Saba Day festivities all weekend

The Daily Herald describes that Saba Day festivities, which started with the official celebration on Friday, continued over the weekend with several events. There were two more soft- ball games played between the Saba Soldiers and the St. Maarten Controllers. On Sunday, there were also two soccer matches arranged by Child Focus, with children from St. Eustatius ad Saba playing against each other. Many other games, both for children and adults, were held on both days.

The traditional Saba Day Cross Island Run was organized by Saba Triathlon Foundation. Four athletes took up the challenge to run the 9.2 kilometres from the airport to Fort Bay on Saturday morning. The start was at 7:30 and before 8:30 the winner was already in. Bas de Haan from Statia won the race in an impressive 55 minutes flat. First woman was Sarah van der Horn in 75 minutes. All participating athletes were also registered for the Saba Triathlon on January 31, 2015.

The Wahoo Tournament, which was held at Fort Bay on Saturday, turned out to be more successful than last year’s, including a large crowd turnout. Twenty fishing boats from Saba, St. Maarten, Statia and St. Barths participated in the tournament with a midnight start. First and third prize went to Lady Carolina of Ryan Hassell and his team. First prize was given out for the biggest wahoo weighing in at 62 pounds and third place for second biggest overall catch. They received prize money totalling US $7,500.

Second place was claimed by Trimmed Out from St. Barths for the biggest over- all weight at 401 pounds. This ship’s crew took home prize money totalling $3,000. First place women’s angler was Gina Hassell of the Lady Carolina and second place was for Jackie Burkle of the Lucky Lady from Statia. The Seamanship Award went to Shuggye 2 and the Drunkest Crew Award went to the Donna Mae.

After the tournament there was a big show with the Nuff Sayd Crew amongst others with people partying until late in the evening.

A paintball tournament was held on Sunday after- noon. Six teams from Saba, including a European formation, battled it out in Fort Bay. After an exhilarating final the Kill ‘em all team won first place. Second place went to the Red Dot team.

Prior to Saba Day, on Thursday, Saba Fit and Centre for Youth and Family organised the Healthy Families Walkathon, aimed toward children and parents. The walk started at Eugenius Johnson Center with face painting and ended at the RCN Building parking lot with a dance workout, a short Saba Fit statement and healthy snacks and drinks. The event was well attended despite the anticipation of rainfall. The walkathon was organized to promote healthy lifestyles among the youth as a part of Saba culture and identity. On Sunday evening, the Saba Day weekend came to an end with performances by Entyce band, Shotta Sound and the Rebels Band at Fort Bay.