Ladder Bay (Saba)
Template:Infobox body of water Ladder Bay is an anchorage on the leeward side of the Caribbean island of Saba.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The bay sits on the west side of the island, directly under a set of 800 steps hand carved into the rocks locally known as "The Ladder".<ref name=":0">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=":8">Template:Cite web</ref> Until the construction of Saba's first pier in the 1970s, Ladder Bay was a primary point of entry for supplies to the island.<ref name=":7">Cornell, Jimmy. World Cruising Destinations: An Inspirational Guide to all Sailing Destinations. Pg. 202.</ref><ref name=":8" /><ref name=":9">Template:Cite webTemplate:Dead linkTemplate:Cbignore</ref> An abandoned customs house sits on the lip of a cliff overlooking the bay.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
History
Before European colonization, the area above Ladder Bay may have been occupied by Amerindians during the Ceramic Era.<ref name=":4">Template:Cite journal</ref> Archeologists have not yet found evidence of an Amerindian settlement above Ladder Bay, but they have found ceramic artifacts in the area.<ref name=":4" />
Saba was settled by Europeans in the mid-17th century.<ref name=":6">Template:Cite book</ref> There is long-standing documentation of early European settlements near Tent Bay, Fort Bay, and above Well's Bay.<ref name=":6" /><ref name=":10">Template:Cite book</ref> But more recently, archeologists have found 17th-century ceramics above Ladder Bay, suggesting the area may have been occupied during early years of European settlement.<ref name=":4" />
From the 1650s until the 1970s, the two primary ports of entry for Saba were at Ladder Bay and Fort Bay.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Boats could offload cargo at Ladder Bay, which would then be transported up "The Ladder", a series of steps carved into the ridge above Ladder Bay.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":6" /> The cargo would then be transported to Saba's capital, The Bottom, via a footpath through an area known as The Gap.<ref name=":0" />
Both cargo and people were brought onto Saba via The Ladder.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":6" /><ref name=":10" /> Even large items were transported up The Ladder, one of the most famous being a piano.<ref name=":0" /><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
In the 1930s, The Ladder in its current form, as well as the Customs House, were constructed.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":6" /> The steps of The Ladder were made of poured concrete, and the staircase walls from a mixture of concrete and rock.<ref name=":0" />
In the 1970s, the Capt. Chance Leo Pier was constructed at Fort Bay. With a harbor at Fort Bay, the use of Ladder Bay as a port fell out of use.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 2017, the bottom 2 meters (6.5 ft) of The Ladder were severely damaged by Hurricane Maria.
Today, "The Ladder" is an iconic Saban monument<ref name=":0" /><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and popular hiking location,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=":02" /> and Ladder Bay is an official mooring area<ref name=":42">Template:Cite web</ref> and the site of multiple popular dive sites.<ref name=":11" />
Hiking
The Ladder (Trail): The trailhead is located between The Bottom and Well's Bay.<ref name=":02">Template:Cite web</ref> The trail goes past the old customs house, and descends all 800 steps of The Ladder, before coming back up. The strenuous hike takes about 1 hour round trip.<ref name=":02" /><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The dry forest<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> portion of the trail includes diverse trees, including mahogany trees (e.g. Swietenia mahagoni) and cinnamon trees (Pimenta racemosa).<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Middle Island Trail: The trail begins close to The Ladder trail, and has views of Well's Bay and Ladder Bay.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> It is a heritage trail that includes ruins of an open cistern, stone walls of a farm, and a cavern. The hike takes about 40 minutes one-way.<ref name=":622">Template:Cite web</ref>
Diving
Ladder Bay is the location of multiple dive sites for scuba divers.<ref name=":11">Template:Cite web</ref>
- Porites Point, named for the quantity of Porites coral at the locating, including Mustardhill Coral (Porites astreoides) and Branching Finger Coral (Porites furcata).<ref name=":52">Template:Cite web</ref>
- Babylon, a site with dramatic overhangs (possibly reminiscent of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon)<ref name=":12">Template:Cite web</ref> home to sea fans, as well as a site for seeing sharks, turtles, eels, and fish.<ref name=":12" />
- Ladder Labyrinth, named for the labyrinth of tall, 10-foot coral and rock ridges that are for shrimp, crabs, and lobsters.<ref name=":22">Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- 50/50, named for divers' choice of multiple areas to explore, including underwater lava formations, a shallow reef area, and a rubble field.<ref name=":32">Template:Cite web</ref>
At Babylon, Ladder Labyrinth, and 50/50, divers can place their hands on hot, sulfur-colored sand, resulting from the active status of Saba's volcano.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=":12" /><ref name=":22" /><ref name=":32" />
Marine life
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The bay is home to a variety of fish, including Burrfish, Chromis, Filefish, Glassy Sweepers, Horse-eye Jacks, Lancer Dragonets, Lizardfish, Peacock Flounders, Pikeblennies, Schoolmasters, Spotted Drums, Tarpons, Yellowfin Groupers, and Yellowhead Jawfish, as well as Nurse Sharks and Reef sharks.<ref name=":52"/><ref name=":12"/><ref name=":22"/><ref name=":32"/>
Other marine life in Ladder Bay includes Channel Clinging Crabs, Green Turtles, Hawksbill Turtles, Spotted Moray Eels, Squat Lobster, and Tigertail Sea Cucumber.<ref name=":52"/><ref name=":12"/><ref name=":22"/><ref name=":32"/>
Ladder Bay's reefs include a variety of coral. The most common are Star coral (Astreopora), Brain coral, and Gorgonian (Alcyonacea) coral,<ref name=":52"/> as well as Porites coral at the Porites Point dive site.<ref name=":52"/> The bay is also home to sea fans such as Deepwater Seafans.<ref name=":12"/>
Moorings
Saba has two designated anchorage zones within the Saba National Marine Park: one between Ladder Bay and Wells Bay (west coast),<ref name=":42" /> and one in front of Fort Bay (southern coast).<ref name=":42" /> Between Ladder Bay and Wells Bay, the Saba National Marine Park manages about half a dozen moorings<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> that are in about 60 feet (18 m) of water. The use of mooring buoys can help eliminator anchor damage to coral reefs.<ref name=":42" /><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite webTemplate:Dead linkTemplate:Cbignore</ref>
Passengers of moored boats are advised to enter the island via through Fort Bay Harbor for safety reasons.<ref name=":42" /><ref name=":63">Template:Cite web</ref> Additionally, passengers from arriving yachts are required to go to Fort Bay to clear Customs and Immigration, as well as to check in and out with the Saba's Harbor Master.<ref name=":63" />
In March 2017, a French-owned boat broke free of its mooring, and became stranded on the rocks in Ladder Bay. No one was aboard, and the boat was successfully salvaged a few days later.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> That same year another vessel ran aground at Ladder Bay; all passengers were unharmed.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>