Bahamas - Great Inagua, Touring the Island

Karen made an arrangement with Henry to take us on a Tour of the Island, and so early Monday morning, with little wind we hoisted our StaSail, for which at long last the Roller Furler and Foils had been repaired, and then we used the StaSail to sail the few miles south to Matthew Town. We anchored just out of the Harbor.

We picked Duane and Karen up in the Dinghy and went ashore at the Harbor to meet Henry in his Bahamas National Trust vehicle, for whom he oversees the National Park daily.

Inside the SUV we were 3 up front and back

Once outside the town it was a well graded road that we traveled on to the Morton Salt Works

Henry explained the Salt process to us. Apparently next to each Salt Pan, and alongside the road, trenches are dug. These are then filled with Salt water, graded 3 - somehow the remove some of the water and concentrate the salt water

When deemed right, the sluice gates are opened and generators pump the water from the troughs into the Salt Pans

The Pan is left for 3 to 6 months, and they monitor the depth with strategically placed sticks with measurements marked on them. Some Pans and they get lower exhibit a pinkish color.

This Pan is almost ready for excavation

We stopped to watch the Salt gathering process. A Grader drives scraping up side mounds of Salt, like they do with snow

Then a machine drives over the mounds and sucks up the Salt simultaneously pouring it into dump trucks 

    

Karen picked up some Salt and you can see how coarse it is

Unfortunately the Morton Salt Works no longer allow tours inside the facility, so we drove around their fence peering in

This is fresh sea water and the clarity is amazing. Mangroves growing all around

 

The water flows into the Morton Plant and is used for the Salt Pans, and they make a very concentrated Salt water solution from this fresh water which is used to ‘wash’ the salt from the Pans prior to loading on the ships

Conveyor belt

Big ship, which loads via the conveyor belt in about 24 hours and then ships to the USA for final processing and packaging

Nicholas, Duane and Karen inspecting the water as it flows under the road into Mortons facility

Next on our Tour is to see the Flamingo birds, which is in the Inagua National Park. Here is Henry our Tour Guide

The roads in the National Park are far narrower than around the Salt Pans and we had trees slapping on and into the windows

Some of the scenery was Outlandish

And then we saw the Flamingoes

And more further along

And more again with the Salt works in the background

Unfortunately we came across a dead Flamingo in the road

We had to stop to gather some of the amazing colored feathers

After we left the Park we were amazed to see wild Cotton Plants on the side of the road. WOW

Driving through Matthew Town, this is the Police Station

The old Salt Warehouse

Immigration and Customs

Our next stop was at a small grocery store so that Jenny could buy cigarettes as she had 1 pack left….I bought bananas, and Karen a few fresh produce too

Our next stop is at the Great Inagua Lighthouse. Here Henry left us, this is him driving out

The Lighthouse was stunning 

And we had to climb to the top

Looking out of a picturesque window

The old Kerosene equipment which used to power the Light

The view from the top balcony walk around 

The top Lighthouse dome, Nicholas with the new electric Light

We’re all exhausted and we walked the 100m to the Lighthouse Restuarant for Rum Punches, Kalik, and Curried chicken with sides for lunch

Back aboard our boats, the anchorage at Matthew Town is horrible so we upped anchor and sailed north about 10 miles to the Man O War Bay

Another view of the loading of the Ship at Morton Salt Works