Cove Bay (Saba)

This article is about a body of water in the Caribbean. For the location in Scotland, see Cove Bay.

Cove Bay
Cove Bay, with Old Booby Hill beyond
Cove Bay Location on Saba
Location	Flat Point, Saba
Coordinates	17°38′30″N 63°13′11″W
Type	Bay
Primary inflows	Caribbean Sea
Max. depth	90 ft (27 m) [1]
Settlements	Flat Point, Zion's Hill

Cove Bay is a is coastal bay on the island of Saba in the Dutch Caribbean. It is located on the southeastern coast of the Flat Point peninsula, below the Juancho E. Yrausquin Airport and the Flat Point Tide Pools.

The bay is one of a few places for swimming on Saba.^[2][3] Cove Bay's swimming area is shielded from waves by a wall of large rocks;^[3][4] these rocks were brought down from Flat Point after being removed to help make airplane approaches easier.^[3] Cove Bay is a snorkeling site^[5] and dive site.^[6] The area is also popular for barbecues and picnics.^[3][7] Sand has been brought in to Cove Bay from St. Maarten, to create an artificial beach.^[8]

History

Main article: Flat Point § History

The entire Flat Point peninsula was formed during volcanic activity about 5,000 years ago.^[9] The end of a large lava flow formed the peninsula as it cooled.^[10] It was occupied by Amerindians sometime between 400 A.D. and 800 A.D.^[11] Archeological surveys uncovered pre-columbian ceramics and conch shell adzes.^[11]

In the 17th and 18th centuries, the Flat Point peninsula was the site of a sugar and indigo plantation.^[11][12] According to archeological surveys, the plantation had at least one indigo boiling house, two wells, and two domestic structures for enslaved Africans.^[11] One of the wells was located at Cove Bay, and one of the domestic structures was on the cliff overlooking Cove Bay.^[11] Archeologists believe the plantation's location allowed for easy transportation of indigo and sugar from Cove Bay to a larger ship in nearby Spring Bay.^[11] In 1781, Cove Bay may have been the landing point for the British during their capture of Saba.^[11][13]

Flat Point peninsula, with Cove Bay below (right)

Before docking facilities were built on Saba, imported lumber intended for Hell's Gate was thrown overboard near Fort Bay, rowed around the island to Cove Bay, and then brought up to Hell's Gate by donkeys or people.^[14] In 1911, rafters for the construction of a Catholic church in Hell's Gate were likely brought in via Cove Bay.^[15]

In 1963, Saba's airport officially began service, built on the flat stretch of land just above Cove Bay.^[16] In the 1990s, there was a leather factory between Cove Bay and the airport;^[7][17] in 2012, Saba Comprehensive School's Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) moved in to the former leather factory building.^[17] In 2014, a children's playground was built at Cove Bay.^[18]

Nature

Soft coral (Alcyonacea)

Snorkelers or divers can expect to see red and yellow soft corals (Alcyonacea), Devil's Sea Whips (Ellisella barbadensis), Green Moray Eels (Gymnothorax funebris), Midnight Parrotfish (Scarus coelestinus), and Nurse Sharks (Ginglymostoma cirratum) in Cove Bay.^[6]

Birds in the Flat Point area include the Common Ground Dove (Columbigallina passerina nigrirostris), the Brown Noddy (Anous stolidus stolidus), and the Least Sandpiper (Calidris minutilla). Flat Point is a nesting site for the White-tailed Tropicbird (Phaeton lepturus catesbyi; also called the Yellow-billed Tropicbird).^[6][19]

In 2015, sea turtles hatched at Cove Bay.^[20]

Amenities

Cove Bay is equipped with a covered area for barbecues, a children's playground area, and public restrooms.^[3]

An outdoor restaurant, The Sea Grape Grill, opened just above Cove Bay in 2015-2016.^[11][21] There is also a restaurant in Saba's airport, Runway 30 Sports Bar & Grill (previously Saba Flight Deck).^[22][23]

Cove Bay is not used as a harbour; Saba's harbour is located at Fort Bay.

References

1. "Dive Site 30. Cove Bay". Sea Saba.
2. "Swimming on Saba | Saba Tourism". 2023-01-19. Archived from the original on 2024-01-16. Retrieved 2024-01-16.
3. "Saba's beaches". Saba News. 2016-04-23. Archived from the original on 2024-01-17. Retrieved 2024-01-16.
4. Werner, Laurie. "Ultimate Caribbean Seclusion: The Under The Radar, Newly Reopened Island Of Saba". Forbes. Retrieved 2024-01-17.
5. "Snorkeling Saba | Sea Saba Dive Center". seasaba. Archived from the original on 2024-01-16. Retrieved 2024-01-16.
6. "Saba's Best Dive Sites: Cove Bay". seasaba. Archived from the original on 2024-01-16. Retrieved 2024-01-16.
7. Pfanstiehl, Natalie; Pfanstiehl, Paul (1985). Saba, the First Guidebook (PDF). Van Steel Press. ISBN 978-0-9618232-2-1. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2024-01-17.
8. Howell, Buford Frederick. (1972). Sand movement along Carmel River State Beach, Carmel, California. Monterey, Calif: Naval Postgraduate School. doi:10.5962/bhl.title.60747.
9. "Biological Inventory of Saba" (PDF). www.sabapark.org. Carmabi Foundation. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2024-01-13.
10. "Global Volcanism Program: Saba (General Information tab)". Smithsonian Institution | Global Volcanism Program. Archived from the original on 2023-06-07. Retrieved 2024-01-13.
11. 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.
12. Espersen, Ryan (2017). "Better than we": landscapes and materialities of race, class, and gender in preemancipation colonial Saba, Dutch Caribbean (Doctoral dissertation). Leiden University.
13. "The Chronological History of Saba". The Saba Islander. 2021-02-06. Archived from the original on 2023-06-03. Retrieved 2024-01-13.
14. "History of Saba:Visitor Information [brochure]" (PDF). Saba Conservation Foundation. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2024-01-18.
15. "To Turn A Rock". The Saba Islander. 2023-08-08. Archived from the original on 2024-01-17. Retrieved 2024-01-17.
16. Department, Graphics (2023-08-28). "Saba airport celebrates 60 years with launch of its new IATA logo". The Daily Herald. Archived from the original on 2024-01-13. Retrieved 2024-01-13.
17. "Technical vocational education finds home at old leather factory". Archive of posts from Saba-News.com. 2012-03-20. Retrieved 2024-01-17.
18. "New Playground to be developed in Cove Bay". Archive of posts from Saba-News.com. 2014-01-28. Retrieved 2024-01-17.
19. "Scientists study Saba tropicbirds". Archive of posts from Saba-News.com. 2020-01-11. Retrieved 2024-01-17.
20. "Sea turtles hatching at Cove Bay beach". Archive of posts from Saba-News.com. 2015-11-28. Retrieved 2024-01-17.
21. "Sea Grape Grill – Cove Bay (Airport)". Archive of posts from Saba-News.com. 2016-02-19. Retrieved 2024-01-18.
22. "Runway 30 Sports Bar & Grill | Saba Tourism". 2018-06-20. Retrieved 2024-01-18.
23. "Saba Flight Deck". Saba News. 2020-02-05. Retrieved 2024-01-18.