Quick trip to Saba
28 February 2013 | Saba Island
Toby Hynes
Joanne and I had heard from our friends Shaun and Neill Sullivan that they had done a day trip to Saba and said it was great. Joanne and I thought we might give it a try and made flight reservations for a day/night trip over and back. Winair fly's Canadian DeHavlens into the shortest commercial runway in the world. FLIGHT you said! Yes! Saba is all mountain (Volcano). And the harbor, of sorts has been cut straight into the rocks. The anchorage is...well not. The few mooring balls are your only hope and you get to rock and roll all night long.
The twelve minute flight ends with the tips of the planes starboard side about 20 feet from the mountain. The runway was built by a flyer who did not accept the decision from the Dutch government that it could not be done. Everything in Saba cannot be done. The roads could not be built, the boats built at the turn of the century could not be carried down the mountain to be launched. These are very special people and Saba is the cleanest, neatest, kindliest island we have visited in the Caribbean. What a great surprise.
Donna, our cab driver met us at the airport. Straight to the hotel, which was a 100 step walk up to the office. She called, they were out of the office and we headed off to lunch and a tour of the island, by cab. The roads are unbelievable. All concrete, in perfect condition and constantly being maintained. They are built with stone walls on both sides. Obviously the stone cleared to make the road. The two roads are named, "The Road that Couldn't be built" and, "The Road That Shouldn't be Built". The towns were named, appropriately, Bottom and Waterside. The hills carried names, like Mt. Scenery. While the island is Dutch, the founders included a lot of folks from Ireland. It now all made sense. The island has three colors: White, Green and Red. It’s easy to buy paint. But what a cute and quaint place.