Saba is a unique place to visit. It is a Dutch island that was settled by a mix of British, Irish, Dutch and Scandinavian settlers and African slaves in the 1600-1700s. Most of the current residents are descended from these families, except for the 300 medical school students which represent about 20% of the population. It is a quaint town (20 minute cab ride up a spiral, steep road) with great hiking and diving. The incredibly maintained trails have been around for centuries, as this was the only way to get around the island. That is until they built the crazy road that goes through the steep hills known locally as "the road that couldn't be built." or The Road.
At first, the kids wanted nothing to do with this beachless, rock island. However, behind the rocky exterior, there were hidden treasures. Such as the hike up to Mt. Scenery (love the names in Saba - the towns are called Bottom and Windwardside) which was a challenge, but we earned the view. It took 3 hours round trip and went up to 3000 feet. The top is known for being in the clouds, but we had 10 minutes of sunshine on the top and got to see the curvature of the earth. The rainforest hike included old stone carved steps, wild flowers and surreal green foilage like the large elephant leaves.
Another highlight of Saba was a visit to the local glass art studio where we had a private art class. We each got to melt the beautiful glass rods and make our own beads! It was a kick and the owner, Jo Bean, a former teacher, was patient and trusting. While we made beads, Rodney went with the local dive instructors to the famous pinnacles dive - at 90 feet below the sea the divers are just reaching the tip of the pinnacles .
After four days, the nagging northern swell returned and it was time to leave. We're back in Columbier, St. Barts w/ the turtles.
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We are anchored off Saba (pronounced SAY-bah). It is a rock. There are no protective bays. Therefore, if you come here on a boat, you can only come when there is no swell - i.e. little wind and waves - which is not that often. We have been waiting for a weather window and finally we're here. When you sail up, the island looks inhospitable from the outside. There are no beaches, a steep 3000 foot volcanic mountain. There are moorings for about 10 boats. We went on the island to explore.....more later.
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03/07/2010, Columbier - favorite anchorage!
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The plane touched the ground and came to a stop. My dad hopped into the dinghy and motored over to the airport. About 10 minutes later I saw a blue speck in the distance. I looked through my binoculars and saw them. It was my friends, Conner and Teagan!
My name is RJ Pimentel, and I'm 3 months into a 2-year sailing trip. I live on a 47-foot catamaran with my mom, Jane, my dad, Rodney, and my brother, Leo. Connor is my friend from Alameda, where our house is. Teagan is his younger sister, Steve is their dad and Clare is their mom.
My family and I started our trip in St. Lucia, a small island in the Caribbean, then went up to Martinique, then to Dominica, then to the Saintes, then to St. John, then to St. Thomas, then to Virgin Gorda, then to St. Marten, then to St. Barts, and back to Simpson Bay, St. Marten. That's where the plane touched the ground.
I was incredibly happy when Connor finally stepped onto the boat. It was 6:30 at night so we didn't have much time to talk before bed. The next day we left St. Marten and sailed to St. Barts were we spent much time jumping off the boat and playing on the beach. We didn't have all day, though, because we spent 2 or 3 hours getting there. Once it was 5:00, we had screen time, ate dinner, and then went to bed at 9:00. The next day we got up early so we could finish school and have more time to play. After school, we went on a small hike to another beach called Flamands. The waves were huge, sometimes getting as high as 7 feet. We body boarded for about a half hour, and then we hiked back. The next day we went around to a diving spot. I had gotten certified about 3 weeks before, and I was ready to dive again. We went to a rock and hopped in. It was pretty fun, and we saw some cool things like lobster and barracudas. We got out and finished the day with a movie. On the 4th day, we went back to Flamands, except this time we went for 3 hours. It was INSANE. I almost didn't make it back I was so tired. We then had dinner and went to bed. Days passed in similar patterns, until one day we came back to Simpson Bay to drop them off at the airport.
The plane turned around on the runway. It started to pick up speed, until it lifted itself off the ground and started to fly. "There they go", I said, and the plane disappeared into the horizon.
Leo's paragraph:
Connor and Teagan from Alameda CA came to visit us on our boat. We sailed with them to St. Maarten and to St. Barts. In St. Barts we went on a hike and discovered cacti, a tortoise, lizards, hermit crabs and lava rocks. After the hike, we arrived at Flamands beach. The beach had some of the biggest waves I have ever bodysurfed. During the exciting week we jumped off the boat many times. Snorkeling was one of our favorite things to do . When we were snorkeling we saw a black spotted eel and Connor saw a barracuda. I'm glad they came to the Caribbean to visit us.
And - new photos in the gallery....
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We left St. Maarten and headed to St. Barts. The wind was against us, so we pulled into Philipsburg, capital of St. Maarten. OMG. Five super humungo cruise ships on the docks. Masses of people and shops and beach chairs,etc. The water taxis shuttling the cruise ship guests to shore motored by our boat every 5 minutes, creating rocking waves. We made the best of the location and got off the boat and rented beach chairs for the day. The kids played on the water jungle gym and we people watched and strolled around. I was happy when the wind subsided and we could leave after a couple of nights.
Now we are finally in St. Barts. We have heard about the island and wanted to see for ourselves what all the fuss is about! To get to St. Barts you have to arrive on your own boat or take a ferry or fly into an exclusive little airport. It is a French island and it is quaint, hilly and basically gorgeous. As typical for the caribbean islands - St. Barts was fought over by the British, French and Spanish. In the 1700s the French made a deal w/ the Swedes in exchange for a port rights in Sweden. The French bought it back from the Swedes in the 1800s and it remains part of France today, thought like St. Martin it is a free port. We ran into Richard - Latitude 38 publisher- who hangs out here quite a bit - he says that these days the locals that live here are more fond of the American visitors than the French.
We are currently moored in Anse de Colombier. This is one of the all around best anchorages on our trip. One can only get here by hiking or boat. The bay is a marine reserve and every day we have snorkeled from the boat with turtles and rays. There is an awesome beach you can swim or kayak to from the boat. And bonus, there are hiking trails - some that lead to the windward side - which means beaches w/ big waves that the kids love. The main town of Gustavia is close by - about 15 minutes by boat. The town has all of the designer stores that are fun to window shop. St. Barts is also home to the resturant Le Select, claim to fame in Jimmy Buffet's cheeseburger in paradise song (we ate here and would recommend just stopping by for a beverage instead.) Everything is definitely expensive, but we can always get a loaf of french bread for $1 euro! While here, we hung out with a great family with 3 boys who were chartering a boat for a week. The boys played capture the flag for three days....crazy. Now, more excitement ahead as the Waterloos arrive from Alameda tomorrow!
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Greetings!
We're enjoying our time in St. Maarten. The cruising camaraderie here is a pleasant surprise. There are lot of boating families and almost everyday there has been some sort of kid gathering. Tonight it is a bbq and bonfire on the beach. The downside of being anchored in the lagoon is we that can't jump off the boat and swim. Leo says he feels sorry for the fish that have to live in this water. Fortunately, in just a few minutes we dinghy over to a beautiful beach and cool off.
The big news is that RJ is now a certified PADI scuba diver! He went to scuba school this week and graduated as a "natural." He is relentless in his quest for us to take him diving.
In a few days we'll be off to St. Barts where we'll meet up w/ the Waterloos!
Happy Valentine's Day!
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