The Ladder. This is an 800-step stairway leading from the small rocky beach at Ladder Bay to the top of the island of Saba. Before the small harbour at Fort Bay was built, The Ladder was the only way to get goods and people to the villages at the top of the island. Male and female porters with great strength and pride carried food, furniture and even a Bishop up The Ladder. The little building is an old customs warehouse and is about two-thirds of the way to the top.