Saba:  The Ladder

April, 2006

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Saba is a five square mile dormant volcano rising dramatically out of the sea.  It has not erupted in 5000 years.  It is located about 80 miles north-northwest of Monserrat, which as you know has an active volcano.  Between Saba and Montserrat lie three other volcano islands, Statia, St. Kitts, and Nevis.

Saba is part of the Netherlands Antilles.  There are about 1800 inhabitants on the island, which is meticulously clean and maintained.  The roads are all perfectly paved, and they have established a medical school on the island.

Saba has no beaches.  If you visit there by boat, you must take a mooring on the west side of the island.  This is where the original Sabans built "The Ladder", a set of 450+ stairs cut out of the stone on the side of the cliff.  Until a manmade harbor was built on the southwestern corner of the island, all supplies were taken in to the rocky landing and carried up the stone steps several hundred feet to the first and lowest of the two main villages, called The Bottom.

Here are some pictures of the ladder and our anchorage.  Ken and I dinghied in to the landing at the foot of the stairs and climbed up and down.  Do you see a small white building in the first photo on the left?  That's ruins of the old customs house, marking about 2/3 of the way up The Ladder as you climb to The Bottom.  Make sense?

Here are two other boats moored behind us.  Diamond Rock is in the background.