typically understated. The red trail or what Stephen and I now refer to as "The Peligro Trail" indicated that while caution should be exercised, it was the best trail for monkey sightings. "How dangerous could it be?" I said to Stephen, half an hour before scaling the side of a cliff with sliding rock. As many know, there is no turning back with us. So when we read a brochure actually emphasizing danger, we assumed the worst - that "lost" meant "dead," and took heed. Customs had already conveniently cleared us out of Saba on the same day we checked in, so no one would be looking for us.

We eventually crossed paths with James, the local guide, and asked him about the dangers on "The North Coast Trail." After emphasizing the importance of hiring a guide and confirming that people "were lost" I asked him what happened to them. "Oh, they took a wrong turn and we found them the next day," he said. Stephen and I had a good laugh about this one.

We hiked all the way to the Old Sulfur Mine on the East side of the island, where the trail opened up onto a huge meadow overlooking the sea and "Green Island" where waves crashed onto this huge rock of an island below. To the right of the meadow there was a sign perched on the edge that read, "Sulfur Mine." From the bottom slope of the meadow it looks like the sign drops off into nothing. I figured it was just pointing to the general location of the old sulfur mine, to be admired from afar. As I saw Stephen lingering by the edge, I thought "Please don't tell me he's going to try to climb down there." It was only when you approached the sign that you could see a trail leading straight down into the Sulfur Mine. Leary at first about the loose gravel path, it was as safe as any other part of the trail. As our motto goes, "Well, we made it this far."

The mine was built with the same determination as "The Road," but perhaps a bit hastily. Both attempts to make the mine operational were unsuccessful within the first year. Once they mined the sulfur, they had to figure out how to get it to down the mountain and loaded on a cargo ship, so they rigged a steel cable to ferry the sulfur from the mine down to Green Island where they would load it onto freighters pulling alongside this inhospitable shore.

All you have to do is look at this photo of Green Island to figure out why this was a really bad plan. With steep seas crashing against this so-called island and reefs that you can't see surrounding it, I'm amazed that any freighter was bold enough to attempt it. Sabans are a gentle yet persistent and fearless breed of people.

A more successful venture was the airstrip, engineered by a French pilot from St. Bart's not long after "The Road." Like "The Road," many thought this wasn't possible either. Flights arrive in small propeller driven planes from other islands about every other day - sometimes daily. People say the flight in is like landing on an aircraft carrier. The airport/airstrip is located in Hell's Gate, one of the smaller villages on the island.

We ended our journey of Saba in Windwardside where we found "Saba's Treasure," a pub without beer on tap, but at least it's ice cold, and really great pizza. It was either pizza or the "Colombian" snack bar that really just served burritos, burgers and fries. Easy choice. Inside, the walls were covered with old articles about Irish natives who came from long family lines of diehard mariners, some lost at sea in hurricanes. Something I don't like to read about.

Our last day in Saba was spent at anchor, as two days of serious hiking left me paralyzed from the waist down. I figured I could still float, so we went snorkeling in the caves around Diamond Rock, on the northern tip of the island. These were some of the deepest reefs I've been snorkeling on. Instead of turquoise, the water is a deep blue. It was the first time we swam with sea turtles, and a curious baby swam right up to us. Stephen spotted a huge lobster at the bottom, and told me he was studying its behavior for future capture. Since the area around Saba is considered marine park, fishing is forbidden. Gray reef sharks are also common here, but I was happy not to see any.

After a few days in Saba, we sailed off our mooring, in pursuit of Barbuda, about 95 miles due East. The winds were so light, just enough to keep the boat moving, and we could still see Saba at sunset. This was one of the nicest overnight passages with the calmest conditions. It was great for sleeping and reading on watch, watching stars and shadowy outlines of so many other islands. I enjoy the endless views of the vast ocean, but also appreciate staying in sight of land. We're looking forward to spending a couple of weeks in Barbuda's contrasting landscape, where everything is flat and beaches stretch for miles, also uninterrupted by development.