We could see Saba from St. Martin despite the cloudy overcast weather.
Saba is an extinct volcano. It has not erupted for over 5,000 years. It is a tall mysterious looking island shrouded in clouds and greenery.
Approaching the island you have to wonder how anyone managed to land here many years ago much less build homes and a thriving community.
Approaching the anchorage we found the old customs house. Can you imagine anchoring your boat here, landing your goods and passengers and then hiking up the 300 + steps to the customs house at the top of the hill.
Saba is part of the Dutch Netherlands Antilles. It is an island known for superb diving and the waters surrounding the island are protected by the Saba Marine Park. Checking in with the authorities includes a visit to the Marina Park Office where the rules of the land and sea are spelled out clearly. Paperwork is part of the price you pay for this Dutch paradise. Steve and Roxanne got the job done.
Saba has two main villages, The Bottom and Windwardside. The two are connected by The Road. To get anywhere near the villages you must hike uphill or you can hire a taxi.
Hiring a local to drive and tell stories is the way to see the sights. Wayne came highly recommended and having been born on the island made the stories even better.As told by Wayne: Engineers from Holland had declared it impossible to build roads on Saba. The locals, however, were not inclined to do without the modern convenience of the automobile so one of their own took a correspondence course in road building. With assistance from his fellow countrymen, a road was built.
And what a road it is. Are we in Disneyland? This narrow road winds its way up and down, around the mountain, very very close to the cliffs..... and it is a two way road! Help!
The view is incredible.
The local airport's landing strip is not much longer than an aircraft carrier. Glad we arrived by boat.
Toy boats.
The island has beautiful flowers
Wild raspberries
Fruit trees everywhere
Lots and lots of goats
The next day we went for a hike. It was a lush tropical jungle
Million dollar view
Lots of climbing and a great workout
A well deserved lunch afterwards with friends Jim and Roxanne.
Nothing better than a swim after a long hot hike
We have a new toy......can you tell?
It was time to leave Saba and head for St. Kitts. When we leave an island we always swear we will come back someday. I hope we get a chance to visit this great place again. You should come yourself and see it.
Anne and Steve
Onboard S/V Fine Line
2 comments:
The pictures are amazing. What an amazing adventure you both are having. Wish we were there.
Love
Lisa
well what an adventure that is. What do all the inhabitants do for money?
I'd like to try those raspberry's!
Adam Heer and Jessie Nelson both passed their Engineer's test. Adam works with me and he is in the number two position. Jessie had more time on so he got the A band slot. No matter if Adam scored better, he would still be in the number two position because of not enough time on the job.
Gary Goss just got his notice today that they are going to retire him @ 50% because of his ears/hearing. So that means that Jessie will get made.
We hardly ever see a gold badge at any of the stations. Doug Giacomazza is on days because of shoulder surgery and has been for some time. Some how, and I don't know how he did it, he dented the pick up truck right front and some more damage further down the right side. So I'm sure the chiefs have something to do now.
Mark Muir wants a Adminastration Captain in the office and the Association wants a fourth guy on the truck. Not much talking going on about that for now. The big thing is Station Two relocate. NO ONE wants the station to be next to the freeway. Basically, they told us Tuff...that's where it's going no matter how much it costs or how much you use logic to explain why it's not a good or economical idea. They listen with their hands over their ears and take them off only for news that they WANT to hear. Sound familiar?
I just got back from Fire Prevention 1C class that Joe Bunn paid for. I went to San Francisco for it and stayed in Half Moon Bay (because all the local hotels were booked because of various graduations at local schools).
It was a fun class and I learned a lot. I'm looking forward to taking more if there is money to do so.
The first mate on a pirate ship made an observation about his pirate captain. He noticed that when ever the ship engaged in battle, the pirate captain wore a red shirt. When the first mate asked why the captain did this the captain replied....
"If, while we are engaged in battle, I am wounded....I do now want my crew to see that I'm bleeding. That way they will not loose courage if they see that their leader is in distress from the wound."
Satisfied, the first mate retired to his bunk for the evening.
In the morning at dawn, the crew awoke to a horizon of many enemy war ships preparing to battle the pirate ship. Upon seeing the vast armada, the pirate captain spoke to his first mate with this command...
"First mate....bring me my brown pants."
Talk to you soon.
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