Cruising sailors tend to follow a similar path through the Caribbean; often with good reason. Most cruisers do not visit Saba. We chose to follow the road less traveled and go there after St. Martin.

Saba is a volcanic island approximately 30 miles to the southwest of St. Martin. It is Dutch. It has 2000 residents.

The reason that most people skip Saba is that there are no bays or other all weather shelters from the wind and waves. The marine park professes to have 14 moorings but we often find that the number in such places is far less.

The island rises unbelievably steeply from the oceans and its peak is usually cloud covered.

When we left St. Martin the wind was a steady 20 knots and squall lines were visible all around us. We reefed our main and jib and tiptoed through the storms. The first one we were too slow for and it missed us. The second one we were ahead of—whew! Finally a huge system engulfed the entire island of Saba for hours but lifted as we approached the mooring field.

Saba was visible in the distance our entire way from St. Martin. As we drew near, its rugged beauty was breathtaking. The mooring field was on the edge of Ladder Bay and sheer vertical stone cliffs rose up hundreds of feet above us.

The island had no port facilities until the 70’s. Boats would be held off the rocks at Ladder Bay and unloaded. Then men carried goods and materials by hand up the hundreds of steps. Everything used in building and maintaining life there came in that way. Unimaginable work and brute force!

The island is so steep that the Dutch engineers said a road could not be built. A native of Saba took a correspondence course and they built a road by hand that stands today. The airport has a runway of only 400 yards. Only one airline flies there and lands on its aircraft carrier size runway. The pilots are specially trained to do so.

Our first day there was so stormy that we didn’t leave the boat. We weren’t unsafe or uncomfortable, but to visit land required us to travel by dinghy 2-3 miles to the port. Weather reports indicated that at most we would have two days there. The second day, I swallowed my fear and we headed off into 4-6 swells in our 10’ dinghy.

Once we reached the port (after kissing the ground), we cleared in and cleared out for the next day. We had the port authorities call a taxi for a tour. Our taxi driver was a Dutch guy who was 4th generation Saban. He gave us three hour tour that included a hike part way up the peak—Mt. Scenery.

The European cottage style homes were all pristinely maintained. The road was more thrilling than a roller coaster ride. The scenery was amazing. From the top we could see St. Martin, Statia, and St. Kitts.

Around 4 p.m. I got anxious to get back to the boat so we reluctantly left and made it safely back. We readied Banjo for the trip to St. Kitts the next day and after a rolly night departed with a measure of regret—not for following the road less traveled but because our stay was so short. Saba definitely merits a return visit. But next time we will take a ferry over and stay in an inn so we can fully enjoy the diving and hiking it offers.