Seaworthy.com

 The chart and following text are from The Leeward Islands Guide by Stephen J. Pavlidis

Saba (pronounced Say-ba), along with Statia and Sint Maarten are part of the northern Dutch Netherlands Antilles.  Saba lies approximately 28 miles south of Sint Maarten and is basically an extinct volcano that has not erupted in over 5,000 years.  The five-square mile island is often referred to as the Unspoiled Queen, she is very clean, spotless in fact, and is reminiscent of a Shangri-La with colorful houses perched atop vertical cliffs of red and brown.

Saba, an impressive sight when viewed from the sea, is easily seen from Sint Maarten.  Mt. Scenery, an extinct volcano, is the highest point on the island and rises quite abruptly from the sea to a height of over 3,000’.  However, when you get closer to the island the shoreline looks quite inhospitable, rugged and steep-to with no beaches and nothing that could even remotely be called a harbor, but do not panic, you can still anchor or moor here and enjoy this bit of Dutch paradise.  There are anchorage areas as well as moorings between Ladder Baai and Wells Baai on the northwest coast, and an anchorage off Fort Baai.  When sailing in the waters surrounding Saba, do your best to avoid the Saba Bank lying southwest of the island.  If seas of any size are running the bank will be unusually rough with short, steep seas the norm.

The waters surrounding Saba are part of the Saba Marine Park, they are protected and anchoring is restricted.  The park was established in 1987 and is the only self-supporting marine park in the world.  The park encircles the island and includes several underwater marked trails.  The park is divided into 4 different zones each with its own usage.   The western shore of Saba, from Tent Baai to Ladder Baai, and including Diamond Rock is a recreational diving-only zone, no anchoring or fishing is allowed here except for handlining from shore and trolling.  The waters from Ladder Baai north to Torrens Point is an all-purpose recreational zone and anchoring is allowed from Ladder Baai to Wells Baai. 

Another anchorage zone is west of Fort Baai while east of Fort Baai along the southern and eastern coast of Saba and around the northern coast all the way to Torrens Point is a multiple use zone where fishing and diving are permitted, and the diving in Saba is superb, but you can only dive with one of the local dive operators.  Cruisers will be charged a small fee of US$3 per person per week for boats less than 100’ in length.  For vessels over 100’ an additional US$.15 per foot is charged.  The park authorities are easy to get along with, so if you decide to snorkel a bit before checking-in with park officials, you are welcome to do so.