Times of the Islands Summer 2016

TIMES 

OF THE 

SAMPLING THE SOUL OF THE TURKS & CAICOS ISLANDS SUMMER 2016 NO. 115 

LET THE SUN SHINE 

FortisTCI solar energy program 

THE IN-BETWEEN YEARS 

Middle school options expand 

TAKING BACK HISTORY 

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W I S H B O U T I Q U E

contents 

Departments 

10 From the Editor 

15 Getting to Know 

Crossing Africa Update 

Compiled by Claire Parrish 

Photos By Mario Rigby 

48 Business 

Let the Sun Shine . . . 

By Kathy Borsuk ~ Photos Courtesy FortisTCI 

64 Sporting Life 

Taking Back History: TCI Swim Federation 

By Ben Stubenberg 

71 Shape Up 

Footprints in the Sand 

By Dr. Rodney A. Kander 

Keeping Your Hair Healthy in the Sun 

By Brigitte Wildt 

73 Faces & Places 

“Food for Thought” Launch 

By Claire Parrish ~ Photos By TCI Sun 

74 Resort Report 

Can You Keep a Secret? 

East Bay Resort, South Caicos 

Story & Photos By John Galleymore 

80 About the Islands/TCI Map 

85 Where to Stay 

87 Dining Out 

90 Classified Ads/Subscription Form 

Features 

32 Shades of Gray 

By Felix Thomson 

38 The In-Between Years 

By Kathy Borsuk 

TIMES 

OF THE 

ISLANDS 

SAMPLING THE SOUL OF THE TURKS & CAICOS ISLANDS SUMMER 2016 NO. 115 

On the Cover 

Felix Thomson first came to Grand Turk 22 years ago 

when his mother Sue moved there from the UK to marry 

Xavier Tonneau, known locally as “X.” As a photographer 

intrigued with working in black and white, Felix 

spent years shooting the island’s scenes. Shown here 

is his image of the replica of John Glenn’s Friendship 7 

space capsule outside the JAGS McCartney International 

Airport in Grand Turk. For more, see “Shades of Gray,” 

on page 32. 

Visit Felix’s website at: www.felixthomson.biz. 

Green Pages 

20 Caving in for Science 

By Michael Lace, John Mylroie, Nancy Albury, 

and Joan Mylroie 

27 Young Scientists 

By Heidi Hertler, Lily Zhao, Claire Gonzales, 

and Chris Casaclang ~ Photos By Heidi Hertler 

15 

Astrolabe 

54 I’ll Send You a Postcard 

By Jeffrey C. Dodge 

57 A Lucky Find 

Story & Photos By Nikki Jennings 

MARIO RIGBY 

6 www.timespub.tc

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from the editor 

MARTA MORTON–WWW.HARBOURCLUBVILLAS.COM 

This is the pristine beach in front of Sibonné hotel on Grace Bay. 

Learn from Our Mistakes 

I grew up in the era when Lake Erie was declared “dead,” chemical slicks caused rivers to catch fire, and our 

hometown Salt Creek smelled like rotten eggs—my parents warned us not to touch the water or anything near it. 

Maybe that’s why the Turks & Caicos Islands’ crystal-clear turquoise seas, reefs replete with marine life, and stunning 

natural beauty have always touched me so deeply. It is something long gone from the lives of many North Americans. 

Times of the Islands received an overwhelming (relative to our small circulation!) response to the Spring issue 

editorial depicting the proposed and controversial 12 story development on Grace Bay Beach. The readers who wrote 

in, typically expatriates like me who now call the country home or plan to in the future, universally felt that this was 

not a good idea, and some said it would stop them from returning. 

At press time, there is a similar controversy brewing over the proposed “Dolphin Cove” captive dolphin project in 

Grand Turk. Again, it seems government is making it difficult to find out what is happening behind the scenes. Now 

some might say that I, and others who are not true “sons of the soil,” have no right to an opinion on such issues. 

But please know that our message, out of love and concern for TCI, is “cherish what you have, DON’T repeat our 

mistakes.” 

As I write this on TCI’s National Heroes Day, one of MY heroes, Pastor Bradley Handfield, spoke to the holiday 

assembly of the need for unity among the people of this country in coming together to create and execute a longterm 

plan for its future—a plan that cannot be usurped by political, economic, or social pressures. This plan would 

protect the TCI’s abundant natural resources and ensure that development is controlled, thought-out, and beneficial 

to all Turks & Caicos Islanders . . . and the generations to come. 

Kathy Borsuk, Editor 

timespub@tciway.tc • (649) 946-4788 

10 www.timespub.tc

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TIMES 

MANAGING EDITOR 

Kathy Borsuk 

OF THE 

ISLANDS 

ADVERTISING MANAGER 

Claire Parrish 

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS 

Nancy Albury, Kathy Borsuk, Chris Casaclang, 

Jeffrey C. Dodge, John Galleymore, Claire Gonzales, 

Heidi Hertler, Nikki Jennings, Dr. Rodney A. Kander, 

Michael Lace, Dr. Donald H. Keith, John & Joan Mylroie, 

Claire Parrish, Pat Saxton, Ben Stubenberg, Brigitte Wildt, 

Candianne Williams, Lily Zhao. 

CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS 

Digital Handprint, FortisTCI Ltd., Heidi Hertler, 

Nikki Jennings, John Galleymore, Dr. Donald H. Keith, 

Dwyane Krzanowski, Michael Lace, Morgan Luker, Krys & 

Grace Mann, Marta Morton, John Mylroie, David O’Connell, 

Claire Parrish, Provo Primary School, Mario Rigby, 

Daphne Roots, Pat Saxton, Jill Swann, 

Abbie Fentress Swanson, TCI Sun, Felix Thomson, 

Vivian Tyson, Candianne Williams. 

Love your home 

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CONTRIBUTING ARTISTS 

Wavey Line Publishing 

PRINTING 

Franklin-Dodd Communications, Hialeah, FL 

Times of the Islands ISSN 1017-6853 is 

published quarterly by Times Publications Ltd. 

Copyright © 2016 by Times Publications Ltd. All rights reserved 

under Universal and Pan American Copyright Conventions. 

No part of this publication may be 

reproduced without written permission. 

Subscriptions $28/year; $32/year for 

non-U.S. mailing addresses 

Submissions We welcome submission of articles or photography, but 

assume no responsibility for care and return of unsolicited material. 

Return postage must accompany material if it is to be returned. In no 

event shall any writer or photographer subject this magazine to any 

claim for holding fees or damage charges on unsolicited material. 

While every care has been taken in the compilation and reproduction of 

information contained herein to ensure correctness, such information is 

subject to change without notice. The publisher accepts no 

responsibility for such alterations or for typographical or other errors. 

Business Office 

Times Publications Ltd., P.O. Box 234, 

Lucille Lightbourne Building #1, 

Providenciales, Turks & Caicos Islands, BWI 

Tel/Fax 649 946 4788 

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14 www.timespub.tc

getting to know 

Clockwise from top: Mario Rigby is at the southernmost tip of southern Africa, where the view, the smell, and the sensation were incredible. 

After the New Year, Mario walked through forest, jungle, and sand dunes to reach Port Elizabeth. Along the way, he experienced the world’s 

highest bungee jump! 

Crossing Africa Update 

The journey from Cape Town to Mozambique. 

Compiled by Claire Parrish ~ Photos By Mario Rigby 

Mario Rigby, the 30 year-old Turks & Caicos Islander–German–Canadian, has made the front cover of the 

South African Daily Dispatch and South Cape Forum. These and other publications are covering his solo 

expedition by foot across the entire African continent (from Cape Town, South Africa to Cairo, Egypt), 

to “overcome the unknown” by pushing the outer limits of his body and mind. Mario has crossed South 

Africa and aims to continue the 12,000 km journey across Mozambique, Malawi, Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda 

(possibly), Ethiopia, Eritrea, Sudan and Egypt. He sleeps at the homes of strangers (whether couch surfers 

or farmers), at backpacker hostels, or camps in the wild using his tent. 

Times of the Islands Summer 2016 15

At press time (late May), Mario is in Mozambique, 

which he describes as quite different to South Africa, “evident 

as soon as you cross the border.” (You can follow 

Mario’s journey through Mozambique in our Fall issue 

where he expects to face two major concerns—contracting 

malaria in the bush and running into rebel conflict 

zones.) 

Below, we glimpse Mario’s months of travel by foot 

from Cape Point to the Mozambique border. It is surreal 

even to Mario that he has just crossed an entire African 

country by walking. This fantasy has already many participants—the 

hundreds of people who have met him or 

walked with him along the way. 

Mario’s South Africa journey takes him through 

the Western Cape; Cape Point mainly coastal to Cape 

L’Agulhas (the southernmost point of South Africa). Then 

the Eastern Cape begins, semi-arid in the west, rainforest 

in the east. Most of the province is hilly to very mountainous 

past Port Elizabeth and before Durban. What is called 

the Wild Coast is a section within the Eastern Cape from 

East London to the border of KwaZulu-Natal further north. 

It is the traditional home of the Xhosa people, and the 

birthplace of many prominent South Africans, including 

Nelson Mandela and Thabo Mbeki. 

This South African journey brought more than hard 

walks, river crossings and numb feet. The discrepancies 

between rich and poor are great in South Africa, from 

slums to mansions. One day in the Western Cape, Mario 

describes meeting a man who asked in the deepest of 

Nigerian accents, “Why are you camping out here?” After 

Mario explained his mission, the man told him, “We must 

pray, this is the best thing for the black people of Africa 

I have ever seen.” They joined hands and made a prayer. 

Mario writes, “I’m in South Africa and I’m a black 

man. I’ve encountered the hard stares among ‘coloureds’ 

(mixed race) and ‘whites.’ It’s never bothered me because 

I don’t see it as a mental problem of mine but theirs. They 

are in constant guard, fear or hate. Some may be just 

curious, so I don’t judge.” The war of apartheid, where 

whites and blacks fought against each other in this country 

was merely 20 years ago. Even today, having walked 

nearly 500 km, Mario has hardly seen any black people 

except for farm workers and other hard labourers. But no 

one has been rude or disrespectful. He’s even had a Braai 

dinner with a man who was in the war against the blacks. 

The past is real but Mario’s journey points out what is 

happening now. 

Of course there are game reserves en route and the 

Garden Route Game Reserve sponsored a tour of their 

reserve, where Mario learnt a lot about the “Big Five,” the 

most sought after trophy animals. 

As amazing as Mario found these animals, his journey 

was about more than being a touring visitor. Mario 

had roads to conquer. He wrote about fear as he conquered 

the N2 national road, probably one of the most 

dangerous in the world. “Fear will give you a sensation 

unlike any other—to feel alive. Conquering fear gives you 

courage, courage gives you pride, and pride gives you a 

sense of self and purpose.” 

Safety was on Mario’s mind. “At every turn I was playing 

Russian roulette with my life.” He walked on open 

roads that span slums, cities, towns, and game reserves. 

Some people along the route spread word of Mario so 

that others could look out for him and he alerted the 

police about his journey, ending up with an official letter 

informing police patrol units of his expedition and allowing 

him to cross through reserves with permission. The 

letter came as a breakthrough at a time he’d spent days 

struggling to deal with having his wallet stolen by kids. 

But Mario says, “Getting to the southernmost tip of southern 

Africa was completely worth it. The view, the smell 

and sensation was incredible. A fellow German roommate 

from that night’s hostel spent hours trekking the coast 

and taking photos with me.” 

16 www.timespub.tc

Christmas passes and the New Year is spent with 

fellow travellers. Mario gets messages from friends 

encouraging him to consider speaking at future events 

in South Africa. With a foreseen journey to Port Elizabeth 

mapped out, he soon reached Kwanokuthula and met 

Q, a guy from the backpacker hostel who showed Mario 

around a township; the first foreigner to see a particular 

time off the people grid while walking along rivers and 

through forests. 

Port Elizabeth proved to be a special city stop. He 

met and talked at length with the Major, and met Glenda 

(below left), a special lady who helps those in need in 

townships. Both introductions brought home the racism 

and segregation issues still alive in South Africa today, 

subtle enough to seep through the law. Here Mario visited 

his second major township; he’d seen many smaller. He 

noted that his full-time job right now was connecting with 

people, living their culture, and sharing it with the world 

through his perspective by walking from place to place. 

Good job this stop included a delivery of new shoes! 

ghetto. Mario is touched by township girls with beautiful 

hearts applying for school despite the challenges young 

women face of teen-age pregnancy and HIV infection. 

The journey continued to the world’s highest bungee 

jump, as well as mountains of sand, river crossings and 


Mario tackled the mighty Indian Ocean and its 

beaches by attaching a float to his bag and swam with 

the rope attached. A treacherous two week trek across 

15 lagoons for 300 km brought him to East London. Jafta 

came to Mario’s rescue. Jafta says, “I was driving from the 

airport when I saw this man walking. He appeared tired 

and injured. I stopped my car and after hearing his story, 

took him to my house.” Mario recuperated with Jafta for 

a few days, whilst speaking at a prestigious lunch on 

“Overcoming Fear.” 

Little did Mario know what was ahead of him on the 

Wild Coast. Mthatha Town would present him the greatest 

fear to date: that his life could be threatened by people. 

“I’m in a small town called Mthana and the people here 

are not welcoming of strangers,” he writes. His introduction 

was to see a dead body on the roadside and be told 

by a local, “They will rob you then kill you and leave your 

body on the street.” Someone who knew Mario and the 

area messaged him: “Just respect the people and their 

fears. Be cautious and know who to contact in case of 

emergency. Xenophobia is mostly aimed at people taking 

jobs from locals and encroaching on their turf. Generally 

people are not hostile.” 

Mario trekked through the Wild Coast’s forest hills 

to Port St. John before Durban on paths that the local 

Xhosa people would take. “Some days are nine hour 

hikes through forest, jungle, and mountains. Been taking 

bigger risks, climbing major cliffs, crossing forests 

in hopes that animal/human treks lead me to the right 

place.” Mario saw many homes of rural South Africa in 

Bulungula, Eastern Cape, where people of the villages 

With phone and camera ruined on a tough river 

crossing, an eco-lodge “done right” was the oasis Mario 

needed at Mtentu Lodge and Camp, en route to Durban 

via the coast. At Margate there was the expected “Simba 

moment” (below) photographed on the edge of Leopard’s 

Rock with others who too enjoyed the fun. During river 

crossing hike rests Mario’s most common thoughts were 

of the people he’d met so far—children who had helped 

him find his way through villages and people who had 

given their hospitality. 

lived as they had thousands of years ago. After climbing 

cliffs and steep hills, Mario found Mjokelwa’s house. 

Mjokelwa (opposite page, top) greeted him with the kindest 

smile. Every day this super-human older man climbed 

these steep hills to sell his eggs and chickens. He also 

had children and grandchildren to take care of. 

In Durban, with new friends, what seemed like a crazy 

idea arose—to longboard 80 km in two days. Major accidents, 

set-backs, crocodile, shark, and hippo warnings 

and near-death experiences were all part of longboarding 

from Richard’s Bay to St. Lucia. One of Mario’s final vis- 

18 www.timespub.tc

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its in South Africa was to a school in Hluhluwe near the 

border of Mozambique. Mario had visited many schools 

along the way. When at a primary school in Cintsa, Eastern 

Cape, he wrote, “The question is not can you help an 

entire planet from disparity, but whom you can inspire 

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green pages 

newsletter of the department of environment & maritime affairs 

head office: church folly, grand turk, tel 649 946 2801 • fax 649 946 1895 

• astwood street, south caicos, tel 649 946 3306 • fax 946 3710 

• national environmental centre, lower bight road, providenciales 

parks division, tel 649 941 5122 • fax 649 946 4793 

fisheries division, tel 649 946 4017 • fax 649 946 4793 

email environment@gov.tc or dema.tci@gmail.com • web www.environment.tc 

Conch Bar Cave in Middle Caicos includes many large stalactite-stalagmite columns such as the one in this passage. 

Caving In for Science 

TCI’s cave system helps researchers understand local geology. 

By Michael J. Lace, John E. Mylroie, Nancy A. Albury, and Joan R. Mylroie, Coastal Cave Survey 

Photos By John E. Mylroie and Michael J. Lace ~ Figures By Coastal Cave Survey 

The Turks & Caicos Islands are well known for beautiful beaches and sparkling turquoise seas. Did you 

know that the Islands also have a unique and interesting underworld? It is made up of caves that contain 

beauty, history, and a fascinating geologic record. 

20 www.timespub.tc

green pages newsletter of the department of environment & maritime affairs 

The origins of the Turks & Caicos Islands 

The Turks & Caicos Islands exist today because the rocks as ice. The drop in sea level has been as much as 125 m 

that form the Islands have been made by living organisms, (410 ft) during a glaciation; during an interglacial slightly 

both plant and animal, that precipitate calcium carbonate 

(CaCO 3 ), the compound that becomes limestone. (20 ft) above today’s level as more ice had melted. 

warmer than today, sea level has been as much as 6 m 

The chemistry that allows the precipitation of calcium When a glaciation is occurring, and sea level is down 

carbonate also allows it to be dissolved later by moving by 100 meters or more, all the shallow banks of the TCI 

water. As a result, the bedrock surface becomes jagged are exposed as dry land, with steep cliffs down to the sea. 

and irregular, forming pits that carry water downward to All the current islands on the Caicos Bank: West Caicos, 

create caves within the freshwater lenses that underlie Providenciales, North Caicos, Middle Caicos, East Caicos, 

the Islands. Each island has its own separate lens. South Caicos, the Ambergris Cays, and all the smaller 

The deposition of the limestone that is the TCI’s islands and cays, become one large island. Grand Turk, 

foundation and the subsequent dissolution of those rocks Salt Cay, Sand Cay and associated islands and cays are on 

has been controlled over the last several million years a separate bank and also become a single large island. 

by a series of natural climatic events known (in layman’s Glaciations last about 100,000 years, the interglacials 

terms), as the Ice Ages (called 

glaciations by geologists). The 

time between glaciations, as 

currently exists in the world 

today, are called interglacials. 

During a glaciation, snowfall 

in the high latitudes of 

Europe and North America 

fails to melt completely each 

summer, and that snow accumulates 

into thick piles of 

ice, which expand and move 

southward as ice sheets. The 

natural trigger for this process 

is a subtle change in the 

This graph shows the variance in sea level over the last 1/2 million years. 

earth’s orbit about the sun that 

leads to slightly cooler temperatures that promote snow last only about 10,000 years, but during that short time 

survival, but also changing weather patterns that increase window (in the geologic sense), the geology of the TCI 

the amount of snow at high latitudes. These orbital becomes established. 

changes, called the Milankovitch cycle, are the result of When sea level rises as ice sheets melt back, the tops 

slight cyclical changes in how circular the earth’s orbit of the banks become flooded with sea water. The lagoons 

is, how much axial tilt exists, and how the precession of form, and the corals, conchs, starfish, algae and other 

the earth’s axis changes the equinoxes. The end result organisms begin to flourish and create calcium carbonate, 

primarily as reef structures and skeletons. Over time 

of ice accumulation as glaciers is a fall in sea level as 

the evaporated ocean water is stored on the continents these skeletal features degrade as the organisms die, and 



the calcium carbonate is released, much of it as sandsized 

particles that eventually wash landward to become 

beaches. Once on the beach, the wind can sweep up these 

sands to make dunes, called eolian calcarenites, which 

means literally “windblown calcium carbonate sand.” 

All land in the TCI above about 6 m (20 ft) is eolian 

calcarenite. In the lagoon, sands are deposited along with 

the coral reefs. When sea level is higher than today, as 

it was 120,000 years ago during the previous interglacial, 

these lagoon deposits were placed where we can see 

them now, as what was under shallow water then is above 

sea level today. Fossil reefs and related lagoon features 

are found all over the TCI a few meters above modern sea 

level. These all formed 120,000 years ago, a time called 

the last interglacial. 

On the exposed land existing today, and across the 

entire exposed banks when sea level is low during a glaciation, 

soils form. The TCI is a 100% calcium carbonate 

environment (NaCl, halite, and CaSO 4 •2H 2 O, gypsum, 

called evaporate minerals, are sometimes found). The 

soils are red, brown or tan because they contain iron 

oxides, plus other oxides such as Al 2 O 3 , that arrive on 

the bank as wind-blown dust all the way from the Sahara 

Desert. When these soils become fossilized, they turn 

into a very hard and dense crust called a terra rossa 

paleosol. These paleosols cover all the rocks that formed 

on interglacials older than today. The young eolian calcarenites 

that have formed in the past few thousand years 

of the current interglacial are too young to have collected 

significant Saharan dust, and so lack a thick red soil. The 

coastal rocks of the cays from Little Water Cay north to 

Parrot Cay are all eolian calcarenites and related rocks 

less than 5,000 years old. 

The geology of the TCI is simple. When sea level is 

high and the bank tops are flooded, a variety of limestones 

are made. When sea level is low, for a duration ten 

times longer than for sea level highstands, the main geological 

events are erosion and soil formation. There have 

been ten or more cycles of glaciation and interglacials 

during the last two million years, and the rocks produced 

by the last three or four cycles are preserved as dry land 

in the TCI today. The only fossil reefs and related lagoon 

deposits found today formed 120,000 years ago. Such 

deposits from earlier high sea levels have not been found. 

Either the sea level wasn’t above modern, the platform has 

subsided slightly, or those deposits have eroded away. 

Top: Eolianite can be seen in this road cut near Lorimers, Middle 

Caicos. Bottom: This close-up shows eolianite in a road cut near Long 

Bay, Providenciales. 

Top: This fossil coral was found on the Crossing Place Trail in Middle 

Caicos. Bottom: This close-up shows fossil conch shells. 

22 www.timespub.tc


How TCI’s caves were formed 

So what about the caves? They are tied to the history of 

sea levels as well. The caves in the TCI form by three 

different methods. The dissolution of a soluble bedrock 

produces unique landforms and underground flow systems 

called karst. The TCI is made entirely of limestone, 

a soluble rock, so the TCI is what geologists call a karst 

landscape, and caves are a common feature. 

Other geological forces, such as waves and wind, 

can also attack rock and produce small caves that mimic 

caves produced by dissolution. Such features are called 

pseudokarst. In the TCI, many coastal cliffs have been 

attacked by waves to make sea caves (also known as littoral 

caves). Other cliffs have spherical pockets known as 

tafoni, produced by wind separating the grains of rock so 

that they fall out of the cliff. Tafoni can form quickly in 

the poorly cemented eolian calcarenites found in the TCI, 

and the walls of quarries, road cuts, and even the eolianite 

blocks that make some of the older buildings contain 

small tafoni. Both sea caves and tafoni are pseudokarst, 

and form simple chambers. 

The karst caves of the TCI form by dissolution in the 

freshwater lens that underlies the Islands. During the last 

interglacial (MIS 5e) 120,000 years ago, when sea level 

was higher, the freshwater lens was also higher in elevation. 

Caves dissolved in the limestone at that time are 

drained and air-filled as sea level is lower today by about 

6 m (20 ft). The freshwater lens is called a lens because it 

is thick under the center of an island, and thins towards 

the island margin. 

Along the lens margin, where it discharges to the sea, 

fresh water and marine water mix. This mixing process 

creates unsaturated water that can dissolve limestone, 

even if both the fresh and marine water were saturated 

before mixing. The process is called mixing dissolution, 

and it has created the vast majority of caves found in the 

TCI today. Because these caves form at the margin of the 

lens, under the flank of the enclosing landmass, they are 

called flank margin caves. Conch Bar Cave, on Middle 

Caicos, is one of the largest flank margin caves in the 

world with 2.4 km (1.5 miles) of mapped passages. 

When sea level is low, as for much of the last 2 

million years, the Caicos Bank, as noted earlier, is one 

large island. Large islands behave differently than small 

islands, because as islands get larger, their area increases 

faster than does the perimeter and the discharge of the 

Top: This is a sea cave produced by wave erosion, found in southwest 

Providenciales. Bottom: This tafoni, a void produced by wind erosion, 

appears in a road cut in Long Bay, Providenciales. 

This typical flank margin cave passage, found in Providenciales, 

includes the presence of a bat. 



water of the freshwater lens 

by diffuse flow to the coast is 

unable to conduct water efficiently. 

Tubular cave conduits 

develop, much like water pipes, 

to carry the flow. These tubes 

can be quite large, up to 10 

m (33 ft) or more in diameter. 

They can become large enough 

that their roofs become unstable 

at certain locations, and 

collapse occurs. This collapse 

can work its way upward until 

it breaches the surface of the 

bank. When sea level rises at the 

end of a glaciation, these collapses 

become flooded to form 

blue holes. Cave divers can go 

into these blue holes, and sometimes 

are able to enter the large, 

horizontal caves that developed 

during a lower sea level. 

The map above depicts a flank margin cave at Blue Horizon Resort in Middle Caicos. The cave has a 

cultural feature, the stairway, which is included on the map, along with symbols that help describe 

When sea level was higher what the cave contains. The cave has been breached by modern wave erosion and is on its way to 

being overprinted by marine processes. 

than today during the last interglacial, 

the TCI was a collection of islands much smaller contain mineral displays, the most common being those 

than today, as only the eolian calcarenite dune ridges made of the mineral calcite, such as stalactites that hang 

were above sea level. In such small islands, diffuse flow from the ceiling, and stalagmites that rise up from the 

easily carries the water of the lens to the island margin, ground, as well as slopes of calcite called flowstone. A 

and only flank margin caves develop. Even Conch Bar variety of exotic minerals can also be found. Stalagmites 

Cave, with its huge length, is only a series of connected are especially important, as they grow from drip water in 

chambers that run along the edge of the ridge enclosing thin layers, and their interior looks much like the growth 

the cave; it is not a conduit cave system. 

rings found in the trunk of a tree. These layers can be 

These flank margin caves form without entrances; dated, and their isotopes examined, to study how climate 

years later, erosion of the hillside, or collapse of the roof, changed in the past. 

may create an entrance. Conch Bar Cave has both types of Along the coasts of the TCI, especially the Crossing 

entrances. Indian Cave on Middle Caicos is highly altered Place Trail of Middle Caicos, a number of flank margin 

by collapse and the roof remains as a series of arches. caves have been exposed by wave erosion of the high 

There may be flank margin caves still intact inside hillsides 

today in a completely natural state, unentered by present an interesting problem, as sea cliffs are exactly 

dune ridges. The caves are present in sea cliffs, and 

humans or bats. 

where one would expect to find sea caves produced by 

the mechanical energy of waves and not by dissolving the 

What do TCI’s caves tell us? 

rock. 

First, the mere existence of the caves tells us that sea One useful line of evidence is where the cave exists 

level was once higher. They allow geology to be seen from above the tide level, above the intertidal notch. Such a 

the inside, which includes the nature of the rock, and cave could not form by wave energy under current conditions. 

These caves also contain eroded how that rock has been altered through time. The caves 

stalagmites, 

24 www.timespub.tc


stalactites, and flowstone, which can only originate 

inside caves. The morphology of the cave walls is also 

a clue; intricate rock erosion occurs by rock dissolution, 

wave energy tends to make smooth walls by brute force. 

Juniper Hole, on Middle Caicos, has been described as 

the largest sea cave in the TCI, but it is actually a flank 

margin cave that has been over-printed by wave action in 

the last few thousand years. 

The very young eolianites found from Little Water 

Cay north to Parrot Cay have numerous small sea caves 

formed right at current tide level. These eolianites, as 

noted earlier, are very young, too young to contain flank 

margin caves from a past interglacial. 

Flank margin caves that have opened naturally often 

contain colonies of bats. Thick piles of bat excretement, 

called guano, cover the floor of many caves. This guano 

is a powerful fertilizer, as it contains nitrates and phosphates 

needed by plants. Throughout the TCI, these 

deposits were mined for both local use, and for export 

to neighboring countries, primarily the USA in the late 

1800s. The industry collapsed after World War I because 

the Haber process, a way to make nitrate fertilizer from 

the nitrogen gas in the atmosphere, was commercially 

Vandalism has marred Conch Bar Cave (top and bottom left) and Indian Cave (bottom right) in 

Middle Caicos. 

developed. Bats are critically important in the ecology as 

they eat insects, and transfer pollen between plants, both 

important to people. 

Why are caves important? 

Caves contain an unusual collection of animals that have 

adapted to life underground. Some of these animals lack 

eyes and pigment, unnecessary energy expenditures in 

a lightless environment (the human eye has the highest 

metabolic rate of any organ in the body). The food chain 

is based on the organic material that enters the cave. 

Sometimes that food is very fine particulate matter that 

flows into the cave with the drip water, other times it is 

larger pieces of vegetation that fall down a hole in the 

ceiling, but most of the organic energy comes from the 

bat guano and the molds, fungi, and invertebrates that 

live on that bat waste. While invertebrate cave life is abundant 

in the TCI, the only vertebrates are cave fish and 

bats. 

Throughout the history of humans, caves have been 

sites for living and for conducting ceremony. Cave paintings 

from the Pyrenees of Europe have been dated to 

30,000 years ago. Archeological materials indicate that 

the Lucayan-Taino culture first 

emerged in the TCI after AD 

700. Some caves were used as 

shelters, burial sites or ceremonial 

spaces by native Lucayans 

well before Columbus reached 

the Islands. Even today, caves 

are used as hurricane shelters, 

and in the case of Conch Bar 

Cave, as a tourist destination. 

The caves are also very 

important sites for instruction 

about how the natural environment 

works, and how geological 

and biological processes function 

in concert to create an 

important ecosystem. Conch 

Bar Cave is one example of how 

carefully selected cave sites can 

serve as ecotourism destinations 

with a delicate balance of 

access and resource preservation. 



Just as caves provide clues to revealing the geologic 

past of the Islands, so too can caves offer insights into 

how coastal landscapes may change in the future. Caves, 

coastal land stabilities and water quality are all intimately 

connected within a karst landscape, shaping the sustainability 

of future land uses and long-term quality of life in 

the islands. 

Preserving TCI’s cave environments 

One cannot protect what one does not know of. Caves are 

incredibly fragile, and human visitation can be detrimental 

to the caves if not done properly. Some caves show 

evidence of vandalism, either as graffiti, or breaking of 

rock and cave formations. Other caves have suffered from 

well-meaning explorers who disturbed bats during nursery 

season, or trod over organisms living in the cave soil. 

Unlike hills, beaches and lagoons, which are landforms 

visible to all, caves are cryptic and can be hidden 

from any but the most intensive investigations. They can 

be inadvertently destroyed because they were not known 

to exist. The major problem with managing caves as a 

resource is not knowing what caves exist, and having a 

map and resource inventory of those caves. The preservation 

and management of these fragile resources 

depends on defining not only their geologic origins but 

also documenting the inherent biodiversity and cultural 

significance associated with each cave site. a 

The authors of this 

article are part of the 

Coastal Cave Survey 

(CCS), an independent 

volunteer group 

that has traveled the world to locate, map, and document 

caves found in islands and other coastal settings. These 

data are given to the resource managers of each area to 

allow them to create the best management plan for their 

resources. 

In The Bahamas, CCS has mapped over 400 caves, 

with the data being delivered to the Bahamas National 

Trust. Through DEMA, they have begun to examine the 

cave resources of the Turks & Caicos Islands. The caves 

of the TCI are fascinating, with unique features not seen 

elsewhere, but there is much more to be learned. For 

more information, contact mylroie@geosci.msstate.edu. 

26 www.timespub.tc


Marine life thrives on a healthy coral reef, like this one off South Caicos . Unfortunately, coral reefs around the world, including the Turks & 

Caicos, face many threats. 

Young Scientists 

Getting involved studying, monitoring and protecting coral reefs. 

By Heidi Hertler, Lily Zhao, Claire Gonzales and Chris Casaclang, 

School for Field Studies Center for Marine Resource Studies ~ Photos By Heidi Hertler 

Coral reefs are among the most biologically diverse and highly productive ecosystems on Earth. Their 

contribution to the global economy is estimated at close to $10 billion/year in tourism and recreation, 

$9 billion/year in coastal protection and $6 billion/year in both fisheries and biodiversity. Located at the 

southern tail of the Bahamian archipelago, the Turks & Caicos Islands are indeed “Beautiful by Nature,” 

much of which is directly attributed to their near shore reefs. 



The extensive reef system surrounding the Turks & 

Caicos not only protects adjacent shorelines from wave 

action and prevents erosion and property damage, but 

supports the economy directly and indirectly through 

the local fishing industry (spiny lobster and the queen 

conch) and tourism. Recognizing the critical importance 

of coastal marine systems, the TCI has established an 

extensive network of 34 protected areas, incorporating 

critical marine habitats such as reefs, mangroves, seagrass 

beds and sand banks, and the faunal communities 

they support. 

Despite the ecological complexity and high biodiversity 

of coral reefs, they are particularly sensitive to 

impacts from a series of phenomena (climate change, 

storms, current pattern changes) and anthropogenic 

activities. In the case of Caribbean reefs, the most significant 

damage is attributed to coral diseases, hurricanes, 

mass mortality of the herbivorous long-spine sea urchin 

(Diadema antillarum), localized human impacts, and 

climate change. These drivers of change have caused 

dramatic phase shifts to systems dominated by macroalgae 

and other nuisance species, fields of unstable coral 

rubble, loss of three-dimensional structure, and increases 

in abundance of shorter-lived brooding corals such as 

Agaricia and Porites. 

In addition, overfishing of exploitable reef species, 

sedimentation, water pollution from on-shore development 

and population growth, and global climate change 

combine with natural phenomena to create a situation 

where near shore marine systems are under increasing 

stress throughout the world. As a result, coral reefs are 

at risk and it is crucial to establish comprehensive coastal 

management plans to curtail and prevent the destruction 

of these critical habitats, which are likely irreplaceable. 

The Turks & Caicos Islands hold some of the most 

pristine coral reefs and enduring fisheries in all of 

Caribbean. On South Caicos, a unique opportunity to 

study and monitor long-term environmental changes 

was seized upon by The School for Field Studies’ Center 

for Marine Resource Studies (SFS CMRS). The School for 

Field Studies (SFS) is a US-based academic institution that 

provides multidisciplinary, field-based environmental 

study abroad opportunities to undergraduate university 

students. Each SFS program highlights a different region 

of the world, with its own distinct cultural and ecological 

characteristics and unique environmental challenges. 

From top: School for Field Studies students regularly monitor the 

reefs around South Caicos to study long-term environmental changes. 

Katie Rose Jacobus (University of San Diego) photographs the reef 

for CPCe analysis. 

28 www.timespub.tc


Faculty and students at the SFS CMRS on South Caicos 

work in close cooperation with local partners including 

DEMA, the Turks & Caicos Reef Fund (www.tcreef.org), 

and local fishermen and processing plants to protect and 

enhance the management of the island’s coral reefs and 

other marine resources. 

SFS CMRS recognizes the importance of studying 

climate change impacts on local ecosystems. Already 

observed impacts of climate change to marine and coastal 

ecosystems include those linked to temperature change 

on organism metabolism, water chemistry including carbonate 

cycling, precipitation change on water balance, 

and wind and water circulation pattern changes. Long 

term data collection is a crucial element of observing and 

understanding such impacts, beneficial to stakeholders 

and essential to policy makers. 

As it is, the effects of climate change increase the 

burden on already stressed ecosystems. Ocean acidification, 

a result of carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) being absorbed by 

the ocean and in turn altering the pH of the water, is slowing 

the ability of hard corals to grow and leaving them 

more susceptible to diseases. Sea surface temperatures 

have been rising steadily over the past century, placing 

additional stress on many coral species. When corals 

become too stressed by the changes to their surrounding 

environment, they expel an internal photosynthetic 

alga called zooxanthellae, which deprives them of their 

normal colors, a phenomenon commonly referred to as 

coral bleaching. Coral bleaching itself is not fatal, as it 

is possible for the corals to recover and reabsorb the 

expelled zooxanthellae, but such reabsorption does not 

always occur and bleaching leaves corals more vulnerable 

to contract fatal diseases. 

SFS CMRS faculty and staff lead teams of students to 

collect baseline data on the health of the local reef system. 

Sites were permanently marked at three depths in 

the Admiral Cockburn Land and Sea National Park so they 

can be revisited. The research team uses several methods 

to assess the overall condition of the system. The methods 

include measuring species composition (number of 

different organisms observed) using the Atlantic and 

Gulf Rapid Reef Assessment protocol, documenting and 

recording fish species abundance (including the invasive 

lionfish), and photographing and videoing the benthic 

community for composition analysis using specialized 

software. 

Top: Niki Graziano (University of St. Thomas/Minnesota) measures 

conch with children from the South Caicos Marine Research Club. 

Below: Club members present data collected in the field. 

An increasingly important part of long term reef 

studies is the assessment of coral bleaching. SFS CMRS 

uses a method that is easily transferable to citizen scientists 

(non-specialists) and could be replicated on other 

islands. Coral bleaching is documented using the Coral 

Watch card system, which allows researchers to record 

coral bleaching data quantitatively for analysis and documentation. 

Building off these surveys, SFS has created a youthdriven 

research program to assess shallower reefs around 

South Caicos. In collaboration with the TC Reef Fund, SFS 

recently launched the South Caicos Marine Research Club 

for children who have completed snorkeling lessons at 

the Center for Marine Resource Studies. The club will 

strive to foster local environmental awareness, leadership 

CHRIS CASACLANG 



Healthy reefs are pillars of a healthy planet and a healthy economy. 

and scientific curiosity by empowering youth as junior 

researchers of local marine protected areas. 

To create simple marine research projects, fish survey 

and coral assessment diving methodologies were modified 

for children between the ages of 7–14 to complete on 

snorkel. This program also provides college students with 

the opportunity to serve as in-field and classroom mentors. 

SFS students provide one-on-one research guidance 

to participants as well as monitor their in-water safety. 

Research Club members also work with SFS students to 

practice species identification and develop hypotheses. 

As part of the Research Club, participants are taken 

by SFS boats and vehicles to the East Harbor Conch and 

Lobster Reserve as well as to the Admiral Cockburn Land 

and Sea National Park. For many, this is their first opportunity 

to experience these natural ecosystems. At the 

start of each week, Research Club members review their 

collective results from the week before as a team. This 

allows them to witness the product of their efforts and 

apply what they learned to the current week’s endeavors. 

This semester, junior researchers have investigated 

questions on conch size and abundance, coral bleaching 

and fish biodiversity within the reserves. They have 

positioned transects, studied species identification, and 

learned Coral Watch protocol. In April, junior researchers 

presented their findings to the community in coordination 

with the bi-annual SFS Student Directed-Research presentations. 

To practice their presentation skills, Research 

Club members have presented recent news headlines in 

worldwide marine conservation and facts about keystone 

species to the rest of club. 

The curiosity, perseverance and ability that Research 

Club members have shown is astonishing. We look forward 

to watching them grow as marine scientists and 

hope that their efforts inspire growing participation in the 

club. Whatever they decide to do later on in life, we hope 

that they carry a love for the ocean and an understanding 

of its complexity with them. 

The Center for Marine Resource Studies on South 

Caicos is the only program currently carrying out research 

on the reefs in this area and therefore it is imperative 

to continue collecting data to create a complete picture 

of regional and global coral health. With such promising 

results, this research approach could continue beyond 

the five-year plan to create a long-term reef-monitoring 

program. 

Healthy reefs are crucial pillars of a healthy planet 

and a healthy economy. Without them, fish stocks will 

continue to decline, tourism will be negatively impacted 

and other ecosystems will be irreparably altered. The 

incentives for a healthier ocean and a healthier earth are 

self-evident, and it behooves us to continue studying and 

protecting the species, such as coral reefs, that support 

our lives. a 

To learn more about the SFS program, visit www.fieldstudies.org/tci. 

For more information on the South 

Caicos Marine Research Club or to support this effort, 

please contact the SFS CMRS Center Director Heidi Hertler 

at hhertler@fieldstudies.org. 

30 www.timespub.tc

Visit 

THE CAICOS CONCH FARM 

WE GROW 

CONCH & FISH 

Monday - Friday: 9am - 4pm 

Saturday: 9am - 2.30pm 

Closed: Sundays 

Adults $12.00 

Children $10.00 

Leeward Highway, Leeward, Providenciales 

Phone: (649) 946-5330

32 www.timespub.tc

Shades of Gray 

A former resident views the Salt Islands through his camera lens. 

By Felix Thomson 


34 www.timespub.tc

SALT CAY 


I first came to Grand Turk 22 years ago to visit my 

mum, Sue, who had recently moved there from the UK to 

be with her then-boyfriend Xavier Tonneau, known locally 

as Mr. X. They ran the Turks Head Hotel and I stayed a 

few months to help out around the place. Grand Turk 

and Salt Cay struck me as fantastic places to take pictures, 

especially for my particular style of photography. 

Of course back then, everything was on film(!) so I had 

to wait until I got home to process the film in a rented 

darkroom in Islington, London. 

Over the next ten years or so I would visit the Islands 

often, sometimes for a few weeks, sometimes months, 

helping with various projects Mum and X were up to. X, 

an artist, musician, and chef, was something of a celebrity 

in the Islands and people would turn up from all over 

the world to have a drink with him and buy one of his 

famous maps (which are still sold in TCI.) 

My last long stint on Grand Turk was immediately 

after Hurricane Ike hit in 2008. Sadly, Mum and X had 

both died years prior and I and my two brothers and 

sister had inherited the building on the corner of James 

Street and Pond Street. The hurricane totally flattened the 

building along with many others. We decided we would 

re-build, so the four of us spent a month putting the basic 

structure back together. I stayed on with my sister Hazel 

(who is still there) to finish and get the building up and 

running as shops and apartments. 

These photographs come from that period of about 

two years, early post-Hurricane Ike. I spent many happy 

hours wandering the back streets of Grand Turk and 

(occasionally) Salt Cay photographing people and things. 

When photographing people it’s best to become familiar 

and unobtrusive—to be seen with a camera all the time is 

the best way to achieve this. 

When I returned to the UK, I met Katie who is now my 

wife and we bought a house in Hay On Wye in the Black 

Mountains on the Welsh side of the border with England. 

We renovated the house and run a B&B; Katie teaches 

yoga and I work as a carpenter and still take pictures. 

Felix Thomson 

36 www.timespub.tc

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CLAIRE PARRISH

feature 

DAVID O’CONNELL 

Opposite page: The Science Lab at The International School at Leeward is a bright, well-equipped place to learn. 

Above: Students at Precious Treasures International School proudly display the TCI National Costume. 

The In-Between Years 

A look at middle schooling in Providenciales. 

By Kathy Borsuk 

I remember my pre-teen and early adolescent years with a cringe. I was chubby, socially awkward, and 

sported bangs (fringe) that were perpetually crooked, ugly tortoiseshell glasses, and clothes that were 

always too small and out of style. In the public school system in my small town in the US, students 

attended “elementary school” from kindergarten to grade 6, then automatically attended “junior high” 

(grade 7 and 8), followed by “high school” for freshman, sophomore, junior, and senior years (grades 9, 

10, 11, and 12). My transition to the large junior high where we were bussed did not go smoothly and 

were among the worse years of my life. 

So when our Advertising Manager Claire Parrish told me I should write a story about the middle school 

situation in Providenciales, I didn’t know where to begin. I have no children and was totally unfamiliar 

with the island’s school system. Claire’s son Will had just entered grade 7, so she was able to explain 

firsthand the dilemma that exists. 


In the TCI, students attend primary school—either 

government or private—up to grade 6. At that time, most 

students sit for the Grade Six Achievement Test (GSAT), a 

3 1/2 hour ordeal that thoroughly tests their knowledge 

of math, English and science. The results determine a 

youngster’s placement into high school as well as the 

granting of academic scholarships. Students also can sit 

for a separate entrance exam to determine their eligibility 

for very limited places at the country’s premier private 

secondary school, the British West Indies Collegiate, or 

the TCI Middle School. 

The majority of students in public schools go 

straight on to the one of the government high schools. 

In Providenciales, this is the large Clement Howell High 

School in Blue Hills or the newly opened Long Bay High 

School in Long Bay. Both encompass students from 

grades 7 to 11, although for 2017, the Long Bay school 

will open a separate building for middle school students. 

My first thought was, “Whew! That’s a lot of pressure 

to put on kids that are only 11 or 12 years old. The 

competition must be fierce among schools and students. 

What if a child had a bad day? And success-driven parents 

on top of that? Can kids get ulcers? What an unusual system!” 

As I visited a sample of private schools in 

Providenciales and talked to their principals, I was a bit 

relieved to see that there are more options available than 

I thought. With the population of resident expatriates 

increasing again as the economy improves, the number of 

options available to middle schoolers has also expanded 

Precious Treasures International School was founded 

as a day care and preschool 28 years ago by Directors 

Allan and Yvonne Hutchinson, who initially served as 

founding principal. Centrally located on Cooper Jack Bay 

Road, Precious Treasures is today celebrated for consistently 

providing premium early childhood and primary 

level education to an international family of some 160 

children from ages 2 to 12 years. In the Fall 2016, the 

school will expand to offer secondary level education 

starting with its inaugural Grade 7 class. 

With the mission to provide a world-class international 

education that prepares students to be global citizens and 

life-long learners in the 21st century, Precious Treasures 

uses the International Primary Curriculum (IPC) in foundation 

years and will extend this focus on internationalism 

and critical thinking with the use of the International 

Middle Years Curriculum (IMYC) for the middle school 

department. The school is the only provider of this experience 

within TCI and continues to ensure that teaching 

Middle schoolers at Precious Treasures International School will enjoy 

a specialist science laboratory. 

practices focus on research, exploration, investigation, 

creativity, communication, and problem-solving. Learning 

at Precious Treasures is based on a student-centered 

and learning-focused educational philosophy that places 

students and their learning at the center of all school 

activities. 

I met recently with the Hutchinsons, new Administrator 

Anniona Jones and Special Projects Manager David 

O’Connell, who are clearly dedicated and enthusiastic 

about excellence and the holistic growth of their students. 

In discussing their reasons for opening a middle 

school, Principal Jones explains, “At Precious Treasures, 

we see our student body as a home with strong Christian 

principles having a desire to multiply our God-given talents. 

Giving our students the new option of grades 7 

and 8 provides them a chance to transition smoothly 

into secondary level education while being socially reinforced 

by the family-like environment that they’re used 

to. We engineer a social environment and an academic 

program that builds students’ psychological confidence 

and academic competencies, guided by strong senses of 

morality and social responsibility. We want our students 

to grow as global citizens, considering the impact of their 

actions on other people, the environment, and the world 

as a whole.” She adds, “We encourage every child to take 

responsibility for their learning by monitoring their own 

progress. We also empower parents with the information 

DAVID O’CONNELL 

40 www.timespub.tc

equired to support their children effectively throughout 

their development.” 

Founder/director Alan Hutchinson further explains 

what sets Precious Treasures International School apart, 

“We guarantee a system designed for specific outputs 

—progress for every child. We celebrate every child as 

an exceptional student. We want to find, facilitate, and 

celebrate the personal best of every child. We think very 

carefully about the kind of person we want to meet in 

20 years and work backwards from there to create that 

person.” 

Parents who select Precious Treasures will be ensured 

highly qualified teachers with degrees in the subject areas 

they teach, small classes capped at 15 students, dedicated 

homerooms equipped with multi-media projectors, 

e-book library access, and a newly opened specialized 

science laboratory. With a school-wide iPad 1:1 program, 

students and teachers are required to use the latest 

technology to enrich the learning experience. Finally, 

with plans to expand into Grade 8 in 2017, the goal is 

to relocate the Middle School into a new, state-of-the-art 

building. Through a developing “Partners in Education” 

program, the school is currently seeking corporate and 

personal sponsors to help fund this goal and accelerate 

the vision and achievement that has become its hallmark. 

One “school” of thought believes that grade 6 students 

do well as the “oldest kids on the block.” They have 

a year or two to savor being at the top of the totem pole, 

so to speak, and can serve as mentors to the younger students. 

This is the philosophy that guides the International 

School at Leeward, according to Vice Principal Indrani 

Saunders. Celebrating their 30th anniversary this year, 

the International School of the Turks & Caicos was the 

original “international” primary school in Leeward, and 

today includes 20 nationalities among its student body. 

The International School is a bright, lively oasis at 

Providenciales’ northeastern tip, with a current enrollment 

of 130 students including the newly built nursery 

which opened in September 2015. It follows the National 

Curriculum of England, adapted to meet the needs 

of the school community and make full use of TCI’s 

wealth of natural resources, with class size from Senior 

Kindergarten to Grade 6 no larger than 18 students. Its 

mission is to combine traditional values with modern 

vision to enable students to become global citizens of 

the future. It’s clear that teachers care deeply about their 

students and their adventures in learning. 

Besides the fully equipped science lab and ICT suite, 

music teacher, and French and Spanish language classes, 

Your Best Choice for Primary 

Education in the TCI 

We cater to your child’s needs, from 

Nursery School through the primary years. 

Let your child grow with us, academically, 

socially, & athletically. Our goal is to 

educate, challenge and stimulate within a 

happy, fun learning environment. 

internationalschooltci.com 

(649) 946-5523 


CLAIRE PARRISH 

Grade 6 students at the International School at Leeward are being well-prepared for the upcoming GSAT. 

the school sports playgrounds, outdoor courts and a 

stage, along with a brand-new 25 meter training pool— 

the first of its kind on the Islands. Having such an array of 

activities, Mrs. Saunders says, encourages students with 

a broad range of skills. 

Of the upcoming GSATs, Mrs. Saunders says, 

“Children are both anxious and excited about the test. 

Our Grade 6 students are being prepared with sample 

tests and daily essays.” The students we questioned 

agreed with her assessment, and said while they would 

be glad when the exam was over, they did feel ready. 

For the 2016 Fall semester, the school plans to add 

a grade 7 to accommodate their students’ needs. Vice 

Principal Saunders explains, “These are still children who 

like to play on the playground and interact with their 

friends. We want to offer them a comfortable setting 

where they can grow and mature into the more challenging 

high school level.” 

Alison Williams is director and founder of Provo 

Primary School, a colorful, art-filled collection of buildings 

tucked next to the Graceway Sports Centre in the 

island’s mid-section. Alison opened the school in 1991 

as a pre-school—Headstart Learning Centre—which soon 

become a primary school, moving to its current location 

in 2003, with enrollment growing over the years from 2 

students to 165 today! Principal Sian Jones took over the 

daily operation of the school in 2009. 

The much-beloved school offers a UK-based, 

child-centered curriculum in a nurturing, caring environment. 

Ms. Williams explains, “We encourage our 

children to be problem-solvers and creative thinkers and 

our hands-on, investigative approach to learning has led 

to extremely high levels of achievement. Over the past 

five years, we have consistently seen top places awarded 

to our children in their post-primary school placement 

test. This is a direct result of our teaching methods 

and excellent staff.” The topic-based, creative curriculum 

links subjects through central themes that classes 

explore together, thus applying skills through meaningful 

research, investigation, reasoning, and inquiry. 

Provo Primary has always been well known for its Arts 

Program and the children put on outstanding Christmas 

shows each year. Having studied music to degree level, 

Alison understands the importance of teaching Music 

in primary school. She introduced steel drums to Turks 

& Caicos in 1989 and the children enjoy playing in the 

Provo Primary Steel Drum Band. The school has two qualified 

Dance and Theater Arts teachers and sports also 

plays a huge part in the school. Alison explains, “We are 

extremely lucky to have all the sports facilities right at 

our doorstep. We use Graceway Sports Centre once a 

week and also access the FIFA soccer pitch, the tennis 

42 www.timespub.tc

COURTESY PROVO PRIMARY SCHOOL 

Year 6 students at Provo Primary School will now have the option of continuing at the school for another year. 

courts, the swimming pool at Flamingo Park, and the running 

track.” 

Field trips are an important part of the curriculum 

and children go on day trips beginning in pre-school. 

Provo Primary Year 5 children go to North and Middle 

Caicos for two days, while Year 6 students enjoy an international 

trip for five days. 

When asked, Ms. Williams said that she believes it 

is probably better for middle-school age children to be 

separated from the influences of older children, but also 

recognizes their need to feel like they have “moved on” 

from primary school. With this in mind, she says she 

plans to build a middle school adjacent to Provo Primary 

School, starting with Year 7 in 2017, and adding Years 8 

and 9 in subsequent years. 

The enthusiastic director is excited to extend the 

ethos of Provo Primary and its methods of delivering the 

curriculum. She hopes the older children will be inspired 

to learn through interesting and relevant topic areas such 

as marine biology, conservation and renewable energy. 

While still following a UK-based curriculum, the new middle 

school will ensure that children are also equipped to 

enter into the US and Canadian school systems. 

Year 7 will have a science lab-style classroom, and 

alongside a traditional classroom seating area there 

will be space for Design Technology and Art. The music 

Join us in celebrating our 25th Anniversary 

this upcoming year! 

Referred to by the Ministry of Education as 

“a model school displaying outstanding practices”. 

Highly qualified, experienced and caring teaching staff. 

School campus that backs on to Graceway Sports Centre 

with access to, and within short walking distance of, soccer fields, 

tennis courts, swimming pool, running track, and Flamingo Lake. 

Renowned examination preparation and academic success. 

Outstanding music & theatre arts programme and steel drum band. 

Your child’s journey to a great future begins with us. 

Provo Primary School recognizes the important role it plays in 

building pathways in a child’s brain for all future learning. We 

believe that developing children’s confidence, unique strengths 

and social skills, natural curiosity, enthusiasm for learning, creative 

thinking and problem solving skills, are the key to our renowned 

success. 

Email principal@provoprimary.com 

Tel 441-5638 or 431-6327 

Website and blog at www.provoprimary.com 

E 


KRYS & GRACE MANN 

From top: Each student at the TCI Middle School is assigned a personal 

netbook/laptop which can be used in all lessons. 

TCI Middle School facilities include a well-equipped Science lab. The 

periodical table at back was painted by students. 

With small class sizes (a maximum of 12 students per year group), 

TCI Middle School students get individual attention from teachers 

and find it easy to interact with each other. 

room and stage area at Provo Primary will continue to be 

accessed. Outdoor learning will include an aquaponics 

area for gardening, with the added benefit of being right 

on Flamingo Lake for extracurricular and Environmental 

Science activities. 

TCI Middle School was opened in 2010 as the first 

true “Middle School” in Providenciales, encompassing 

Years (grades) 7 to 9. It has since grown to now offer 

the full “High School” age range (Years 7 to 11), offering 

an International curriculum based on an adapted British 

National Curriculum in Years 7 to 9, then the International 

General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE) course 

of study in Years 9 to 11. Like the British West Indies 

Collegiate, it is a fully accredited exam centre for IGCSE 

awards, enabling students to leave in Year 11 with an 

internationally recognized qualification. 

TCI Middle School’s central location on Leeward 

Highway below Richmond Hills offers easy access to 

the small, comfortable campus. Mark Dunbavand is its 

founder, principal, and a teacher—a professional who is 

clearly passionate about education. He says, “The school 

began as a response to the need for more options for an 

international education after Primary School. We started 

with only eight students, three in Year 7 and five in Year 

8. We have grown steadily— we currently have 41 students 

on roll, rising to more than 50 next year. However, 

we are small by design; there is a maximum of 12 students 

per year group in order to facilitate individualized 

learning. With this number, we can give each student 

individual attention; challenging and stretching the more 

able as well as supporting those who need it.” 

Principal Dunbavand believes that students need to 

be challenged academically and they should thrive in the 

right environment. His school clearly offers a calm, familial 

atmosphere, with highly qualified teachers, all with 

international experience, teaching their specialist subjects 

with all the equipment required to “get kids excited” 

about learning. 

Facilities include a well-equipped Science lab for 

courses in Chemistry, Physics, and Biology. Multimedia 

presenters are standard in every room and half of the 

classrooms have interactive whiteboards. All students are 

also assigned a personal netbook/laptop which can be 

used in all lessons. As the whole school is has Wi-Fi coverage, 

any room can be turned into an ICT lab at any time. 

At TCI Middle School, students are very involved in 

community activities, including projects through links 

with the Department of Environment and Maritime Affairs 

and the recent “TCI Shines” road clean-up campaign. 

44 www.timespub.tc

Students are taught responsibility and through the School 

Council have a say in the development of the school— 

including areas to be expanded, resources to be bought, 

and even, initially, in choosing their school uniform! 

Mr. Dunbavand notes that as part of the school’s 

ongoing development they are opening a Year 6 for 

September 2016. “Our students come to us from many 

different primary schools and therefore, have very different 

prior learning experiences. Our Year 6 would enable 

us to help them all become more independent learners so 

they are more fully prepared for the academic challenges 

ahead and provide a smooth transition into Year 7.” 

My visit to the British West Indies Collegiate on 

Venetian Road made it clear why parents and students 

strive to attend. It is the only school of its kind in Turks & 

Caicos offering an International Advanced (A) Level program 

that provides the necessary qualifications for access 

to university. This allows Belongers and other residents to 

complete their secondary education will remaining in the 

Islands. It encourages young people to return to TCI after 

completing university, able and willing to contribute to 

the country’s future development. The school also plays 

a vital role in attracting key workers from abroad. 

BWIC’s stated goal is to “provide our students with a 

progressive academic education in a safe and stimulating 

environment, place them in the best possible universities 

worldwide, and will them to become young citizens with a 

responsible, honest, and altruistic character and respect 

for the world in which we live.” The 12 acre campus contains 

well equipped classrooms, a science block with 

separate laboratories for Biology, Chemistry and Physics, 

a large IT lab, a huge library, an art room, a dedicated 

music room, and Brayton Hall, a state-of-the-art auditorium. 

The school also makes use of the National Stadium 

at its flank for track and field and other sporting events. 

The not-for-profit BWIC, which opened its doors in 

1993, has been run by the formidable Principal Sylvie 

Wigglesworth since 1995 (she now attends to the education 

of the children of former students!) A no-nonsense 

administrator, Principal Wigglesworth is obviously 

respected (with a touch of fear) by students and teachers, 

but I sense a kind, caring soul who only wants the best 

for all. In fact, to date the BWIC has a 100% success rate 

for securing university places for students completing the 

Advanced Level program, with no dropouts from university 

programs in its history. 

Admission to BWIC in Years 6 or 7 requires that 

students take the collegiate’s entrance exam, with top 

performers following up with an interview. Successful 

From top: Part of the mission of the British West Indies Collegiate 

(BWIC) is promoting fellowship, co-operation, and a sense of loyalty. 

BWIC student Achsah Wildish (far right) is recognized with an 

Outstanding Cambridge Learner Award – Top of the World AS-Level 

Mathematics. 

The BWIC’s new music room, adjacent to the auditorium, is fitted with 

acoustic tiles and storage space for instruments. Here, a music class 

is enthusiastically led by Branford Handfield. 

DAPHNE ROOTS 


The longest established legal practice 

in the Turks & Caicos Islands 

Real Estate Investments 

& Property Development 

Immigration, Residency 

& Business Licensing 

Company & Commercial Law 

Trusts & Estate Planning 

Banking & Insurance 

1 Caribbean Place, P.O. Box 97 

Leeward Highway, Providenciales 

Turks & Caicos Islands, BWI 

Ph: 649 946 4344 • Fax: 649 946 4564 

E-Mail: dempsey@tciway.tc 

Cockburn House, P.O. Box 70 

Market Street, Grand Turk 

Juan Martinez Fall 15 Turks sixth_Layout & Caicos 1 5/27/16 Islands, 11:58 BWIAM Page 1 

Ph: 649 946 2245 • Fax: 649 946 2758 

E-Mail: ffdlawco@tciway.tc 

PHONE: 

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SOUTH DOCK 

ROAD, PROVO 

applicants typically stay at the school until Year 13. Of 

the student body, approximately 65% are TCI nationals, 

with the rest from a variety of nationalities. 

Madame Wigglesworth carefully schooled me on the 

particularities of the British education system, explaining 

that Years 7, 8, 9, also known as Key Stage 3, are considered 

foundation years. The school follows the British 

National Curriculum from Year 6 to Year 9. During these 

Years, every subject on offer is compulsory; students 

choose subjects in which to specialize over the next 

two years. As an accredited independent center with the 

University of Cambridge International Examinations (CIE) 

students sit on average nine IGCSE subjects in Year 11. If 

successful in a minimum of five, including Mathematics 

and English Language, they are eligible to pursue the CIE 

Advanced Level course of study, leading to globally recognized 

qualifications and entry to university. 

Principal Wigglesworth is a strong believer in the 

need to challenge students to do their best. She believes 

that high-achieving grade 6 students will be bored in 

a primary school environment and enjoy the step up 

into the Collegiate atmosphere. That is one reason she 

encourages potential students to enter at grade 6, giving 

her and her large cadre of teachers (all with university 

degrees and postgraduate teaching qualifications) the 

chance to “get to know what they don’t know” before the 

rigors of Year 7. Indeed, as we toured the campus and 

questioned students in Years 6, 7, and 8, all said they 

were happy to have left primary school and started at the 

Collegiate when they did. 

After my interviews for this article, it was clear that 

across the board, the educators are competent, dedicated, 

and caring, with a different focus than the business-oriented 

people with whom I typically interact. Principals 

and teachers are concerned with growing up children, not 

profit; influencing our future generation, not the bottom 

line. If I were a parent, I would rest assured that my children 

would be in good hands no matter what choice we 

made. The challenge would be to select an environment 

that would best suite a child’s particular needs, temperament, 

and skills. 

Of note is that scholarships, both academic and needbased, 

are typically available for each school mentioned 

here. And it goes without saying that PTA involvement is 

rich in every school, as well. a 

46 www.timespub.tc

THE GOLD STANDARD OF 

PRIVATE SECONDARY EDUCATION IN TCI 

Established in 1993 in the heart of Providenciales, the British West Indies Collegiate provides high quality education from age 10 through 

to 18 (Years 6 to 13), based on the British National Curriculum. The school is an accredited Cambridge International Examination Centre 

for IGCSE and GCE Advanced Level qualifications. The student population comprises approximately 160 students, typically made up 

of 60% Turks & Caicos Islanders and 40% from various other countries. A high proportion of the Collegiate's IGCSE and A-Level 

graduates consistently achieve distinction with the highest grades in a range of academic subjects. History has repeatedly shown that our 

A-Level graduates prove not only to be suitably equipped to compete for places in the world's top universities, but also thrive once they 

reach there. 

Please visit our website www.bwic.tc or telephone the Principal Mrs Wigglesworth at 941 3333. We will be happy to give you a private 

tour of the school – please call to make an appointment or email: principal@bwic.tc 

SUPPORT EDUCATION IN TCI 

BWIC is a non-profit institution and is always in need of funds to expand for the admission of more students and for augmenting and 

maintaining the resources and facilities available to students. We have a small number of sponsors and donors but would greatly welcome 

additional support. If you are thinking of contributing to the growth and development of the Turks & Caicos Islands and its population, 

a donation to BWIC is one of the best ways you can help. 

British national curriculum Years 6 to 13. 

Wide range of subjects taught to IGCSE and GCE Advanced Level. 

SAT Centre. 1/6 teacher/student ratio. International Centre for Cambridge Examinations. 

Fully resourced with the most up-to-date equipment. Highly qualified and experienced 

staff. Extensive reference and lending library. Performing Arts Centre. 

PRINCIPAL, MRS SYLVIE WIGGLESWORTH 

PO Box 338, 51 Venetian Road, Providenciales 

Turks & Caicos Islands, BWI 

Tel: (649) 941 3333 

Email: principal@bwic.tc 

Food for Thought is a new charity set up to provide 

daily breakfast to government school students – 

starting with the primary schools in North Caicos, Middle Caicos, 

South Caicos and Salt Cay in September 2016. 

We estimate that just $200 will allow us to provide breakfast to one child 

for a whole school year. 

If you would like to donate or learn more please 

email foodforthoughttci@gmail.com 

or visit our website foodforthoughttci.com 


usiness 

Opposite page and above: There is a 35.35 kW solar photovoltaic system at the FortisTCI Ltd. headquarters in Providenciales. It is currently 

the largest commercial solar installation in the Turks & Caicos. 

Let the Sun Shine . . . 

FortisTCI Limited offers innovative solar energy program to customers. 

By Kathy Borsuk ~ Photos Courtesy FortisTCI Ltd. 

I have heard the Turks & Caicos called the “Isles of Perpetual June,” referring to the consistently sunny 

days, kept comfortable by steady tradewinds. The bright tropical sun is one of the country’s many attractions 

to visitors, especially the large numbers arriving during the blustery winter/spring months of North 

America and Europe. 

Now, the sun’s rays have a purpose beyond tanning pale bodies. The country’s electricity providers, 

FortisTCI Ltd., recently introduced two new programs that will fan the flames of the country’s smoldering 

“green energy” movement. 


Located 22º north of the equator, the length of day 

in Turks & Caicos varies from 10 hours and 49 minutes 

(December 21) to 13 hours and 27 minutes (June 

21). The median cloud cover is 54% (partly cloudy) 

and does not vary substantially over the course of the 

year. (Source: weatherspark.com). According to the 

Energy Transition Initiative*, TCI has substantial solar 

resources (5.7 kilowatt-hours/square meter) each 

day with more than 350 days of strong sunshine and 

strong average winds. 

With this in mind, many wondered when FortisTCI 

Ltd., the Islands’ sole electricity provider, would begin 

“harvesting” the sunshine to lower the high cost of 

energy and reliance on imported fossil fuel. Imported 

diesel fuel supplies the grid electricity for TCI, with 

an aggregate generating capacity of approximately 82 

megawatts to meet a combined peak demand of 37.6 

MW in 2015. The TCI has a multi-layered electricity 

rate design. Residential customers pay 26 cents per 

kilowatt-hour, below the Caribbean regional average 

of 33 cents per kWh. 

Unfortunately, it’s not just a matter of putting up 

acres of solar panels or allowing outfitted homes and 

businesses to connect into the system. According to 

the Energy Transition Initiative, the TCI Government 

has few policies related to energy efficiency and 

renewable energy. “Historically the territory has not 

implemented policy mechanisms to aid in the development 

of clean and energy-efficient technologies. 

In fact, some policies inhibit their implementation: 

a ban on new electricity generators, self-generation, 

and feed-in tariffs is currently in place, minimizing the 

opportunities for clean energy development regardless 

of technical and economic potential. Current 

regulations and legislation do not require utilities to 

implement energy efficiency measures.” They add, 

“Even partial development of (TCI’s renewable energy) 

resources—where economically viable and technically 

feasible from a grid integration standpoint—could 

result in high-penetration of renewables onto the electrical 

grid.” 

Fortunately, FortisTCI is a forward-thinking organization 

and was long aware of the potential for 

renewable energy in helping to lower electricity costs. 

According to Don Forsyth, director of Engineering 

and Planning, “We had to take slow, cautious steps to 

begin introducing renewable energy. We have worked 

long and hard to achieve our current ASAI (Average 

System Availability Index) of 99.96%, making us one 

of the most reliable utilities in the region. We did not 

want to do anything to jeopardize the excellent service 

our 14,000 customers have come to depend on. 

Everyone knows that power outages are frustrating 

and potentially life-threatening. We had to do a lot of 

preliminary work.” 

The first step was to contract developer Urban 

FortisTCI Ltd. has assembled a dedicated Renewable Energy Core Team, including (from left): Talisha Simons, Corporate Communications 

Manager; Aisha Laporte, Director of Customer Service and Materials Management; Archie Gaviola, Director of Financial Services; Don Forsyth, 

Director of Engineering and Planning and Rachell Roullet, Director of Innovation Resource Planning. 

50 www.timespub.tc

Green Energy (UGE) and local partner Urban Green 

Environmental (UGE) in 2014 to design and build a 

35.25 kW solar photovoltaic system on the FortisTCI 

headquarters in Providenciales. The installation 

consists of 141 Hyundai mono crystalline PV modules 

on a Schlepper roof-mount system. According 

to Jay Bennett, UGE president and project manager, 

the system is currently the largest commercial solar 

installation in the Turks & Caicos. The pilot project 

could serve as a model for solar development in the 

Caribbean. 

When properly installed, solar panels directly convert 

the sun’s rays into direct current (DC) electricity. 

These panels are made up of photovoltaic (PV) cells 

and are placed on a roof in direct sunlight for optimal 

use. When the sunlight hits a solar cell, its photons 

are converted into electrons of DC electricity that flow 

through an inverter where they are converted into 

alternating current (AC) power. This is the electricity 

which can then be synchronized into the electric grid. 

As the FortisTCI project was being developed, the primary 

principles were safety, service quality/reliability, 

no cost subsidies, and no increased rates resulting 

from introducing renewable energy. 

In addition to working out tax policies and grid 

connection issues, Jay Bennett says one of the key 

requirements for renewable energy installations is that 

they survive exposure to hurricane conditions. The 

FortisTCI project was designed to survive sustained 

winds of 150 mph with gusts up to 200 mph. “Because 

it is such a new area for the Turks & Caicos, we spent 

a lot of time working with the planning department to 

establish appropriate guidelines,” Bennett adds. 

With the unqualified success of the pilot program, 

FortisTCI was ready to expand the options to their 

customer base. In November 2015, they launched two 

exciting new solar energy programs. 

C.O.R.E.: Customer Owned Renewable Energy 

This option allows customers who own or will purchase 

solar photovoltaic systems up to 10 kW (residential) or 

60kW (commercial) to interconnect with the FortisTCI 

grid. (Note: This is the only way for owners of solar 

systems to interconnect to the grid. Non-participating 

systems must be stand-alone or completely isolated 

from the FortisTCI electricity grid.) The billing arrangement 

is termed “buy-all, sell-all” which gives customers 

a credit on their monthly electricity bill equivalent to 

the avoided cost of generation. 

renewable energy solutions 

energy efficiency solutions 

www.greenrevolutionltd.com 

moreinfo@greenrevolutionltd.com 

tel. 649-232-1393 

Blue Loos_Layout 1 2/9/16 2:47 PM Page 1 

All your septic tank solutions 

in one place provided by a 

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cares about the environment 

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Call Blue Loos 231 7448 to 

have your tank emptied, 

cleaned or fixed. All waste 

disposed of in a licensed facility. 

Call IWWTT on 231 2366 for information 

about Bionest - the most efficient and 

environmentally friendly septic tank system 

available in the Turks and Caicos Islands. 

The only way to achieve totally clear and 

odorless effluent. 

Eco Friendly 


Kathryn is a founding member of 

Turks and Caicos Real Estate 

Association formed in 2000. She 

was instrumental in writing and 

implementing the manual for the 

Association as well as Rules and 

Regulations for the membership. 

In 2007 she was voted the first 

TCREA Ambassador by her peers. In 2009/10 she was part of a 

Team that wrote the first Training Manual for TCREA; all new 

members are required to complete the course and final exam 

before being accepted as full members of the Association. She 

served as President of the Association for five years (2008- 

2013), as well as serving on many TCREA committees, some of 

which she still serves. 

Kathryn started her real estate career in Cayman Islands where 

she worked for ERA for a number of years until her move to 

TCI ERA Coralie Properties Ltd in 2000; she was brought to 

implement the ERA system and manage the operation for the 

newly franchised Coralie Properties. Over the years Kathryn 

has become an active partner shareholder and Director of ERA 

Coralie Properties Ltd., as well as being a successful sales 

associate, consistently being in the top ten. 

A background in interior design and retail fit well with a real 

estate career; working well with people, high standard of 

professionalism, integrity and quality service. Kathryn has 

many repeat customers as well as a strong referral network. 

If you want to learn about real estate in Turks & Caicos give 

Kathryn a call, she will be pleased to meet you and help with 

your real estate needs, wants, dreams... 

Tel: 649 231 2329 

Email: krbrown@era.tc 

Web: www.eraturksandcaicos.com 

Kathryn 

Brown 

ERA Coralie Properties Ltd. 

U.O.R.E.: Utility Owned Renewable Energy 

This option seems like the win-win, “no brainer” to 

me. FortisTCI covers the installation, maintenance, 

and ownership of a rooftop solar photovoltaic system 

that is interconnected with the grid. So in essence, 

customers are “renting” their rooftop space to the utility, 

receiving a monthly credit based on the size of 

their roof. According to FortisTCI Director of Customer 

Service Aisha LaPorte, a typical 1,000 sq. ft. roof space 

with a 10 kW system could lower your bill by as much 

as $100 per month! 

It almost sounds too good to be true. There are 

stipulations, however. The customer must have title 

to the property on which the system is to be installed. 

FortisTCI engineers will assess the roof to ensure it 

is strong and stable enough to hold the solar PV system. 

They will also inspect any existing system for the 

C.O.R.E. program to make sure it is up to code. Fortis 

is currently taking applications for both programs and 

starting the initial installations, anticipating an 8 to 

12 week time frame before your new system is up and 

running. 

The goal? FortisTCI plans to invest $10 million in 

this project over the next five years, with a “moving 

target” of 600 to 1,000 kW of installed capacity by the 

end of the year, rising to 5% of retail power sales by 

2020. 

Meanwhile, FortisTCI also offers the SmartConnect 

program, which includes In-Home Energy Audits to 

help residents become more energy efficient at home. 

Trained technicians will evaluate your dwelling and 

send you recommendations for change, with follow-up 

power monitoring over the next six months. This service 

is free until August 31, 2016. An extensive list of 

energy conservation tips is also available. 

What else does the future hold? Most agree that 

wind and solar both will feature strongly in the renewable 

energy strategy of the Turks & Caicos. Don 

Forsyth says FortisTCI is starting a two-year data capture 

study on wind power generation and is seeking 

government approval to move forward. With TCI said 

to have the highest reported greenhouse gas emissions 

in the region, the reduction in fuel imports seen 

from energy efficiency and renewable energy implementation 

can do nothing but good for the country 

and our precious planet. a 

For more information, visit www.fortistci.com. 

52 www.timespub.tc

astrolabe 

newsletter of the Turks & Caicos National Museum 

front street, p.o. box 188, grand turk, turks & caicos islands, bwi 

tel 649 946 2160 • fax 649 946 2160 • email info@tcmuseum.org • web www.tcmuseum.org 

This “real photo postcard” is among the oldest 

of the Turks & Caicos. Its sender, Alice 

Harriott, titled it “Cocoa-nut & Date Palms.” 

I Thought of You on the 

Way to the Dump! 

By Dr. Donald H. Keith, President, Turks & Caicos National Museum Foundation 

One of the biggest problems museums have is deciding what to keep. The Turks & Caicos National Museum is 

offered objects almost every day. Sometimes would-be donors say, “I thought of you on the way to the dump,” 

implying that if we don’t take the object in, that’s its next stop! The first task is to separate the wheat from the 

chaff. What is it? Where did it come from? Could it be a fake? Is there some kind of a story associated with it? Is it 

particularly important to the history of the TCI? Then there are practical considerations, like do we have the space? 

Is the object infested with bugs, mold, parasites or other pests that might infect other holdings in our collections? If 

it is in need of conservation treatments to stabilize it, do we have the facilities and expertise? If not, can we afford 

to send it out for analysis and treatment? 

Every time we turn down an offering there is the concern people will stop thinking of us “on the way to the dump” 

and something important like the Murphy land grant (see “A Lucky Find”) will end up lining the bottom of a bird cage 

or the Great Seal of the Turks & Caicos Islands (see “New Acquisitions”) will become a good small boat anchor. 

So how can you tell the difference between treasure and trash? Start by taking your treasure or trash to the kind 

of experts who hang out in museums. In this issue Deltiologist Jeffrey C. Dodge gives us an object lesson in how to 

recognize the importance and value of an easily underrated artifact: the picture postcard. In the normal course of 

events a postcard is kept for a day or two and thrown away. But every once in a while, an example will be put it in 

a safe place for 100 years or more and bingo! Now, having become a very rare historical document, it is definitely 

worth keeping. 

Sometimes an object is both treasure and trash, depending on your point of view. The Governor’s Office recently 

sent over a massive, cast iron machine that was taking up a lot of space and completely useless—just trash. We recognized 

it as the press that goes with the Great Seal of the Turks & Caicos Islands, donated to the Museum decades 

ago—a marvelous treasure! a 


astrolabe newsletter of the Turks & Caicos National Museum 

This 1905 “Real Picture Postcard” shows the American Consulate on Grand Turk, later converted into the famous Turks Head Inn. Sender Jones 

marked the location of his office with an “X” on the lower window. 

I’ll Send You a Postcard 

This “deltiologist” discusses the TCI’s earliest known picture postcards. 

By Jeffrey C. Dodge 

Editor’s Note: In this day of instantaneous digital communication where every cell phone is also a camera 

and a photo taken by a tourist on Grand Turk can be viewed by someone in China only seconds later, 

the traditional utility of the humble postcard may be diminishing. At the same time, the collectability of 

old picture postcards (“PPCs”) is burgeoning and the activity of collecting and studying them has its own 

name, “Deltiology.” Postcards differ from other collectibles such as stamps and baseball cards in that they 

often contain important, even unique, historical information. 

In the following article, deltiologist Jeffrey C. Dodge shares his knowledge of not only some of the 

earliest images of Grand Turk, but also how and by whom they were manufactured, who sent them, and 

who received them 111 years ago! 

54 www.timespub.tc


The earliest known picture postcards of the Turks 

& Caicos Islands were published in 1904 by John Walker 

& Co. Ltd., London. These postcards, of which only five 

are known, were professionally printed with titles on the 

bottom front in red letters. The scenes on the five known 

postcards include a view of Duke Street, two different 

views of Front Street, men loading lighters at the beach 

and men raking salt. The John Walker anchor logo in red 

ink appeared on the backs of these postcards which were 

undivided, as only the address was to be written there. 

Who actually printed them for the John Walker Co. Ltd. is 

unknown. 

In 1905, an as-yet-unidentified photographer on 

Grand Turk produced what are known as real photo postcards 

(“RPPCs”) from at least four different photographs. 

A real photo postcard is produced by printing directly 

from a photographic negative onto heavy photographic 

paper the size of a postcard that usually has a pre-printed 

postcard back. This was an inexpensive way for a photographer—professional 

or amateur—to produce postcards 

without having to order hundreds at a time from a printing 

company. In other words, real photo postcards could 

be produced on an as-needed basis at home or in the 

photographer’s darkroom. 

The first documented real photo postcard printed on 

commercially available photographic paper with a postcard 

back was mailed in 1899. It was probably printed 

on Kodak’s Velox paper. George Eastman’s Kodak Co. 

bought the Velox process from the Nepera Chemical Co. 

in 1899 and began producing photo paper with a postcard 

back that same year. In 1903, Kodak released the Nr. 

3A Folding Pocket camera designed to use film that produced 

a negative the size of a postcard so that it could 

be contact printed onto Velox postcard paper. 

These five postcards of Grand Turk, produced in 

1905, are the earliest real photo postcards of the Turks 

Islands known to date. These were printed on photographic 

paper manufactured by the Anthony and Scovill 

Company (Ansco) that was specifically designed to produce 

postcards. These photographic papers had Ansco’s 

CYKO logo in the stamp box pre-printed on the back side. 

Because the back of early postcards was to be used 

just for the address, any message had to be written on 

the front. This is why many early postcards had space 

to the left or right of the image for a short note. The 

U.S.A. didn’t permit messages on the back of postcards 

These two picture postcards from Grand Turk circa 1904 depict (from 

top): Heavy seas crashing against the seawall on Front Street. Men 

loading lighters on the beach with the customs dock in the background. 

Both were professionally printed with titles on the bottom. 

until 1907—England began to allow them in 1902. All five 

known 1905 RPPCs of Grand Turk scenes were mailed 

and all had messages written on the front. 

Two of these real photo postcards were mailed to the 

same person in Arkansas from the same person on Grand 

Turk. They are especially interesting because the sender 

made a notation on both of them. He marked a window 

on the image of the American consulate building and a 

view from across the salt ponds of the back of the consulate, 

or the building next to it, with an “X”. He states on 

these postcards that the “X” indicates where he worked 

and lived. 

These two RPPCs were posted by Mr. Walter Stanley 

Jones who was the U.S. Vice Consul between 1895 and 

1909 and Deputy Consul between 1909 and 1914. This 

attribution is based on a 1904 John Walker Co. Ltd. 



Top: American Vice Consul W. Stanley Jones titled this card “Gathering 

Salt” and marked his residence with a small “X” just to the left of the 

windmill. 

Left: The revolutionary Nr. 3A Folding Pocket Kodak camera used 

postcard sized film which could be used to make contact prints 

directly from the negatives. 

postcard he posted to the same person and signed with 

his initials. These three postcards were mailed to Miss 

Berna Bedford of Bentonville, Arkansas. The connection 

between Mr. Jones and Miss Bedford is unknown. 

Unfortunately, the creator of these real photo postcards 

is unknown, but may have been either E. Neale 

Coverley or possibly John C. Crisson; both were photographers 

known to be on Grand Turk during this time period. 

It would be very helpful if anyone knowing about other 

photographers living on Grand Turk during the period 

1895–1930 would contact the author at: tinqua1512@ 

gmail.com. a 

The author wishes to thank Tom Giraldi, Nigel Sadler, and 

Judy Lawrie for providing images and information used 

for this article. 

56 www.timespub.tc


This 1888 document, hand-written on stamped and sealed parchment, grants Jeremiah Murphy ownership of a salina near the southern tip 

of Grand Turk. 

A Lucky Find 

You never know what may lie in the bottom of an old box! 

Story & Photos By Nikki Jennings 

It was a normal day at the museum—couples and families coming by to visit the exhibits while others 

were popping into the shop to pick up postcards or bags of Salt Cay salt—when Ann Dempsey appeared. 

Ann is a (very) long time resident of Grand Turk and a great supporter of the museum. I remember her 

words exactly: “Why don’t you take a look at this, tell me what you think. Do you think the museum might 

be interested?” 



Those were her words as she handed me a stiff, 

yellowed, folded piece of paper. It turned out to be parchment 

and I very gingerly opened it up to find a land grant 

for a Salina near Hawk’s Nest on Grand Turk in the name 

of Jeremiah Denis Murphy from 1881! 

“I know we would be most interested!,” I said to Ann, 

struck by the magnitude of this piece of parchment. We 

had recently opened a new exhibit on Jeremiah Denis 

Murphy, an Irish hard hat diver and salvager who resided 

on Grand Turk from the mid-1850s until his death here in 

1895. This piece of paper was further proof that Jeremiah 

was indeed a true resident of the island. Ann and I made 

a date to meet for lunch when she would tell me all about 

finding this incredible document. 

She was off and I hurried to the back office to take 

another, longer look at it. Again I carefully unfolded the 

brittle parchment, taking note of the green ribbon and 

red wax seal attaching a map of the Salina to the Grant, 

and began reading the beautiful calligraphy: 

“Victoria by the Grace of God of the United Kingdom of 

Great Britain, and Ireland, Queen, defender of the faith, 

and so forth . . .” and on it goes about how Jeremiah Denis 

Murphy will pay a yearly sum of 20 shillings for the use of 

the Salina near Hawk’s Nest. It is signed by Henry Moore 

Jackson, Commissioner “in and over our said islands” on 

April 20, 1888. Now I was greatly looking forward to find 

out how Ann had come across this document. 

We met a few weeks later and the story, or what 

there is of it, came pouring out. It’s not hard to get 

Ann talking—she has many a good tale and she is, 

after all, Irish! Ann Dempsey arrived on Grand Turk on 

May 25, 1964, the young bride of the new Magistrate 

Finbar Dempsey. Finbar had come to replace the recently 

deceased Magistrate Camiade. He remained magistrate 

for the next 5 1/2 years, often travelling by boat (Ann 

said it was known as the “Vomit Comet”) to the different 

islands to hold court. In those days, Ann was busy 

with a growing family and involvement in the Women’s 

Federation, which did things like weigh newborn babies 

and get together at Dillon Hall to sew aprons and potholders 

for sale at the Anglican Christmas Bazaar. 

A highlight of those years was Queen Elizabeth’s visit 

in 1966. “Did you meet the Queen?” I asked innocently. 

Ann laughed and said, “But Nikki, I had lunch aboard the 

Royal Yacht Britannia!” 

When Finbar resigned his post he opened the first 

An excited Ann Dempsey shows her amazing find. How many other 

such discoveries still slumber in the bottoms of forgotten boxes? 

legal practice in the Islands. Ann explained how interest 

was just beginning in and around Grace Bay. (In fact, it was 

a number of years before development started in earnest 

on Providenciales.) In the late 1980s they built an office 

in downtown Grand Turk. When they closed that office in 

2009, all the current files were sent to the Providenciales 

office and what was left was brought to their house on 

the Ridge. There they remained, untouched until now. 

Finbar passed away in 2014, and Ann is just now 

going through old papers. At the bottom of one of the 

boxes, which contained old Christmas cards and such, 

was a brown file with the name “Camiade” written across 

it. In it were legal notes and receipts and a folded, brittle, 

yellowed parchment which turned out to be the land 

grant for Jeremiah Denis Murphy. 

“I don’t know how it got there. I can only imagine that 

when Finbar took over Camiade’s office he gathered some 

of the things laying about and put them in this file. Why 

did Camiade have this land grant? And why Camiade’s 

file is among old Christmas cards is a mystery.” Ann gave 

me a big smile and said, “You’re going to have to call this 

article ‘A Lucky Find’ because that’s really what it is.” 

Yes, Ann, it really is a lucky find. Thank you for 

finding it. The museum plans to have this document professionally 

framed by an archivist. It will proudly hang in 

our exhibit of the extraordinary Jeremiah Denis Murphy, 

hard hat diver, salvager of the HMS Rhone and the sunken 

city of Port Royal, and owner of a Salina near Hawk’s Nest. 

a 

58 www.timespub.tc


DWYANE KRZANOWSKI 

The Quiz: Celebrating TCI’s history and cultural heritage 

By Museum Manager Candianne Williams 

The first annual Turks & Caicos National History and Cultural Heritage Secondary Schools Quiz was held in 

February and March as one of the events marking the Museum’s 25th anniversary. It was conceptualized to 

support the Museum’s first outdoor exhibit—the Caicos 

Heritage House and Garden in the Village at Grace Bay. 

Facilitators from the TCI Government Departments of 

Culture, Education, Environment & Maritime Affairs, 

and the Museum worked with teachers from six high 

schools to provide study material and appropriate 

questions for the quiz. Because the United Nations 

Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization’s 

all-inclusive definition of “Cultural Heritage” was used 

to establish the parameters of the quiz, an excursion 

to Cap Haïtien in Haiti to visit the Citadelle, a UNESCO 

protected world heritage site, was chosen as the prize The Quiz was created to support the Caicos Heritage House on the 

Museum’s campus in the Village at Grace Bay. 

for the winning team and their coach. 

The six participating schools were Marjorie Basden High School, Raymond Gardiner High School, Maranatha 

High School, Wesley Methodist School, TCIPS Comprehensive High School and Clement Howell High School. 

Sponsor Fortis TCI hosted the closely contested preliminary round on February 25, 2016 in the training room 

of their corporate office. All of the teams 

performed outstandingly in the preliminary 

round. Maranatha and Clement Howell High 

Schools emerged as winners from the group 

of very well prepared teams who did a fantastic 

job of representing their schools. They 

have made us all proud. 

At the finals held at Gustarvus 

At the Quiz preliminaries, participating teams got down to business. Lightbourne Sports Complex on March 1, 

both teams appeared a little nervous—or perhaps 

just a little anxious to begin—but once we started there was 

never a delay to hit the buzzers and answer the questions. Both 

teams seemed to have the answers ready, while some of the adults 

were still racking their brains. 

What were the questions like? This will give you some idea and 

test your “TCI IQ” at the same time: 

Question 5) How many tons of salt did the Turks islands produce 

on average, annually between 1888 and 1907? 

Question 18) Please complete this sentence by giving us the year: Rachel Harvey served as Quiz moderator, with 

Alexander R. McLeod as judge. 

Still considered the “Hurricane of the Century,” the Great Hurricane 

of XXXX devastated all the Islands from Grand Turk to Florida. 

Question 27) Which tree also known as “Wood of Life” is indigenous to the Caribbean and sinks in water? 

Question 33) Name the only recorded female boat builder in the Turks & Caicos Islands. 

(See answers on page 65.) 

CANDIANNE WILLIAMS 

VIVIAN TYSON 



After four rounds, Clement 

Howell High School had won. 

Team members Aravna Lucsama, 

Elishah Sidnord, Solomon 

Dormeus, and their coach Ms. 

Anetra Musgrove were jubilant. 

Congratulations to Clement 

Howell High School on winning 

the quiz and Maranatha High 

School for a fantastic performance. 

We would like to thank 

our dedicated Quiz organizers 

and the many supporters and 

hard-working judges for their The Clement Howell High School winning team, with (from left at back) coach Anetra Musgrove, 

Museum Director Pat Saxton, and Ludwina Fulford, display their well-earned trophy. 

enthusiastic participation. Our 

sponsors: Fortis TCI, Caicu Naniki Tours, and Marco Travel were instrumental in making this event a success. 

For more details about the Quiz, visit http://tcmuseum.org/a-day-at-the-national-museum/first-annual-history-cultural-heritage-quiz/. 

TCI Director of Culture Ms. Ludwina Fulford said, “The intricate details of our heritage should not only be 

valued for what they are, but we should ensure that they are also preserved.” The Turks and Caicos National 

Museum remains committed to preserving and promoting the history and heritage of these Islands. Through 

activities like the Quiz, we can work with our youth to give them a better understanding and appreciation of it 

so that they will be equipped to preserve and transmit it to the next generation. a 

VIVIAN TYSON 

Join the Museum 

Become a Member and receive a year’s subscription 

to Times of the Islands (which includes 

Astrolabe), free admission to the Museum, and a 

Members’ Discount in the Museum Shop. 

Senior (62+) $35 • Individual $50 

Family/Friend $100 

Sponsor $250• Contributor $500 • Partner $750 

To join*, send name, address, email, and type of 

membership, along with cheque or money order 

payable to “Turks & Caicos National Museum” to: 

VIVIAN TYSON 

Don Stark of the TCI Reef Fund and Talisha Simons of Fortis TCI 

present a certificate and gift to Elishah Sidnord, member of the 

winning team from Clement Howell High School. 

Friends of the Turks & Caicos National 

Museum 

39 Condesa Road 

Santa Fe, NM 87508 USA 

Or, visit: 

www.tcmuseum.org/membership-support/ 

*For U.S. residents, support of the Museum is tax-deductible via 

Friends of the Turks & Caicos National Museum, Attn: Donald 

H. Keith, 39 Condesa Road, Santa Fe NM 87508, our affiliated 

institution and registered 501 (c) (3). 

60 www.timespub.tc


Museum matters 

Story & Photos By Museum Director Pat Saxton 

We need a National Archive 

Not a week goes by without a request for information 

at our info@tcmuseum.org email. Sometimes folks are 

just asking for opening hours or bird tour information. 

But other requests ask us to identify a place, a 

residence seen on an old postcard, or provide general 

information about all the Islands. New developments 

like Sailrock on South Caicos enlist the Museum’s help 

so they can provide historically and scientifically correct 

information for their walking tours. Then there 

are the unique requests, like the US Department of 

Defense asking us about a missing plane and servicemen 

supposedly buried in North Caicos in 1943 (see 

next page). The Museum is pleased to help those looking 

for answers to their questions, but it all takes time, 

resources, and money. 

Once again, with no National Archives in the Turks 

& Caicos, the Museum is the only “go to” place for 

this kind of information. But with our tiny staff it is 

impossible to accommodate a lot of these requests. 

Most civilized countries recognize the need to have a 

National Archive, funded and operated by the government 

and accessible to the public, where important 

documents are securely stored and organized. Such a 

National Archive is not a frivolous luxury. As the written 

memory of a nation, it is an essential requirement. 

Without it, a country has no identity. 

It is not just “ancient” history we are concerned 

about. In fact, we probably know more about what happened 

in these Islands in the 19th century than we do 

about what happened in the 20th century! Where and 

how are government records from the 20th and 21st 

century being kept? The very few “modern” records we 

have are not in good condition—not because we have 

not preserved them, but because they were already 

deteriorating when we acquired them. 

The Turks & Caicos National Museum is not funded 

in any way by the TCI Government, yet we continue to 

function as a national archive housing and caring for 

records that would otherwise be destroyed. 

National Archives do not just happen. It takes recognition 

of the importance of a national archive and the 

political will to support its funding and staff. Citizens 

and residents should make their elected officials aware 

of this dereliction of duty and lobby for the creation of 

the Turks & Caicos National Archive. a 

New acquistions 

Because the National Museum is the only trusted repository 

for Turks & Caicos Islands history, artifacts are 

frequently donated or placed on permanent loan with 

us. Sometimes their provenance (origin and identity) is 

well known, but other times they are mysterious. The 

two recent acquisitions below are typical examples. 

Governor’s seal press: 

HE Governor Beckingham’s office donated this large, 

heavy press for the Great Seal of the Turks & Caicos 

Islands. Used to authenticate official documents, the 

weighted handles were swung around to screw the seal 

down and press it into a paper wafer (and sometimes 

ribbons) glued to a document, then reversed to release 

it. Once we build a case for the seal, it will have a permanent 

home in the Governor and Government exhibit. 

This (probably) 19th or early 20th century seal press would have 

been used to authenticate certain important documents. Such 

presses are still used for that purpose all over the world. 

Rolling pin: 

Volunteers John and Debra Hayes are avid beach combers. 

After one of Grand Turk’s infamous Westerlies, 

the Hayes found an old, handmade rolling pin on the 

beach. It could be from one of the wrecks off Pillory 

Beach or . . . who knows? But it will now have a place of 

honor in our 19th century kitchen. a 



New volunteers 

Judy Lawrie has been volunteering at the Museum since 

March, 2016. She is researching her TCI family and has 

been instrumental in assisting others with genealogical 

research. When we receive “info” questions about family 

members, we ask for Judy’s assistance. 

Judy always knew 

that her mother, 

Gloria Darrell, 

and her grandparents, 

Vera (Jones) 

and Donald 

Darrell, were born 

in TCI. Other than 

that she knew 

very little. She 

researched on 

Ancestry.com and 

found that her’s was one of the first 40 families to 

come from Bermuda to live on Grand Turk and Salt 

Cay to start the salt industry. Well-known names 

in the TCI : Stubbs, Styles, Saunders, Darrell, Jones, 

Butterfield, Frith, Astwood, Coverley, Murphy, Durham 

and many others are all in her family tree. That drew 

her to visiting Grand Turk and she fell in love with the 

island. She now is a snowbird and spends her time here 

researching her family history and helping the Museum 

and others with family search questions. 

Most folks know Ms. Ivy Basden from her long 

association with the Osprey Beach Hotel. She came to 

see us after she retired, inquiring as to whether we 

could use her assistance. We are grateful for Ivy’s 

help, and it is wonderful 

to once again 

see her smiling face 

greeting customers! 

She will assist in the 

gift shop. 

We are thankful 

for all of our volunteers, 

especially 

those who know 

the history of Grand 

Turk from a personal 

standpoint! a 

Unsolved mysteries 

The Museum constantly receives requests for information 

from both government and private sectors. 

Recently we were asked for information about an 

account that the bodies of two US servicemen washed 

up on the shore of North Caicos in 1943 during World 

War II. Evidently, the family of Technical Sgt. James 

Hughbanks recently contacted the US Defense POW/ 

MIA Accounting Agency requesting a review of the circumstances 

surrounding the flight he and six other 

crewmen were on when it disappeared in the vicinity 

of North Caicos. 

Naturally, we were intrigued by this 73 year-old 

“cold case” with very little hard evidence to go on. By 

sharing this story with our readers we are hoping that 

we might reach someone who can supply new information 

so that the remains of these servicemen can be 

located and brought back to their families in the US. 

In preparation for combat in the North African 

Theater in 1943, the 487th Bombardment Squadron 

was ferrying its aircraft along the South Atlantic Route 

to North Africa. Technical Sergeant Hughbanks was the 

radio operator aboard B-25C serial #42-32247, which 

was flying in a formation of six aircraft from Morrison 

Field, Florida to Borinquen Field, Puerto Rico. The formation 

departed Morrison Field at approximately 10:00 

AM on 18 February 1943. The other five aircraft flying 

in the formation arrived at Borinquen Field at 3:20 PM; 

however, B-25C serial #42-32247 with Sgt Hughbanks 

on board was not with the formation when it landed. 

According to information provided by crewmembers 

of the other aircraft, Hughbanks’ aircraft became separated 

from the formation when it flew into a cloud 

formation halfway through the flight, at approximately 

22 o North 72 o West, reducing visibility and forcing 

them to rely on instruments. 

WIKIMEDIA 

62 www.timespub.tc


Aircraft conducted search operations for 

Hughbanks’ aircraft throughout the area along the 

flight route from 19–23 February 1943 without success. 

Reports that the missing plane had landed safely 

in Haiti and Cuba proved to be unverifiable and all 

other reports and rumors about the crew were thoroughly 

investigated by the Army Air Forces in 1943 

with negative results. Further, despite the fact that all 

possible locations where B-25C #42-32247 might have 

landed or members of the crew might have reached in 

the Caribbean, there were no verified official reports of 

any members of the crew of B-25C #42-32247 being 

found after 18 Feb 1943. 

The official Department of Defense report also 

mentions an account of an aircraft crashing on 18 

February 1943 near Moore Hall, North Caicos, about 

one and a half miles southeast of Three Marys Cays. 

The account states that two bodies were recovered 

afterward, both of which were buried by local inhabitants. 

A medical officer was dispatched from Grand 

Turk to identify the bodies, but no follow-up report 

has been located. This account was originally believed 

to be associated with Hughbanks’ missing B-25C. 

Unfortunately, none of it could be verified, including 

whether a medical officer was ever actually dispatched. 

With such sketchy information there was nothing the 

Museum could do to assist the investigation. a 

Evening with the experts 

On April 12, 2016 the Museum held “An Evening with 

the Experts” under the stars on the outside deck. Free 

to members, this is the first in a four-part series. 

Ivan Day, elder brother of Grand Turk residents 

Séamus and Paul Day, is considered to be one of 

Britain’s foremost food historians. The author of many 

books and academic papers, he is a well-known face 

on BBC television. He is particularly noted for his 

reconstructions of period meals and has curated exhibitions 

in major museums in the US and Europe. Ivan’s 

private collection of early culinary utensils is one of 

the finest in Europe. On this occasion his topic was 

“Royal Ragouts: Courtly Dining and Cookery in Early 

Georgian Britain,” a lecture he previously delivered at 

the Queen’s Gallery, Buckingham Palace. 

The lecture was interesting and informative, taking 

Paul Day created this nine-foot long sugar palace for “The Edible 

Monument” exhibition at the Getty Center in Los Angeles. 

us back to a time when a meal was not only sustenance, 

but also an opportunity for artistic presentation and 

a statement of wealth. The craftsmanship that went 

into presentation of the dishes presented to 17th century 

royalty was indescribably beautiful! They even had 

ice cream molded to look like vegetables and fruit— 

and all done without electricity! 

Mr. Day’s knowledge and personal experiences 

in helping museums and studio sets with period dining 

must be unique in all the world. We thank him for 

taking time out from his holiday to give this lecture. For 

those who could not make the event, following are 

a few links to see the incredible detail that Mr. Day 

incorporates in his work. For more information, visit 

his website www.historicfood.com. a 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qebdv6yH2B8 

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/24/arts/design/ 

culinary-exhibitions-add-life-to-museums-period-rooms.html 

http://www.npr.org/sections/ 

thesalt/2015/11/20/456627679/let-them-eat-sugarsculpture-the-getty-celebrates-edible-table-art 

http://www.countryfile.com/countryside/evolution-country-christmas-dinner 

http://foodhistorjottings.blogspot.com/ 

Answers to Quiz: 

Question 5) 67,000 tons 

Question 18) 1926 

Question 27) Lignum Vitae 

Question 33) Cecile Louise Deane-Smith (1932-2001) 

ABBIE FENTRESS SWANSON 


MORGAN LUKER

sporting life 

DIGITAL HANDPRINT 

Opposite page: Sean Ewing races to the finish in the SURFside Spring Sprint. 

Above: Gorgeous Grace Bay is the setting for the 2015 annual “Race for the Conch” Eco-SeaSwim, drawing nearly 200 swimmers for four different 

swimming events. This year’s competition will be held on Saturday July 2, 2016. 

Taking Back History 

A look at the sport of swimming in the Turks & Caicos Islands. 

By Ben Stubenberg 

When a slave ship wrecked off the coast of Martinique in 1679, one of the Africans, whose name has 

been lost to history, managed to escape the sinking vessel. He swam for 60 long hours before reaching 

shore — an astounding feat not duplicated by anyone for 300 years. The accomplishment is made even 

more incredible because he did it without a support boat guiding him, no regular rehydration or feedings 

along the way, and much of it at night in choppy, predatory waters. 


To the Europeans in the Caribbean at the time, this 

survival story was not entirely surprising, as the swimming 

ability of Africans was well known. Early explorers 

of the West African coast 500 years ago often came 

across amazingly proficient swimmers — an astonishing 

sight because so few Europeans back then could swim 

at all. The explorer Pieter de Marees said about Africans 

from the Gold Coast that their freestyle allowed them to, 

“swim very fast, generally easily outdoing people of our 

nation in swimming and diving.” 

Bruce Wigo, CEO of the International Swimming 

Hall of Fame in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, says evidence 

shows Africans had developed a highly proficient front 

crawl stroke with side breathing and perfect high elbow 

arm recovery. He notes wryly, “Africans were doing 

the Australian crawl before the Australian crawl was 

invented.” 

Slaveholders quickly recognized the unique aquatic 

capabilities of newly arrived slaves in the Caribbean and 

regularly used them to dive for pearls and recover treasure 

from shipwrecks. Indeed, the Europeans, and later, 

Americans, were so impressed that they sometimes had 

slaves teach them and their children how to swim properly 

and efficiently, a skill that had eluded them since 

medieval times. 

In a tragic irony of history, the ability to swim by 

people of African descent was lost over time in the West 

Indies with a few notable exceptions, such as lobster 

Ianthe Pratt Primary School students learn to swim with SURFside 

Ocean Academy lifesaving instructor Paul. 

and sponge divers in the Turks & Caicos and elsewhere. 

Still, while many visitors to these Islands joyfully plunge 

into the clear turquoise water and glide with confidence 

without a second thought, for far too many residents the 

ocean has become something to avoid. 

In fact, it has become a cliché to express amazement 

that so many people living on islands surrounded by 

water can’t swim. While to a degree true and unacceptable, 

there is nothing to be gained by dwelling on the 

idea. Instead, why not reverse history and reinvent the 

culture of swimming? 

MORGAN LUKER 

These proud high school students in North Caicos finished a four-day Swim & Survive course at Sandy Point beach. Pictured also are TCI Swim 

Federation swimmers and teachers Ben Stubenberg and Kevin Bethel. (Not pictured, Chloe Zimmermann.) 

66 www.timespub.tc

Local swim schools, TCI government agencies, and 

private donors are doing just that by collaborating on a 

single goal: Expand the ability to swim for all residents 

throughout the Turks & Caicos regardless of ability to pay. 

Following are some of the swim initiatives that are making 

an impact on the broader TCI community: 

• Since 2012, Caicu Naniki Sports Adventures 

(founded by Ben Stubenberg and Chloe Zimmermann) has 

been teaching youngsters at the Provo Children’s Home 

on Saturdays how to swim and survive. 

• Since 2013, SURFside Ocean Academy (founded by 

Morgan Luker) has been working with the Edward Gartland 

Youth Center to give swim lessons to some 40 teens a 

year. Many of the students repeat the 10 session program 

and have become proficient swimmers. 

• Since 2013, FB Total Adventure (founded by Jill 

Swann) has been working with Extraordinary Minds to 

teach autistic kids the basics of swimming, along with 

teaching very young children water safety. 

• In 2014, the Turks & Caicos Islands Swim Federation 

designed and implemented a Swim & Survive program to 

help prevent drownings for Raymond Gardiner High School 

in North Caicos, per request from Vice Principal Tony 

Hislop. With financial assistance from David and Elizabeth 

Stone, 3 TCI Swim Federation members responded with 

four sessions that taught 38 students and 8 teachers to 

swim at Sandy Point. 

• In 2015, the TCI Red Cross began to incorporate a 

short learn-to-swim program for 15 summer campers in 

the ocean and the pool. The campers got a special treat 

when the TCI Swim Federation arranged for three-time 

Olympic Gold Medal winner Rowdy Gaines to join the local 

volunteer swim teachers to give them a swim lesson. 

• For the past 10 years, the annual Commonwealth 

Beach Games held on Governor’s Beach in Grand Turk 

always incorporates a learn-to-swim element using local 

swim teachers, most recently from SURFside and Caicu 

Naniki. 

• For many summers now, the Department of 

Environment and Coastal Resources (DECR) has incorporated 

a learn-to-swim program for its Junior Park Wardens 

using Provo swim teachers. Last year, DECR teamed up 

with Provo swim schools and Tina Randall to highlight 

World Oceans Day by offering free swim lessons at the 

Bight Children’s Park. 

This year, Caicu Naniki, SURFside, and Waterplay are 

teaming up with donors on a new initiative to work directly 

with selected schools to teach swimming and expand the 

numbers even more. The pilot program will begin with 

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a six week swim program for youngsters aged 12 and 

13 at no charge. The International School in Leeward, 

Providenciales opened this spring a 20-yard pool that will 

also be made available for use by swim clubs to teach 

youngsters, as well as International School students. 

As with many athletic endeavors, it is crucial that 

youngsters and adults learn to swim correctly from the 

beginning and not fall into bad habits that have to be 

unlearned later. Swimming is a technical, thinking person’s 

sport, and so it is essential to emphasize relaxation 

and the need to focus on each motion and body part correctly 

— head position, hand placement, the “catch,” the 

pull, arm recovery, hip rotation, and kick, among others. 

The goal is to minimise drag and streamline the body. To 

get it right requires swim teachers with skills and experience 

to take students through a step-by-step process 

appropriate to the age and water comfort level of the 

swimmer. 

Complementing these learn-to-swim initiatives are 

three annual open water swim races in Grace Bay for 

youngsters and adults to set goals and have an opportunity 

to achieve them in a benign but competitive 

environment. All races give proceeds to promote swimming 

and other local causes. 

The biggest and longest running event is the “Race for 

the Conch” Eco-SeaSwim. Founded by Caicu Naniki owners 

Ben Stubenberg and Chloe Zimmermann in 2010 with a 

lot of heart and hope, just 50 swimmers showed up to 

compete in a one mile event that first year. By 2015, the 

race had nearly 200 swimmers with 2.4 mile, 1 mile, and 

1/2 mile races along with a 100 meter Children’s Swim. 

Half of the swim race participants come from overseas, 

which has also created a significant sports tourism revenue 

niche. The next race is set for July 2, 2016. (See www. 

ecoseaswim.com.) 

The Waterplay Open Water Swim for Children was 

founded by Jill Swann in 2012 and has grown ever since 

to become a popular family event on Provo. Dedicated to 

kids, the event gives them a forum to get excited about 

learning to swim and challenge themselves in stages 

according to their ability with lots of support. Jill’s theme: 

“Never let another child drown.” The fun swims feature 

50, 100, 200, 400, and 800 meter races for youngsters 

2 to 16 years old. It is held the first or second Sunday in 

November. (See www.waterplayprovo.com.) 

The SURFside Spring Swim founded by Morgan Luker 

began in 2015 to build on the growing interest in open 

water swimming in TCI that would also encourage more 

interest in the sport, particularly for young people. The 

very welcoming event for swimmers of all abilities features 

2 km, 800 meter, and 400 meter races plus a 100 meter 

Children’s Swim. It is held every spring in April. (For more 

information, visit www.surfsideoceanacademy.com.) 

Pushing the limits is an up and coming event called 

the “Caicos Cays Turquoise Water Swim,” an eight mile 

relay event made up of four-person teams swimming from 

Pine Cay to Grace Bay. The swim would follow the same 

route along the Caicos Cays as marathon swimmer Yuko 

Matsuzaki’s historic non-stop swims from Sandy Point, 

North Caicos to Grace Bay in 2014 and 2015. 

Other popular fun and competitive island sporting 

events such as Windvibes and the TCI Triathlon include 

swim race segments that also allow for more swim practice 

and experience in friendly, well managed venues in 

Long Bay and Grace Bay. 

As significant as these goals and activities are, there 

is a big hurdle: No proper competitive pool. Most swim 

lessons take place in the ocean, but that is limited to calm 

days and lacks the element of a controlled environment 

that greatly facilitates learning. Fortunately, some resorts 

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68 www.timespub.tc

JILL SWANN 

This group of Oseta Jolly Primary School students is quite joyful after a swim lesson with FB Total Adventure Company. 

and local businesses have generously allowed limited use 

of their pools at no charge or for a modest fee. These 

include pools at the Alexandra Resort, Grace Bay Club, 

Flamingo Divers, Wrightfully Fit, the Zanzi Bar, and as 

noted, the International School. But the demand is greater 

than the resources. 

Deputy Premier and Minister for Education, Youth, 

Sports, and Library Services Hon. Akierra Missick and the 

TCI Swim Federation have been the leading advocates for 

building proper learning, training and competition pools 

to international standards. Fortunately, TCI has the local 

expertise to design and build pools to such standards. 

Some of the designers and builders have already volunteered 

their expertise to ensure top quality at the best 

price. Change is in the air and, more importantly, in the 

water. 

The interest and demand is there. Parents want their 

kids to swim. More than a sport, it’s a life skill that not 

TCI SWIM FEDERATION MEMBERS 

Ben Stubenberg 

Chloe Zimmermann 

Dorn Fulford 

Morgan Luker 

Kevin Bethel 

Dan Redmond 

Jill Swann 


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only can save a life, but lead to other water-based careers 

where the ability to swim is essential. No question — 

swimming is something every resident should do as part 

of being a Turks & Caicos Islander. Make it part of the 

culture again because that’s who we are. 

Over time, natural talent will rise from more youngsters 

in the water learning to swim, and the Turks & 

Caicos could see outstanding competitive swimmers able 

to race on the world stage. A start has been made: After a 

12 year hiatus, TCI sent its first swimmer, Laura Shaw, to 

compete in the 2015 CARIFTA Games. When one looks at 

other West Indian islands that have built proper training 

pools, the ability to swim and swim competitively has dramatically 

increased to a world class level. That can happen 

here too. 

History doesn’t have to be static or lock anyone into a 

mindset. There is still much to do, but everyone is united 

in making not being able to swim a thing of the past. a 

Ben Stubenberg, is president of the Turks & Caicos Islands 

Swim Federation and Co-Founder/Chief Swim Instructor at 

Caicu Naniki Sports Adventures. He can be contacted at 

info@caicunaniki.com or tciswim@yahoo.com. 

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shape up 

Footprints in the sand 

By Dr. Rodney A. Kander, Consulting Podiatrist 

As you walk or run along the beautiful beaches of the 

Turks & Caicos Islands, you leave behind an indelible 

you, a footprint in the sand. You may not even realize 

that this footprint, to the trained eye, reveals the architecture 

or structure of each individual’s foot type. 

Before the waves wash ashore, does the footprint 

show a flat foot (pes planus), a high arch (pes cavus), a 

bunion deformity (enlargement by the great toe), hammertoe 

(crooked toe deformity), or a long second toe 

(morton’s foot)? In the case of the latter, I have had 

patients boldly exclaim, “This is a sign of intelligence!” 

Scientifically speaking, this has been an unproven theory, 

but what is fact is that the foot is comprised of 26 

bones, 33 joints and over 100 ligaments, muscles and 

tendons. With this much concentration in one area of 

the body, it is no wonder so many people repeat over 

and over again, “Oh my aching feet.” 

In addition to foot anatomy, there are also systemic 

diseases that can affect foot health. Diabetes and neuropathy 

(loss of feeling) often go hand in hand, or in 

this case, step by step. A diabetic can simply walk barefoot 

on the beach and not realize that he or she has 

stepped on a seashell due to loss of sensation. The broken 

shell can penetrate the bottom of the foot causing 

a sore. If unnoticed, this can lead to a diabetic ulcer. 

Even exposing the feet to the hot sun can cause a burn 

that diabetics can’t feel. 

The best cure for many foot complaints is prevention. 

Daily observation of the feet both top and bottom 

— using a mirror if necessary — can identify problems. 

Any concerns should be addressed to a professional 

immediately. Proper stretching before and after a walk 

or run on the beach is a must. This is critical to help 

avoid common concerns such as plantar fasciitis, shin 

splints and stress fractures. If not going barefoot, then 

wear a lightweight supportive pair of shoes. Consult a 

physician prior to this exercise to address any systemic 

concerns. 

So many people enjoy the beautiful beaches and 

cays of the Turks & Caicos Islands, but here is the “key” 

to fully enjoy the experience. 

Protect the vital foundation of 

the human body: your feet. 

It’s good for the sole (soul)! a 

Dr. Kander has practiced podiatry for 35 years. He lives 

in Virginia with his wife and potcake dog “Turk.” He 

considers the TCI his second home, where he loves to 

leave his own footprints in the sand. 

Dr. Kander is a Podiatric Consultant having 

provided general podiatric foot care, diabetic foot 

management, evaluation and treatment of pediatric 

deformities, orthotics, sports medicine, and has 

performed laser surgery, as well as the latest advancements 

in foot and ankle surgery. 

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shape up 

Keeping your hair healthy in the sun 

By Brigitte Wildt, Stylist, Tangled Hair Salon 

Just as the sun damages your skin, it can damage 

your hair too. If you are spending a lot of time outdoors, 

use a hair care product that contains UV filters. 

It could be a gel, cream or spray-in that will protect your 

hair from sun damage, and keep your color-treated hair 

from fading. 

Wearing a wide-brimmed hat will keep your hair 

from being scorched, and it will also protect your scalp 

and ears from sunburn. 

Never shampoo your hair before swimming because 

it strips away your natural oils and makes your hair 

vulnerable to chlorine and salt. Saturate your hair with 

clean water or leave in conditioner and it won’t absorb 

as much chlorine or salt. Make sure to rinse your hair 

after your day on the beach or pool, or better still, several 

times during. 

You will probably wash your hair more frequently 

whilst in a hot climate to deal with sweat, so use a 

moisturizing shampoo and conditioner. Shampoo your 

scalp only, letting the suds run down the lengths of 

your hair, cleansing it gently without drying it out. If 

you use hair styling products, use a clarifying shampoo 

once a week to clear away the product build up, then 

follow with a deep conditioning treatment. 

Fight frizz by keeping your hair healthy and well 

maintained with regular deep conditioning treatments 

and trims. Anti-frizz serum helps to smooth the hair 

and add shine, but don’t use too much if you have very 

fine hair because it can weigh it down. And finally, style 

without stress. Don’t waste your time fighting the frizz 

on high humidity days—the frizz will win. Instead just 

have a side braid, a loose up-do or a slick ponytail. 

For true beachy styled hair, buy a salt spray or 

make one yourself: Dissolve 1 tablespoon sea salt in 

8 ounces of warm water, add 10 drops of lavender 

oil, shake well and spritz onto wet or dry hair. Add 

waves overnight by wrapping your damp, salt-sprayed 

hair into a sock bun above your head or wrap your hair 

around multiple socks, then tie the sock ends. There 

are great examples on the Internet of both versions. 

In the morning remove the 

sock bun or multi-socks and 

tousle your strands. Socks are 

more comfy than rollers and 

give you loose beachy waves. 

(What do you mean you forgot 

to pack socks?!!) a 

Brigitte Wildt was born in Germany and started her 

profession as an apprentice when she was 15 years 

old. After working as a fully trained stylist for many 

years she entered the Munich Hair Academy to get her 

Master’s Certificate, which would allow her to open a 

salon and teach the profession to others. In 1988 she 

went to Switzerland to work as a stylist. By 1996, having 

enough snow, cold, and mountains, she was ready 

for a change and moved to the Turks & Caicos Islands 

to open Captain Hook’s Hair & Beauty Salon. In 2005, 

wanting to spend more time with her son, she took up 

freelance, on-call styling for very special occasions and 

is now working as Stylist at Tangled Hair Salon at Ports 

of Call in Providenciales. a 

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72 www.timespub.tc

faces and places 

Above from left: Karen Savory, Hon. Sean Astwood, Hon. Josephine Connolly, Hon. Washington Misick, Hon. Akierra Missick, Andrew Stone, 

Mark Garland, Jeanne Savory-Cockett; Prudence McCommish, Collette Coty, and Galmo “Gilley” Williams. 

“Food for Thought” Launch 

On April 5, 2016, under the stars at The Palms Resort & Spa, Jeanne and Karen Savory welcomed key members of 

the business community, government ministers, family, and friends to their newly founded charity’s first event. The 

launch was intended to make the charity’s presence known and encourage corporate sponsorship. With endless 

hors-d’oeuvres provided by The Palms and champagne donated by The Wine Cellar, a wonderful time was had by all. 

Food for Thought was founded by Jeanne and Karen Savory to provide free breakfast to all children in the government 

schools. The first phase, due to begin in September, will provide a healthy breakfast on every school day to the government 

primary schools in North, Middle and South Caicos and Salt Cay. Information about Food for Thought and 

how to donate is available by emailing foodforthoughttci@gmail.com or visiting foodforthoughttci.com. 

By Claire Parrish ~ Photos Courtesy TCI Sun 

Above from top left: “Food for Thought” attendees Sabrina Green; Richard Savory and Hon. Akierra Missick; Mark Garland; Robin Rosen and 

Abby Hoffman; Yolander Forbes and Tueton Williams; Arthur Jones, Peter Savory and Maurice Ingham. 


esort report 

Opposite page: The new East Bay Resort on South Caicos is set on a beautiful, pristine beach. 

Above: Guest suites range from standard rooms to studios and two-bedroom suites, built surrounding a huge pool. 

Can You Keep a Secret? 

Adventurer discovers a new luxury resort on South Caicos. 

Story & Photos By John Galleymore 

When I explore the outer islands, comfort is simply a tent and roll-up mattress. But every so often, I like 

to experience some real luxury (especially when my wife Sally accompanies me!) This treat is usually 

reserved for trips to the US or an anniversary occasion on Grace Bay. So it was a real delight to recently 

discover the newly opened East Bay Resort on South Caicos. This beachfront resort brings luxury to one 

of TCI’s most historic islands and is a remarkable base from which to explore or simply relax. 


Our journey starts at Providenciales airport where 

we catch a flight with InterCaribbean Airways, whose 

schedule makes getting to South Caicos a breeze, and 

just 20 minutes later we gently touch down. (News has it 

that government is set to embark on a major infrastructure 

improvement at the airport.) We are greeted by the 

charming and impeccably dressed Jeremiah, who transports 

us in a luxury SUV to the resort, just a few minutes 

away. 

On arrival at the plush lobby, we are greeted by 

Stephanie, who has a beaming smile and offers us welcome 

cocktails so that we can start our vacation in style! 

After a speedy check-in we are driven by golf cart to our 

room which is on the second floor. The building is only 

four stories high, nestled amongst the surrounding seagrass. 

It feels like old-time Provo! 

We are pleasantly surprised at the room’s comfort 

and cleanliness. Having travelled extensively to all the 

outer islands, accommodation can usually be described 

as “rustic,” but East Bay Resort compares to Grace Bay 

standards and beyond. Our large studio includes a balcony 

with ocean view, a full kitchen, and a huge bed. The 

kitchen is large and well equipped, and the management 

will even shuttle you to the local store for groceries. 

We decide to explore the beach. A short walk through 

beautifully landscaped gardens and we are alone on a 

pristine beach that stretches for over a mile! We see that 

it has been mechanically groomed, a nice touch indeed. 

The sand is soft and powdery and the small cove is calm 

and tranquil. Already we feel a million miles from the rest 

of the world—this is escapism at its finest! 

We head back to the resort and learn that there is a 

complimentary island tour that we are welcome to attend. 

Jeremiah is driver and guide, so we know it will be fun. 

Born in Middle Caicos but coming to South at the age of 

four, he is passionate and caring about the island and 

eager to share his local knowledge with a smile. 

We drive slowly down winding lanes of Cockburn 

Harbour and he points out historic buildings, often adding 

a humorous tale. We stop at the Boiling Hole in the 

middle of the salt ponds and he explains how it filled 

the ponds with ocean water that was evaporated to form 

salt—later raked, bagged, and shipped around the world. 

On the incoming tide, the current is strong enough to 

give the effect that the churning water is “boiling.” The 

salt ponds now lay abandoned, but you can feel history 

seep into this serene spot. 

We continue our tour, Jeremiah occasionally honking 

at friends and neighbors as we pass—all in this friendly 

From top: The accommodations at East Bay Resort compare to Grace 

Bay standards. What a view! 

The historic Boiling Hole filled the salt ponds with ocean water that 

was evaporated to form salt. 

Alvaro shakes up a world-class margarita at the resort’s Admiral 

Cockburn Lounge. 

76 www.timespub.tc

community return with a wave and smile. Along the way 

we make stops as he spots wild plants and reveals fascinating 

lore of how different plants are used to cure 

aliments from chicken pox to bug bites and stomach 

pains to impotency! 

We climb the ridge where Sailrock is developing 

homes and catch our breath with surprise. On one side 

is the shallow, translucent water of Bell Sound; the other, 

the clear waters, coral reefs, and stunning blues of the 

deep-water Columbus Passage. It was amongst these 

reefs that Jeremiah grew up fishing, and says he could 

find any given coral head even at night. The East Bay 

Resort has brought some much needed employment to 

South Caicos, and Jeremiah is a busy man but still finds 

time for the water. 

Back at the resort, we head to the Admiral Cockburn 

Lounge where Alvaro the barman greets us warmly and 

then proceeds to shake us a world-class margarita! We 

are enjoying our drinks when Alvaro takes a call on his 

cell . . . and bizarrely it’s for us! Thankfully, this was 

no family emergency but simply staff member Stephanie, 

who was walking home and wanted us to take notice of 

a particularly beautiful sunset. How’s that for customer 

service? 

East Bay Resort’s restaurant Blu offers a variety of 

local and international dishes. We start with huge and 

succulent shrimp, followed by a seafood medley and 

fine steak. Accompanied by wine from an extensive list 

From top: This glorious sunset is reflected in South Caico’s vast salt 

ponds. 

The 18th century District Commissioner’s residence would make an 

ideal South Caicos museum. 

we have to keep reminding ourselves that we are on an 

outer island and not Provo! After-dinner entertainment 

is a quiet walk on the beach, the twinkling, silent stars 

above complementing an utter quietness and tranquility. 

Sleep follows on a bed that feels like it’s made of clouds. 

We awake to a glorious sunrise over the bay. Today 

we plan to explore the town on our own but need a hearty 

breakfast first. Denise greets us in the Periwinkle café 

with a friendly smile and we are soon tucking into hot 

coffee and poached eggs. Ignoring the overwhelming 

desire to lounge by the infinity pool, we collect the complimentary 

bicycles. 


INNOVATION | CONSERVATION | ADVENTURE 

Cockburn Harbour sits a stone’s throw from the 

resort and the bike ride is easy. Our first stop is the 18th 

century District Commissioner’s Residence that sits atop 

a hill and has commanding views over the water to Dove 

Cay. Once a bed and breakfast, the still grand-looking 

house now lies derelict and abandoned, although its separate, 

Bermuda-style kitchen is intact. In one of its rooms, 

the Queen of England once rested and changed clothes 

during her visit in 1966. We make our way to the rear balcony 

and gaze past the old white stone lighthouse across 

the channel to Dove and Long Cays. What a great South 

Caicos museum this building would make! 

We cycle along deserted streets, passing churches 

and ancient buildings, and head down to the marina. 

Here fishermen sell conch, lobster, and scalefish to the 

processing plant, where it makes its way not only to the 

finest restaurants in the TCI, but also the world. 

East Bay Resort caters for every level of activity. A cool 

drink at the swim-up pool bar? No problem! A leisurely 

walk along a mile of golden sand? Check! We decide to 

be more energetic and take our pick of stand-up paddleboards 

and ocean kayaks and are soon paddling our way 

across the sheltered cove. We spot rays in the water and 

swim in the shallows before heading back. 

This evening we decide to have sunset drinks on our 

balcony and enjoy the ever-changing colors of the water 

and sky. Soon we are seeing the occasional shooting star 

and realize it’s too late for dinner. No problem, as the 

front desk arranges a pizza delivery from the bar in town. 

The next morning starts with the now familiar struggle 

to leave the comfortable bed. We keep breakfast light 

as we are booked on a snorkel trip on the hotel boat. 

South Caicos Islander Captain Marvin greets us with a 

huge smile and chats about fishing as we make the short 

boat ride around the headland and tie up to a mooring 

just off Long Cay. With mask and flippers on, we enter 

the crystal clear water for some of the best snorkeling in 

the TCI. The lack of human intervention here means the 

marine environment is pristine. There can be few places 

left on Earth that have escaped the impact of tourism. 

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This is one, and we gaze in wonder at the health of the 

coral and the abundance of sea life. 

Back on board, we head over to a shallow cove on 

Long Cay and wade ashore. Long Cay is some three miles 

long and although Marvin tells us it’s home to large rock 

iguanas, we see only the nests of these elusive creatures. 

We walk up to the ridge and stare across rugged cliffs 

onto the ocean some 6,000 feet deep. The contrast with 

the shallow water of the turquoise cove is staggering. 

78 www.timespub.tc

On the way back, Marvin asks if we have ever seen 

huge orange starfish. As I answer that occasionally we 

spot them, I look down and realize we are floating above 

hundreds—a field of starfish. Nature at its best, indeed. 

Back at the resort, I meet up with General Manager 

Darik Riggs and Divemaster Ralf Klug and we head over 

to what will soon be the on-site dive shop. It has just been 

built and is awaiting a few final touches before opening. 

Offering brand-new Scuba Pro equipment, this will be a 

fine dive operation. Ralf has identified a number of dive 

sites that will suit all levels of experience. The diving 

promises to be sublime—the last undiscovered diving 

gem in the TCI. 

Ralf explains that East Bay Resort will offer all-inclusive 

room and dive packages, with concessions for 

residents. A special deal with Caicos Ferry will even allow 

guests to dive on their last day without the worry of flying. 

Ralf explains that, as in Grand Turk and Salt Cay, dive 

sites are only a few minutes offshore, allowing for an easy 

boat ride and surface time on land. I envision future dives 

on never-dived-before sites and surface time in a luxury 

resort for lunch—plans to return before we’ve even left! 

Speaking of leaving, it’s time to pack and take one 

more look around our lovely room. Stephanie, Audra, and 

Darik bid us farewell and Jeremiah is waiting by the SUV 

to whisk us back the airport. Duties on Provo beckon, 

but it’s South Caicos that’s now well and truly lodged in 

our hearts. So, although East Bay Resort is a secret, it’s a 

secret worth sharing! a 

South Caicos versus Grace Bay 

Before my trip to South Caicos, I asked both expatriate 

friends and visitors to tell me their favorite things 

about each island. Here’s what they said: 

PROVIDENCIALES — Upscale luxury hotels. Eco-tours, 

snorkeling. Great beach. Explore uninhabited cays. 

NORTH CAICOS — Remoteness. Friendly people. 

Quiet. Hiking. 

MIDDLE CAICOS — Rugged dramatic coastlines. 

Tranquility. Deserted beaches. 

SALT CAY — History. Wall diving close to shore. 

Unspoilt. Donkeys. Walking. 

GRAND TURK — Historic town. Wall diving close to 

shore. Biking. 

Obviously, many islands have many great features but 

South Caicos and East Bay Resort really do have all the 

best features from all the islands in one place! 

John Galleymore 

East Bay Resort includes 86 suites, all with ocean views. 

For more information visit eastbayresort.com. 

East Bay Resort’s gracious staff includes (from left): Audra Simmons, 

Darik Riggs, and Stephanie Ulfer. 


about the Islands 

Map provided courtesy Wavey Line Publishing. Their navigation charts and decorative and historic maps of the Turks & Caicos Islands, the 

Bahamas, and Hispaniola are available in shops throughout the Islands. Visit www.waveylinepublishing.com. 

Where we are 

The Turks & Caicos Islands lie some 575 miles southeast 

of Miami — approximately 1 1/2 hours flying time — 

with the Bahamas about 30 miles to the northwest and 

the Dominican Republic some 100 miles to the southeast. 

The country consists of two island groups separated 

by the 22-mile wide Columbus Passage. To the west are 

the Caicos Islands: West Caicos, Providenciales, North 

Caicos, Middle Caicos, East Caicos, and South Caicos. To 

the east are the Turks Islands: Grand Turk and Salt Cay. 

The Turks & Caicos total 166 square miles of land 

area on eight islands and 40 small cays. The country’s 

population is approximately 32,000. 

Getting here 

There are international airports on Grand Turk, North 

Caicos, Providenciales, and South Caicos, with domestic 

airports on all of the islands except East Caicos. 

At this time, all of the major international carriers 

arrive and depart from Providenciales International 

Airport. American Airlines flies twice daily from Miami, 

daily from Charlotte, from Boston, Dallas, and Philadelphia 

on Saturday and from Philadelphia on Sunday. JetBlue 

Airways offers daily service from New York/JFK and 

Fort Lauderdale, and from Boston on Saturday. Delta 

Airlines flies from Atlanta daily and from New York/ 

JFK on Saturday. United Airlines travels from Newark on 

Tuesday, Friday, and Saturday. 

West Jet travels from Toronto daily on Wednesday 

and Saturday. Air Canada offer flights from Toronto on 

80 www.timespub.tc

Wednesday and Saturday and from Montreal on Tuesday. 

British Airways travels on Thursday and Sunday from 

London/Gatwick via Antigua. 

Bahamasair flies to Nassau on Thursday and Sunday; 

Inter-caribbean Airways travels on Monday, Wednesday, 

and Friday. Inter-caribbean Airways and Caicos Express 

travel to Haiti daily, while Inter-caribbean Airways flies 

to the Dominican Republic daily (except Wednesday); 

to Jamaica on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday, 

and to Puerto Rico on Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday. 

(Schedules are current as of May 2016 and subject to 

change.) 

Inter-island service is provided by Inter-caribbean 

Airways, Caicos Express Airways, and Global Airways. Sea 

and air freight services operate from Florida. 

Language 

English. 

Time zone 

Atlantic Standard Time (AST) observed year-round. 

Currency 

The United States dollar. The Treasury also issues a Turks 

& Caicos crown and quarter. Travellers cheques in U.S. 

dollars are widely accepted and other currency can be 

changed at local banks. American Express, VISA, and 

MasterCard are welcomed at many locations. 

Climate 

The average year-round temperature is 83ºF (28ºC). The 

hottest months are September and October, when the 

temperature can reach 90 to 95ºF (33 to 35ºC). However, 

the consistent easterly trade winds temper the heat and 

keep life comfortable. 

Casual resort and leisure wear is accepted attire for 

daytime; light sweaters or jackets may be necessary on 

some breezy evenings. It’s wise to wear protective clothing 

and a sunhat and use waterproof sunscreen when out 

in the tropical sun. 

Entry requirements 

Passport. A valid onward or return ticket is also required. 

Customs formalities 

Visitors may bring in duty free for their own use one carton 

of cigarettes or cigars, one bottle of liquor or wine, 

and some perfume. The importation of all firearms including 

those charged with compressed air without prior 

Island Auto Rentals & Sales is 

committed to adding value to your 

tropical vacation experience 

by delivering excellent service 

along with secure and reliable 

transportation that will take you 

where you need to go. 

EXCELLENT SERVICE • GREAT VALUE 

SECURE • RELIABLE TRANSPORTATION 

Leeward Palms, Leeward, Providenciales 

Telephone: (649) 246-0395 or 232-0933 or 946-2042 

Email: nevilleadams@hotmail.com or 

philipgibson251@hotmail.com 

Web: islandautorentals.tc 

For Vehicle Rental in 

Grand Turk call 

232 0933 or 946 2042 


about the Islands 

approval in writing from the Commissioner of Police is 

strictly forbidden. Spear guns, Hawaiian slings, controlled 

drugs, and pornography are also illegal. 

Returning residents may bring in $400 worth of 

merchandise per person duty free. A duty of 10% to 

60% is charged on most imported goods along with a 

7% customs processing fee and forms a major source of 

government revenue. 

Transportation 

A valid driver’s license from home is suitable when renting 

vehicles. A government tax of 12% is levied on all 

rental contracts. (Insurance is extra.) Driving is on the 

left-hand side of the road, with traffic flow controlled by 

round-abouts at major junctions. Please don’t drink and 

drive! Taxis are abundant throughout the Islands and 

many resorts offer shuttle service between popular visitor 

areas. Scooter, ATV, and bicycle rentals are also available. 

Telecommunications 

FLOW Ltd. provides land lines and superfast broadband 

Internet service. Mobile service is on a LTE 4G network, 

including pre and post-paid cellular phones. Most resorts 

and some stores and restaurants offer wireless Internet 

connection. Digicel operates mobile networks, with 

a full suite of LTE 4G service. FLOW is the local carrier 

for CDMA roaming on US networks such as Verizon and 

Sprint. North American visitors with GSM cellular handsets 

and wireless accounts with AT&T or Cingular can 

arrange international roaming. 

Electricity 

120/240 volts, 60 Hz, suitable for all U.S. appliances. 

Departure tax 

US $20 for all persons two years and older, payable in 

cash or traveller’s cheques. It is typically built into the 

cost of your ticket. 

Courier service 

Delivery service is provided by FedEx, with offices on 

Providenciales and Grand Turk, and DHL. UPS service is 

limited to incoming delivery. 

Postal service 

The Post Office and Philatelic Bureau in Providenciales is 

located downtown in Butterfield Square. In Grand Turk, 

the Post Office is on Front Street, with the Philatelic 

Bureau on Church Folly. The Islands are known for their 

varied and colorful stamp issues. 

Media 

Multi-channel satellite television is received from the U.S. 

and Canada and transmitted via cable or over the air. 

Local station WIV-TV broadcasts on Channel 4 and Island 

EyeTV on Channel 5. People’s Television offers 75 digitally 

transmitted television stations, along with local news 

and talk shows on Channel 8. There are also a number of 

local radio stations, magazines, and newspapers. 

Medical services 

There are no endemic tropical diseases in TCI. There are 

large, modern hospitals on Grand Turk and Providenciales. 

Both hospitals offer a full range of services including: 

24/7 emergency room, operating theaters, diagnostic 

imaging, maternity suites, dialysis suites, blood bank, 

physiotherapy, and dentistry. 

In addition, several general practitioners operate in 

the country, and there is a recompression chamber, along 

with a number of private pharmacies. 

Immigration 

A resident’s permit is required to live in the Islands. A 

work permit and business license are also required to 

work and/or establish a business. These are generally 

granted to those offering skills, experience, and qualifications 

not widely available on the Islands. Priority is given 

to enterprises that will provide employment and training 

for T&C Islanders. 

Government/Legal system 

TCI is a British Crown colony. There is a Queen-appointed 

Governor, HE Peter Beckingham. He presides over an executive 

council formed by the elected local government. 

PNP Leader Dr. Rufus Ewing is the country’s premier. 

The legal system is based upon English Common 

Law and administered by a resident Chief Justice, Chief 

Magistrate, and Deputy Magistrates. Judges of the Court 

of Appeal visit the Islands twice a year and there is a final 

Right of Appeal to Her Majesty’s Privy Council in London. 

Taxes 

There are currently no direct taxes on either income 

or capital for individuals or companies. There are no 

exchange controls. Indirect taxation comprises customs 

duties and fees, stamp duty, taxes on accommodations, 

82 www.timespub.tc

estaurants, vehicle rentals, other services and gasoline, 

as well as business license fees and departure taxes. 

Economy 

Historically, TCI’s economy relied on the export of 

salt. Currently, tourism, the offshore finance industry, 

and fishing generate the most private sector income. 

The Islands’ main exports are lobster and conch, with 

the world’s first commercial conch farm operating on 

Providenciales. Practically all consumer goods and foodstuffs 

are imported. 

The Turks & Caicos Islands are recognised as an 

important offshore financial centre, offering services 

such as company formation, offshore insurance, banking, 

trusts, limited partnerships, and limited life companies. 

The Financial Services Commission regulates the industry 

and spearheads the development of offshore legislation. 

People 

Citizens of the Turks & Caicos Islands are termed 

“Belongers” and are primarily descendants of African 

slaves who were brought to the Islands to work on the 

salt ponds and cotton plantations. The country’s large 

expatriate population includes Canadians, Americans, 

Brits and Europeans, along with Haitians, Jamaicans, 

Dominicans, Bahamians, Indians, and Filipinos. 

Churches 

Churches are the center of community life and there 

are many faiths represented in the Islands, including: 

Adventist, Anglican, Assembly of God, Baha’i, 

Baptist, Catholic, Church of God of Prophecy, Episcopal, 

Faith Tabernacle Church of God, Jehovah’s Witnesses, 

Methodist and Pentecostal. Visitors are always welcome. 

Pets 

Incoming pets must have an import permit, veterinary 

health certificate, vaccination certificate, and lab test 

results to be submitted at the port of entry to obtain 

clearance from the TCI Department of Agriculture, Animal 

Health Services. 

National symbols 

The National Bird is the Brown pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis). 

The National Plant is Island heather (Limonium 

bahamense) found nowhere else in the world. The 

National Tree is the Caribbean pine (Pinus caribaea var. 

bahamensis). The National Costume consists of white cotton 

dresses tied at the waist for women and simple shirts 


and loose pants for men, with straw hats. Colors representing 

the various islands are displayed on the sleeves 

and bases. The National Song is “This Land of Ours,” by 

the late Rev. E.C. Howell, PhD. Peas and Hominy (Grits) 

with Dry Conch is revered as symbolic island fare. 

Going green 

TCI Waste Disposal Services currently offers recycling services 

through weekly collection of recyclable aluminum, 

glass, and plastic. The TCI Environmental Club is spearheading 

a campaign to eliminate single-use plastic bags. 

Do your part by using a cloth bag whenever possible. 

Keep TCI “Beautiful by Nature” by not littering! 

Recreation 

Sporting activities are centered around the water. Visitors 

can choose from deep-sea, reef, or bonefishing, sailing, 

glass-bottom boat and semi-sub excursions, windsurfing, 

waterskiing, parasailing, sea kayaking, snorkelling, 

scuba diving, kiteboarding, stand up paddleboarding, 

and beachcombing. Pristine reefs, abundant marine life, 

and excellent visibility make TCI a world-class diving 

destination. Tennis and golf—there is an eighteen hole 

championship course on Providenciales—are also popular. 

The Islands are an ecotourist’s paradise. Visitors can 

enjoy unspoilt wilderness and native flora and fauna in 

thirty-three national parks, nature reserves, sanctuaries, 

and areas of historical interest. The National Trust 

provides trail guides to several hiking trails, as well as 

guided tours of major historical sites. There is an excellent 

national museum on Grand Turk, with an auxillary 

branch on Providenciales. A scheduled ferry and a selection 

of tour operators make it easy to take day trips to the 

outer islands. 

Other land-based activities include bicycling, horseback 

riding, and football (soccer). Personal trainers are 

available to motivate you, working out of several fitness 

centres. You will also find a variety of spa and body treatment 

services. 

Nightlife includes local bands playing island music 

at bars and restaurants and some nightclubs. There are 

two casinos on Providenciales, along with many electronic 

gaming parlours. Stargazing is extraordinary! 

Shoppers will find Caribbean paintings, T-shirts, 

sports and beachwear, and locally made handicrafts, 

including straw work and conch crafts. Duty free outlets 

sell liquor, jewellery, watches, perfume, leather goods, 

crystal, china, cameras, electronics, brand-name clothing 

and accessories, along with Cuban cigars. a 

84 www.timespub.tc

where to stay 

Grand Turk 

range of daily rates 

US$ (subject to change) 

number of units 

major credit cards 

restaurant 

bar 

air conditioning 

phone in unit 

television in unit 

kitchen in unit 

laundry service 

pool 

on the beach 

H 

The Arches of Grand Turk – Tel 649 946 2941 190–210 4 • • • • • • • 

Bohio Dive Resort – Tel 649 946 2135 • Web www.bohioresort.com 170–230 16 • • • • • • • • 

Crabtree Apartments – Tel 978 270 1698 • Web www.GrandTurkVacationRental.com 210–250 3 • • • • • • 

Grand Turk Inn – Tel 649 946 2827 • Web www.grandturkinn.com 250–300 5 • • • • • • • 

Island House – Tel 649 946 1519/232 5514 • Web www.islandhouse.tc 110–185 8 • • • • • • • 

Manta House – Tel 649 946 1111 • Web www.grandturk-mantahouse.com 110–130 5 • • • • • • • 

Osprey Beach Hotel – Tel 649 946 2666 • Web www.ospreybeachhotel.com 90–225 37 • • • • • • • • • • 

Salt Raker Inn – Tel 649 946 2260 • Web www.saltrakerinn.com 55–140 13 • • • • • • • 

Solomon Porches Guesthouse – Tel 649 946 2776/241 2937 • Fax 649 946 1984 75–100 3 • • 

White Sands Beach Resort – Tel 649 242 1991 • Web whitesandstci.com 130–150 16 • • • • • • • • • 

Middle Caicos 

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Blue Horizon Resort – Tel 649 946 6141 • Web bhresort.com 265–400 7 • • • • • • • • • 

North Caicos 

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Bottle Creek Lodge – Tel 649 946 7080 • Web www.bottlecreeklodge.com 155–240 3 • • 

Caicos Beach Condominiums – Tel 649 241 4778/786 338 9264 • Web www.caicosbeachcondos.com 159–299 8 • • • • • • • • 

Cedar Palms Suites – Tel 649 946 7113/649 244 4186 • Web www.oceanbeach.tc 250–300 3 • • • • • • • • • 

Flamingo’s Nest – Tel 649 946 7113/649 244 4186 • Web www.oceanbeach.tc 175–340 2 • • • • • • • • 

Hollywood Beach Suites - Tel 800 551 2256/649 231 1020 • Web www.hollywoodbeachsuites.com 200–235 4 • • • • • • 

JoAnne’s Bed & Breakfast - Tel 649 946 7301 • Web www.turksandcaicos.tc/joannesbnb 80–120 4 • • • • 

Palmetto Villa – Tel 649 946 7113/649 244 4186 • Web www.oceanbeach.tc 225–250 1 • • • • • • • • 

Pelican Beach Hotel - Tel 649 946 7112/877 774 5486 • Web www.pelicanbeach.tc 125–165 14 • • • • • • • • 

Pine Cay 

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The Meridian Club Turks & Caicos - Tel 649 946 7758/866 746 3229 • Web www.meridianclub.com 800–1300 13 • • • • • • 

Parrot Cay 

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Parrot Cay COMO Resort & Spa - Tel 877 754 0726/649 946 7788 • Web www.parrotcay.como.bz 450–4370 65 • • • • • • • • • • 

Providenciales 

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Airport Inn - Tel 649 941 3514 • Web www.airportinntci.com. 140 18 • • • • • • • 

The Alexandra Resort & Spa - Tel 800 704 9424/649 946 5807 • Web www.alexandraresort.com 280–420 99 • • • • • • • • • 

The Atrium Resort - Tel 888 592 7885/649 333 0101 • Web www.theatriumresorttci.com 159–410 30 • • • • • • • • 

Amanyara – Tel 866 941 8133/649 941 8133 • Web www.amanresorts.com 1000–2100 73 • • • • • • • • 

Aquamarine Beach Houses - Tel 649 231 4535/905 556 0278 • www.aquamarinebeachhouses.com 200–850 24 • • • • • • • • 

Beaches Resort & Spa - Tel 800-BEACHES/649 946 8000 • Web www.beaches.com 325–390AI 453 • • • • • • • • • 

Beach House Turks & Caicos – Tel 649 946 5800 • Web www.beachchousetci.com 532–638 21 • • • • • • • • • • 

Blue Haven Resort & Marina - Tel 855 832 7667/649 946 9900 • Web www.bluehaventci.com 250–650 51 • • • • • • • • • • 

Caribbean Paradise Inn - Tel 649 946 5020 • Web www.paradise.tc 162–225 17 • • • • • • • • 

Club Med Turkoise - Tel 800 258 2633/649 946 5500 • Web www.clubmed.com 120–225 290 • • • • • • • • • 

Coral Gardens on Grace Bay - Tel 877 746 7800 • Web www.coralgardensongracebay.com 199-449 32 • • • • • • • • • • 

Gansevoort Turks + Caicos – Tel 877 774 3253/649 941 7555 • Web www.gansevoorttc.com 315–720 91 • • • • • • • • • • 

Grace Bay Club - Tel 800 946 5757/649 946 5757 • Web www.gracebayclub.com 650–1750 59 • • • • • • • • • • 

Grace Bay Suites – Tel 649 941 7447 • Web www.GraceBaySuites.com 99–195 24 • • • • • • • • 

Harbour Club Villas - Tel 649 941 5748/305 434 8568 • Web www.harbourclubvillas.com 210–240 6 • • • • • 

Kokomo Botanical Gardens - Tel 649 941 3121• Web www.kokomobotanicalresort.com 169–299 16 • • • • • 

Le Vele - Tel 649 941 8800/888 272 4406 • Web www.levele.tc 303–630 22 • • • • • • • • 

La Vista Azul – Tel 649 946 8522/866 519 9618 • Web www.lvaresort.com 215–375 78 • • • • • • • 

Neptune Villas – Tel 649 331 4328 • Web www.neptunevillastci.com 150–400 10 • • • • • • • • • 

Northwest Point Resort • Tel 649 941 5133 • Web www.northwestpointresort.com 196–550 49 • • • • • • • • • • 

Ocean Club Resorts - Tel 800 457 8787/649 946 5461 • Web www.oceanclubresorts.com 180–690 191 • • • • • • • • • • 

The Palms Turks & Caicos – Tel 649 946 8666 • Web thepalmstc.com 595–1700 72 • • • • • • • • • • 

Pelican Nest Villa – Tel 649 342 5731 • Web www.pelicannest.tc 429–857 2 • • • • • • 

Point Grace - Tel 888 682 3705/649 946 5096 • Web www.pointgrace.com 424–1515 27 • • • • • • • • • • 

Ports of Call Resort – Tel 888 678 3483/649 946 8888 • Web www.portsofcallresort.com 135–210 99 • • • • • • • 


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where to stay 

range of daily rates 

US$ (subject to change) 

number of units 

major credit cards 

restaurant 

bar 

air conditioning 

phone in unit 

television in unit 

kitchen in unit 

laundry service 

pool 

on the beach 

Providenciales (continued) 

Queen Angel Resort – Tel 649 941 8771 • Web www.queenangelresort.com 150–575 56 • • • • • • • • • 

Reef Residence at Grace Bay – Tel 800 532 8536 • Web www.reefresidence.com 275-385 24 • • • • • • • 

The Regent Grand – Tel 877 537 3314/649 941 7770 • Web www.TheRegentGrand.com 495–1100 50 • • • • • • • • • 

Royal West Indies Resort – Tel 649 946 5004 • Web www.royalwestindies.com 180–695 92 • • • • • • • • • • 

The Sands at Grace Bay – Tel 877 777 2637/649 946 5199 • Web www.thesandsresort.com 175–675 116 • • • • • • • • • • 

Seven Stars Resort – Tel 866 570 7777/649 941 7777 – Web www.SevenStarsResort.com 365–2400 165 • • • • • • • • • • 

Sibonné – Tel 800 528 1905/649 946 5547 • Web www.Sibonne.com 110–375 29 • • • • • • • • 

The Somerset on Grace Bay – Tel 649 339 5900/877 887 5722 • Web www.TheSomerset.com 350–1300 53 • • • • • • • • • • 

Turtle Cove Inn – Tel 800 887 0477/649 946 4203 • Web www.turtlecoveinn.com 85–180 30 • • • • • • • • 

The Tuscany – Tel 649 941 4667 • Web www.thetuscanygracebay.com 975–1300 30 • • • • • • • • 

The Venetian Grace Bay – Tel 877 277 4793 • Web www.thevenetiangracebay.com 695–1175 27 • • • • • • • • 

Villa del Mar – Tel 877 238 4058/649 941 5160 • Web www.yourvilladelmar.com 190–440 42 • • • • • • • 

Villa Mani – Tel 649 431 4444 • Web www.villamanitc.com See Web/AE 6 • • • • • • • 

Villa Renaissance - Tel 649 941 5300/877 285 8764 • Web www.villarenaissance.com 295–650 36 • • • • • • • • • 

The Villas at Blue Mountain – Tel 649 941 4255 • Web www.villasatbluemountain.com 1200–2500 3 • • • • • • • • 

West Bay Club – Tel 866 607 4156/649 946 8550 • Web www.TheWestBayClub.com 235–1163 46 • • • • • • • • • • 

Windsong – Tel 649 941 7700/800 WINDSONG • Web www.windsongresort.com 275–925 50 • • • • • • • • • 

The Yacht Club – Tel 649 946 4656 • Web www.yachtclubtci.com 250–350 52 • • • • • • • 

Salt Cay 

Castaway – Salt Cay – Tel 772 713 9502 • Web www.castawayonsaltcay.com 175–265 4 • • • • • 

Genesis Beach House – Tel 561 502 0901 • Web www.Genesisbeachhouse.com 1000–1200W 4 • • • • • 

Pirate’s Hideaway B & B – Tel 800 289 5056/649 946 6909 • Web www.saltcay.tc 165–175 4 • • • • • • • 

Salt Cay Beach House – Tel 772 713 9502 • Web www.saltcaybeachhouse.blogspot.com 799W 1 • • • • • • 

Trade Winds Lodge – Tel 649 232 1009 • Web www.tradewinds.tc 925–1325W 5 • • • • • 

Twilight Zone Cottage – Tel 772 713 9502 • Web www.twilightzonecottage.blogspot.com 499W 1 • • • • 

The Villas of Salt Cay – Tel 772 713 9502 • Web www.villasofsaltcay.com 150–475 5 • • • • • • • • 

South Caicos 

East Bay Resort – Tel 844 260 8328/649 232 6444 • Web eastbayresort.com 198–1775 86 • • • • • • • • • • 

South Caicos Ocean & Beach Resort – Tel 877 774 5486/649 946 3219 

Web southcaicos.oceanandbeachresort.com 120–275 24 • • • • • 

H 

G 

Hotel & Tourism Association Member 

Green Globe Certified • Rates (listed for doubles) do not include Government Accommodation Tax and Service Charge 

Contemporary Style with Bermudian Influences 

This centrally located 4 bedroom/3.5 bathroom executive family home and an additional 1 bedroom/1 bathroom nanny suite is 

4,545 square feet of open plan Caribbean living with exceptional breezes from its spectacular 75 feet of elevation. Located on .85 

acres and surrounded by natural trees and vegetation, views of the Island and Ocean beyond can be enjoyed from every room. 

Dee Agingu, Sales Executive 

t. 649.946.4474 c. 649.231.3534 

dee@tcsothebysrealty.com 

Offered at $799,000 turksandcaicosSIR.com MLS# 1300629 

Anna Richardson, Sales Associate 

t. 649.946.4474 c. 649.232.7751 

anna@tcsothebysrealty.com 

86 www.timespub.tc

dining out – providenciales 

Amanyara — Amanyara Resort. Tel: 941-8133. Light gourmet 

cuisine for lunch and dinner with menu changing daily. 

Anacaona — Grace Bay Club. Tel: 946-5050. Elegant beachfront 

dining for lunch and dinner. Gourmet Euro/Caribbean 

cuisine; fine wines. Full bar and lounge. Reservations required. 

Angela’s Top O’ The Cove Deli — Suzie Turn, by NAPA. 

Tel: 946-4694. New York-style delicatessen. Eat-in, carry-out, 

catering. Open daily 6:30 AM to 6 PM; Sunday 7 AM to 2 PM. 

Asú on the Beach — Alexandra Resort. Tel: 941-8888. Casual 

Caribbean and popular international fare. Open daily for breakfast, 

lunch and dinner. Service indoors, poolside, and at beach. 

Baci Ristorante — Harbour Towne, Turtle Cove. Tel: 941-3044. 

Waterfront Italian dining. Brick oven pizza. Popular bar. Open 

for lunch Monday to Friday 12 to 2 PM and dinner nightly from 

6 to 10 PM. Closed Sunday. Carry-out available. 

Bay Bistro — Sibonné Beach Hotel. Tel: 946-5396. Oceanfront 

dining featuring creative international cuisine. Open daily 

7 AM to 10 PM. Weekend brunch. Catering and special events. 

Beaches Resort & Spa — The Bight. Tel: 946-8000. 

All-inclusive resort. A variety of restaurants and bars on premises. 

Non-guests can purchase a pass. 

Bella Luna Ristorante — Glass House, Grace Bay Road. Tel: 

946-5214. Fine Italian dining. Full bar and wine cellar. Indoor or 

covered terrace seating above a tropical garden. Open daily for 

dinner from 6 PM. Closed Sunday. Private catering available. 

Big Al’s Island Grill — Salt Mills Plaza. Tel: 941-3797. Wide 

selection of burgers, steaks, salads, and wraps in a diner-like 

setting. Open daily from 11 AM to 10 PM. 

Bugaloo’s Conch Crawl — Five Cays. Tel: 941-3863. The 

freshest seafood in Provo, conch prepared to order, rum, buckets 

of beer, live local bands. Open daily from Noon to 10 PM. 

Cabana Bar & Grille — Ocean Club. Tel: 946-5880 x 1104. 

Casual island fare, pizza, burgers. Open daily from 7 AM to 

9 PM. Tropical cocktails with a spectacular view of the sea. 

Caicos Bakery — Caicos Café Plaza. Authentic French boulangerie. 

Fresh-baked breads, rolls, croissants, muffins, quiche, 

pastries, cakes. Open 7 AM to 4:30 PM daily except Sunday. 

Caicos Café — Caicos Café Plaza. Tel: 946-5278. 

Mediterranean specialties, grilled local seafood. Fine wines, dining 

on the deck. Open 6 PM to 10 PM Monday to Saturday. 

Carambola Grill & Lounge — Airport Inn Plaza. Tel: 946- 

8122. Generous portions of local and international fare at 

moderate prices in a casual atmosphere. Catering available. 

The Caravel Restaurant — Grace Bay Court. Tel: 941-5330. 

Cozy restaurant offering island food with flair; something for 

everyone. Daily happy hour. Open daily 11 AM to 10 PM; Sunday 

5 to 9 PM. 

Chicken Chicken — Times Square, downtown Provo. Fast food, 

fried chicken, native fare. 

Chinson Jade Garden Pastries & Deli — Leeward Highway. 

Tel: 941-3533. Caribbean pastries, fresh bakery and Jamaican 

and Chinese cuisine. Lunch buffet/take-out. Open Monday to 

Saturday, 7 AM to 8 PM; Sunday, 2 PM to 8 PM. 

Chopsticks — Neptune Court. Tel: 333-4040. Fusion of Asian 

cuisines–light, healthy and delicious in a beautiful setting. Takeaway, 

delivery, on-site dining. Open daily Noon to 3 PM and 

5:30 to 10:30 PM. Closed Sunday. 

Club Med — Grace Bay Road. Tel: 946-5500. All-inclusive 

resort. Buffet-style dining; live show and disco in the evenings. 

Non-guests can purchase a daily pass. 

Coco Bistro — Grace Bay Road. Tel: 946-5369. Continental 

Caribbean cuisine by Chef Stuart Gray under a canopy of palms. 

Serving dinner nightly from 6 PM. Closed Monday. 

Coyaba Restaurant — Caribbean Paradise Inn. Tel: 946-5186. 

Contemporary Caribbean gourmet cuisine in a private tropical 

garden setting. Extensive wine list. Dinner nightly from 6 to 10 

PM. Closed Tuesday. Reservations recommended. Catering, special 

events, private chef visits. 

Crackpot Kitchen — Ports of Call. Tel: 245-0005. Experience 

the Island feel, culture and the best of authentic Turks & Caicos 

and Caribbean cuisines. Open for dinner 5 to 10 PM daily except 

Thursday; Happy Hour 5 to 7 PM. 

Crust Bakery & Café — Graceway IGA. Tel: 941-8724. 

Breakfast sandwiches, specialty coffees, soups, salads, gourmet 

sandwiches and desserts. Open Monday to Saturday, 7 AM to 

8:30 PM. Covered patio dining or take-out. Catering available. 

Da Conch Shack & RumBar — Blue Hills. Tel: 946-8877. 

Island-fresh seafood from the ocean to your plate. Covered 

beachfront dining for lunch and dinner daily from 11 AM. 

Danny Buoy’s Irish Pub — Grace Bay Road. Tel: 946-5921. 

Traditional Irish cuisine, standard American pub fare; imported 

draught beers. Open for lunch and dinner daily from 11 AM. 

Happy Hour specials. Large screen TVs for sporting events. 

The Deck — Seven Stars Resort. Tel: 941-7777. All day dining 

and cocktails by the water’s edge. Open daily 11 AM to 11 PM. 

Live music Friday nights. 

Dune — Windsong Resort. Tel: 333-7700. Private beachfront 

dining with limited availability. Fresh fare prepared to perfection. 

Open daily. 

Fairways Bar & Grill — Provo Golf Club. Tel: 946-5833. 

Dine overlooking the “greens.” Open to all for lunch Monday 

to Thursday and breakfast from 9 AM on Sunday. Friday Pub 

Nights, Saturday BBQ. 

Fire & Ice — Blue Haven Resort & Marina. Tel: 946-9900. 

Drinks at the Ice Bar, dessert by the fire pits in the Fire Lounge. 

South American-meets-Caribbean flavors and spices. Open daily. 

Fresh Bakery & Bistro — Atrium Resort. Tel: 345-4745. 

Healthy European salads, soups, sandwiches, bakery, pies and 

cakes. Gelato. Open daily 7 AM to 6 PM, closed Sunday. 

Fresh Catch — Salt Mills Plaza. Tel: 243-3167. Authentic native 

cuisine, from seafood to soup. All-you-can-eat seafood buffet on 

Wednesday. Open daily 8 AM to 10 PM. Closed Sunday. 

Garam Masala — Regent Village. Tel: 941-3292. Authentic 

Indian cuisine, including tandoori charcoal-oven specialties. 

Open daily Noon to 3 PM, 5:30 PM to Midnight. Closed Tuesday. 

Giggles Ice Cream & Candy Parlour — Ports of Call & 

Williams Storage. Tel: 941-7370. Cones, sundaes, shakes, 

smoothies, “Gigglers,” ice cream pies and cakes. Pick ‘n’ mix 

candies. Open daily 11 AM to 10 PM. 

Gilley’s Cafe — At the airport. Tel: 946-4472. Burgers, sandwiches, 

local food. Full bar. Open daily 6 AM to 9 PM. 

Grace’s Cottage — Point Grace Resort. Tel: 946-5096. 

Elegant, gourmet Caribbean cuisine showcasing regional foods. 

Extensive wine list. Gazebo seating under the stars or indoor 

dining in a romantic gingerbread cottage. Serving dinner from 6 

PM nightly. Reservations required. Weddings and receptions. 


Greenbean — Harbour Town at Turtle Cove. Tel: 941-2233. 

Internet café, Starbucks® coffee, salads, wraps, pizza, sandwiches, 

fresh bakery. Open daily 6 AM to 4 PM. 

The Grill Rouge — Grace Bay Club. Tel: 946-5050. Casual 

oceanfront poolside bistro, serving international bistro fare. 

Cool cocktails at the swim-up bar. Open 7 AM to 9:30 PM daily. 

Havana Club — Windsong Resort. Tel: 941-7700. Fine wine, 

specialty coffees, decadent desserts, with comedy/magic shows 

on Thursday, Friday and Saturday and music and sports nights. 

Healthy Treats Restaurant & Deli — Touch of Class Plaza, 

Airport Road. Tel: 241-3318. Native Caribbean dishes, fresh 

juices, smoothies. Call to order. 

Hemingways on the Beach — The Sands at Grace Bay. Tel: 

941-8408. Casual beachfront bar and restaurant. Fresh fish, 

pasta, sandwiches, salads and tropical drinks by the pool. 

Oceanfront deck for great sunsets! Open 8 AM to 10 PM daily. 

Hole in the Wall Restaurant & Bar — Williams Plaza, Old 

Airport Road. Tel: 941-4136. Authentic Jamaican/Island cuisine 

where the locals go for jerk chicken. Full bar. Indoor A/C dining 

or outdoors on the deck. Open 7 days from 8 AM. Cash only. 

Island Conch Bar & Grill — Bight Cultural Market. Tel: 946- 

8389. Caribbean and local cuisine. Open daily 11 AM to 9 PM. 

Island Scoop — Grace Bay Plaza. Tel: 242-8511/243-5051. 

21 flavors of ice cream made locally. Cones, smoothies, blizzards 

and shakes. Open daily, 11 AM to 10 PM. 

The Java Bar — Graceway Gourmet. Tel: 941-5000. Gourmet 

café serving fresh baked desserts, sandwiches and coffee 

delights. Open 7 AM to 8 PM daily. 

Jimmy’s Dive Bar — Ports of Call. Tel: 946-5282. The place for 

steaks, BBQ, booze and breakfast. Open daily, 7 AM to 11 PM, 

(Thursday to Saturday to Midnight); open Sunday at 8 AM. 

Kalooki’s Beach Restaurant & Bar — Blue Hills. Tel: 

332-3388. Caribbean-infused dishes in an oasis-like setting 

overlooking the sea. Open Monday to Saturday, 11 AM to 10 PM; 

Sunday 11 AM to 7 PM. Live music every Friday! 

KItchen 218 — Beach House, Lower Bight Road. Tel: 946-5800. 

Caribbean cuisine with hints of French and Asian fusion and the 

chef’s passion for fresh ingredients. Open 8 AM to 10 PM daily. 

The Landing Bar & Kitchen — Grace Bay Road across from 

Regent Village. Tel: 341-5856. Unique nautical setting for dinner 

under the stars. Cocktails, fire pit. Open daily 5:30 PM to . . . 

Las Brisas — Neptune Villas, Chalk Sound. Tel: 946-5306. 

Mediterranean/Caribbean cuisine with tapas, wine and full bar. 

Terrace, gazebo and inside dining overlooking Chalk Sound. 

Open daily 8 AM to 10 PM, Tuesday 8 AM to 3 PM. 

Le Bouchon du Village — Regent Village. Tel: 946-5234. A 

taste of Paris in TCI. Sidewalk café with sandwiches, salads, tartines, 

tapas, nightly dinner specials. Open daily 7 AM to 10 PM. 

Closed Sunday. 

Le Comptoir Francais — Regent Village. Tel: 946-5234. 

French deli, bakery, wine shop. Open daily. 

Lemon 2 Go Coffee — Ventura House, Grace Bay Road. Tel: 

941-4487. Gourmet coffeehouse. Sandwiches, muffins, cookies, 

croissants, yogurt, salads. Open Monday to Saturday 7:30 AM to 

7 PM, Sunday 9 AM to 1 PM. 

The Lounge — Grace Bay Club. Tel: 946-5050. Decidedly hip 

lounge. Caribbean-infused tapas, martinis, tropical cocktails, 

world music and the finest sunset location in Providenciales. 

Lupo — Regent Village. Tel: 431-5876. Authentic Italian “comfort 

food.” Regional wine list. Dine in or take out ready-made 

gourmet meals. Open daily for lunch and dinner. 

Magnolia Restaurant & Wine Bar — Miramar Resort. Tel: 

941-5108. International cuisine with island flavors, north shore 

views. Open for dinner from 6 to 9:30 PM except Monday. Wine 

bar opens at 4 PM. 

Mango Reef — Turtle Cove. Tel: 946-8200. Old favorites in a 

new location. Fresh local flavors and seafood, homemade desserts. 

Open daily 8 AM to 10 PM. Set price dinner on weekdays. 

Children’s menu. Tie-up to dock at Turtle Cove Marina. 

Market Café — Blue Haven Resort. Tel: 946-9900. Gourmet 

coffees, teas, frozen drinks; fresh breads and pastries; grab ‘n’ 

go salads and sandwiches, fresh smoothies. Open daily. 

Melt Ice Cream Parlour — Regent Village. Tel: 432-1234. 

Carefully crafted selection of sumptous and inspired sundaes, 

with coffee, champagne and cocktails for the grown-ups! Open 

Monday to Saturday, 9 AM to 10 PM. 

Mis Amigos Cocina Mexicana — Central Square. Tel: 946- 

4229. A variety of traditional Mexican fare, including salads and 

the best margaritas in town. Open daily. 

Mother’s Pizza — Downtown Times Square. Tel: 941-4142. 

Best pizza in the Turks & Caicos, available by the slice or the 

island’s biggest “large.” Open daily 11 AM to 9 PM; to 10 PM on 

Friday and Saturday; Noon to 8 PM on Sunday. 

Mr. Groupers — Lower Bight and Airport Road. Tel: 242-6780. 

Serving fresh local seafood straight from the sea. Open daily 10 

AM to 11 PM. 

Noodle Bar + Kitchen — West Bay Club. Tel: 946-8550. 

Delicious rice and noodle dishes and hearty staples with 

uniquely Caribbean flavors and spices. Open for lunch and dinner 

daily to 9:30 PM. 

Opus — Ocean Club Plaza. Tel: 946-5885. Wine • Bar • Grill 

International menu with Caribbean flair. Wine tastings. Serving 

dinner nightly 6 to 10:30 PM. Closed Monday. Indoor/outdoor 

dining. Conference facility, events, catering. 

Parallel23 — The Palms. Tel: 946-8666. Pan-tropical cuisine in 

a setting of casual elegance. Boutique wine list. Al fresco or private 

dining room available. Open for breakfast and dinner daily. 

The Patty Place — Behind Shining Stars; Le Petit Place, Blue 

Hills. Tel: 246-9000. Authentic Jamaican patties and loaves. 18 

flavors of Devon House ice cream. Open daily 9:30 AM to 10 PM. 

Pavilion — The Somerset. Tel: 339-5900. Chef Brad offers a 

global palate, interpreted locally. Lobster tank. Seafood raw bar. 

Open daily for breakfast and dinner; Sunday Prime Rib special. 

Pelican Bay — Royal West Indies Resort. Tel: 941-2365. 

Poolside restaurant and bar with French, Caribbean and Asian 

fare. Breakfast, lunch, dinner daily from 7:30 AM to 10 PM. 

Pizza Pizza — Grace Bay Plaza/Cinema Plaza. Tel: 941- 

8010/941-3577. New York style specialty pizzas. Open daily 

11:30 AM to 9:30 PM, weekends until 10 PM. Free delivery. 

Rickie’s Flamingo Café — Between Ocean Club and Club Med. 

Tel: 244-3231. Local fare and atmosphere right on the beach. 

Best grouper sandwich and rum punch! Don’t miss Curry Fridays 

and Beach BBQ Saturdays. 

Sailing Paradise — Blue Hills. Tel: 344-1914. Casual beachfront 

restaurant and bar. Caribbean fare. Open daily 7 AM to 11 

PM. Sunday brunch and beach party, daily happy hour. 

Salt Bar & Grill — Blue Haven Resort & Marina. Tel: 946-9900. 

Casual dining with outdoor seating overlooking the marina. 

Sandwiches, burgers and salads, classic bar favorites with local 

flair. Open daily from 10 AM to 10 PM. 

Sapodilla Café — Provo Storage at Cooper Jack Bay Road. Next 

to Hardcore Fitness. Tel: 347-2934. Healthy local fare including 

88 www.timespub.tc

sandwiches, savory soups, salads, pasta, natural juices, smoothies. 

Weekend specials. Open daily for breakfast and lunch. 

Seaside Café — Ocean Club West. Tel: 946-5254. Casual fare, 

burgers, salads, tropical drinks, served with panoramic views of 

the ocean. Open daily from 8 AM to 10 PM. Kid-friendly. 

Seven — Seven Stars Resort. Tel: 339-7777. Elevated contemporary 

cuisine fused with TCI tradition. Open Wednesday to 

Saturday, 5:30 to 9:30 PM. 

72West — The Palms Resort. Tel: 946-8666. Beachside dining 

with a family-friendly, Caribbean-inspired menu. Serving lunch 

daily; dinner seasonally. 

Sharkbite Bar & Grill — Admiral’s Club at Turtle Cove. Tel: 

941-5090. Varied menu. Sports bar/game room with slots. Open 

daily from 11 AM to 2 AM. 

Shay Café — Le Vele Plaza. Tel: 331-6349. Offering organic 

coffees and teas, sandwiches, salads and soup, pastries, as well 

as gelato, sorbetto, smoothies, beer and wine. Open daily 7 AM 

to 7 PM. 

Somewhere Café & Lounge — Coral Gardens Resort. Tel: 

941-8260. Casual dining with Tex-Mex flair right on the beach. 

Cocktails, beers, specialty drinks. Open early to late daily. 

Stelle — Gansevoort Turks + Caicos. Tel: 946-5746. Modern 

Mediterranean cuisine featuring fresh fish and seafood. Open 6 

to 10 PM daily, until 2 AM on Friday with DJ. Beach bar and grill 

open for lunch 11:30 AM to 5 PM daily. 

Thai Orchid — The Regent Village. Tel: 946-4491. Authentic 

Thai cuisine; over 60 choices! Dine in or carry out. Open for 

lunch and dinner daily. 

Three Brothers Restaurant — Town Center Mall, Downtown. 

Tel: 232-4736. Seafood and native cuisine. Tuesday night buffet 

dinner. Catering services. Open daily, 7 AM to 10 PM. 

Three Queens Bar & Restaurant — Wheeland. Tel: 243- 

5343. Oldest bar on Provo, serving Jamaican and Native dishes. 

Serving lunch and dinner from Monday to Saturday. 

Tiki Hut Island Eatery — New location dockside at Turtle 

Cove Inn. Tel: 941-5341. Imaginative sandwiches, salads, seafood, 

Black Angus beef, pasta, pizzas and fresh fish. Wednesday 

crab and lobster specials. Open daily 11 AM to 10 PM. Breakfast 

on weekends. 

Turkberry Frozen Yogurt — The Regent Village. Tel: 431- 

2233. Frozen yogurt in a variety of flavors, with a large selection 

of toppings. Open 11 AM to 11 PM daily. 

Turks Kebab — At Craft Market on Sand Castle Drive. Tel: 431- 

9964. Turkish and Mediterranean fare. Salads, falafel, gyros, 

kebabs, hummus. Open for lunch and dinner. 

Via Veneto — Ports of Call. Tel: 941-2372. Authentic Italian 

dining in a stylish indoor/outdoor venue. Serving lunch from 

11:30 AM to 2 PM; snacks with wine and drinks from 5:30 PM 

and dinner from 7:30 PM daily. Closed on Tuesday. 

The Vix Bar & Grill — Regent Village. Tel: 941-4144. High-end 

cuisine and the finest wines in an inviting ambiance. Open daily 

for breakfast, lunch and dinner from 7:30 AM to 10 PM. 

Yoshi’s Japanese Restaurant — The Saltmills. Tel: 941-3374. 

Sushi bar menu plus Wagyu beef, Japanese curries. Open daily 

Noon to 3 PM; 6 to 10 PM. Closed Sunday. 

Zanzi Bar & Tapas Restaurant — Leeward Highway. Tel: 342- 

2472. Sophistication meets class at the new tapas eatery and 

entertainment venue overlooking Grace Bay. 

dining out – north caicos 

Club Titters — Bottle Creek. Tel: 946-7316. Local dishes for 

breakfast, lunch and dinner. Live music weekends. 

Higgs’ Café — Sandy Point Marina. Tel: 242-9426 or 341-9084. 

Local cuisine served daily from 7 AM. 

Last Chance Bar & Grill Club — Bottle Creek. Tel: 232-4141. 

Waterfront dining. American and Caribbean dishes. Open 10:30 

AM for breakfast and lunch; dinner by reservation. 

Pappa Grunt’s Seafood Restaurant — Whitby Plaza. Tel/fax: 

946-7301. Native & American cuisine daily. 

Pelican Beach Hotel — Tel: 946-7112. Well known for native 

conch, lobster, grouper and snapper dishes. 

Silver Palm Restaurant — Whitby. Tel: 946-7113/244-4186. 

Local seafood and international cuisine. Home-baked breads 

and desserts. Breakfast, lunch, dinner. Screened patio. 

Super D Café — At airport. Tel: 946-7258. Local dishes. 

dining out – south caicos 

Café Periwinkle and Blu — East Bay Resort. Tel: 946-3611. 

Casual or fine dining serving top-class local and international 

fare. Lounge and pool bar. Open daily. 

Eastern Inn Restaurant — Stamers Street. Tel: 946-3301. 

Ocean & Beach Resort — Cockburn Harbour. Tel: 946 3219. 

Native cuisine for breakfast, lunch and dinner daily. 

Pond View Restaurant — Tel: 946-3276. Native cuisine. 

dining out – middle caicos 

Daniel’s Restaurant — Conch Bar. Tel: 245-2298/232-6132. 

Local seafood, homemade breads. Open Tuesday to Sunday. Call 

ahead for groups and dinner reservations. 

dining out – grand turk 

Bird Cage Restaurant — Osprey Beach Hotel. Tel: 946-1453. 

Full bar & restaurant. Lunch and dinner daily. 

Guanahani — Bohio Resort. Tel: 946-2135. Gourmet menu of 

French, Italian and Asian influence with a Caribbean twist. Open 

daily for breakfast, lunch and dinner. 

The Inn Restaurant & Bar — Grand Turk Inn. Tel: 431-0466. 

A taste of Asian fusions. Open daily for lunch and dinner. 

Closed on Tuesday. 

Jimmy Buffet’s Margaritaville — Grand Turk Cruise Center. 

High energy bar and restaurant. Swim-up pool bar and signature 

menu of grilled favorites. 

Sand Bar Restaurant — Manta House Beach. Tel: 946-1111. 

Quinessential beach bar serving local seafood specialties. Open 

for lunch and dinner, Sunday to Friday. 

Secret Garden — Salt Raker Inn. Tel: 946-2260. Local & 

American dishes in a garden courtyard. English breakfast. 

Weekly BBQ and sing-alongs. 

dining out –salt cay 

Coral Reef Bar & Grill — Tel: 232-1009. Breakfast, lunch and 

dinner daily on the beach. Full service bar. 

Pat’s Place — Island-style garden restaurant in historic district. 

Breakfast, lunch and dinner daily. 

Porter’s Island Thyme — Tel: 242-0325. Gourmet island dining 

in open air dining room. Full bar. a 


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