Passage to Saba
     
     Subject: Log February 17
     Date: Sat, 19 Feb 2000 11:15:54 -0500
     
     From: W2LSI@cho.win-net.org
     To: rudys03@ibm.net
     
     
     We finally got our act together and left St. Martin or Sint Maarten if you happen
     to be on the Dutch side of the island. We were ready at 7:00AM to go to the dock
     to get a fresh loaf of french bread for our lunch. When we returned to the boat we
     could see some squalls in the distance so we waited until they passed before we
     removed the dinghy outboard, placed it on the stern rail and hoisted the dinghy out
     of the water on the davits. We need to do this for passages to minimize stress and
     strain on the dinghy. It is a bit of a pain but in calm water it is not difficult. With
     the boat ready for a passage and the dinghy on board we left the harbor around
     9:00 AM.
     
     We rounded the west end of the island and raised sails about 10:30. The winds
     were generally 10-15 out of the East with 4-6 ft. seas. This lasted most of the way
     to the island of Saba, about 25 miles South. We could see a substantial squall line
     but there was no way for us to avoid it. The winds picked up to 15-20 with gusts
     to 25 or 30 and seas of 6-8 ft. during the worst of the squalls. I think it was  at its
     worst justbefore we passed to leeward of Saba at about 2:00 PM. Because the
     island gave us a bit of shelter we could easily lower the sails and get ready to pick
     up a mooring. There are only four moorings on the West side of Saba but they are
     free. We picked up a mooring and started to prepare to go into shore to clear
     customs and see what Saba was like. All in all it was a great sail! It hasn't been
     often that we can do a passage without the engine. We hit a max of 8 knots but
     averaged around 7 for the trip. It was a beam reach all the way.
     
     It did seem a little strange that there wasn't anybody else at these free moorings. It
     didn't take us long to figure out why. The winds came through the anchorage in
     gusts at about 15-25. There is also no protection from seas, just the island to the
     East of us. We did roll a bit and the winds gave us something to think about. We
     decided to wait until the next morning to try to lower the dinghy and mount the
     motor in the wind and rolling sea. 
     
     Faith fixed a great dinner and another passage was under our belt. 
     
     Saba
     
     Subject: Log Feb. 17th - Saba
     Date: Sat, 26 Feb 2000 23:16:08 -0500
     
     From: W2LSI@cho.win-net.org
     To: rudys03@ibm.net
     
     
     Today we went ashore to clear customer and immigration after I sunk the boat
     hook. It got tangled in the mooring and it was so windy the boat swung away from
     the mooring.  I ended up with the rubber handle in my hand.  As the First Mate, my
     job was to fabricate a new boat hook.  I got the oar and my gravy spoon and duct
     tape and presto.... a new boat hook.  I tried it and got the mooring on the first try!!! 
     Of course THE CAPTAIN does a fantastic job of getting and staying right by the
     mooring!!!  (Rudy demands to be called THE CAPTAIN!!!)
     
     We took a tour of the Island which looks like a forbidden land of long ago.  It has
     a 3000 foot mountain with a rain forest on top. The whole island is very steep with
     few flat spots. The houses sit in almost impossible positions on the edges of the
     cliffs.  There are no beaches except occasionally during the summer when the
     waves deposit some sand on the West shore, which may only last for several
     weeks. Before, the airport came, I was told that a woman went up and down 800
     almost vertical steps to the shore to get the mail.  There are also higher inclines to
     the rain forest. Saba is a small island. It was populated initially around 1640 due
     to a shipwreck. The population is mostly white and the towns have names like
     Windward, Bottom, Upper and The Promised Land. The land looks inhospitable
     but for 1521 people it is a place
     called home. There is also a medical school on the island. There isn't much to
     distract the students from their studies. We did have an excellent lunch though.
     
     The Saban people were told by their government and engineers in the Netherlands
     that it was impossible to  build a road across the island. Joseph Hassel thought
     otherwise. He took a correspondence course in engineering and began building the
     "road that couldn't be built" in 1906. He worked with a rotating crew of 20 people
     for 20 years to complete the road. It is incredible to see.....the turns, the steeps and
     all of the digging, filling and support that was accomplished without any
     mechanized equipment. In addition, all of the stones/rocks and concrete had to be
     carried by hand. There were no cars on the island until 1947. The road has had
     almost no washouts or collapses even through the hurricanes of the last several
     years. Hurricane Lenny destroyed their only harbor. It literally tossed 15-20 ton
     boulders into their harbor from the breakwater on the outside. 
     
     We spent 2 nights in the anchorage on the West coast. The moorings are free to
     encourage tourists....their only industry. The wind howled through the anchorage
     all the time we were there. It was rolly but we did get some sleep. The diving is
     supposed to be wonderful in the waters around Saba. It is a wonderful island to
     visit! If you want a quiet vacation this may be the place for you.