Location: Ladder Bay, Saba
Here we go again. So yesterday evening, as we left Statia, my luck shined through because our captain Nick let me take the helm once again, and with some guidance from him, I learned how to maneuver the boat to take the anchor up and set sail towards Saba. I am very appreciative of these special opportunities that have come my way, like a few days earlier I approached and asked Nick if I can help in any way, this man gets me to stand to the side and lead everyone as we put the sails up. He literally put me in charge and wouldnt let me do anything other than telling people what they all need to be doing which included him, it was kind of funny to boss him around. There are already talks about me taking over as captain, I mean Im slowly learning the different duties he has to do so maybe one day
Anyways, today was the first full day in Saba, honestly wasnt expecting it to be as fun as it ended up being. I woke everyone up, and we had breakfast at 7:30 as usual, followed by both classes, navigation and oceanography, back to back. Were not here on vacation, so gotta get those six credits somehow, but energy levels were quite low by lunch. Once refueled, we made our way to shore. It turns out the beach was rocky, so the dinghy couldnt get too close, and all of us had to jump in and walk in waist-deep water to shore, but wait, theres more. Carefully traversing the rocky beach, we approached this staircase named The Ladder, more like stair master on steroids because it was a near vertical climb of about 500ft just getting up to the main road. The smaller town is a few minutes away from the stairs, while the main town takes another 40-60 minutes, depending on your pace, walking up and down mountain roads.
Saba is known for its selfless and kind people. If you get spotted walking, most cars driving by will pull over and ask if you would like a ride. Obviously, back home, even as adults, getting rides from strangers can be quite dangerous, but thats the culture of Saba. Even compared to the other islands weve been to, the level of kindness is unmatched. So after the initial climb and finding our way into the first town, Zoe, Jaxson, Nadia, and I broke off into our own little group and were lucky enough to get a ride all the way to the further town. Unfortunately, today was Sunday, so almost everything was closed. We only had 4ish hours ashore, so we explored around and then settled in a restaurant, leaving an hour for our journey back to the ladder.
For the first half of our journey back, we were unable to hitchhike and had to walk, but Im very glad about that since we got to see the true beauty of the small volcano island. As we inched closer back to the first town, a pickup truck stopped for us. We hopped in the bed and set off for the ladder. It was a steep downhill from there with many turns, and the driver did not hold back. We were getting thrown from one side to the other while the tires screeched, going around the turns. For me, that ride was the highlight of my day. On the way down, the stairs were a breeze, but getting back on the dinghy was much worse than the drop-off; this time, we had to swim while holding our bags above the water. Eventually, we made it back to the boat and jumped in the ocean for a quick shower before dinner. After dinner, we got more free time on the boat and optional extra practice for navigation class. That just about sums up the day.
On a side note we only have 12 days left of this trip, I dont know what to feel. Should I be sad that in less than two weeks, I wont be able to see all these people that Ive spent 24 hours per day for the last month, or should I be excited to go back home where Ill get to be with my family and friends again, drive around wherever/whenever I want, sleep in my own bed and finally get a proper fresh water shower that lasts longer than 10 seconds? I have mixed feelings; either way, the end is near, gotta make the most of our limited time.
Its getting late, Im tried so I guess this is the end, goodnight people!