After checking our anchor and a light breakfast we dinghied in to the Government Basin. Somehow I think we were expecting more than was actually there. Posts said there was a dinghy dock but we didn't find any. What we found was some bulldozed low spots where we could land with nothing that could be used for tying up the dink. We finally went onto a low corner with a long length of cable to which we could tie the dinghy and there to meet us was Kevin our new found friend.
The lighthouse at the south end of Matthew Town.
Kevin offered to take us to wherever we wanted to go. He grabbed our trash bag and took it to a barrel where he tossed it and then to Customs and Immigration. We had heard from folks that cleared in George Town about the rather tortuous and innocuous process that cost $75. In Matthew Town it took a few minutes at no charge and was over before we knew it. We were cleared out of the Bahamas.
Kevin asked what we wanted to do and our other objectives were to see the Park and have lunch. So we got back in his car and he took us around the Morton Salt operation for starters. There has been a salt operation on Great Inagua since the 1950's. He explained the process and took us to one of the pumping stations where sea water is sent into the inland lake and the salt pans to begin the evaporation process that would result in salt crystals that would be crushed into what comes out at your table as salt.
The water intake that is pumped into the system that ends up as salt.
It was all very intriguing especially the obviously visible fish swimming around the lagoons and estuaries of the process. Bonefish in schools and Barracuda in the lagoons presenting easy targets for fishermen.
Our guide Kevin showing us the salt ponds.
The salt-making process is fairly simple. The sea water goes through several steps where the water evaporates and the salinity increases to where it is flooded into salt pans where the water is evaporated. The pans are flooded continuously as the layers of salt are increased until it is ready for harvest. About 8" of salt crystals are layered and scraped up in a simple process that sends the salt into a cleaning tank and then loaded on ships to the final processing. Most of the people on Inagua work for Morton Salt either in the factory or on one of their support structures like the company stores. Inagua is not a tourist town like most of the Bahamas. It has a business and tourists are welcome but most of all it is a business.
Piles of gypsum which is the result of washing the salt. Probably not becoming sheet rock.
Piles of salt that could end up on your table,
After learning about the salt business Kevin drove us past the factory and out into the Park. Inagua is not a small island and most of it s reserved in the Great Inagua National Park. Inagua boasts the largest flock of flamingos in the western hemisphere. After seeing lots of other birds including hornbills, white tailed ducks and a miscellany of other species we finally saw the pink flamingos. There were large flocks and small flocks all of which were very shy. We did get some closeups of the birds but most were far away. A skilled photographer with good equipment could get some very great pictures of the pink bird.
Flocks of flamingos.
The entrance to Great Inagua Park.
After the birding we drove back to town for a late lunch. We ate at the S sin L which appeared to be the happening place in town where the local owner/manager got our food but we had a young woman from Santo Domingo as our bartender. At the bar we had TV, internet and our last taste of Bahamian food.
A flamingo cloesup.
Flamingos in flight.
Kevin took us back to our dink and we motored back to our mother ship after hours of fascinating discoveries. We made it an early night knowing we had a long journey ahead. So after seeing the salt ponds and flamingos we relaxed on board with a nice dinner and went off to bed for an early rising.
Working the salt flats.
We got ready for a 0600 departure to Jamaica. We began our usual routine of raising the anchor when we got to about 25' and the stress on the anchor flipped the breaker. I reset it and tripped again. After a minute I noticed that the anchor had hooked a cable. What a surprise! There were no cables on the charts, no signs ashore or any visible signs on the terrain. The next thoughts were how were we ever going to get it up. We tried the trip line to no avail so it was time to swim. I swam down to see if I could get the anchor out but at 20' it doesn't allow lots of time to work hard. I tried to move the cable but there was no way. I found that I could manipulate the anchor under the cable and saw the trip line was wrapped about the chain and shank of the anchor. I unfouled it and thought if I swam off at an angle I might be able to pull it out. So I did that and it slid out. I called to Skipp on the bow to raise the anchor quickly before it slid back under the cable and we had it. It was coming up. I swam to the stern and we were off.
I reported the cable on Active Captain and also to Bahamas Chatter. As a result, Monty Lewis, the publisher of Explorer Charts will be changing the charts for Great Inagua as a result of our report.
http://explorercharts.com/chatter/?p=16219
But after the land of salt ponds and flamingos on to the land of reggae and red stripe.
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