Coordinates: 17°38′39″N 63°13′10″W / 17.64417°N 63.21944°W / 17.64417; -63.21944

Flat Point

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Flat Point
View of Flat Point from an airplane
Flat Point is located in Saba
Flat Point
Flat Point
Location on Saba
Geography
LocationSaba, Dutch Caribbean
Coordinates17°38′39″N 63°13′10″W / 17.64417°N 63.21944°W / 17.64417; -63.21944

Flat Point (or Flat Point Peninsula)[1] is an area on the northeastern coast of Saba, an island in the Dutch Caribbean. It is located in the lower part of the Hell's Gate village, known as Lower Hell's Gate. Flat Point is the location of Juancho E. Yrausquin Airport, the Tide Pools, ruins of a 17th-18th century sugar and indigo plantation,[2] and Cove Bay.

History

Flat Point was formed during volcanic activity about 5,000 years ago.[3] A large lava flow flowed down the northeast side of the island into the ocean, forming the Flat Point peninsula as it cooled.[1] Humans would not occupy the area for at least another 3,000 years.[2] Flat Point was occupied by Amerindians sometime between 400 A.D. and 800 A.D.[2] Archeological surveys carried out by Ryan Espersen uncovered pre-columbian ceramics and conch shell adzes.[2]

From the 1650s through the 1770s, Flat Point was the site of a sugar and indigo plantation (referred to as "Flat Point Plantation" by archeologists).[2][4] The plantation was the site of at least one indigo boiling house, two wells, and two domestic structures for enslaved Africans.[2] The Great Hurricane of 1780 caused extensive damage to the plantation and it was not rebuilt.[4] In 1781, Flat Point may have been the landing point for the British during their capture of Saba, under the command of Admiral George Brydges Rodney.[2][5] On some maps, Flat Point is called “Rodney’s Head”.[2]

View of Flat Point from Hell's Gate. Visible are Saba's airport and runway, and Cove Bay (bottom right).

On February 9, 1959, Remy de Haenen made the first landing of an aircraft on the island of Saba, on Flat Point.[6] Nearly the entire population of the island was in attendance for the landing.[7][8] In the 1960s, construction of an airport at Flat Point began, as Flat Point is one of the only level areas on the entire island.[3] On July 24, 1963, Saba's airport, Juancho E. Yrausquin Airport, officially began service.[9][7] Stretching across Flat Point, the airport's runway is widely acknowledged as the shortest commercial runway in the world, with a length of 400 m (1,312 ft).[10][11]

Nature

Geology

Flat Point was created by a large (basaltic andesite[2][12] or andesitic[1]) lava flow, stretching from above Upper Hell's Gate down into the ocean. Lava rock formations from this flow can be seen in the Flat Point Tide Pools. These tide pools are located below the airport, and feature large lava rock formations filled with colorful saltwater pools.[13]

Flora and fauna

Vegetation on Flat Point consist mostly of grasses, cacti, and succulents, due to the dry conditions and thin soil resulting from continuous coastal winds.[2] These plants include Crotons flavens L., Kalanchoe pinnata, Pilosocereus lanuginosis, Tabebuia heterophylla, and Coccoloba uvifera.[2] The Flat Point Tide Pools are home to diverse marine life,[13] including small fish, sea urchins, crabs, and sea flora.[14][15][16] Off the coast of Flat Point are protected coral reefs that are part of the Saba National Marine Park.

Birdwatchers can see numerous bird species at Flat Point, including the Common Ground Dove (Columbigallina passerina nigrirostris), the Brown Noddy (Anous stolidus stolidus), and the Least Sandpiper (Calidris minutilla).[3] Flat Point is a nesting site for the White-tailed Tropicbird (Phaeton lepturus catesbyi; also called the Yellow-billed Tropicbird).[3]

Hiking

Flat point has one hiking trail: the Flat Point Trail.[14][17] The hike is an out-and-back trail extending to the Flat Point Tide Pools, about 15–25 minutes each way.[14][18] The trail passes by the ruins of an indigo boiling house.[18][2] The trail access is located on the road going from Saba's airport to Cove Bay.[18] Hikers are cautioned about rip currents (especially from November to April)[19] and sharp rocks when exploring the tide pools.[20][21]

Gallery

  • Photo of Flat Point before construction of airport
    Photo of Flat Point before construction of airport
  • Photo of Flat Point after construction of airport
    Photo of Flat Point after construction of airport
  • Saba's airport, Juancho E. Yrausquin Airport
    Saba's airport, Juancho E. Yrausquin Airport
  • Propeller plane preparing for takeoff from Flat Point
    Propeller plane preparing for takeoff from Flat Point
  • Saba's runway on Flat Point
    Saba's runway on Flat Point

References

  1. ^ a b c "Global Volcanism Program: Saba (General Information tab)". Smithsonian Institution | Global Volcanism Program. Retrieved 2024-01-13.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Espersen, Ryan (2019-01-01). "A Site Report of Flat Point, Saba, Dutch Caribbean: A Ceramic-Age Amerindian Site and Early Colonial Sugar and Indigo Plantation". Zemi Cultural Heritage Services Site Reports.
  3. ^ a b c d "Biological Inventory of Saba" (PDF). www.sabapark.org. Carmabi Foundation.
  4. ^ a b Espersen, Ryan (2017). "Better than we": landscapes and materialities of race, class, and gender in preemancipation colonial Saba, Dutch Caribbean (Doctoral dissertation). Leiden University.
  5. ^ "The Chronological History of Saba". The Saba Islander. 2021-02-06. Retrieved 2024-01-13.
  6. ^ Chilton, Nicola (2022-07-08). "What it's like to land on the world's shortest commercial runway". CNN. Retrieved 2024-01-13.
  7. ^ a b Johnson, Will (2013). "Fifty years of air service to Saba". The Saba Islander. Retrieved March 26, 2017.
  8. ^ Johnson, Will (2011). "Remy de Haenen: 'Lord of the Air'". The Daily Herald. Retrieved March 26, 2017.
  9. ^ Department, Graphics (2023-08-28). "Saba airport celebrates 60 years with launch of its new IATA logo". The Daily Herald. Retrieved 2024-01-13.
  10. ^ Chilton, Nicola (2022-07-08). "What it's like to land on the world's shortest commercial runway". CNN. Archived from the original on 2022-07-21. Retrieved 2022-09-03.
  11. ^ Dugdale, Magdalena (2018-12-27). "World's shortest runways at commercial airports". Airport Technology. Archived from the original on 2022-09-07.
  12. ^ Roobol, M. John (2004). Volcanology of Saba and St. Eustatius, Northern Lesser Antilles: Plates (PDF). Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences. p. 36. ISBN 978-90-6984-384-1.
  13. ^ a b "Les Fruits De Mer » Blog Archive » Extreme Shallow Snorkeling at the Saba Tide Pools". Retrieved 2024-01-11.
  14. ^ a b c "Hiking | Saba Tourism". 2022-03-10. Retrieved 2024-01-11.
  15. ^ "Hiking on Saba | Sea Saba Dive Center". seasaba. Retrieved 2024-01-12.
  16. ^ Werner, Laurie. "Ultimate Caribbean Seclusion: The Under The Radar, Newly Reopened Island Of Saba". Forbes. Retrieved 2024-01-12.
  17. ^ "The Nature of Saba [brochure]" (PDF). www.sabatourism.com. Saba Conservation Foundation.
  18. ^ a b c "The Nature of Saba [brochure]" (PDF). www.sabatourism.com. Saba Conservation Foundation.
  19. ^ "Flat Point Tide Pool Advisory" (PDF). www.sabapark.org. Saba Conservation Foundation.
  20. ^ Allen, Casey D. (2017-07-19). Landscapes and Landforms of the Lesser Antilles. Springer. ISBN 978-3-319-55787-8.
  21. ^ "The Tide Pools - Saba". ArrivalGuides.com. 2023-03-22. Retrieved 2024-01-12.
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