Times of the Islands Summer 2019

oad is a bit rough to get there, but our golf cart handled
it well. The small hike up the hill was well worth it
once we saw the views and the ruins were mysterious. It
appears to have been some kind of plantation with hundreds
of man-hours spent clearing the land and building
bordering fences with the rocks. There are about a dozen
rock mounds that are all the same size. Our inquiry of
the locals revealed no concrete information on what the
purpose of the mounds were. Burial mounds? Signal fires?
Voodoo rituals? Alien communiques? These require more
investigation.
Pirate Graves
There is a very nice home on the island that has built
its property wall in a strange arch shape. This was done
in order to go around some existing graves that are
rumored to be of pirates. No one knows who is, in fact,
buried there. The three graves are of different sizes and
could be a man, a woman and possibly a child. You’ll
pass by these above-ground graves on your way to the
old lighthouse site on the northwest point.
Lighthouse
The lighthouse is long gone and barely any ruins remain
to mark its previous location. However, there is a newly
installed wooden post on top of the hill which appears
to be the highest point on the island. Nearby is a canon
perched on the edge of the cliff. The ground isn’t very
stable there and it was recommended not to get too
close. This remains one of the spots on the island needing
attention after the hurricane. We understand that the
primary school and government buildings are earmarked
to receive government assistance, along with the harbor
which is vital to the community of Salt Cay. We were also
told that Beaches Resorts may be providing support to
get the community gathering space back in shape, but
this has not been confirmed.
Salt Cay Days celebration
We left the morning that begins the annual Salt Cay Days
celebration. This weekend event brings visitors from
other islands to enjoy great music, wonderful eats and
the charm of the old Caribbean.
Getting home
Again, our fantastic host Debbie Manos gave us a ride to
the airport, along with her dogs, including Zorro the potcake.
Our only regret is not having more time. We wish we
could have had a few hours of beach time on the North
The donkeys that roam across Salt Cay are descendants of the animals
that worked during the salt producing days.
Beach and snorkeling on the reef. We wanted to stop by
to meet the lady who still makes salt right from the salinas
and we hoped to spend time with Tim, a descendent
of some of the original salt plantation owners. He is currently
renovating the family home (the White House). The
entire bottom floor was where the salt was kept and the
family lived on the upper floor.
So, break away from the norm for a few days to visit
Salt Cay. (Unless you are a diver or whale watcher — then,
you’re going to need at least a week.) Whale watching
season is mid-January through mid-April and the island
now boasts two companies providing tours to see the
humpbacks. Dickenson’s store is well stocked where we
found bottled water, almond milk and macaroon cookies!
Bring a sack of carrots for the wild donkeys. They will
love you for it, but don’t leave them unattended on your
golf cart. We learned that the hard way! a
Mat and Shannon Matlack hail from Columbia, Missouri.
Avid world travelers and vloggers, the couple has focused
on the Caribbean in recent years. They adopted two potcakes
and have a love for island dogs plus a passion for
protecting the ocean’s fragile, yet extremely important,
ecosystem. Their five-year-old daughter sometimes joins
them on the adventures. (Visit TheMatlacks.org).
Times of the Islands Summer 2019 59