Enjoyed Statia (Sint Eustatius) more than we anticipated on our New Year Sailing Adventure
It was a day sail down from St. Barths, at the perfect wind angle, arriving around 4 pm – just in time for checkin. It was the usual – visit the port authority, customs & immigration – 3 stops. If you are visiting Saba, you don’t have to check out/check in again. There is only one viable anchorage near the port, and it IS subject to swell. Our strategy was to spend as much time off the boat during the day, when the swell was heavier. It did calm down at night. Although during the week of New Year’s we were there, a very very loud Hispanic group would play music from their cars all night long til 7 AM at the park on the waterfront.
Day 1 – We always try to do the things we MOST want to do first, so in case we have to leave early, we are not disappointed. So, on our first day, we took a taxi to the Quill Trail. Quill trail has numerous hiking paths to choose from. We wanted to attempt the trail leading down to the bottom of the dormant volcano, to experience the unique flora and fauna of that area, as well as a “kissing gate”. So, off we went. The trail was beautiful, and you can tell it was highly traversed. At least, the main portion. We continued our ascent, and the trail grew rockier and more steep. When we finally made it to the decision point of going down into the volcano, we decided we had already reached out 80% worn out level. Going down into the volcano would have been easy, but we were not sure we would have the energy to come back up. So we changed plans and decided to continue our ascent to the top. The trail continued to get more difficult, but we made it to the top, and loved the view. Total trail time 4 hours.
A refreshing swim back at the boat re-energized us for our evening dinner at the Barrelhouse restaurant (make sure you have reservations).
Day 2 – The next day, we needed walked around the very authentically historic town and fort. The architecture was very dutch, and the ruins were in very good shape – although not really preserved. It was good for the soul to connect with that level of the past. (Laundry service was a taxi ride away, and clothes came back wrinkled and with new stains, so not recommended). Lunch at the Old Gin Mill https://www.theoldginhouse.com/restaurant was delicious, until a rat fell out of the outdoor patio roof right onto the cement about 20 feet away. Kind of ruined the vibe. Our first snorkel was surprisingly beautiful on the reef right in the main harbor. Statia is known as a heavenly dive island, and we could see why. Plenty of live coral and reef fish. AND historic artifacts like a huge anchor from the old sailing ships still at rest under the sea.
Day 3 – Then came my special birthday treat – massages, and dinner at the Golden Rock Resort. Another taxi ride brought us to this remote hideaway dive resort. It was a super peaceful day,
Day 4 – Chill day on the boat! Needing a day of rest, we kept close to the boat, learned more about the “oil blending” business on the island – GTI Statia. is a major independent crude oil and refined products storage terminal on St. Eustatius, Dutch Caribbean. It is not an active refinery, but a 14-million-barrel capacity marine terminal that serves as a key hub for blending and global distribution. It is the major economic island activity. Scuba Diving is also a major activity, and there are numerous dive sites around the island – all with mooring balls if you are so inclined. It is one of the few areas that still has live coral. If you are interested at all in beekeeping, you could visit Celbees.com (organic beekeepers). They do 1 1/2 hour tours where they teach you all about beekeeping and of course have wonderful honey for sale.
Day 5 – With no end in sight for the heavy winds and the swell, we decided to leave for VI, so we checked out and sailed between Saba and Statia, enjoying the beautiful mountain scenery along the way.
Statia Photo Gallery (Click on first photo for larger slide show)
