Salt island was recommended to us by the lady helping us get our boat ready to go at the marina.  It hadn’t been on my list of places to visit before, but since the wreck of the Rhone was at the end of the island we figured we might as well anchor there and check it out.  After a morning snorkel session of the wreck, we all returned to our sailboat and gathered our camera equipment (and shoes…) to head ashore for some exploration!

Salt island has been uninhabited for a while now since its last remaining inhabitant and salt collector died.  Unfortunately, the hurricanes really destroyed what was left of the abandoned buildings lining the beach.  I love shooting old, abandoned, and decaying things so I had a great time taking photos of the carnage, however depressing it is.  The bright colors of the paint are in stark contrast to the destruction.

The last man living on salt island died in 2004.  His grave is marked and still maintained on the island he loved.  Here’s an article about him.

Aside from the destruction from the hurricanes, the island is actually very pretty.  The beaches are covered in shells and sea glass and the view is amazing!

I suppose I should say something about the salt ponds themselves.  The ponds would fill with salt water and during the dry summer months, people would gather to harvest the salt from the ponds so it could be sold to cure fish and meat.  Once refrigeration took off and salt was obtained more cheaply elsewhere, people slowly left the island.  Upon arrival to the island, a small of garbage and decay wafted through the air.  I would guess that this is a byproduct of all of the things that got washed ashore by the wind, but it was less than pleasant.  The pond is lined with bottles, pool chairs, and anything else you can think of.  It was interesting to see, but also kind of sad.