St. Eustatius (“Statia”) is a charming, diminutive tropical island lapped by the Atlantic on the east and the Caribbean on the west; equidistant between North and South America – a…
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Saba Flag
Statia Flag
Saba & St Eustatius (Statia) are islands that are part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands and are located in the northwestern part of the Leeward Islands of the Caribbean.
Helpful Info
Population – Saba 2,000 & Statia 3,200
Money – both use the US$
Language – Dutch, English
Religion – 73% Christian (with 47% being Protestant)
When to go – Dec-June is most popular. Summer is nice also, but a little hotter and more humid. Hurricanes most active Aug-Oct.
World Heritage Sites – 0 – None
Country formed – Settled by the Netherlands in the 1630’s they are territories to this day
Statia was first colonized by the Dutch West India Company in 1636 and between then and 1815 the island changed hands 22 times before finally being back in the hands of the Netherlands permanently. You might not realize it walking along the quiet streets today, but Statia was THE island for transshipments of goods….both legal and illegal. This is due to the central location in the Caribbean, neutrality, being a free port, and no customs. In fact, it used to be called the Golden Rock. It was also the first recognition of America’s independence by a foreign power. Of course, the British made them suffer for this distinction.
The Ladder on Saba was the only way onto the island for centuries
Saba was first colonized by the Dutch from Statia in 1640, but Captain Morgan evicted them in 1664 because they would not pledge allegiance to the British crown. After the island changed hands several times between the British, French, and Dutch for the next 150 years, the Netherlands laid final claim on the island in 1816 and have held it since. Due to the fact the island is surrounded by sheer cliffs it has no beaches. In fact, until 1972 the only way on the island was straight up an 800-step staircase called The Ladder. Another story is that “experts” claimed a road could not be built on the steep island, but a local figured out how to do it after taking a correspondence course in the 1950’s.
My Visit
Saba and Statia were two of the last three island I visited during my six-week cruise through the Leeward Island. I anchored the boat for four days in Statia and three days at Saba.
Likes, Dislikes, and Recommendations
One of the towns on Saba
Statia is a quiet island full of history. The anchorage is easy to navigate, if not a bit open to the weather. Town is split between Lower Town, which is one street and where the warehouse ruins are from the golden years, and Upper Town on top of the cliff. There are some pretty cool ruins around town and snorkeling the ruins in the water are cool. The hike up The Quill, a dormant volcano, is great. If you love quiet you will like Satia. If you need nightlife, then this is not the place for you.
One of the ruined warehouses from the golden era on Statia
Saba has four towns sitting up on the mountains and is about as postcard perfect as you can get. The diving around the island is supposed to be world class and the hike to the top of Mt Scenery is heart thumping. The biggest advice I have for anyone thinking of sailing here is not to. It is a great island, but I will fly there next time. The anchorage is exposed and the dinghy ride is long and wet!
Soon you can get even more helpful hints by watching the travel videos I made for Saba & Statia. Also, you can read what all I did there in my blog posts located below the video.
All Blogs From Saba & Statia
I have met many people in the Caribbean that are from Statia, but they moved to some of the other Leeward Islands (St Martin, St Kitts, Etc) because it was…
Back in the begining of August I shared an article I wrote and submitted to several sailing magazines. Well turns out Multihull Sailor chose to publish it in thier fall…
[Shane – this week I broke up an article I wrote summarizing our cruise for some sailing magazines. The first part was on Sunday, the second part was on Tuesday, and…
[Shane – on Sunday I told you how I wrote an article and submitted it to some sailing magazines, but I was letting my readers read it first. This is…
[Shane – this is an article I wrote and submitted to several sailing magazines to see if they would be interested in publishing it. Of course, my readers do not…
Today is the last photo of Saba and I can not think of a cuddlier send off. I hope you have enjoyed reading about this amazingly perfect little island the…
It was the first thing we did and I loved it. Today’s photo of the day is looking down part of the staircase that all goods and people used to…
While I think Saba is a great destination and well worth a visit (or revisit), I would tell future guest to simply fly there from St Martin. Why? It is…
Yesterday I told you about the hike I did to the top of Mt Scenery on Saba. Well today I wanted to rest for a bit and simply show you…
Saba is a hiker’s paradise. There are trails all over this small, but steep and rugged island. Some of them even use to be the footpaths between the four different…
This week we are exploring Saba and today’s photo of the day is looking down in the town of Windwardside from one of the many mountains. I hope you come…
This week we are going to tell you about our time in the tiny inaccessible island of Saba. The island has just under 2000 residents in four towns around the…
Today’s photo of the day is of some sand dollars and a starfish I found while snorkeling the wharf and warehouse ruins at Statia. These are left overs from the…
This guy was scurrying along the trail and then scampered up a tree. I hope you enjoy his photo as today’s photo of the day. Check out yesterday’s blog to…
The Quill is a volcano that has been dormant for over 1600 years, but the awesome part is that it still has the crater and you can hike to the…
Today’s photo of the day is one of the trail signs I found while hiking to the top of The Quill on St Eustatius. Tomorrow I will tell you all…
Sunday I introduced you to St Eustatius and told you how it use to be THE port for goods in the 18th century. It was so busy the land at…
Today’s photo of the day is a wonderful picture of Melek playing with a turtle in the anchorage of Statia. To think last time she was a little scared of…
St Eustatius might be a sleepy little island off the beaten cruising track now, but in the 18th century it was the port to envy. Due to it being in…