Times of the Islands Fall 2018

TIMES
OF THE
SAMPLING THE SOUL OF THE TURKS & CAICOS ISLANDS FALL 2018 NO. 124
ISLANDS
FREEDIVING
Confronting the Deep
KAYAK FISHING
A South Caicos Original
SEA SHEPHERD
Protecting the Voiceless

H O W D O YO U L I K E Y O U R L U X U R Y ?
EFFORTLESS? OR BRILLIANTLY UNCONVENTIONAL?
THE SHORE CLUB
THE SHORE CLUB
THE PALMS
THE PALMS
THE SHORE CLUB
The refined sophistication of The Palms on Grace Bay
Beach, consistently honored by travel publications
for its sense of elegance and easy atmosphere. The
savvy chic of the Shore Club, the stunning new gamechanger
on Long Bay Beach. Where whimsy rules and
magic awaits around every corner. Each with a style
and a vibe all its own. Both singular destinations, part
of the Hartling Group’s stellar portfolio of luxury resorts
which also includes The Sands at Grace Bay. Your call.
THE COOL SIDE OF CLASSIC
649.946.8666
thepalmstc.com
WRITE YOUR STORY HERE
649.339.8000
theshoreclubtc.com

TURKS & CAICOS
Generation
Everyone
Everything’s Included for Everyone!
2017
2017
More Quality
Inclusions than
any other Resorts
in the World
At Beaches ® Turks & Caicos, everyone can create their
own perfect vacation. For some, it’s the white-sand
beaches and calm waters featuring unlimited land and
water sports. For others, it’s the awesome 45,000 sq.
ft. waterpark with surf simulator. There’s 5-Star Global
Gourmet TM Dining at 21 incredible restaurants, and
non-stop bars and entertainment —and it’s always
included. Even the tips, taxes, and Beaches transfers*.
We’ve even added trend-setting food trucks, new live
entertainment, and re-styled accommodations
… making the World’s Best even better for
Generation Everyone.
®
Turks & Caicos Resort Villages & Spa
by Sandals
BEACHES.COM in the U.S. & Canada: 1-800-BEACHES
In the Caribbean: 1-888-BEACHES; In Turks & Caicos 649-946-8000
@beachesresorts
WORLD’S BEST ALL-INCLUSIVE FAMILY RESORTS
20
TURKS & CAICOS
YEARS IN A ROW AT THE WORLD ®
TRAVEL AWARDS
by Sandals
*Airport transfers included. Other transfers may be additional. Beaches ® is a registered trademark. Unique Vacations, Inc., is an affiliate of Unique Travel Corp., the worldwide representative of Beaches Resorts.

contents
Departments
6 From the Editor
13 Eye on the Sky
Last Call?
By Paul Wilkerson
18 Getting to Know
Lost at Sea: Rocky Higgs
By Jody Rathgeb ~ Photos By Tom Rathgeb
46 The Sporting Life
Gone Fishin’
Story & Photos By John Galleymore
66 Around the Islands
Making a Cut: SNiP
By Kathy Borsuk
72 About the Islands/TCI Map
77 Where to Stay
79 Classified Ads
80 Dining Out
82 Subscription Form
Features
22 The Voice of the Voiceless: Sea Shepherd
By Kelly Currington
34 Diving Free
By Ben Stubenberg
Green Pages
28 An Unexpected Landing
By B Naqqi Manco
30 Keeping Turtles Out of Trouble
By the Marine Conservation Society
Photos By Marta Morton, Harbour Club Villas
33 Trash to Cash
Story & Photos By Amy Avenant
TIMES
OF THE
SAMPLING THE SOUL OF THE TURKS & CAICOS ISLANDS FALL 2018 NO. 124
On the Cover
Photographer Agile LeVin captured this magnificent
shot of freediver Samantha Kildegaard, of Free Dive
With Me, at Malcolm’s Road Beach on Providenciales.
Agile, who grew up and currently resides in Turks &
Caicos, has been turning his camera to the country’s
beauty for most of his life. He, along with his brother
Daniel, produce VisitTCI.com, a website filled with
comprehensive and current information about the
Islands and more of his stunning photography.
66
ISLANDS
Astrolabe
54 Casualties of War
By Dr. Charlene Kozy
59 One Page at a Time
By Dr. Kelley Scudder-Temple, Dr. Michael P.
Pateman and Vanessa Forbes-Patemen
COURTESY SNIP TCI
4 www.timespub.tc

TurksAndCaicosProperty.com
Prince’s Turks and Caicos Estate
The exclusive private sanctuary of the late iconic musician Prince. This 6 bedroom oceanfront
mansion is adjacent to other multi-million dollar estates in the upscale Turtle Tail area on the
southern shore of Providenciales. Spanning 5.74 acres this stunning compound perched on over 40
ft. of elevation allows for the most breathtaking panoramic turquoise ocean views. Own a stunning
home and a piece of music history. Contact Bernadette for further details and to arrange a showing.
US$9,900,000
Bernadette Hunt
Cell ~ 649 231 4029 | Tel ~ 649 941 3361
Bernadette@TurksAndCaicosProperty.com
Bernadette has lived in the Turks and Caicos
Islands for over 21 years and witnessed the
development and transition of the islands
into a significant tourist destination. Based
on independent figures her gross transaction
numbers are unrivalled. Bernadette has
listings on Providenciales, Parrot Cay,
North and Middle Caicos and is delighted
to work with sellers and buyers of homes,
condos, commercial real estate and vacant
undeveloped sites.
Ultra Exclusive Pine Cay - McBride House
Discerning investors take note; McBride House a very exclusive Pine Cay island home in the Turks and
Caicos is now available to purchase pending Pine Cay Homeowners Association membership approval.
A true island home, with a laidback vibe and an emphasis on natural beauty and the
simple pleasures in life. Centrally located directly in front of a beautiful freshwater pond
and just steps away from the Meridian Club resort and 2 miles of secluded pristine beach.
US$1,400,000
Turks and Caicos Property is the leading
independent real estate firm in the Turks and
Caicos Islands with offices located at Ocean
Club West Plaza, Ocean Club West Resort
and Le Vele Plaza on the Grace Bay Road.
Bernadette’s reputation and success has been
earned over time through her dedication,
enthusiasm and passion for real estate. Her
personal experience as having practiced law
in the islands for more than 10 years together
with owning and renovating a number of
properties means she is well-placed to advise
her customers and developers on what to
anticipate in the purchasing and construction
process.
Bernadette delights in working in the real
estate industry and her humor and energy
make her a pleasure to work with.
Parrot Cay Beachfront - Dhyani House
Dhyani House in Parrot Cay, Turks and Caicos Islands is a “must see” property for
discerning real estate buyers seeking peace, tranquility and more seclusion than many other
Caribbean Islands or Providenciales have to offer. Viewings are strictly by appointment
with a minimum of 24 hours’ notice and only available to view when not occupied.
US$12,000,000
Please contact Bernadette if you would like
to find out more about owning real estate in
the Turks & Caicos Islands.

from the editor
COURTESY FORTISTCI
One year ago, this was a FortisTCI local linesman’s view of Grand Turk, as the energy company worked to restore power across the Islands.
Credit Due
As I write this, next week will mark the one-year anniversary of Hurricanes Irma and Maria hitting the Turks &
Caicos Islands. The strange year that followed has blown by in a gust as everyone struggles to pick up the pieces
and move forward. My stomach rolls at the thought of anything close to a hurricane approaching this year, and we
pray the season remains quiet.
FortisTCI recently released a documentary that highlights the impact of these hurricanes and the company’s restoration
efforts after the storms. (See https://youtu.be/y2UPC9XoBXU). It reminded me how fortunate these Islands
were to have all-important power restored so quickly. Electricity enabled the bountiful winter/spring/summer tourism
season to happen —which is, in turn, fueling the economy’s recovery.
All too often, when a “storm” passes—be it physical, emotional, spiritual, or all three—we forget the people,
organizations and precepts that got us through. In this case it was the resilience of Islanders and residents, the outstanding
businesses that support TCI’s infrastructure and economy, and, for me and many others, a strong faith in
God’s good plans for a hopeful future.
How I try to appreciate each sunny day! Lights and fans! Internet at the office! A hot shower! A cold drink from
a working refrigerator! A truck that runs! A roof that doesn’t leak! And, most of all, the continuing opportunity to
work with our contributors, advertisers and readers in putting together my beloved Times of the Islands magazine.
I know you will enjoy this issue.
Kathy Borsuk, Editor
timespub@tciway.tc • (649) 946-4788
6 www.timespub.tc

TurksAndCaicosProperty.com
Ocean Club West
Suite 332 is a beautifully remodeled penthouse
with 2 bedrooms and 2 and a half bathrooms at
the extremely popular Ocean Club West. The new
furnishings and ocean views of Grace Bay also
enhance the quality of this remarkable property.
US$825,000
West Bay Club
Suite 102 is a spacious 1 bedroom and 1 and
a half bathrooms condo with over 1,490 sq.
ft of living space. Conveniently located beach
front and level providing expansive views of
the turquoise waters of Grace Bay Beach
US$639,000
Bernadette Hunt
Cell ~ 649 231 4029 | Tel ~ 649 941 3361
Bernadette@TurksAndCaicosProperty.com
Bernadette has lived in the Turks and Caicos
Islands for over 21 years and witnessed the
development and transition of the islands
into a significant tourist destination. Based
on independent figures her gross transaction
numbers are unrivalled. Bernadette has
listings on Providenciales, Parrot Cay,
North and Middle Caicos and is delighted
to work with sellers and buyers of homes,
condos, commercial real estate and vacant
undeveloped sites.
Chalk Sound Villa
NEWLY renovated 4 bedroom oceanfront villa
ideal for rental. Located on .46 ac. with 111 ft. of
waterfront. Features a large pool and deck PLUS a
dock right on the turquoise waters of Chalk Sound.
US$1,200,000
The Sands at Grace Bay
Suite 6301 is a reduced 1,028 sq. ft. 1 bedroom
and 1 bathroom penthouse condo. The suite was
elegantly refurbished in 2016. Featuring a spacious
balcony with beautiful resort and ocean views.
US$469,000
Turks and Caicos Property is the leading
independent real estate firm in the Turks and
Caicos Islands with offices located at Ocean
Club West Plaza, Ocean Club West Resort
and Le Vele Plaza on the Grace Bay Road.
Bernadette’s reputation and success has been
earned over time through her dedication,
enthusiasm and passion for real estate. Her
personal experience as having practiced law
in the islands for more than 10 years together
with owning and renovating a number of
properties means she is well-placed to advise
her customers and developers on what to
anticipate in the purchasing and construction
process.
Bernadette delights in working in the real
estate industry and her humor and energy
make her a pleasure to work with.
Asbury Villa - Leeward
Asbury Villa is undoubtedly the most luxurious
canal front villa on Kira Isle. With over 6000 sq. ft.
and 3 bedrooms. Sold in turn key condition with
dock and custom waterfront entertaining space.
US$1,485,000
Barefoot Beach House
Barefoot Beach House is located on over 2 acres
and is just 75 steps from the turquoise waters
of secluded Long Bay Beach. A site worthy of
redevelopment as a high-end luxury estate.
US$3,200,000
Please contact Bernadette if you would like
to find out more about owning real estate in
the Turks & Caicos Islands.

FIVE DISTINCT VILLAGES
TO CHOOSE FROM
1. Key West Village 2. Italian Village
2017
2017
THE WORLD’S BEST
IS NOW BETTER THAN EVER
BEACHES VOTED WORLD’S LEADING ALL-INCLUSIVE FAMILY RESORTS
20
YEARS IN A ROW AT THE WORLD TRAVEL AWARDS
Beaches, waterparks, pools—there’s
something for everyone.
MORE QUALITY INCLUSIONS THAN ANY OTHER RESORTS IN THE WORLD

3. Caribbean Village 4. French Village 5. Seaside Village
WHERE EVERYTHING’S
INCLUDED FOR EVERYONE
At Beaches ® Turks & Caicos, everyone can create their own perfect day. For some, it’s the
white-sand beaches and calm waters featuring land and water sports. For others, it’s the
awesome 45,000 sq. ft. waterpark with surf simulator. There’s 5-Star Global Gourmet TM
dining at 21 incredible restaurants, and non-stop bars and entertainment —and it’s always
included—tips, taxes and Beaches transfers*, too. We’ve even added trend-setting food trucks,
new live entertainment, and re-styled accommodations … making the World’s Best even better.
*Visit www.beaches.com/disclaimers/timesoftheislandssummer2018 or call 1-800-SANDALS for important terms and conditions.
Hang out with some real
characters at Beaches.
Discover a whole world of cuisine with
5-Star Global Gourmet dining.
BEACHES.COM • In the U.S. and Canada: 1-800-BEACHES;
In the Caribbean: 1-888-BEACHES; In Turks & Caicos: 649-946-8000 or call your Travel Professional

TM/© 2017 Sesame Workshop
THE WORLD’S BEST IS
BETTER
BEACHES VOTED WORLD’S BEST
20
YEARS IN A ROW AT THE WORLD TRAVEL AWARDS
Beaches ® Turks & Caicos has held the top spot at the World Travel
Awards for two decades by offering families more of everything
on the world’s best beach. Every land and water sport, an
awe-inspiring waterpark with surf simulator, 5-Star Global
For more information, visit BEACHES.COM
In the U.S. and Canada: 1-800-BEACHES;
In the Caribbean: 1-888-BEACHES;
Gourmet TM dining at 21 incredible restaurants, and non-stop bars
and entertainment — always included. And now we’ve added
trend-setting food trucks, new live entertainment, and restyled
accommodations … making the World’s Best even better.
In Turks & Caicos:649-946-8000
or call your Travel Professional
TIPS, TAXES AND BEACHES TRANSFERS* INCLUDED
MORE QUALITY INCLUSIONS THAN ANY OTHER RESORTS IN THE WORLD

Five Distinct Villages
to Choose From
1. Key West Village 2. Italian Village 3. Caribbean Village 4. French Village 5. Seaside Village
THANEVER
Beaches Turks & Caicos
is on the world’s
#1 BEST BEACH
by tripadvisor ®
*Visit www.beaches.com/disclaimers/timesoftheislandssummer2018btc or call 1-800-BEACHES for important terms and conditions.

PG advert_Layout 1 5/10/17 9:10 AM Page 1
TIMES
MANAGING EDITOR
Kathy Borsuk
OF THE
ISLANDS
ADVERTISING MANAGER
Claire Parrish
“Escape to the extraordinary.”
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
Amy Avenant, Kathy Borsuk, Kelly Currington,
John Galleymore, Dr. Charlene Kozy, B Naqqi Manco,
Marine Conservation Society, Dr. Michael P. Pateman,
Jody Rathgeb, Ben Stubenberg, Paul Wilkerson,
Candianne Williams.
CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS
Almay Stock Photo, Amy Avenant, Kelly Currington, Patti
Salerno DesLauriers, Barry Dressel, FortisTCI,
John Galleymore, Tim Hamilton, Dr. Donald H. Keith,
David Kennedy, Agile LeVin, Marta Morton, Fay Ninon,
Justin Okoye, Dr. Michael P. Pateman, Tom Rathgeb,
Maria Rigby, Patricia Saxton, Sea Shepherd Conservation
Society, Ramona Settle, Philip Shearer, SNiP TCI, Wikimedia
Commons, Wikipedia, Candianne Williams.
CONTRIBUTING ARTISTS
DECR, NOAA, Wavey Line Publishing
PRINTING
southeastern, Hialeah, FL
Times of the Islands ISSN 1017-6853 is
published quarterly by Times Publications Ltd.
Copyright © 2018 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.
WORLD TRAVEL AWARDS 2015 - CARIBBEAN’S LEADING BOUTIQUE HOTEL
TCHTA STAR AWARDS 2016 - HOTEL OF THE YEAR
TCHTA STAR AWARDS 2016 - RESTAURANT OF THE YEAR - GRACE’S COTTAGE
PROVIDENCIALES TCI • US TOLL FREE 1.888.209.5582 • T 649.946.5096
RESERVATIONS@POINTGRACE.COM • WWW.POINTGRACE.COM
Business Office
Times Publications Ltd., P.O. Box 234,
Lucille Lightbourne Building #1,
Providenciales, Turks & Caicos Islands, BWI
Tel/Fax 649 946 4788
Advertising 649 431 7527
E-mail timespub@tciway.tc
Web: www.timespub.tc
12 www.timespub.tc

eye on the sky
RAMONA SETTLE
After Hurricanes Irma and Maria hit the Turks & Caicos in September 2017, the Beach
House resort on Providenciales quickly reinstalled its unorthodox weather station (and
replaced the coconut).
Last Call?
Late-season hurricane surprises.
By Paul Wilkerson
By the time this issue hits the press and is your hands, the Turks & Caicos Islands will have surpassed the
one year anniversary of Hurricane Irma’s unwanted arrival. She descended on the Islands as a catastrophic
Category Five monster that produced tremendous destruction across the entire country, leaving many
continuing to make repairs to this day. However, Hurricane Irma severely underestimated the spirit and
tenacity of all of those who call Turks & Caicos home.
Times of the Islands Fall 2018 13

In the wake of such a devastating season, many
Islanders will frequently be checking in online with the
National Hurricane Center, ever cognizant that the next
big one might be on the way. Many will wonder if the
2018 hurricane season will have more challenges in store
for the Islands. As of early September, thankfully, the season
has been rather quiet, with only seven named storms,
all of which have had no impact on the Turks & Caicos.
Statistically speaking, nearly 80% of all tropical
storms and hurricanes in the Atlantic Basin occur between
August 15 and about October 20. So this means we
shouldn’t expect hurricanes to form after late October,
right? Unfortunately, no. In order to understand why hurricanes
do continue to form late in the season, we must
take a look at some of the parameters that go into hurricane
formation.
When we are discussing hurricane environment, there
are a number of things that meteorologists and other
atmospheric scientists are looking for. Some of the most
important information is gleaned from whether the upper
level environment is calm (light winds) or if wind shear is
present, the current Sea Surface Temperatures (SSTs) and
current pressure patterns in the Atlantic.
In order for low pressure systems to develop and
thrive in a specific environment, it is important that very
little to no wind shear is present. Wind shear effectively
will destroy the top of a hurricane in short order the stronger
the shear becomes. Think of the top of a hurricane as
you would the exhaust pipe on a car. At the surface of a
hurricane, warm air is being sucked into the middle and
upper levels of the hurricane. Once it reaches the top, it is
able to evacuate the center of the storm and the process
continues. With a car, the exhaust pipe allows gases to
escape the engine. When wind shear is present, this effectively
disturbs the ability of the hurricane to evacuate all
of the mass (warm air) it is sucking into the storm. Over
time, much like a car, it begins to choke, and eventually
begins to weaken and then to be torn apart. In a car, if
you plug the exhaust the car will soon die, as it is not able
to get rid of the by-products of combustion.
With regard to Sea Surface Temperatures, the Turks &
Caicos Islands (and other nearby islands) enjoy very shallow
banks. This can be a double-edged sword. Shallow
banks contribute to the beautiful colors of the waters that
draw tourists from around the world. That is the good
side. The not-so-good side is that these shallow waters
tend to get very, very warm during the summer and into
the fall season. Traditionally, the water in these areas as
well as the Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico continue
Sea surface temperatures play a role in hurricane formation. This map
shows the SSTs in the region as of August 9, 2018.
to have temperatures above 80ºF heading into the later
portions of hurricane season. Water temperatures above
80ºF are generally needed to sustain tropical activity. This
provides the fuel that is needed should low pressure be
in the area.
Lastly, the other important criteria is the current
pressure situation in the region. During the later portion
of the season, traditionally we will not find storm development
occurring well out in the Atlantic Basin (east of
the Leeward Islands) due to poor atmospheric and water
conditions. Generally we will be looking at the Bahamas,
the TCI and Hispaniola to Puerto Rico, as well as the
Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico areas. As we head
into late October and, especially, November, cold fronts
from the lower 48 states will move into the Caribbean as
they weaken. These frontal systems are essentially a low
pressure trough that meanders in the warm waters of the
Caribbean as they begin to decay. With warm waters and
light winds, these troughs sometimes can generate low
pressure which can continue to grow and develop into a
tropical system with time.
The reason these are normally few and far between
during the later six weeks of the season is due to the
14 www.timespub.tc

These maps show the sites where late-season tropical cyclones have originated over the years 1851 to 2015.
Times of the Islands Fall 2018 15

typical jet stream pattern that sets up as the seasons
change. Jet stream energy that remains confined over the
northern U.S. during summer, and allows for generally
calm conditions in the Caribbean, migrates south during
the fall into the southern portions of the United States.
This introduces more wind shear into the Gulf of Mexico
and Caribbean, thus the lower rate of storms in the late
season.
So how many late season storms have occurred in
and around the Turks & Caicos Islands over the years?
Looking at data between 1851–2015, the TCI has had
fourteen systems in or near the Islands between October
21–31, nine between November 1–10, and four between
November 11–20. That is a total of 27 recorded storms
either over the Islands or in very close proximity (storm
centers passing within 150 miles of TCI) based on 164
years of recorded data. That is quite a few tropical systems.
As you can see, it is very important to maintain vigilance
throughout the entire hurricane season. Contrary to
popular belief, hurricanes do form in the waning portion
of the season. Island citizens must always stay alert to
what Mother Nature is doing.
Fortunately, on August 9, 2018, as I prepared this article,
forecasters at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration (NOAA) noted that “Conditions in the
ocean and the atmosphere are conspiring to produce a
less active Atlantic hurricane season than initially predicted
in May.” (See chart below.) This seasonal update
takes into account several factors, including that El Niño
is now much more likely to develop with enough strength
to suppress storm development during the latter part of
the season. As well, sea surface temperatures across the
tropical Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea have remained
much cooler than average. A combination of stronger
wind shear, drier air and increased stability of the atmosphere
in the region where storms typically develop will
further suppress hurricanes. However, NOAA warns that
the hurricane season is far from being over and urges
continued preparedness and vigilance.
By remaining weather-aware, the Turks & Caicos
avoided any loss of life during Hurricane Irma. That alone
was easily one of the miracles of the year! I wish you
health, happiness and a hurricane-free season.
However, if tropical weather threatens, you can be
sure I will be following it and alerting Islanders via my
Turks & Caicos Weather page on Facebook (Turks and
Caicos Islands Weather Info). a
Paul Wilkerson is an American meteorologist and tourist
who frequents the Turks & Caicos Islands. Along with
his wife and two daughters, the Wilkersons stay actively
engaged with Islanders and their families throughout the
year.
16 www.timespub.tc

)
renewable &
efficient
energy solutions
www.greenrevolutionltd.com
moreinfo@greenrevolutionltd.com
649-331-1393
Keeping TCI
green by nature
Boxit2me_Layout 1 5/9/18 12:00 PM Page 1
SHOP MORE AND SHIP FOR LESS
Sign up for FREE or choose Premium Membership.
NOT JUST SHIPPING FORWARDING SERVICES
• 1-2 Day Priority Shipping
• Personal Shoppers
• Instore Pick Ups
• Consolidations
• Up to 30 Days Free Storage
BY AIR AND SEA
Shipping by boat
twice per week
starting at $8, and
by air starting at
$20.
Each Membership
offers its own unique
services to fit your
personal needs perfectly.
No longterm commitment
so you can upgrade or
cancel your Membership
at any time.
www.Boxit2me.com
support@boxit2me.com
shipping@boxit2me.com
Toll Free 1-800-468-4129
or (649) 339-2694
display ads . . .
are an inexpensive way to reach
Times of the Islands readers, in the Turks & Caicos
and around the world.
call 649 431 7527 or
email tfadvert@tciway.tc
Times of the Islands Fall 2018 17

getting to know
Opposite page: People who live close to the sea grow up aware of their fragility compared to the ocean.
Above: North Caican Rocky Higgs is happy to be alive after his ordeal in 1984.
“It makes one to realize how fragile man is,” says Rocky Higgs of his experience of being lost at sea 34
years ago.
Lost at Sea!
Rocky Higgs recalls his ocean ordeal.
By Jody Rathgeb ~ Photos By Tom Rathgeb
Low-lying islands such as the Turks & Caicos have always been fragile places, and the people who live
so close to the sea grow up aware of their smallness compared to the ocean. Sometimes, though, events
bring the message home hard. What happened to Rocky in 1984 was one of those events.
Times of the Islands Fall 2018 19

Rocky Higgs, a North Caicos man, grandson of Paul
Robert Eliston Higgs, was 24 years old the day he left
from Five Cays, Providenciales, with his 16 year-old
brother Nat, to dive for conch. They were headed for
Sand Spit beyond French Cay in a blue 14-foot boat when
their engine blew out. They dropped anchor to deal with
the situation when another problem arose: A storm that
dragged them onto a shoal and cut the anchor line. The
boat was adrift.
“For five days we went with the current,” Rocky
relates. “North, then southwest. We were hoping someone
would come and get us.”
The search for the two Higgs boys began quickly, and
Rocky recalls seeing planes above, recognizing the Coast
Guard and Clifford Gardiner’s Aztec. But the searchers
were unable to spot the drifters. “The boat was blue and
the ocean was blue.” The drifting pair also saw ships
passing by out to sea, but couldn’t get anyone’s attention.
Rocky recognized his responsibility as the elder
brother. “I tried to build up Nat’s hopes, but help never
came. I was frightened. I was always frightened, but I
couldn’t let my younger brother be frightened. I would
think about pea soup and dough, johnnycake . . . all the
good things my mother would make for us. We would cry,
we prayed, we would sing.” Rocky doesn’t quite remember
if they were on the ocean for five, six or seven days,
but he knows he was hungry and thirsty. (He lost 69
pounds from the experience.)
Finally, they drifted near a shore, which Rocky realized
when they saw first a huge rock “like a turtle” and
then plenty of sea grass, which told him land was near.
“My mind was telling me to get on shore,” he says, so they
jumped out of the boat and swam.
They were separated in the water, and Rocky lost his
(now very loose) clothing. He searched for several hours
and finally found his brother, too weak to walk. “I put him
on a piece of plywood and left him to get help.” Rocky
believed he might be on Cuba, but they were actually on
Great Inagua.
Weak and hungry, Rocky lost all orientation. “I walk,
I walk, I walk. I never know where I was going.” One day
he wandered into what looked like a fish camp, where he
found four pounds of sugar, matches and about 10 to 20
pounds of marijuana. “I tried to get high. I made a big fire
and I smoked that weed to comfort myself.” He continued
to wander, looking for both help and for Nat. “I prayed to
die,” he admits.
Rocky Higgs recounts the series of events that caused him and his brother Nat to drift to Inagua.
20 www.timespub.tc

Island Organics_Layout 1 8/26/18 9:52 AM Page 1
About eight days later, he saw a one-engine plane
circling. Addled from all his experiences and unsure of
where he was, he tried to run. But he’d been found by
Joe Smith and Terry Brown of Lighthouse Mission Church.
“They put clothes on me and they prayed, and then they
took me to Matthew Town in Great Inagua. I kept asking
for my brother Nat, saying I couldn’t find him. They tell
me Nat was okay, in the hospital.” He’d been found first.
“Oh, they treat us good there,” Rocky recalls of the
people on Great Inagua. He and Nat were nursed to health
and fed well by the local residents before they were taken
back to North Caicos, where they arrived 14 days after
having left Five Cays.
North Caicos treated the brothers’ return as a cause
for great celebration. The island’s annual Festarama had
been canceled during the search, but now there was
cause for happiness. “People from every walk of life were
in my mother’s yard,” Rocky recalls. “Me and Nat stood
up and my mother threw her arms around me and said
only the Lord would understand how she feel. I love North
Caicos and North Caicos people. They really know how to
share a sorrow. They are a caring, loving people.”
Afterwards, Rocky’s grandfather encouraged him to
go back out on a boat, telling him that if he didn’t, he
would be a coward. Rocky spent many more years getting
conch and lobster, as well as doing some roaming and
other work, including migrant farm work in the United
States. He has 11 children and sees his survival as a part
Handcrafted, organic soaps and body essentials
Made with in the Turks & Caicos Islands
of God’s providence. “I have to survive until I hear Harbour the Club:Layout 1 8/17/16 10:16 AM Page 1
Eco-friendly • Vegan • Cruelty Free • Made with Organic Ingredients
Master call,” he says.
CLEAN, PURE & NATURAL
Years later, he would be out diving when his brother
IG: islandorganicstci
Tel: (649) 246-8989 • Email: islandorganicstci@gmail.com
Conrad, left above to mind the boat, died of a heart
attack. “I don’t think the sea likes me very much,” he says,
with only a touch of irony. He also acknowledges that the
bargains made with God in hard circumstances dissipate
easily—his at-sea promise to no longer drink went by the
wayside when the thirsty man was given beer.
Yet there is still amazing grace. We’re not perfect,
and we may never be completely “saved.” But we survive
and keep trying. a
Harbour Club Villas
Turtle Tail Drive, Providenciales
Six one-bedroom villas.
Dive operators at our dock.
Bonefishing in the lake.
Fabulous beaches nearby.
Ideal for couples or groups.
Freelance writer Jody Rathgeb and photographer Tom
Rathgeb have been visiting the Turks & Caicos Islands
since 1990 and have had a home on North Caicos since
2001. They divide their time between North Caicos and
Richmond, Virginia. Jody has been writing for Times of
the Islands since 1992!
Trip Advisor
Travellers’ Choice
Awards Winner
E: harbourclub@tciway.tc
T: 1 649 941 5748
See our website
for details.
www.HARBOURCLUBVILLAS.com
Times of the Islands Fall 2018 21

KELLY CURRINGTON

feature
Opposite page: Sea Shepherd’s MV John Paul DeJoria visited the Turks & Caicos Islands in May 2018 as part of Operation Good Pirates.
Above: Each crew member has their own reason as to why they joined Sea Shepherd, but all have a common thread—the desire to be a part
of something much bigger than themselves.
KELLY CURRINGTON
As I stand here in the Turks & Caicos Islands gazing out over the beautiful, pristine turquoise sea, I am
hoping I can preserve this moment in my heart and mind. These memories may be the only place to see
such scenes in the future if the human race does not change its ways.
Most of us are aware that the oceans, and the creatures that live in them, have been under siege for
decades. We, as a species, are very quickly eradicating their health and existence by both legal and illegal
practices.
The Voice of the Voiceless
Sea Shepherd fights to conserve marine wildlife.
By Kelly Currington
Times of the Islands Fall 2018 23

The oceans are crucial for our very existence and
survival—sustaining all life on Earth either directly or indirectly.
Covering almost 75% of our planet, they hold 97%
of its water. Over half of the oxygen in the atmosphere is
produced by the oceans, as well as absorbing the most
carbon dioxide from it.
The delicate ecosystems in our oceans must contain
all their components to function efficiently and effectively.
Every time a piece of the puzzle is removed, the
network breaks down a little, and eventually it will stop
functioning, affecting everything and everyone on Earth.
This is where Sea Shepherd comes in. They are an
organization of mostly volunteers who get the “big picture”
and are on the front lines, fighting to save our
planet.
Sea Shepherd Conservation Society (SSCS) is an
international non-profit, marine wildlife conservation
organization. It was spawned from the Earthforce Environment
Society in Vancouver, Canada, which was created
in 1977 by Paul Watson, a former member of Greenpeace.
All over the world, innocent creatures and natural
resources are being destroyed at the hands of humans.
Captain Paul Watson and Sea Shepherd stepped up to the
challenge of fighting these wrongs and protecting those
who cannot protect themselves. Their fleet of battleships
and crew around the world fight for the innocent victims
of unfounded beliefs and traditions, overfishing by bottom
trawling, long lines and ghost nets, and media-fed
misconceptions.
In addition to frontline fighting of poaching, nets and
illegal practices, Sea Shepherd also goes ashore and does
conservation and educational work with communities to
help promote eco-friendly living and the reduction of single-use
plastic. Whether shore-based or on a vessel at
sea, all of the volunteers play a critical role in the fight.
A project Sea Shepherd started in 2017 is Operation
Good Pirates. In a nutshell, it means having a ship standing
by in the event an island is hit by a hurricane so they
can be deployed and arrive in just a couple of days. They
partner with UNICEF, the Red Cross, other non-government
organizations and UN-based agencies. This is what
brought the Sea Shepherd’s MV John Paul DeJoria (MV
JPD) to the Turks & Caicos Islands in 2018.
The TCI was directly hit by category 5 Hurricane Irma
on September 7, 2017 and two weeks later by category 3
Hurricane Maria. Parts of the country were without power
for nearly two months, and those who have cisterns were
without direct access to potable water for just as long.
Just knowing that there is a readied ship on call if such
a tragedy strikes again offers a sense of security for the
people.
I was thrilled when I found out the Sea Shepherd
group was here and that I could go onboard the MV JPD
and talk to the crew. To stand in their presence and hear
their stories and tales of what they’ve encountered in
their journeys is humbling. Each crew member has their
own reason as to why they joined Sea Shepherd, but all
have a common thread—the desire to be a part of something
much bigger than themselves.
KELLY CURRINGTON
24 www.timespub.tc

Walkin May2017_Layout 1 5/28/17 5:45 PM Page 1
They’ve left their “normal” lives behind and traded
them in for a life of hard work in what is sometimes very
harsh conditions, long hours reaching into the night, isolation
from loved ones and seeing tragedy and heartache
on a daily basis. But that only seems to push them to
keep fighting and protect the voiceless even more.
One young woman touched me the most. She is the
bosun aboard the MV JPD. Rebecca hails from Canada,
is beautiful, confident and knowledgable, but most
importantly, passionate about the oceans and the creatures
who inhabit them. She carries herself with a quiet
strength that is connected to her belief in this ongoing
war.
Listening to Rebecca tell me about the fight to save
endangered animals brought me to tears more than once.
One of the questions I asked her was how she deals with
the heartache of retrieving illegal nets where trapped,
innocent creatures have already lost their struggle for
life. Her response was simple yet powerful, “You cry for
the ones who died, but you have to focus on the ones you
save.”
Rebecca has been in dangerous situations in attempts
to stop illegal fishing and poaching. Her vessel’s been
boarded by armed poachers and her tender has been shot
at, yet this does not detour her will to stay on the forefront
of this fight. She explains that working with the
local police and following the laws helps to ensure that
Sea Shepherd’s work continues without detainment and
provides protection for the crew. I am completely in awe
of her strength, fortitude and advocacy for the continued
fight to protect and save those most in need.
Crew member Samele is totally a pirate—a good
one—both in physical appearance and nature. Originating
from Queensland, Australia, he is scruffy and rough and
lives his beliefs while working onboard the MV JPD and in
his personal life. He is a vegan and advocate for simple,
green living in order to reduce his carbon footprint on
this planet.
Prior to coming onboard the MV JPD, he worked
land-based for Sea Shepherd as their marine debris coordinator
for two years. He started as a deck hand on the
vessel and has earned his way to assistant bosun and
diver. He also helps with vegan meals onboard for the
crew. He is completely immersed in the war on the damage
being done to our planet—both sea and land.
Other crew members told similar stories of how they
came to volunteer for Sea Shepherd. All wanted to make
a difference in this world and in their own lives while they
have the ability to give their time.
DISTRIBUTOR DISTRIBUTOR FOR FOR EVINRUDE && MERCURY MERCURY
OUTBOARDS, PURSUIT WORLD CLASS CAT, CAT,
SUNDANCE AND BOSTON WHALER BOATS
Lures and Live Bait
Marine Hardware & Gear
Fishing Gear & Supplies
Marine Paints & Varnish
Marine Batteries
Sebago Docksiders
& Sperry Topsiders Shoes
BLUE
BLUE
HILLS
HILLS
ROAD
ROAD
PROVIDENCIALES
PROVIDENCIALES
TURKS
TURKS
& CAICOS
CAICOS
ISLANDS,
ISLANDS,
B.W.I.
B.W.I.
PHONE: 649-946-4411
FAX: 649-946-4945
Project1_Layout 1 8/26/18 12:11 PM Page 1
PyrateRadioTCI.com
Mid-20th century radio pirates broadcast
forbidden Rock-n-Roll, Soul, and Jazz from
ships at sea or hidden locations ashore...
Now, Pyrate Radio FM104.5 will rock the world
again. Easy listening music from a salty
seafaring lot.
FM104.5 & streaming at www.PyrateRadioTCI.com
Advertising Manager 649-431-7527
Times of the Islands Fall 2018 25

COURTESY SEA SHEPHERD CONSERVATION SOCIETY
Sea Shepherd’s diligence and persistent presence and pressure, working alongside the Peruvian government, shut down the largest fishing
vessel in the world. The Damanzaihao, a floating fish factory, was capable of killing and processing 547,000 tons of fish each year!
Captain Octavio was kind enough to allow the crew
to give me a tour of the ship. It was instantly apparent
that this is a warship and not designed for comfort or
pleasure, but soley for function and battle. Just standing
on the dock looking at this vessel you can feel the stories
that have permeated its “soul.” The paint job alone
gives poachers warning that it means business and will
not back down—it is an impressive ship!
One of their most recently won battles was in Peru.
Sea Shepherd’s diligence and persistent presence and
pressure, working alongside the Peruvian government,
shut down the largest fishing vessel in the world. The
Damanzaihao, a floating fish factory, was capable of
killing and processing 547,000 TONS of fish each year!
Peru is committed to combatting illegal, unreported
and unregulated fishing (IUU), and if successfully convicted
under the Peruvian Penal Code, the crew of the
Damanzaihao could face three to five years of incarceration
and multi-million dollar fines. Sea Shepherd
continues to supply support to Peru to help them combat
IUU and bring an end to “rampant over-exploitation of the
oceans.”
Poaching has directly impacted the Turks & Caicos
Islands. Our reefs and ecosystems are treasured both
in-country and world-wide. Their health and protection
require a constant effort as poachers come to our pristine
and rich waters to steal.
In 2015, 28 poachers were detained and tried for
removing more than 2,000 pounds of marine products
from TCI waters. In that catch were a sea turtle, 1,462
pounds of lobster (including 69 egg-bearing females),
and 485 pounds of parrotfish, which are illegal to fish
at any time. Fourteen unlicensed vessels were confiscated
during this operation. A total of approximately 200
pounds of poached marine catch along with illegal spear
guns were confiscated in 2016 as well.
But it was on March 16, 2017 that a devastating
blow was delivered to the TCI at the hands of poachers.
The Royal Turks & Caicos Marine Police intercepted the
Captain Blaze, an illegal Dominican fishing vessel that
was completely loaded down with more than 39,000
pounds of poached marine catch, mostly consisting of
fish, but including sharks and other vital creatures.
In October 2017, the Royal Turks & Caicos Marine Police intercepted
the MV Yaniret, the boat and fish on board were seized and the nine
crew detained for fishing illegally within the Fisheries Limits of the
Turks & Caicos Islands.
26 www.timespub.tc

The 80-foot vessel and its crew of 41 Dominican fisherman,
along with a number of smaller boats, were towed
to Caicos Marina and Shipyard. The marine products were
unloaded and reportedly distributed to the people of the
TCI. The Captain Blaze still sits in the marina as a constant
reminder of the war at hand.
In casual conversation with my boyfriend Josh, I asked
him what he thought of the pirate flag that is flown on all
Sea Shepherd vessels. (I wanted an unbiased perspective
on this.) He said, “It reminds me of the pirate tradition,
only reborn for good.” Our oceans are sensitive organs
that require close attention to their damage and we need
to be hyper-responsible for stopping and reversing our
negative footprint.
As scuba divers we are advocates for the sea, and in
that sense it affects us directly. Yet the oceans’ health
and balance also impacts economies all over the world.
Every ocean on this planet needs protection if we are to
survive, and a huge part of that protection starts with
educating people on what is happening and how to help.
There are so many ways to be a part of this movement
to protect the planet and speak for those who
cannot speak. The most obvious is donating money, but
you can do other things like starting educational projects
in your community. Stopping the use of single-use plastic
such as straws and water bottles is something we can all
do. Speak to your local supermarkets about not using
unnecessary packaging like styrofoam, or packaging raw
vegetables (as they naturally have their own container).
Little changes can have a big impact on our planet.
You can start a local Sea Shepherd chapter in your
neighborhood or island where people work together to
learn sustainable fishing practices, respect for the ocean
and earth, and the importance of reassessing old traditions
that serve no purpose other than being a “tradition.”
Participating in peaceful protest against captivity
is another way to help. Sea Shepherd is a powerful, yet
peaceful, organization which only uses force when absolutely
required.
Education is the key to any change. If you would like
to learn more about Sea Shepherd and their ongoing projects
and how you can help, visit www.seashepherd.org.
I only write about topics that I believe in, and I write
from my heart. Sharing this organization’s story is something
I am passionate about. I am honored to have had
the chance. Sea Shepherd is the true voice of the voiceless!
Thank you for all you do. Defend . . . Conserve . . .
Protect! a
Project5_Layout 1 6/13/18 7:40 AM Page 1
CAYS CONSTRUCTION CO LTD
A one stop service from the purchase of your land
to occupying your new home.
FREE planning service for all homes we build
FREE local authority approvals.
Allow us to design your new home free of charge.
caysconstruction@aol.com
caysconstruction.com
Times of the Islands Fall 2018 27

green pages
newsletter of the department of environment & coastal resources
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 https://www.gov.tc/decr/
DAVID KENNEDY
A black back and primary feathers, white shoulder stripe, chestnut face and wings, and brown-streaked throat along with small size help
identify the Least Bittern, Ixobrychus exilis.
PATTI SALERNO DESLAURIERS
An Unexpected Landing
Least bittern is a new bird record for TCI.
By B Naqqi Manco, DECR Terrestrial Ecologist
Islands are a challenge to reach for many animals, but not for most birds. While we have a known resident
avifauna, we are also visited by both migrants, which visit seasonally, and vagrants, which visit
occasionally.
28 www.timespub.tc

green pages newsletter of the department of environment & coastal resources
Sometimes birds are lost, or blown here by storms,
such as the three groups of scaly-naped pigeons that
showed up after the 2017 hurricanes (and have since,
apparently, returned to their homes on the Greater
Antilles). Other times, they are exploring new ranges
and expanding, such as the increased numbers of purple
gallinules noted over the last decade. Some, especially
the shyest species, probably visit and are never seen by
any human. Recently, one very shy bird showed up on
North Caicos, a navigational mistake on its behalf, having
landed inside a home in Sandy Point.
On August 19, 2018, North Caicos residents David
Kennedy and Patti Salerno DesLauriers encountered what
was first thought to be a green heron caught in a screened
porch. However, after review of photos it was confirmed
to be a least bittern Ixobrychus exilis, a regionally native
but rare bird related to herons. Bitterns are exceptionally
shy and rarely seen in the region.
This is the first-ever confirmed sighting of a least bittern
in TCI. Terrestrial Ecologist B Naqqi Manco registered
the sighting with www.eBird.org and it was confirmed as
a new sighting on that database.
The bird recovered and was released back into its
habitat near the Dick Hill Creek and Bellefield Landing
Pond Nature Reserve, one of our less-known but important
protected areas. The habitat of this protected area is
perfect for least bitterns, with expansive areas of mangrove,
buttonwood swamp and uninterrupted cattail
marshes. This secretive little wading bird will be hard
to see again but devoted birdwatchers may be able to
encounter it around where it was first sighted.
Keep your eyes out for new bird sightings. With
effects of human development expansion and climate
change considered, we will likely be seeing more new
bird arrivals and unusual migration schedules. You can
register all bird sightings on www.ebird.org.
Available as a mobile app, eBird is, according to its
website, “the world’s largest biodiversity-related citizen
science project, with more than 100 million bird sightings
contributed each year by eBirders around the world. A
collaborative enterprise with hundreds of partner organi-
From top: The scaly-napped pigeon showed up in TCI after the 2017
hurricanes. This map outlines the Dick Hill Creek and Bellefield
Landing Pond Nature Reserve, one of TCI’s less-known, but important
protected areas.
zations, thousands of regional experts and hundreds of
thousands of users, eBird is managed by the Cornell Lab
of Ornithology.” a
MARIA RIGBY
Times of the Islands Fall 2018 29

green pages newsletter of the department of environment & coastal resources
This is one of the turtles caught, measured and tagged during a recent outing
with SURFside Ocean Academy, who raises funds for the Marine Conservation
Society’s TCI Turtle Project.
Keeping Turtles
Out of Trouble
Local watersports company hosts turtle tagging expeditions.
Copy Courtesy Marine Conservation Society (www.mcsuk.org)
Photos By Marta Morton, Harbour Club Villas
The Turks & Caicos Islands Turtle Project is working for better management of the marine turtle populations
found in the TCI. Through groundbreaking biological and social research, this collaborative project
aims to involve the TCI Government and fishermen in the management and monitoring of the Islands’
traditional turtle fishery. The project also uses hi-tech satellite tagging of green and hawksbill turtles to
follow their lives at sea to understand the full range of these highly migratory animals and to find out
how best to protect them.
30 www.timespub.tc

green pages newsletter of the department of environment & coastal resources
Marine turtles have been swimming our oceans for at
least 110 million years, but now man’s activities threaten
turtle populations all over the world.
All species of turtle are susceptible to accidental capture
in fishing gear. Turtles become entangled in gill nets
and fish traps set inshore close to the nesting beaches.
Throughout their range, marine turtles are still hunted for
their eggs, meat and shells. For example, marine turtles
are still legally harvested for their meat in four of the five
UK Overseas Territories in the Caribbean, where green
and hawksbill turtles are particularly targeted. It is not
known if these harvests are sustainable, but marine turtle
nesting populations in these territories are critically low.
In the tropics, wherever turtles lay their eggs there is
a demand for them. In several Caribbean countries, raw
turtle eggs are mixed with alcohol and drunk as an aphrodisiac.
In many parts of the world, hawksbill turtles are
targeted for the scales on their shells, which are used to
make tortoiseshell. International trade in wild turtle products
is banned by all the countries that have signed up
to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered
Species (CITES).
Marine turtles depend on a variety of habitats at sea,
as well as the all-important nesting beaches. Sadly, these
same beaches are under pressure from development,
especially from the tourism industry. If beach development
is carried out insensitively it can lead to erosion
of sand from the beach, as well as the disturbance of
nesting female turtles through increased activity and light
pollution. The same light pollution disorientates emerging
hatchlings, making them head inland to artificial light
sources rather than out to sea.
Predicted sea-level rise resulting from climate change
will lead to the inland movement of beaches, a process
known as coastal squeeze. Vital turtle nesting habitat
could be lost if nesting beaches are prevented from
moving inland by any development or beach armouring
behind them.
Marine habitat can also be disturbed or destroyed by
development and other human activities. For example,
sea grass beds and coral reefs are particularly vulnerable
to degradation if exposed to sewage effluent discharged
into the sea, and can also be damaged by heavy boat traffic
and extensive use by bathers, snorkelers and divers.
Turtles can also be killed by entanglement in and
ingestion of marine litter, such as discarded fishing gear,
From top: Oliver Dames gives children the opportunity to interact
with a wild sea turtle.
Turtles are carefully measured and inspected to collect data and
tagged, if necessary.
SURFside Ocean Academy’s Morgan Luker (at left) allows guests to
have a close-up look at a sea turtle before it is released.
Times of the Islands Fall 2018 31

green pages newsletter of the department of environment & coastal resources
plastic bags and balloons. Turtles cannot digest plastic
and if they eat enough to block their digestive tract they
will die from starvation.
Climate change will affect marine turtle populations
in several ways. For example, turtle nesting beaches
could be inundated if they are prevented from moving
inland as a result of sea-level rise; foraging habitat such
as tropical coral reefs and sea grass beds could die off as
a result of sea-level rise, water temperature rise and the
effects of increased storminess and rainfall.
If we don’t act now to change the way we treat marine
turtles and their habitat we may lose some populations
forever.
In Providenciales, SURFside Ocean Academy, led by
Morgan Luker, partners with the DECR and the Marine
Conservation Society (MCSUK) with regular turtle-tagging
expeditions. The academy’s well-trained team of local
guides and turtle specialists capture turtles to collect
data, educate guests on sea turtle conservation and fishing
practices in TCI, and release the turtles back to the
ocean. The hawksbill sea turtle is a critically endangered
species, but is legal to fish in TCI waters.
Since 2009, MCSUK has attached satellite transmitters
to 22 green and hawksbill turtles. Suzie, an adult
green turtle, was the first turtle to be tagged by the project,
and surprised everyone by taking an incredible 6,000
km round trip over nine months before her transmitter
stopped sending data. Since 2011, MCSUK has focused
on tracking sub-adult (“teenage”) green turtles. They have
attached tags to 20 teenage turtles, and are tracking
some of these animals now.
Morgan says, “We are so lucky to be able to work with
these endangered animals on our educational sea turtle
tagging programs. Through our initiatives, we can better
understand the population and trends of resident green
and hawksbill turtles, and see if our current fishing regulations
are sustainable. We have also been able to raise
almost $5,000 towards sea turtle research and education
for MCSUK through our experiences.” a
SURFside Ocean Academy (www.surfsideoceanacademy.com)
is an outdoor adventure company and licensed
school with an emphasis on marine-based activities to
help foster an appreciation for and better understanding
of the environment, people and places of Turks & Caicos
Islands.
32 www.timespub.tc

green pages newsletter of the department of environment & coastal resources
Trash to cash
Following our recent awareness campaign about just
how “Straws Suck!” (Times of the Island Summer 2018),
on a return flight from a Sea Turtle Conservation conference,
DECR team members had a look at the garbage
floating about and felt inspired! The age-old adage,
“One man’s trash is another man’s treasure” came to
mind and with that, our youth Trash to Cash Workshops
were born!
Although not limited to the Junior Park Warden
Program (sponsored by the Pine Cay Project, and in its
18th year), it proved to be the perfect platform to kick
off our first workshop. After a mindful beach clean-up,
where appropriately recyclable items were of focus,
wardens thoroughly cleaned their “trash” to get rid of
any grit or sticky residue. Training and tips were provided
and tools and the necessary equipment supplied
. . . off they went!
We encouraged participants to focus on making
appropriate, creative and bespoke pieces from discarded
straws, bottle tops, plastic utensils and bits of
washed-up rope. In addition, participants were taught
the necessary skills needed to put together a solid
mini-business plan and how to cost their items.
Today’s youth tend to be on two extreme sides of
the spectrum: Either they are hyper-sensitive to the
plight of our planet or they are anesthetized to the
impacts of cumulative litter strewn in the streets. Trash
to Cash opens up a dialogue about how we can reduce,
re-use and recycle, and imagine creative approaches to
fixing a global problem, while allowing participants to
think laterally about their potential.
The adapted, tailored pieces, hand-made by students,
left us in awe of their creativity. We are excited
for the potential of a project such as this inspiring a
generation who will face many environmental, social
and economic challenges directly associated with
climate change and human impacts to our planet.
The DECR looks forward to hosting more of these
workshops in the future—and keep an eye out for our
talented participants and their recycled products at
your local fish-fry event. a
Story & Photos By Amy Avenant,
DECR Environment Outreach Coordinator
Trash to Cash (from top): Step one, collect “trash” from the beach.
Step two, create and decorate. Step three, display the beautiful
results !
Times of the Islands Fall 2018 33

PHILIP SHEARER

feature
Opposite page: This is a truly magical Big Blue moment, as captured by photographer Philip Shearer.
Above: Javed Shearer enjoys the ocean’s beauty and bounty in a cave on a single breath of air.
PHILIP SHEARER
Diving Free
Confronting history and human limits in the deep.
By Ben Stubenberg
You are alone with yourself.
Even your body slips away so that it feels like
a speck of consciousness that’s floating in the abyss.
—William Truebridge, World Champion Freediver
More than sport, freediving transforms the men and women who surrender themselves to the sea, leaving
behind the realm of humans and entering a world where they cannot breathe. Descending on a single gulp
of air, divers hear only the sound of the beating heart. The light dims. Time stops. For a few minutes, but
what feels like forever, divers glide untethered, vulnerable and free. In a heinous turn of historic irony,
however, the joyful liberation freediving bestows also prompted ruthless subjugation that wiped out one
people and redefined another.
Times of the Islands Fall 2018 35

From time immemorial, human tribes living along
the coast around the world trained to dive deep and stay
under as long as possible in the quest for survival. The
divers took risks and accepted peril to hunt for sustenance
below the surface. Diving’s natural elation led to
an addictive joy, where being in the water became more
natural than being on land and in time, a way of life. The
the best divers of these aquatic communities, the ones
who took the biggest chances and dodged the greatest
dangers, became heroes and even spiritual leaders of the
village, looked up to and revered.
Lucayan freedivers
The spectacularly clear turquoise ocean of the Turks &
Caicos Islands (TCI) has produced its own extraordinary
divers, beginning with the Lucayan Indians. More than
2,000 years ago, their ancestors began a long migration
from the river deltas of South America, island hopping
the 1,000 mile Caribbean archipelago until reaching TCI
and the Bahamas. Before ships arrived from across the
Atlantic, before their world vanished and they ceased to
exist, Lucayans lived in their huts of thatch and woven
reed next to the same beaches where we now sunbathe,
gather for a picnic or watch the sunset. They too glided
gracefully through the translucent sea, diving for dinner
or just for the thrill.
Christopher Columbus, who likely made his first
landfall in Grand Turk in 1492 (See “The First Columbus
Landing,” Times of the Islands Fall 2017) and the early
Spanish colonists that followed, took note of the Native
Indians’ exceptional natural ability to hold their breath for
long periods and dive deep. This observation coincided
with the discovery of vast beds of oysters containing
pearls around the islands of Margarita and Cubagua off
the coast of Venezuela. The poor swimming and diving
abilities of the Europeans at the time, however, precluded
retrieving the pearl oysters except in the shallowest
waters. Driven by the prospect of quick riches from an
abundance of pearls tantalizingly close but beyond reach,
the Spanish in 1500 began to raid TCI and the Bahamas
for natives to enslave and exploit as freedivers.
In just 20 years, according to TCI historian H. E.
Sadler, some 40,000 Indians had been taken captive and,
along with disease and outright slaughter, were completely
depopulated from the Islands. The first European
colonizers rationalized their abduction and enslavement
of the Indians by reasoning that as heathens, not
Christians, they had no souls.
Bartolomé de las Casas, a Spanish priest outraged
at the horrific treatment of the native peoples, recorded
the astounding brutality of the island raids from what
he had learned. “And verily, as a Spaniard told me, their
ships in these regions could voyage without compass or
chart, merely by following from the distance between the
Lucayos Islands (TCI) and Hispaniola, which is sixty or
seventy leagues, the trace of those Indians’ corpses floating
in the sea, corpses that had been cast overboard by
earlier ships.”
Upon arrival in the dry, low-lying islands of Margarita
and Cubagua surrounded by turquoise sea not unlike TCI,
the abductors forced the surviving Indians to dive down
for the pearl oysters for extended periods without rest.
The demands of the work often led to internal hemorrhaging
from ascending too quickly and burst eardrums
causing blood to gush from mouth and nose, as well as
being exposed to shark attacks. On occasion, pirates kidnapped
the Indian divers for use in their own pearl diving
operations.
Las Casas again documented the atrocities committed
against the native pearl divers in searing reports to the
Spanish monarchs, Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand.
“The tyranny exercised by the Spaniards against the
Indians in the work of pearl fishing is one of the most
cruel that can be imagined. The pearl fishers dive into the
sea at a depth of five fathoms, and do this from sunrise
to sunset, and remain for many minutes without breathing,
tearing the oysters out of their rocky beds where the
pearls are formed. They come to the surface with a netted
bag of these oysters where a Spanish torturer is waiting
in a canoe or skiff, and if the pearl diver shows signs of
wanting to rest, he is showered with blows.”
In one generation, the Spanish and other Europeans
had sealed the extinction of the Lucayans by working
them to death. The tragic irony of the Lucayan’s demise
near the very waters where their ancestors had begun
their journey north for a better life is not lost. And the
hard shiny spheres that so many Native Indians died for,
the pretty little pearls that decorated the necks and ears
of nobility, were hardly more than the product of scabs
that protect the oyster from tapeworms.
African freedivers
With the Indians gone, the pearl traders looked for
replacements in the budding slave trade in Africa.
European explorers had seen and recorded impressive
feats of swimming and diving among the Africans since
the mid-1400s. As with the Native Indians, the African
divers had spent years adapting their minds and bodies
36 www.timespub.tc

A freediver-in-training visits the collapsed Thunderdome from the French TV game show “Le trésor de Pago Pago” that was filmed at Malcolm’s
Road Beach in Providenciales in the early 1990s.
AGILE LEVIN
to apnea (breath holding), oxygen deprivation and water
pressure at great depths through repeated and prolonged
immersion.
According to Dr. Kevin Dawson, Professor of History
at the University of California, Merced, “Many [African divers]
could dive ninety-plus feet deep. How divers acquired
their abilities is unclear. But the lung capacity and the
composure required to work at such depths suggest that
they had learned to swim at an early age. When diving,
many held rock weights to help them descend quickly
without expending valuable air.” Although slave traders
did not understand the physiological process and
changes, Professor Dawson notes, the traders specifically
targeted ethnic groups of Africans for capture in riverine
areas.
When the African slave divers arrived in the Caribbean,
however, the slave masters could not be quite as brutal
as in the case of the Native Indians. The premium cost for
African slave divers required better management of the
investment, so divers received more rest time and fewer
beatings. The dependency on slave divers fostered a complex
relationship of power and privilege. In one telling
account, slave masters frequently rewarded African slave
divers with a glass of wine and a pipe of tobacco between
dives. Of course, slaveholders conferred favors to extract
more labor, and in turn more wealth from the slave divers.
Historians refer to this as “privileged exploitation”
that gave the African slave divers a measure of influence
over their situation that most other slaves did not have.
In her research of enslaved pearl divers of 16th
century Caribbean, Dr. Molly A. Warsh, Professor at the
University of Pittsburgh, studied their bargaining power.
She writes, “Although pearl divers performed exceedingly
dangerous work and endured difficult living conditions,
evidence suggests that they nonetheless managed to
exert considerable control over their own mobility, as well
as a degree of control over the pearls they were forced
to harvest. The divers frequently kept pearls for themselves,
either hoarding them or trading them for food
and other necessities.” In some cases, slave divers were
able to purchase freedom, leveraging the very expertise
that prompted their enslavement, in yet another irony, to
secure liberation.
During the initial period of colonization in the first half
of the 16th century, Native Indian and African slave divers
generated the greatest wealth in the Americas, Professor
Dawson points out. When the Spanish discovered the
rich silver mines in Bolivia and Mexico in the mid-1500s,
Times of the Islands Fall 2018 37

the economic focus shifted towards the mainland of the
Americas. By then the pearl beds had declined substantially
from over-harvesting, but a new demand for divers
emerged to recover lost cargo from increasing numbers
of shipwrecks on the reefs off Florida, the Bahamas, and
TCI. In particular, the Spanish treasure galleons departing
Havana for Spain laden with gold and silver that wrecked
on the reefs created the best opportunities for wealth for
salvage wreckers. A few Native Indians had already been
forced into salvage diving, but as they were killed off,
slaveholders called for more African slave divers to do
the work. Salvagers would sometimes use diving bells big
enough to fit two men with trapped air to breathe. The
bell, suspended from a cable to the ship, could be lowered
60 feet (19 meters) below the surface. But the bell,
just a few feet in diameter, limited the range of vision, so
salvagers much preferred slave divers who could physically
cover more ocean floor.
When a hurricane sank a Spanish fleet of 28 treasure
ships off the Florida Keys in 1622, the salvage manager
in Cuba brought 20 slave divers to locate the wrecks. At
first, the slave divers recovered only a few bars of silver,
but not the flagship Santa Margarita. Undoubtably worried
that freelance salvagers and pirates closing in would
find the ship first, a Spanish official offered emancipation
to any slave diver who could find the wreck. One of the
slave divers did in fact discover the ship and was freed on
the spot. However, such good fortune rarely befell a slave
diver.
Perhaps the most prominent use of African slave divers
for salvaging was from the 1641 wreck of the Nuestra
Señora de la Pura y Limpia Concepción on the Silver Banks
located between Grand Turk and the Dominican Republic.
(See “Whose Treasure,” Times of the Islands Summer
2018.) William Phips and experienced Bermudian salvagers
organized the treasure hunting expeditions, bringing
60 slave divers from Bermuda, Jamaica, and Barbados to
look for the wreck. In 1687, they found the wreck and
recovered more than 30 tons (15 metric tons) of silver
bars, making vast fortunes for Phips and his investors.
African salvage divers, as with pearl divers, fully
understood the value of such diving abilities and leveraged
them to improve working conditions. The divers
also gained a special status in the slave communities and
a measure of dignity through pride in work not afforded
to field slaves. Though still considered property by slave
owners, the African slave divers were able nonetheless
to accumulate earnings from work that created opportunities
for themselves and their families within the
constraints of bondage.
Salvage diving by slaves, and later freemen after
Great Britain outlawed slavery in 1834, appears to have
continued through the first half of the 19th century in
the Bahamas and probably TCI. Around this time, local
TCI people formed their own salvage enterprises to
watch for ships wrecking on the surrounding reefs and
recover the cargo, possibly using freedivers. Blue Hills on
Providenciales provided a well-known vantage point for
wreckers.
Amazingly, all of the divers performed without goggles
or masks, which had yet to be invented. They did
underwater work using only their naked eyes and may
have developed an ability to “see” underwater. The eye
muscles of divers can adapt by constricting the pupils
that alter the lens shape in turn, thus changing the light
refraction for increased visibility. Unfortunately, excessive
exposure of the eyes underwater can cause long-term
vision damage when out of the water.
Sea nomads and spleens
Putting the face in cool water triggers an automatic
response by the body called the mammalian dive reflex
to lower the heart rate and conserve oxygen. Humans
share this reflex with all mammals. Even newborn babies
instinctively know how to hold their breath when submerged.
During lengthy breath-holding, the veins and
arteries in the extremities contract to divert more red
blood carrying oxygen to the more vital organs—the
heart, lungs, and brain. Typically, the diver feels contractions
in the diaphragm, signaling these changes.
As a diver descends deeper, the lungs compress to
the size of fists, but blood continues to rush in. When the
diver ascends to the surface, the lungs expand again and
need to be filled with oxygen. The brain detects the oxygen
levels dropping and tells the spleen, a spongy organ
that recycles red blood cells, to release fresh oxygenated
blood into the circulatory system. If the oxygen level gets
too low, the brain puts the body in a sleep mode to save
more energy and what oxygen is left. This can cause the
diver to black out, usually in the last 10 meters (33 feet)
of the ascent, and require rescue to bring the diver to
the surface. Acutely aware, divers train to acclimate and
accept the risk as the price for a life-changing experience.
Though virtually all humans are capable of basic
freediving, a tiny minority of humans, it turns out, have
evolved to manage the rigors of breath-holding for long
periods underwater. In particular, genetic researchers
have found major body differences in the Bajau people
38 www.timespub.tc

Hugh final_Layout 1 5/29/17 1:15 PM Page 1
TWATIMES_Layout 1 2/16/17 7:49 AM Page 1
P
E
R
S
HUGH G. O’NEILL
ATTORNEYSN
AT
L AW
P.O. Box 267
Hibernian House
1136 Leeward Highway
Providenciales
Turks and Caicos Islands
B.W.I.
Tel 649-946-4514
Fax 649-946-4955
Email hugh.oneill@hgoneillco.tc
&
C
CO. O
N
F
I
D
E
N
T
I
A
L
Serving international & domestic clients in real estate, property development,
mortgages, corporate & commercial matters, immigration, & more.
TEL 649.946.4261 TMW@TMWLAW.TC WWW.TWAMARCELINWOLF.COM
Times of the Islands Fall 2018 39

The notable physiological changes among the Bajau,
of course, raises a compelling question: Did Lucayan and
African slave divers also possess this unique genetic trait
given their own long history of freediving in the West
Indies or in Africa? It seems plausible, and some evidence
supports at least body changes in the Lucayans.
Dr. Michael Pateman, current director of the Turks &
Caicos National Museum, examined Lucayan skeletons
recovered on the island of Eleuthera in the Bahamas and
discovered substantial bone growth on the stapes, the
smallest bones in the body that are attached to the ear
drums. The constant pressure of the water while diving
creates stress on ear drums and the stapes leading to an
increase in bone mass consistent with frequently deep
divers. While some Lucayans manifested permanent physical
modifications, we do not know if it was genetic.
In any case, Lucayans and African slave divers definitively
shaped the early history of the Americas following
the European arrival with demonstrated superhuman
aquatic abilities derived from their native cultures.
FAY NINON–WWW.OCEANICALCHEMY.COM
Freediving is undergoing somewhat of a renaissance in the Turks &
Caicos Islands, as the younger generation discovers skills that helped
their elders earn a living.
living in small coastal villages of Indonesia, southern
Philippines and Malaysia that make them truly natural
divers different from the rest of us. For more than 1,000
years, the Bajau have depended on the sea for their livelihood
and spend most of the workday in and under the
water hunting fish with spear guns. These “Sea Nomads,”
a poor, marginalized ethnic group native to Southeast
Asia, can hold their breath and dive to 100 feet using only
wooden masks with a glass plate and sometimes a plank
of wood as a fin and hold their breath for an astounding
10 minutes.
In 2017, Melissa Llardo from the University of
Copenhagen measured the spleen sizes of Bajau and
nearby populations of non-Bajau people. Using an ultrasound
machine, she found that all 59 Bajau people she
measured had spleens 50% larger than the 43 spleens she
measured of non-Bajau people. The larger spleen served
to store more oxygenated red blood cells in Bajau divers
than average divers. In this way, the spleen becomes a
biological oxygen tank that allows divers to stay underwater
for much longer periods. Even more astonishing, Ms.
Llardo found that divers as well as non-divers among the
Bajau people had the same 50% larger spleen, indicating
a likely genetic mutation just from being related to the
Bajau diving communities.
Freediving’s renaissance in TCI
A few fishermen in TCI and other West Indies islands
retained freediving skills over the generations, but this
was the exception not the norm. The art of freediving,
as well as swimming, eroded considerably in the region
over the past two centuries, even though having survived
in scattered pockets. The reason remains uncertain.
However, the freediving prowess first brought from Africa
five centuries ago saw a revival in the 1950s and 1960s
when confident, enterprising TCI fishermen strapped on
masks and fins and jumped into the water. Until then,
fishermen usually collected sponges using ten foot (three
meter) poles with hooks and glass boxes to see clearly
underwater. When the sponge industry collapsed, the
fishermen applied the pole and hook technique to snaring
conch, but the practice proved too slow. So, many
local fisherman simply taught themselves to freedive to
collect conch more efficiently and learned to spearfish
with their make-shift spearguns.
One of the first to switch from collecting sponges
by poles and hooks to freediving and spear fishing was
Jeffrey Handfield from the Belmont part of Bottle Creek,
North Caicos. Back in the day, the well-known Handfield,
now 87, would take his boat all over TCI to dive deep for
the biggest and best fish. When TCI got its first major
bank, Barclays, in 1981, Handfield and other fishermen
saw no need to open an account. As Handfield explained,
“I only got two banks, Ambergis Cay Bank and French
40 www.timespub.tc

Cay Bank,” thereby summing up the local banks that mattered.
Fisherman William “JR” Delancy, another self-taught
freediver from Grand Turk, learned the skill as a teenager
in the early 1960s. He and his friends would blow
up tire tubes with their mouths and put a net or bag in
the center. They floated them off Front Street to the wall
dropping into the 7,000-foot trench and speargunned for
fish. After meeting and marrying beloved schoolteacher
Henrietta Gardiner in Bottle Creek in 1966, JR decided to
stay in North Caicos and pass on his freediving skills to
other island fisherman.
On one of his early days on the North Caicos barrier
reef, Delancy, along with his friend and fellow
freediver Albert Higgs, dove down deep and speared a
giant Atlantic goliath grouper (also called jewfish). The
goliath grouper, which is known to attack divers as well
as sharks, fought hard and pulled Delancy through the
water while he held his breath in a classic contest of man
against beast. Delancy hung on and refused surrender.
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
PHOTO COURTESY TIMOTHY HAMILTON
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
Turks & Caicos Islands, BWI
Ph: 649 946 2245 • Fax: 649 946 2758
E-Mail: ffdlawco@tciway.tc
South Caicos boat captain Timothy Hamilton (far right) enjoys a drink
with famous freediver Jacques Mayol (at left) in the 1970s. Hamilton, a
talented diver, showed Mayol the best places to dive in South Caicos.
After a long struggle, the huge fish finally gave up, but
weighing around 500 pounds, was too big to put in the
boat. So the fishermen had to tow the fish back to Bottle
Creek. (Shades of Moby Dick and The Old Man and the
Sea, but with a happier ending!) Word got out quickly,
and everyone in the settlement, including schoolkids let
out early, showed up at the dock to witness the largest
fish anyone had seen. In the festive atmosphere, Delancy
gladly shared pieces of the huge fish with anyone who
wanted some to take home for dinner.
In the 1970s and 1980s, world class freedivers
Jacques Mayol from France and later Umberto Pelizzari
from Italy made their way to the warm transparent waters
of TCI. Both loved the easygoing ambiance of the Islands,
john redmond associates ltd.
architects & designers
construction consultants
project management
p.o.box 21, providenciales, turks & caicos is.
tel.: 9464440 cell: 2314569 email: redmond@tciway.tc
Times of the Islands Fall 2018 41

Freediver Samantha Kildegaard, of Free Dive With Me,
practices her graceful craft.
Do you know what you’re supposed to do to meet
a mermaid? You go down to the bottom of the sea,
where the water isn’t even blue anymore, where the
sky is only a memory, and you float there, in the
silence. And you stay there, and you decide that you’ll
die for them. Only then do they start coming out. They
come, and they greet you, and they judge the love you
have for them. If it’s sincere, if it’s pure, they’ll be
with you, and take you away forever.
—Jacques Mayol, World Champion Freediver
AGILE LEVIN
before resorts and paved roads, when everyone knew
everybody and people had time. For a sport where total
calm forms the most critical element, the laid-back vibe
of TCI suited them perfectly.
These larger than life, yet humble men in their prime,
gladly shared their gentle gusto, making many friends.
Pushing themselves to the limits of human endurance,
they daily straddled the divide between life and death.
Confronting the extremes of the deep gave them a sense
of supreme humility. From time to time, Mayol and
Pelizzari hitched rides on scuba boats going out to the
walls. On such occasions, the daring divers would lower
themselves over the side of the boat and surprise the
scuba divers by descending far deeper without a tank.
Undulating through the blue in their long fins alongside
rays and sharks, they departed the world above, and
became creatures of the sea.
Mayol had already been the first human to break 100
meters (330 feet) in 1976 at the age of 49 in the “No
Limits” discipline, as well as other world records. In No
Limits freediving, the diver holds on or attaches to a ballast
weight, known as a sled, connected to a cable. The
diver controls the rate of descent of the weight pulling
him down, but tries to go as fast as he can “clear” the
ears in response to the change in pressure, typically 3–4
meters (10–13 feet) per second. The idea is to go as deep
as possible on a breath of air and then use a balloon
or other inflatable device to return to the surface before
42 www.timespub.tc

unning out of oxygen. Freedivers consider No Limits to
be the most extreme of the eight categories of freediving
and the most dangerous.
Mayol liked TCI so much that he bought a house on
South Caicos in the 1970s and became great friends and
dive buddies with South Caicos mariner and boat captain
Timothy Hamilton. Hamilton, already a self-taught and
quite adept freediver, took Mayol out to Ambergis Cay,
Fish Cay and Long Cay for deep, clearwater challenges,
often encountering dolphins along the way. “Before
descending,” Hamilton related, “Jackie would start meditating,
like he was praying, and be completely at peace.”
Hamilton and his wife Vonn regularly invited Mayol over
for dinner, sometimes with his freediving friends who
came from all over the world to share the diving and tranquility
of the Islands.
Mayol would break another No Limits world record at
age 59 by descending 105 meters (346 feet) and would
go on to co-produce a film on his life, “Le Grand Bleu (The
Big Blue)” in 1988, and write a book, Homo Delphinus:
The Dolphin Within Man, published in 2000.
When Pelizzari arrived in Provo in the 1980s, he
had yet to begin his streak of breaking world records.
He became good friends with Dean Bernal, who offered
to introduce him to Jo Jo, the human-friendly dolphin of
Grace Bay. Both men motored into Grace Bay on Bernal’s
boat, and when they arrived out in the deep, Dean used
a special signal to “call” Jo Jo. At first, the dolphin wasn’t
interested in Pelizzari, but Bernal told him to be patient
and just ignore him while doing his training dives. Soon
enough, Jo Jo warmed up, and the two of them dived
down deep together, becoming fast friends. Jo Jo became
very protective of Pelizzari, frequently shunting away
barracudas, sharks and turtles with his nostrum (nose),
possibly out of jealousy too. Afterwards, Jo Jo would look
at Pelizzari through his mask, smiling with satisfaction
and pride.
Bernal had warned Pelizzari never to feed Jo Jo so the
relationship could remain purely one of friendship. But a
few days before leaving TCI, Pelizzari broke the rule and
cracked open a lobster he had found and gave it to Jo Jo
as thanks for the wonderful experiences. Jo Jo happily ate
the lobster and then nudged Pelizzari to follow him far
down to a cave bristling with lobsters, apparently in hopes
that his human friend could pull out more for him. Jo Jo
sensed Pelizzari’s imminent departure, and on the last
dive, kept pushing Pelizzari away from the boat in hopes
of keeping him there in the sea, an intense affection that
filled the great freediver with “indescribable happiness.”
35Years
Assisting domestic and international clients for 35 years
Tel + 1 649 946 4602 • Fax + 1 649 946 4848
Email reception@savory-co.com • Website www.savory-co.com
Times of the Islands Fall 2018 43

JUSTIN OKOYE–WWW.OCEANICALCHEMY.COM
Freediving is all about exploring the TCI’s magnificent underwater
scenery on a single breath of air, without using scuba tanks.
In 2002, Tanya Streeter from the Cayman Islands
came to Providenciales to attempt a new “No Limits”
world record. (See “Free Falling,” Times of the Islands
Winter 2002/03.) Streeter had already broken nine world
records in different freediving disciplines. Supported by
Big Blue and other safety divers, Streeter brought herself
into a relaxed state of mind and gulped in as much air
as her lungs could hold before letting the sled pull her
into the abyss just beyond the reefs of Grace Bay. As her
heart rate slowed to just 10 beats per minute, she defied
all her male and female rivals and went down to a new
world record of 160 meters (525 feet). [The current No
Limits record is 253.2 meters (830.8 feet) set in 2012 by
Austrian diver Herbert Nitsch.]
Streeter returned to TCI the following year and broke
the world record for men and women in the “Variable
Weight” discipline, diving to 400 feet (122 meters). In this
category, divers descend on a sled, but must return to
the surface under their own power. She also broke the
world record for Constant Weight No Fins, the most difficult
discipline done without aids, only muscle power,
descending to 115 feet (35 meters). Streeter dispels the
death-defying image of freediving saying, “People who
think that freediving is life-threatening misunderstand
the sport. It’s entirely life-affirming.”
Philip Shearer and Mark Parrish, excellent freedivers
in their own right, started Big Blue (named after Mayol’s
movie “The Big Blue”) in 1997 as an eco-friendly watersports
operation that embraced the purity of freediving.
They taught snorkeling guests the basic techniques of
freediving, such as how to relax and descend easily from
the surface, so they could enjoy the reef up close, as well
as those magical encounters with dolphins and whales.
On Big Blue’s staff, Captain Brent Forbes from North
Caicos has become an outstanding freediver as well, and
true heir of TCI’s freediving revival more than a half century
ago.
TCI has its own professional freediver, Samantha
Kildegaard, who is committed to teach as many people
as possible in the TCI community, as well as visitors, the
joy of diving down on a single breath of air. “TCI is easily
one of the top places on the planet for freediving with
exceptional water visibility, depth and marine life,” says
the Argentinian-born Kildegaard, with a passion for protecting
the ocean. “When I am down there, I am at peace.
I am nobody and everybody at the same time, so much so
that I want to stay in the sea forever.” Kildegaard teaches
all levels of freediving and organizes freedive camps to
encounter whales during the season.
Almost anyone at any age can learn to freedive, dispelling
the notion of an extreme, exotic sport meant for
an exceptional few. A diver needs only to mentally prepare,
equalize pressure in the ears and pack air into the
lungs to sever the bonds of our terrestrial home and float
freely through an oceanic cosmos.
The paradox of freedivers once sold into slavery and
exploited for ephemeral riches, however, should give
us pause. They, too, felt the euphoria of relinquishing
earthly shackles for freedom in the sea. For today’s divers
who find serenity below the surface, and for anyone who
cares, the liberty denied to those divers long ago should
serve to remind that tranquility in the deep extends
beyond the self, even through the ages. a
Ben Stubenberg is a contributing writer to Times of the
Islands with a passion for TCI history. An avid ocean man,
he is co-founder of the sports/adventure tour company
Caicu Naniki and the annual “Race for the Conch” Eco-
Seaswim. Ben can be reached at ben@caicunaniki.com.
44 www.timespub.tc

The Leading Private Bank in the Turks and Caicos Islands
Where values are growing
Wealth Management • Bonds/Fixed Income
Investment Strategies • Foreign Exchange
Stocks/Equities • Precious Metals
Fixed deposits/CD’s • International Transfers
Turks & Caicos Banking Company Ltd.
The Regent Village, Unit H102, Grace Bay Road, Providenciales
Tel: +649 941 4994
Email: services@tcbc.tc • www.tcbc.tc
Regulated by the Financial Services Commission, Turks & Caicos Islands

the sporting life
Fishing has always been a way of life in the Turks & Caicos Islands, especially on the “Big South.” Thanks to an exciting new business venture
there, you can now fish from a specially outfitted kayak.
Gone Fishin’!
This new South Caicos venture combines kayaking and fishing.
The Turks & Caicos Islands are, admittedly, all about the water, and it is often said that you need to be
either “on it, or looking at it” in order to live here year-round.
Traditionally, our amazing ocean has been the mainstay of basic survival for generations of Islanders,
and while some commercial fishing still takes place, the majority is now sport fishing and recreation.
The type of fishing on offer varies, from bottom fishing and bonefishing through to big game fishing.
However, in most cases the use of a boat is paramount and that can add a lot to the cost of an exciting
day out on the water.
Story & Photos By TCI Explorer John Galleymore
Times of the Islands Fall 2018 47

So it was of great interest when I was told about a
new fishing company starting in South Caicos that offers
nearly all types of fishing—not from a boat, but from
individual kayaks. The claim was that it was possible to
bottom-fish over coral heads for snapper or head out to
“The Wall” and fish for mahi mahi and tuna!
This I not only had to see, but experience myself, so
plans were made and flights were booked, and just a few
days later I was en-route to the island of South Caicos.
After a 25-minute flight I touched down on the “Big South”
and was met by Darik Riggs, along with his business partners
Mike and Debbie Edwards. We set off for the East Bay
Resort, which was to be my base for the next few days. I
was eager to hear more about this intriguing venture.
Over a cold beer, I had to ask Darik the obvious question
that had been bugging me since I left Providenciales:
“How in the world do I paddle a kayak and hold a rod and
fish all at the same time?” With a knowing smile, Darik
informs me that there are no paddles! The kayaks use
a new form of technology called the MIRAGE system.
Patented by Hobie and based on the natural wing motions
of a swimming penguin, it is ultra-efficient and with a
few simple leg strokes you can propel through the water
totally hands free.
I’m keen to see more, so we set off into town where
we find a local contractor busy working on what will be
the shop/office of Blue Waters Kayak Fishing. It’s here
that as I chat with Mike and Debbie, I get my first sense
of what this operation is really about—much more than
The MIRAGE Paddle system
features two rubber fins that
are pedaled like a bike, leaving
your hands free to fish.
just catching fish and making money. They have both
visited the TCI numerous times from their home in Cocoa
Beach, Florida and like so many folks before them, fell in
love with the Islands and the people. This was taken to a
new level when they felt they would like to contribute to
the South Caicos community, helping whoever they could
along the way. Fate led them to meet like-minded Darik,
a ten-year TCI resident whose connections to South go
way back. In fact, the old house that’s being converted
into the office belongs to his wife and her family, and it’s
great to see it getting a new lease on life.
Given Darik’s passion for fishing and the Edwards’s
love of South Caicos, a plan was made to form Blue
Waters Kayak Fishing, with the mutual understanding
that it would benefit the community wherever possible.
For instance, rather than source workers from the huge
Sailrock development nearby, for the crew currently working
on the roof Darik chooses to use local guys who are
good with their hands and keen to work hard. He knows
them all, and their families, personally.
The group is getting sorted out to start kayak fishing on the northern
tip of South Caicos.
48 www.timespub.tc

Ferry Fall 17_Layout 1 8/22/17 12:52 PM Page 1
The next morning, we set off for the northern tip
of the island where we find the team has delivered the
kayaks and is awaiting our arrival. I now see the MIRAGE
Paddle system up close—it’s basically two rubber fins
that drop down through a hole in the hull and are pedaled
like a bike. I’m still doubtful it will get me moving.
Our guide Keyton sets us up with bait, fishing rods
and each kayak has a cooler stocked with cold drinks.
Keyton is a charming 28 year-old South Caicos guy, and
once again I see this new company using the community
as its basis for future success. With a simple shove off
the bank and a few pedal strokes I’m effortlessly cruising
along. I’m amazed at the ease and the speed with which
I can travel.
Our group consists of me, Keyton and Mike, each in
individual kayaks, and Darik in a two-person craft that he
is sharing with his eight year-old son Auren, who seems
more intent on fishing than paddling. However, Darik
seems content to do the leg work and I realize this is a
great trip for everyone to enjoy, from professional fishermen
to families.
We head out into the calm waters and Keyton sets our
hooks with bait. We can easily pedal-paddle a good speed
while effortlessly casting and fishing. Darik calls to head
through the channel and into the open ocean. I can see
some swells and surf but am reassured that the craft are
so stable you can stand up and fish from them. This turns
out to be true, as the swell, surf and even wake from a
passing boat have no effect on the kayak’s stability.
I soon hook what I think to be a big grouper, but after
a ten minute fight it breaks free. We continue to get bites
all morning but the actual fish in the boat remain elusive.
We head to a deserted cay, easily reached as the kayaks
love shallow water, and relax on the beach for a while. On
our return, Mike spots a sand bar and decides to fly-fish.
Again, the kayak’s stability makes it easy to get in and
out of, so this is a bonefishing dream.
After lunch back at the resort, we plan our afternoon
excursion. The team has relocated the kayaks to the
marina and we set off for a snorkeling adventure. It’s an
easy paddle out to the reef, just in front of stunning Long
Cay. We tie up to the marker buoy, kit ourselves with
masks and snorkels and in we go.
The reef is in surprisingly good condition, considering
last year’s double hurricanes that came through
South Caicos so catastrophically. In no time at all we are
surrounded by hundreds of reef fish and spot massive
rays resting on the sea floor. We snorkel for a while with
a turtle for company, then easily climb back aboard our
* *
Temporary suspension PROVO NORTH 12.30pm & 1.30pm Sept 1st to Oct 31st
*
Resumes Nov 1st
Times of the Islands Fall 2018 49

Two-person pedal kayaks are ideal for family adventures!
Below right: Is Darik Riggs’s catch bigger than the boat?
kayaks. We head towards an area rich in soft corals and
huge sea fans. I decide to film with my GoPro and ask
Keyton if he can tow me behind his kayak. It’s a great
way to see large areas of the ocean topography, but boats
tend to be too fast and your mask often gets pushed off.
The kayaks are perfect for this—it feels like you’re flying
along above the seabed with no effort at all, and the person
paddling does not feel any extra strain.
We reconvene back at the hotel for drinks and dinner,
and to discuss our day and the future of the business.
Darik tells me of plans for the store in town. Not only will
it be a base for the fishing operation, but eventually he
plans to open a small fish grill restaurant where clients
can taste their catch and local townspeople can meet, eat
and have a cold beer. He’s keen to point out that this eatery
will complement—not compete with—those already
operating. There are also plans to extend the fleet of kayaks
and adorn each with a Bible verse. Darik’s choice?
James 1:5 “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask
God, who gives generously to all without finding fault,
and it will be given to you.”
It’s the team’s plan to mentor and train Keyton, as
they see his huge potential to be a great guide and asset
to the business. Once again, I think how easily an experienced
fisherman/guide could have been outsourced, but
this team wants to start at grassroots and grow together,
a refreshing attitude that will surely benefit all involved.
We discuss the fishing currently on offer in
Providenciales, and agree that whether it’s bonefishing,
reef fishing or the hunt for big game, the cost is often
prohibitive. It’s obvious that a small group of guys or
a family with children could fly to South Caicos on the
morning Caicos Express flight, have a great day fishing
and snorkeling, and be back on Provo for sunset drinks
for less than the cost of an average day’s fishing on
Provo! (Factor in a great deal that Darik can get you at
the East Bay Resort and you can enjoy a night on South
Caicos too.)
I reluctantly board my return flight to Providenciales
and wish the team farewell. It’s been a great few days
and I vow to return in the Fall when the operation will be
fully up and running. I not only want to see the team in
action again but I’m excited for the new fishing store in
town. Oh, and I want to reintroduce myself to that elusive
grouper . . . a
For more information or to book a trip, call (649) 232-
7475 or visit bluewaterskayakfishing.com or email
darik@bluewaterskayakfishing.com.
50 www.timespub.tc

Into the unknown to save history:
Turks & Caicos Heritage Foundation
Make no mistake, the Turks & Caicos Islands are
booming. There are more development, more homes
and ever-increasing numbers of visitors each year.
This is great news for the economy and the jobs
and prosperity that goes along with it, but there is a
flip-side to all this progression. We stand to lose sites
and artifacts of massive cultural and historical significance.
These sites, of which there are dozens scattered
around the TCI, must be investigated and recorded in
order to preserve the history and, in many cases, the
physical artifacts for future generations.
Three of the TCHF founders (from left Daniel LeVin, John Galleymore
and Jon Ward) set off to East Caicos with local guide Tim Hamilton.
TCHF Founder John Galleymore holds a 1700s bottle found on a
long-abandoned plantation site.
With that in mind, a small group of volunteers
recently launched the Turks & Caicos Heritage
Foundation (TCHF). The idea is to work alongside the
TCI’s National Museum, National Trust, Department of
Environment & Coastal Resources and the like as the
“foot soldiers” who will venture to far-off cays or trek
deep into the bush to seek out, record and report back
about what is still there to be discovered. Then, a decision
can be reached as to how best preserve, record or
recover what has been found.
Often, groups such as the TCI National Museum
and National Trust are working with restricted budgets
and manpower and do not have the resources or the
time to mount expeditions to carry out preliminary
research in the field.
TCHF hopes to fill that gap.
The team consists of long-term residents who have
vast experience with expeditions to some of the most
remote places in the TCI. They all have specialist skills
such as navigation, photography and cave diving, and
all are proficient with outdoor living and survival. They
also have access to a number of historical documents
and maps to seek out long-forgotten places of interest.
The plan is to mount regular expeditions ranging
from a single day to a week, that will cover nearly
every land mass in the TCI, as well as numerous ocean
and water sites (including flooded caves) that have the
potential of historical substance. Stunning ruins, not
seen by many, litter the Islands and must be rediscovered
in order to be preserved.
It’s a positive future ahead for the Turks & Caicos
Islands, but we mustn’t lose sight of the past. a
Stunning ruins, not seen by many, litter the Islands and must be
re-discovered in order to be preserved.
Q & A with TCHF founder John Galleymore
Q: How long have you been interested in seeking out
the past?
A: My first job was developing West Caicos and I
fell in love with Yankee Town. Luckily the contractor
(Projetech) was sympathetic to its survival, which
Times of the Islands Fall 2018 51

shows that progress and the past can go hand-in-hand
if handled correctly.
Q: What’s the most interesting thing you have found
so far?
A: We have found everything from huge ruins on East
Caicos, intact bottles from the 1700s rolling around on
the seabed, to tiny buttons made of porcelain left from
both the Loyalist and Lucayan eras.
Q: What do you do with the items you find?
A: At present we have no authority to remove anything
from any site. With anything of interest found, we photograph
it in-situ, record details and GPS its location.
Only if something was in imminent danger of being
lost forever would we consider moving it.
Q: What areas have you covered so far?
A: We have explored most of the small cays as well as
much of North, Middle and East Caicos. However, there
are still thousands of acres left—much of which has
not been explored for hundreds of years.
Q: What’s been the hardest expedition to date?
A: We had to carry full scuba gear and tanks into the
heart of East Caicos (through some five miles of very
thick bush) in order to explore a huge pond.
Q: How would you like the TCHF to develop?
A: Ideally, we will be able to present our expedition
findings to the TCI Government, the Museum, the
National Trust and similar groups. But most importantly
is to reach out to the schools and the next generation
of Islanders. We hope there are a few would-be explorers
in that generation too! a
The mission of the Turks and Caicos Heritage
Foundation (TCHF) is to actively seek out and rediscover
(by means of land and ocean exploration)
locations and artifacts predominantly linked to the
history of the Islands. In doing so, we seek to preserve
them (either in-situ or on public display) for future
generations. TCHF is a non-profit organization with all
donations going toward funding research expeditions
in the TCI. If you would like to donate, find out more
information or help, please contact John Galleymore
at (649) 232-7083 or email beyondtci@gmail.com or
https://www.facebook.com/tcihistory/inbox/.
This perimeter wall was built during the Loyalist cotton plantation era and is found
across an inland lake near Drum Point, East Caicos.
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
MICHAEL PATEMAN
This recent photo shows the new shutters added to the Donald Keith Science Building as part of the National Museum’s rebuilding efforts
following last year’s destruction by Hurricanes Irma and Maria.
Starting Over, Again?
By Dr. Michael P. Pateman, Museum Director, Turks & Caicos National Museum Foundation
In the Winter 2017/18 Astrolabe, Dr. Donald Keith used the title “Starting Over” to describe the 2017
hurricane season and the steps the museum was taking to ensure the protection and preservation of
the cultural heritage entrusted to us. In this my first edition as editor of the Astrolabe, I thought it was
a great title that should be repeated.
I want to thank Dr. Keith for his long service as editor of this newsletter and to assure our readers
that I will continue the tradition of providing high quality articles about the Turks & Caicos’ fascinating
historical and cultural past for your enjoyment.
In a sense, the National Museum is starting over again. The museum on Grand Turk is being restored
and rebuilt, stronger than ever. New partnerships are being formed with the Community College, local
businesses and residents. Plans for a new museum and facility in Providenciales will be revealed soon.
Exciting, new heritage-based research projects are being conducted throughout the Islands. You can look
forward to reading more about these programs in future editions of Astrolabe.
In the following pages, “Casualties of War” looks at impacts of the American Revolution on the
Bahamas and Turks & Caicos through the migration of the Loyalists. You will also learn about the efforts
to digitize historic records housed by the Turks & Caicos National Museum and the importance of the
establishment of a National Archives. a
Times of the Islands Fall 2018 53

astrolabe newsletter of the Turks & Caicos National Museum
WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
This monument in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada is dedicated to the United Empire Loyalists. “Neither confiscation of their property, the pitiless
persecution of their kinsmen in revolt, nor the galling chains of imprisonment could break their spirits, or divorce them from a loyalty almost
without parallel.”
Casualties of War
The Loyalists’ impact on the Turks & Caicos Islands.
By Dr. Charlene Kozy
Casualties of war usually are counted as members of the military. In the War for American Independence,
the casualty count included civilians that did not agree with the Revolution.
The Revolution was a minority movement. One-third of the population at the time were neutral, more
than one-third were rebellious and probably fewer than one-third remained loyal to Great Britain, their
Mother Country. These were the Loyalists. Just as refugees today are fleeing protracted wars in the Middle
East and seeking asylum elsewhere, the Loyalist exodus had profound, lasting effects on Canada, the
Bahamas and other islands in the West Indies, including the Turks & Caicos.
54 www.timespub.tc

astrolabe newsletter of the Turks & Caicos National Museum
Choosing sides
Historians estimate that 80,000 supporters of British rule
were driven out or fled from the Thirteen Colonies during
and after the War of Independence. Many Loyalists were
subjected to brutal and humiliating treatment such as tarring
and feathering and riding astride rails. Others were
imprisoned and some were hanged. Their property was
taken and they were sent into exile. Although the Peace
Treaty of 1783 that ended the war stated that confiscated
Loyalist property was to be restored, it did not happen.
Georgia was the last of the original Thirteen Colonies
to be established. Unlike the northern colonies founded
more than a century earlier, allegiance to Britain was
strong in Georgia where the inhabitants were quite
dependent on the Crown for frontier protection. Many
were relatively new immigrants or first- or second-generation
settlers. Their reluctance to join the Revolution is
understandable, as was the dread of what it might bring.
James Habersham, a prominent Georgian, wrote to a
friend in London in 1775 accurately predicting the state
of affairs yet to come to Georgia. He wrote:
“I would not choose to live here any longer than we
are in a state of proper subordination and under the
protection of Great Britain. However, I do wish that a permanent
line of government was drawn and pursued by
the mother and her children . . . otherwise I cannot think
of the event but with horror and grief.
Father against son, and son against father, and the
nearest relations and friends combating with each other!
I may say the truth, cutting each other’s throats.”
Habersham left Georgia shortly after writing the letter.
His three sons became active in the Revolutionary cause.
It is difficult to determine the number of Loyalist refugees
that left Georgia. At war’s end, American General
Anthony Wayne estimated 6,000 were waiting for transportation
to Canada and other territories promised by the
British. When concern heightened about the large number
of Loyalists moving to Canada it was recommended that
lands in the Bahamas be offered to the Loyalists because
the climate there was more similar to that of the southern
colonies. Lieutenant John Wilson, acting engineer, was
ordered to the Bahamas (including the Caicos Islands)
Among the mistreatment of Loyalists was the indignity of being “run out of town” on a rail.
ALMAY STOCK PHOTO
Times of the Islands Fall 2018 55

astrolabe newsletter of the Turks & Caicos National Museum
to perform a general survey. He verified the availability
of lands and the capability of the soil for extensive
agricultural development. Between 1783 and 1785 the
population was increased in the Islands by 6,000 to 7,000
inhabitants of both races (one-fourth being slaves). Most
came from North and South Carolina and Georgia. A subsequent
royal proclamation stated intentions to purchase
lands in the Bahamas from the proprietors and gave
instruction on how to issue those lands.
Whither goest thou?
A study of the Alexander Wylly family illustrates the tragedies
of war. Alexander, with his brother Richard and
sister Hester, emigrated from Ireland to Georgia in 1750,
only 18 years after it was founded. Alexander, a planter,
served as Speaker of the House for several years. He and
Susanna Crook, his wife, had three children: Alexander
Campbell, William and Susanna. When war broke out
Alexander was a moderate and lost his position as
Speaker. Soon, he took a strong stand for the Crown,
but brother Richard, a lawyer, joined the Patriots. Both of
Alexander’s sons were students at Oxford, England when
the war started. They returned to Georgia to become captains
in Thomas Brown’s King’s Rangers, asserting their
undaunted loyalty to the British. The family, thus divided
by the war, would never reunite. Alexander moved to East
Florida and died soon after.
Alexander’s widow, Susanna Crook Wylly, her daughter
and sons joined the Loyalist exodus from Georgia and
the Carolinas to the Bahamas. This Loyalist ‘invasion” of
the Bahamas inevitably led to political and social clashes
with the long-established “old” British residents there.
Typical of most refugees, they tended to settle in groups
with common economic, family and geographic ties to
their past. A missionary observed that the “Conchs” (the
established inhabitants) were “poor, almost illiterate,
unchurched, and given to drinking and swearing” while
the Loyalists were “the gentry . . . who employ their leisure
hours in reading the works of Mandeville, Gibbon,
Voltaire, Rousseau and Hume,” and were brought up in the
North American school of modern politics. Consequently,
the two different cultures were in conflict.
More intolerance
William Wylly defined the major point of disagreement
between the Loyalists and the government: “It is only
This portrait by Sir Joshua Reynolds depicts John Murray, Earl of
Dunmore, Governor of the Bahamas.
reasonable that the Loyalists be admitted to a share in
the Legislature.” The Board of American Loyalists was
organized in July, 1784. Their stated purpose was “to
prepare and maintain the Rights and Liberties for which
they had left their home and possessions . . . ” The British
Bahamians were not yet ready for these “extremists” who
wanted to change centuries of quasi-legal government.
A disputed election in 1784 climaxed the friction. The
Provost Marshall declared six old inhabitants elected,
even though Loyalist candidates had received the majority
of the votes. Following circulation of a paper protesting
the action of the Assembly, the Speaker ordered it
burned publically outside the Courtroom door. In 1787,
John Murray, Earl of Dunmore, the last Royal Governor of
Virginia, was appointed Governor of the Bahamas. The
Loyalists had become the stronger party but Dunmore
WIKIPEDIA
56 www.timespub.tc

astrolabe newsletter of the Turks & Caicos National Museum
Loyalist ruins still stand at Wade’s Green, North Caicos.
BARRY DRESSEL
followed the policy of his predecessor and would not dissolve
the disputed Assembly and have new elections. The
“Long Parliament” lasted eight more years until the end of
Dunmore’s administration.
Governor Dunmore, an experienced politician, found
a worthy adversary in William Wylly. Twenty-five years
his junior, a lawyer, and captain in the Georgia King’s
Rangers, William established his presence not as a ruffian
soldier, but as a man with positive political ideas and
capable statesmanship. He stated in his book, A Short
Account of the Bahamas, “newcomers [to the Bahamas]
who were accustomed to upright administration of law
were galled by that perversion of public justice.”
Wylly began his running fight against Dunmore, the
Assembly and the courts by describing the Assembly as
“composed of destitute, bankrupt, and habitual drunkards
of lowest description . . . four planters, not a merchant, nor
a lawyer, or any man of respectable property.” His attack
on the governor was equally bold. He called Dunmore
“obstinate and violent by nature . . . with a capacity below
mediocrity, little cultivated by education, ignorant of
the constitution of England . . . the lordly Despot of a
petty Clan . . . and the immorality of his private life less
reprehensible than the defects of his public character.”
Specifically, Wylly accused Dunmore of fathering a child
by a woman married to one of the Searchers of Customs.
Dunmore struck back at Wylly by having him arrested
on a charge of having called the Chief Justice “a damn’d
liar.” Wylly’s version was that the Chief Justice warned
him more than once to support the government more
loyally. The trial was a farce and the case dismissed on
the grounds of conflict of evidence.
Wylly’s finest hour was his anti-slavery stand in 1816.
By then, he was the Attorney General of the Bahamas
challenging the authority of master over slave. The case
involved a Negro woman named Sue. She was brought to
Nassau in 1809 by her master with a male Negro slave
named Sandy and a child that had been born to them in
Georgia. The master attempted to take Sue, Sandy and
the child back to Georgia. Evidently, Sue did not want to
return and Wylly ruled that she could not be taken. He
refused to appear before a Committee of the House to
explain his ruling and was arrested and imprisoned, then
released by order of the Chief Justice.
The Assembly, asserting its claim to superiority over
the Courts, declared the action of the Court unconstitutional.
A public meeting supported the action of the
Assembly. At a later meeting, the vindictive Assembly
Times of the Islands Fall 2018 57

astrolabe newsletter of the Turks & Caicos National Museum
voted not to grant salaries to William Wylly or to the
Justice of the General Court from the beginning of the
dispute or for future services. This case was of such
prominence that it became known as “the Wylly Affair.”
During this period, economic prosperity and expansion
assuaged political friction with the long-staple “sea
island” cotton produced on island plantations becoming
more profitable each year. All three of Alexander and
Susannah Crook Wylly’s children (William, Alexander
Campbell and Susannah) received 200-acre land grants
on North Caicos. There is no irrefutable evidence they
exercised these grants; however, on October 17, 1791,
Alexander Campbell along with John Ferguson, John
Lorimer and John Bell were appointed Justices of the Peace,
the only authority authorized to provide legal services
such as marriages, wills, etc. for the Loyalist residents of
the Caicos Islands. By a lengthy Act in 1799, the Turks
& Caicos Islands were granted seats in the Assembly at
Nassau. These Loyalists were undaunted in their zeal for
right, as they viewed it, and perhaps at another place or
time they might have been counted among the great men
of history.
Postscript
In 1776, after losing his position as Speaker and fearing
being “tarr’d and feathered” due to his loyalty to the
Crown, Alexander fled to East Florida (which was held by
the British but was not a colony). He eventually returned
to Savannah and died there in 1781, his death probably
“hasten’d by the troubles.” His widow lost their land by
confiscation. Records of the sales of confiscated lands
show heavy losses for the Wylly family: A house and lot
in Savannah that belonged to both William and Alexander
Wylly sold to Jacob Reed; a lot in Savannah that belonged
to William Wylly sold to Thomas Washington; 1,000 acres
that belonged to Alexander C. Wylly sold to the son of
James Habersham and another 150 acres of land sold to
Mordecai Sheftall.
Alexander Campbell Wylly and family eventually
returned to Georgia and settled on St. Simon’s Island
where he was buried. Militancy seems to have run in the
family. During the American Civil War, in an ironic twist of
fate, his four grandsons took a rebel stand and fought for
the Confederacy rather than remaing “loyal” to the United
States. Three of them obtained the rank of Captain and all
suffered wounds during the war.
Loyalist Dr. John Lorimer’s tomb is near the settlement by that name
on Middle Caicos.
Susannah Wylly married John Anderson, a Loyalist
from Savannah. They tried to return to the continent
but a chilly reception caused them to go back to New
Providence where their tombstones in the Cemetery at
the old Church of St. Matthew in Nassau tell us John was
buried in 1838 and Susannah in 1845.
William Wylly, the most prominent member of the
family, married twice: Miss Matthews first and Miss Tyson
second. He moved to St. Vincent, probably following his
old friend Thomas Brown, who relocated there from the
Caicos Islands, and in 1822 became the Chief Justice. He
died three years later. a
Sources
Bailey, Thomas A., and David Kennedy, 1983. The
American Pageant—A History of the Republic.
Coakley, Robert W., and Stetson Conn, 1975. The War of
the American Revolution.
Center of Military History. United States Army.
Washington, D.C.
Kozy, Charlene, 1982. “A History of the Georgia Loyalists
and the Plantation Period in the Turks and Caicos Islands.”
Dissertation, Middle Tennessee State University.
Peters, Thelma Peterson, 1960. “The American Loyalists
and the Plantation Period in the Bahama Islands.”
Dissertation, University of Florida.
DONALD H. KEITH
58 www.timespub.tc

astrolabe newsletter of the Turks & Caicos National Museum
This is an example of a single scanned document in the Museum’s project to digitize the TCI’s archival heritage collections.
MICHAEL P. PATEMAN
One Page at a Time
Digitizing TCI’s archival heritage collections.
By Dr. Kelley Scudder-Temple, Dr. Michael P. Pateman and Vanessa Forbes-Pateman
Although occupied for more than 300 years, the Turks & Caicos Islands have been historically governed
from afar. This absence of direct governance has resulted in limited archival conservation measures, leaving
tens of thousands of rare documents in peril.
While the Turks & Caicos National Museum (TCNM) has made attempts to identify and stabilize these
documents, the absence of funding and conservation consultation resulted in digitization of only one
file—until recently. During the past two years, efforts have been made to digitize the most vulnerable and
essential documents in this collection. The digitization and dissemination of these archives will provide
researchers with new insight into these rare documents.
Times of the Islands Fall 2018 59

astrolabe newsletter of the Turks & Caicos National Museum
Background
During the 17th and 18th centuries, the Turks & Caicos
Islands were occupied by French, Spanish and English settlers,
with limited permanent settlements and virtually no
direct governance. It wasn’t until the late 18th century
that British Loyalists, with substantial numbers of slaves,
began to arrive and establish settlements throughout the
Islands. Given the country’s isolation and absence of a
centralized government during this time, rapidly deteriorating
archival materials are crucial to our understanding
of this period in the colonial history of the region.
Often referred to as “outlying islands,” archival
material from the TCI is scant, at best. The absence of
a central government repository, natural disasters and
neglect has resulted in the loss of thousands of rare
documents. Many of these documents, such as personal
correspondences, registers of births, baptisms, burials,
land grants, etc., can provide a great deal of insight into
the lives of those who were marginalized and enslaved in
this outpost of the Caribbean. The digitization of these
materials provides academicians, officials and members
of the community with the opportunity to explore the
histories of those who have often been excluded from
mainstream publications.
A 1983 survey of colonial archives inventoried 2,000
titles, representing thousands of records. Shortly thereafter
these records were separated and placed in various
buildings throughout Grand Turk. During this time the
vast majority of those records were damaged beyond
recovery. Through the efforts of the TCNM—the only
institution in the Turks & Caicos Islands with a mandate
to collect and curate historical and cultural records—
nearly 50 linear feet were obtained (more than 50,000
documents). In 2010 an EAP 408–Pilot Project, “From
the brink: Identifying, collecting and digitizing records
of the Turks and Caicos Islands after the destruction of
Hurricane Ike,” surveyed and identified documents in the
TCNM archives, other government offices, churches and
private collections. Additional items were rescued from
a structurally unsound building, treated with UV, vacuumed,
stabilized and catalogued into the Museum. Only
one item was digitized under this pilot project, leaving
the remaining originals vulnerable to loss though natural
disaster or simple ongoing deterioration. Without a digital
record, damage to or destruction of these documents
would represent a major loss of the cultural history of the
Islands.
Dr. Michael Pateman establishes a digitization station in the Museum
Science Building.
British Library
Endangered Archives Programme
In 2016, the Zemi Foundation was awarded a British
Library Endangered Archives Grant to digitize various
documents held by the TCNM. The Endangered Archives
Programme (EAP) was established in 2004 to digitize and
make available to all, archival materials that are endangered,
damaged or at risk of destruction. Since that time,
millions of rare and endangered documents have been
scanned throughout the world and are now available
to all, free and online. This grant provided the National
Museum with a venue to identify and digitize documents
that were in peril.
The aim of the work supported by this grant was
to digitize archival collections held by the TCNM. This
included collections previously identified by EAP 408. An
additional aim was to raise awareness of the importance
of protecting historic documents and convey the significance
of the development of a National Archives in the
Turks & Caicos Islands.
60 www.timespub.tc

astrolabe newsletter of the Turks & Caicos National Museum
Project results
During the course of 24 months, staff from the Zemi
Foundation and the TCNM, along with university interns
and local volunteers, worked to digitize more than
15,000 documents. Training sessions were held for government
officials, museum staff and various members of
the community. The process of digitization was long and
arduous. Staff and volunteers worked around the clock
to ensure that documents most imperiled were identified
and documented with the utmost of care.
The documents digitized included birth, death and
baptismal records from the Anglican and Methodist
Churches, along with various government correspondences
(detailed below). The digitization of these
documents was crucial as many had disintegrated so
much that they could not be handled.
Government records digitized include correspondences
to and from the Colonial Office in the United
Kingdom and the Governor of Jamaica and minutes from
the Legislative and Executive Councils. These include:
Despatches to the Colonial Secretary (1850–1873)
Records of the Colonial Secretary (1859–1873)
Despatches to the Governor in Chief (1849–1860)
Legislative Council Records (1850–1895, 1926–1950)
Executive Council Records (1850–1873)
Parish Register Records (1822–1934)
Church Records
Prior to the creation of public register of records, the
Turks & Caicos did not require a civil registration of
recording births, deaths or marriages. The church records
are the only records containing this information. Church
records digitized comprise of:
Methodist Church Records (1839–1940)
Anglican Church Records (1799–1922)
Turks & Caicos residents from as far as Providenciales
assisted in the digitization process. Volunteers included
Hon. Josephine Connolly and the recently deceased
Lawrence Ben.
Opposite page from top: Volunteers learn the digitization process.
Reverend Archbold from the Salem Baptist Church and Dr. Kelley
Scudder-Temple examine rare church documents.
Michael Temple, Zemi Technical Director, and Vanessa Forbes-
Pateman, intern from Western Illinois University, painstakingly work
to digitize TCI records.
Times of the Islands Fall 2018 61

astrolabe newsletter of the Turks & Caicos National Museum
PATRICIA SAXTON
This photo of the venerable Victoria Public Library on Grand Turk vividly depicts the dual effects of a major fire and Hurricane Irma in 2017.
Word quickly spread of the digitization project and
various members of the community visited the museum
to assess our efforts. Reverend Archbold from the Salem
Baptist Church on Grand Turk asked the team to conduct
a preliminary assessment of rare and endangered documents
held by the church. Documents were assessed,
digitized and stabilized to provide parishioners with
the opportunity to see, firsthand, how the conservation
process worked. We soon discovered that thousands of
documents are currently housed with various organizations
and individuals throughout the country seeking a
venue to preserve them. Unfortunately, limited funding
did not allow the team to digitize most of these documents.
Therefore, training and community inclusionary
measures played an integral role throughout the digitization
process. Members of staff, board of directors,
local volunteers (including politicians such as the former
Deputy Speaker of the House of Assembly, the leader of
the Opposition [who later became the Premier] and other
Members of Parliament) participated in digitization activities.
Why digitalize?
No organization is totally immune from disasters, either
by human action or the forces of nature. Disasters like
earthquakes, tornadoes, hurricanes, floods and fires are
world-wide occurrences. Many organizations assume they
will never experience a disaster, so they never develop a
strategy for preventing or responding to one.
A burst pipe, an electrical fire, pest infestation,
mold, improper storage or vandalism can wreak havoc
in archives, damaging or destroying records that are
irreplaceable. As seen recently in the Turks & Caicos,
hurricanes and fires can bring devastation to these rare
and endangered assets. During the course of this project,
62 www.timespub.tc

astrolabe newsletter of the Turks & Caicos National Museum
three natural disasters affected the TCI’s historic records.
On March 9, 2017, a fire devastated the historic Victoria
Public Library, destroying all material held there, including
non-digitized historic documents. On September
7 and 14, 2017, Hurricanes Irma and Maria rampaged
through the Turks & Caicos Islands. While none of the
historic collections at the Museum were lost, they were
impacted as a result of no power at the TCNM Archives
for six weeks.
Most at risk for residents, government, businesses
and for archives are records that document individual
and collective memories, leading to “identity loss.”
Following a hurricane, secondary threats become evident.
Emergency power failures or electrical faults, leaks
or drainage problems or mishandling and human error
can all put these documents at risk. Imperiled records on
the Turks & Caicos Islands such as property deeds, birth
certificates and personal papers, as well as records documenting
rights and entitlements—such as National Health
Insurance and its benefits—are all crucial to individuals
and institutions throughout the county.
While the digitization of 15,000 documents may
seem like a lot, we have only begun to scratch the surface.
Hundreds of thousands of rare and endangered
documents can still be found throughout the country.
The National Museum is undergoing a comprehensive
reorganization under the direction of the new director,
Dr. Michael Pateman. These efforts include an expansion
of the library and the establishment of an on-site volunteer
digitization station.
Given recent events, the importance of the digitization
of rare and endangered documents cannot be
understated. We hope that in the near future, a National
Archives can be established to ensure that these rare and
endangered documents are digitized and preserved for
generations to come.
A National Archives can help connect families by providing
a resource for personal research and family history
discovery. For decades, even centuries, national governments
have gathered data that has substantive value to
researchers trying to improve quality of life. National
archival records have helped researchers and reformers
tackle topics as diverse as welfare, epidemiology, criminal
justice, educational reform, migration and immigration
and environmental affairs, to name just a few.
The school system can use digitized resources from
National Archives collections as educational resources for
their classes. There are limited details about this region
in history books. A National Archives encourages students
to delve into the professional papers of the Islands’
political and civic leaders to find details about events or
people. The students who conduct research into the primary
documents of an island’s history begin asking more
questions about both history and current issues. a
We would like to recognize the efforts of the following
individuals and organizations who helped make this
digitization happen: The British Library Endangered
Archives Programme, the staff and volunteers of the Zemi
Foundation, the Turks & Caicos National Museum staff
and volunteers, interns Alex Temple and Vanessa Forbes-
Join the Museum
Become a Member of
the Turks & Caicos
National Museum and
receive a year’s subscription
to Times of the
Islands (which includes
Astrolabe), free admission to the Museum and other
benefits.
Senior (62+) $35
Individual $50
Family/Friend $100
Sponsor $250
Contributor $500
Partner $750
We have several options for joining:
• Visit the Museum at our Providenciales location at
The Village at Grace Bay or our Grand Turk location
in Guinep House on Front Street
• Visit our website at
www.tcmuseum.org/membership-support/.
*For U.S. residents, support of the Museum may be tax-deductible
if you join via Friends of the Turks & Caicos National
Museum, our affiliated institution and registered 501 (c) (3).
See our website for more details:
www.tcmuseum.org.
Times of the Islands Fall 2018 63

astrolabe newsletter of the Turks & Caicos National Museum
Museum matters
Emancipation Day
The event, “Honoring the Ancestors: Celebrating the
Spirit and Tenacity of the People of the Turks & Caicos
Islands,” was held at Cheshire Hall Plantation on August
1, 2018 to commemorate Emancipation Day. It was
organized by the TCI National Museum and National
Trust, in collaboration with the Department of Culture,
and coordinated by David Bowen.
Performances highlighted through song, poetry,
music and dance various elements of TCI’s rich cultural
heritage, attributed to an African ancestry. From the
sounds of the drumbeat by the Tuca Drummers to the
ripsaw music of the Sea Breeze Ripsaw Band to the folk
songs and dances done by David Bowen and the Tuca
Dancers, all were in full celebratory mode.
We travelled through time with Beth Atkins as she
read about the life of Mary Prince, a slave who for ten
years toiled in the salt pans in Grand Turk, and with
O’Brien Forbes and Levenia Bishop as they read slave
narratives. We listened to and sang along to Negro spirituals
sung by O’Brien Forbes.
Beth Atkins reads
about the slave, Mary
Prince.
Tuca Dancers perform a traditional dance.
Dominique Rolle, in his spoken word, took us on an
audible tour of Cheshire Hall Plantation to connect
Pateman and Premier Sharlene Cartwright-Robinson.
past to present, being conscious of the historic significance
of the event’s venue. We reflected with “Twis
Flo” as he “preached” his thought-provoking poetry.
Stephen Wilson’s reenactment of the reading of the
Emancipation Act was captivating. In keeping with
the theme, Cora Malcolm eloquently recited Maya
Angelou’s poem “Still I Rise.”
The proceedings concluded after we all made a
reflective walk along the footpath of the historic cotton
plantation up to the ruins of the Great House. There,
Pastor Goldston Williams offered up prayers of thanksgiving
in remembrance of the ancestors and gave the
benediction.
Thank you to our sponsors FortisTCI, St. Monica’s
Anglican Church and Hon. Delroy Williams, along with
the teams of the Turks & Caicos National Museum,
Turks & Caicos National Trust and Department of
Culture and David Bowen. Thanks to the wonderful cast
for sharing their talents so that we could reflect and
celebrate this important event. Special thanks to all of
the attendees who took the time to come out and join
this “Emancipation Celebration.” a
Story & Photos By Candianne Williams
Living History Summer Camp 2018
We have come to the successful conclusion of our
second Museum Living History Summer Camp at our
location in Grace Bay, Providenciales. It was a week of
action-packed fun and learning that, according to the
campers, went by too quickly!
Artist Aysha Stephens
creates an Emancipation
painting.
Campers visited with elders at the Caicos Heritage
House to learn what it was like to grow up in the mid-
1900s in such a dwelling. Daphne Forbes taught the
children how to weave dried palm leaves, while Mary
Williams explained how to make scrap mats. Alishia
64 www.timespub.tc

astrolabe newsletter of the Turks & Caicos National Museum
Museum matters
Duncanson and her team from the Department of
Culture demonstrated the traditional art of knitting
fishing nets, a very important part of the maritime heritage
of these Islands.
Mary Williams teaches
campers how to
make scrap mats.
The Iguana mascot met the children at Little Water Cay.
The campers learned how to make fever grass iced
tea as well as the process of making grits. This involves
shelling the corn, grinding it, cleaning it using the fanner
basket and finally cooking it outdoors on a fire
made under three stones.
Farming was very much a part of the traditional TCI
lifestyle. Mario Smith of the Department of Agriculture
took the students to tour farms housing pigs, chickens,
goats and a variety of plants. Each child planted their
own okra plant to take home, and made a scrapbook to
document the plant’s progress.
Campers learned that because of the American
War of Independence, Loyalists settled in the Turks &
Caicos Islands to grow cotton. A tour of Cheshire Hall
Plantation helped put the pieces of history together.
From the Department of Environment & Coastal
Resources, B Naqqi Manco gave an interactive presentation
on the traditional uses of plants apart from
being a source of food. Previous generations had a
great knowledge of the plants and animals found in
the environment that helped them to survive. Amy
Avenant taught about indigenous animals and how to
coexist with them to ensure that they continue to survive.
Campers visited the Iguana Island Nature Reserve
on Little Water Cay to learn about the endangered Rock
Iguanas.
There were no shy campers in David Bowen’s traditional
music and dance session! They had a wonderful
dance party as Mr. Bowen played the drums and harmonica
and showed them the various traditional dance
moves. Cricket with Coach Daryl Pierre Louis was the
highlight of the final afternoon.
Thank you, Turks & Caicos Banking Company and
Donna Seim for being sponsors of the camp. Thanks
also to the Taxi Association, Executive Tours, Caribbean
Cruisin’, the National Trust, the TCI Departments
of Agriculture, Culture, and Environment & Coastal
The Turks & Caicos Taxi Association (at left “Skipper” Stubbs and
at right President Ron Higgs) helped transport campers.
Resources and the Cricket Association for making
this a wonderful experience. Thanks to the TCI Ruby
Association and Our Lady of Divine Providence Church
for assistance with facilities. To our facilitators, camp
coordinators and supervisors we say a special thank
you. And finally, thanks to the parents who entrusted
your children to us. We look forward to their participation
in our upcoming Children’s Club activities. a
Story & Photos By Candianne Williams
Times of the Islands Fall 2018 65

around the islands
Opposite page: Three-month-old Lily and her owner came to April’s
Spay Day, sponsored by the Wilcox Family.
Above: One-year-old Crystal and her owner Marlon took advantage
of SNiP’s services in July, 2018.
Making a Cut
New non-profit organization helps control stray animal population.
By Kathy Borsuk ~ Photos Courtesy SNiP
Even though I don’t own a dog or cat, the name “SNiP” (which stands for Spay Neuter Program Inc.) causes
me to cringe a bit in my inner parts. That’s until I remember how important these simple operations are
towards controlling the animal population in the Turks & Caicos Islands. In its first year alone, SNiP conducted
376 surgeries, preventing the birth of a huge number of unwanted puppies and kittens.
Times of the Islands Fall 2018 67

SNiP is one of those serendipitous gatherings of the
right people in the right time and place to do a world
of good. This independent, not-for-profit organization
was launched in early 2017 by a group of volunteers
from other local animal welfare organizations who were
looking for a better, more effective and humane way of
controlling the TCI’s free-roaming animal population.
In the past, free spay/neuter clinics were typically
conducted yearly, attempting to sterilize as many as
275 animals in a week. SNiP Directors Laurie McCann,
Wendy Ayer and Aimee Deziel were involved in these
efforts and, while effective, realized that they required
massive amounts of organization to secure a location
for the surgeries as well as transportation, lodging, food
and supplies for the volunteer veterinarians who traveled
from abroad.
The SNiP directors and many of their volunteers
have also volunteered at Potcake Place for years, where
unwanted animals are brought to be adopted by residents
and visitors. They felt frustration that it was often the
same owners bringing in puppies and refusing to sterilize
their animals. And although Potcake Place is responsible
for the annual adoption of 400 to 500 puppies, statistics
show that one unspayed female dog can produce 12 to
20 puppies in one year. In six years, her offspring can
produce more than 60,000 dogs! This underscored the
importance of starting at the top and sterilizing that one
female.
The need for an ongoing, year-round spay/neuter
program was clear. In early 2017, a new animal wellness
center—Bark & Bliss—opened in Providenciales, a project
backed by SNiP Director Aimee Deziel. Its full-time
veterinary team is led by Dr. Meghann Kruck, whose
experience includes running a low-income animal clinic
in Minneapolis, Minnesota for five years. In fact, Dr.
Meghann’s introduction to the Turks & Caicos came as a
result of her meeting Susan Blehr and volunteering at the
TCSPCA’s spay/neuter clinics. Aimee and Dr. Meghann
readily agreed to set aside time and space in the clinic
for weekly sterilization operations. Twa Marcelin and Wolf
lawyer Erica Krygsman became the fourth director, who
handles all legal matters for the NPO.
How does SNiP operate? Anyone who wants to spay
or neuter their pet, free-of-charge, no questions asked,
can contact SNiP by phone, on Facebook, or via email. A
volunteer will call them back and walk them through the
procedure. Laurie McCann explains, “The owner will drop
off their pet in the morning. The vet team examines the
animal to make sure they are healthy enough for surgery
Happy that the operation went well are Slax and his owner at January’s
Spay Day, sponsored by Turkberry.
and administers a flea/tick pill and for dogs, a distemper/Parvo
vaccine. Once the animal is anesthetized, the
surgery is completed in 15 minutes or less. They can go
home that evening unless they are an outside animal. In
that case, we hold them overnight, providing food, water
and shelter, so they can enjoy full recovery without being
bothered by the weather or other animals.”
Most owners typically only have to wait one to two
weeks maximum for their pet’s operation and, thanks
to sponsors and donations the entire process, including
drugs administered, is free!
One unspayed female dog can produce
12 - 20 puppies in one year
In 6 years her offspring can produce
more than 60,000 dogs
68 www.timespub.tc

Above: Working April’s Spay Day are the Bark & Bliss team and SNiP
volunteers (from left): Dr. Meghann Kruck, Lauren Hofland, Auriol
Lloyd-Wright, Lisa French, Wendy Ayer, Laurie McCann and Pauline
Eden.
Right: Snow is in recovery with her owners in March, 2018.
With June 21, 2018 marking SNiP’s first anniversary,
the group is proud to say that 376 successful
surgeries were performed (259 dogs and 117 cats). Pet
owners came from around Providenciales, with 65% being
Islanders and nearly 1/4 from Blue Hills.
The SNiP board of directors lauds the group’s sponsors.
Some, such as the Gansevoort Turks + Caicos,
sponsor a monthly spay day, which includes the purchase
of all the medicines and supplies. Others, including Villa
Renaissance, donate old sheets and towels and cash.
Some sponsors are condominium owners who are animal
lovers and want to give back to the community they so
much enjoy.
After Hurricanes Irma and Maria hit the TCI in 2017,
14,000 pounds of dog food were donated to feed hungry
animals. As SNiP and other volunteers distributed
the food, they collected 300 names of pet owners who
wanted their animals sterilized. They were pleasantly
surprised, understanding that the Caribbean culture
(especially men) do not always agree with the procedure,
feeling that it undermines an animal’s virility and vitality!
SNiP’s efforts in the settlements also occasionally
cross into animal welfare territory. Laurie recalls going
into Leeward Palms to collect a dog for neutering and
finding another dog with a collar deeply embedded in the
flesh around its throat. Apparently, the owners had put
on the collar when the dog was a puppy but were not able
Please help to provide FREE spay & neuter to the animals of TCI
Free Spay Neuter Program
Times of the Islands Fall 2018 69

to catch it as it grew. Via Facebook, animal lovers pitched
in to help with his medical and ongoing care and his case
kickstarted the formation of SNiP’s Angel Fund, to help
similar pets in need.
Dr. Meghann is a perfect fit for SNiP. Besides being
talented, energetic and bubbling with enthusiasm for animals
and their owners, she has performed nearly 40,000
sterilizations in her career to date. She is excited to be
on-call 24 hours a day and able to provide a continuity
of care to pets in the Bark & Bliss full-service clinic. She
and Veterinary Technician Lauren Hofland have worked
together for many years. Besides their duties on Provo,
they regularly travel to Grand Turk, typically seeing as
many as 25 animals in a six hour day.
Resorts who are SNiP sponsors can take advantage
of a new program for stray cats. It involves setting up an
on-site feeding station, capturing and sterilizing the cats,
then returning them to the resort, where they are likely to
guard their food source and keep other strays away.
Both Laurie and Dr. Meghann are big on client education,
especially to the younger generation. They say, “It’s
important to take care of your pets. Making sure they
have the proper immunizations and treatments early on
will make them happier, healthier and more energetic.
Other pet owners will see the difference. When they are
spayed or neutered, males especially are more even-tempered
and less likely to roam or fight. It’s a win-win
situation.”
Having fewer stray animals improves tourism as well.
Laurie explains, “Many visitors are shocked when they see
free-roaming, skinny, sick, injured or dead animals in the
bush or on the roads. When you sterilize your animal, you
are doing your part to keep TCI ‘Beautiful by Nature.’”
Along with many private donors and a host of
hard-working and much-appreciated volunteers, SNiP corporate
supporters and sponsors to date are: Gansevoort
Turks + Caicos, Turkberry, Grace Bay Resorts, Villa
Renaissance, The Palms, The Sands, The Shore Club,
Tranquility Property Management, Island Bargains and
Save Dog Project. Additional Spay Day sponsorship opportunities
are available, with sponsors recognized through
social media and ongoing radio ads.
For more information, see contact details below. a
June 21, 2018 we celebrated our 1 year anniversary!
During our first year, we provided
376
23%
Blue Hills
69% 31%
FREE Spay & Neuter Surgeries
11%
Grace Bay
9%
Leeward
Leeward Palms
62%
38%
23%
South Dock
Five Cays
Chalk Sound
12%
Long Bay
Thank you to our Donors, Volunteers, Vet Team and pet owners
who participated during our first year.
To donate or learn more visit www.SNIPTCI.com
Free Spay Neuter Program
Spay Day Sponsorship inquiries can be
directed to donate@sniptci.com
70 www.timespub.tc

Speaking of
island pets,
Cake is a new
children’s
book by
Rebecca Crow.
It tells the
story of young
Nikolai, who
travels with
his parents on
a vacation to
the Turks &
Caicos Islands and ends up bringing home a potcake
he finds on the beach by Da Conch Shack. Nikolai and
his parents go to Potcake Place and, as part of their
K9 Rescue program, complete the paperwork and veterinary
examination that allow Cake to travel home
on the plane with Nicolai and his family.
It took a trip to Turks & Caicos in 2009 to inspire
author Rebecca Crow to write her first children’s
book. Cake is based on her family’s actual experience
with a potcake puppy by the same name. Real-life
“Cake” was from a litter of three-week-old puppies
that were left abandoned in a box at the doorstep
of Potcake Place. Through the K9 Rescue program,
Rebecca’s family was able to adopt and bring home
their dream dog.
“Potcakes”—so named because they were traditionally
fed from the remains of rice baked on the
bottom of pots—are considered the Islands’ native
breed. Most have sweet dispositions and loyal hearts,
but often don’t have a place to call home.
The Potcake Place K9 Rescue program was created
to help reduce the number of homeless pets.
They house between 50 and 70 strays and work with
local vets to provide these animals with vaccinations,
deworming and the approval of health tickets
for travel. Arrangements are also made to book an
adopted dog’s plane ride to their new home, to meet
the family at the airport or to arrange a transfer if
the family is not visiting the island. Potcake Place K9
Rescue keeps their doors open only by private donations
and volunteer workers’ generous help.
Rebecca Crow is donating 10% of all proceeds
from the sale of Cake back to Potcake Place K9
Rescue, in thanks for one of the greatest gifts her
family has ever received. a
urgent care • family medicine
URGENT CARE
WALK-IN CLINIC
AND WELLNESS CENTRE
• • •
(649) 941-5252
on site pharmacy
located adjacent graceway gourmet
Focused on the patient
The way medicine should be practiced
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.
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
Times of the Islands Fall 2018 71

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 40,000.
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 from Miami, Charlotte and
New York/JFK. JetBlue Airways offers service from Fort
Lauderdale, Boston and New York/JFK. Southwest Airlines
travels to Fort Lauderdale. Delta Airlines flies from Atlanta
and New York/JFK. WestJet travels from Toronto. Air
Canada offer flights from Toronto. British Airways travels
from London/Gatwick via Antigua.
Bahamasair and InterCaribbean Airways fly to Nassau,
72 www.timespub.tc

Bahamas. Flights to: Antigua; Dominica; Cap Haitien
and Port Au Prince, Haiti; Kingston and Montego Bay,
Jamaica; Miami, Florida; Puerto Plata and Santo Domingo,
Dominican Republic; San Juan, Puerto Rico; St. Lucia; St.
Maarten; Santiago, Cuba; and Tortola are available on
InterCaribbean Airways, while Caicos Express travels to
Cap Haitien daily. (Schedules are current as of September
2018 and subject to change.)
Inter-island service is provided by InterCaribbean
Airways, Caicos Express Airways and Global Airways. Sea
and air freight services operate from Florida.
Language
English.
Time zone
Eastern Standard Time (EST)/Daylight Savings Time
observed.
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
approval in writing from the Commissioner of Police is
strictly forbidden. Spear guns, Hawaiian slings, controlled
drugs, and pornography are also illegal.
Times of the Islands Fall 2018 73

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, motorcycle, 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 Dr. John Freeman. He presides over an executive
council formed by the elected local government.
Lady Sharlene Cartwright-Robinson is the country’s first
woman premier, leading a majority People’s Democratic
Movement (PDM) House of Assembly.
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,
restaurants, vehicle rentals, other services and gasoline,
as well as business license fees and departure taxes.
74 www.timespub.tc

Brew ad May 2017_Layout 1 5/11/17 10:51 AM Page 1
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 once 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.
Turk’s Head Brewery
Brewery Tours Monday-Friday
11AM, 1PM, 3PM
$15/pp
Enjoy a complimentary selection of local craft beer
after your tour!
Email tours@turksheadbeer.com
Call 649.941.3637 x 1005 to book
www.turksheadbrewery.tc
52 Universal Dr.
Providenciales, TCI
TOUR TASTE SHOP
All Natural &
Gluten Free
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
Made with family recipes that date back
centuries, Islander, the original Turks and
Caicos alcoholic ginger beer, is available on
Providenciales at the Graceway Gourmet and
the IGA, as well as local bars and restaurants.
www.islandergingerbeer.com
Times of the Islands Fall 2018 75

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!
Island Auto_Layout 1 12/12/17 12:49 PM Page 1
ISLAND AUTO RENTALS
For Quality & Reliable Service
& Competitive Prices
The Cruise Center, Grand Turk
Neville Adams
Tel: (649) 946-2042
Cell: (649) 232-0933 or (649) 231-4214
Email: nevilleadams@hotmail.com
Providenciales
Levoi Marshall
Cell: (649) 441-6737
Email: levoimarshall86@gmail.com
Web: islandautorentalstci.com
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 18 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 33
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 is
a casino 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
76 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 • • • • • •
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 • • • • • • • • • •
Pelican House – Tel 649 246 6797 • Web www.pelicanhousegrandturk.com 110-130 3 • • • • •
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 • •
Middle Caicos
H
Dragon Cay Resort at Mudjin Harbour – Tel 649 344 4997 • Web www.dragoncayresort.com 325 8 • • • • • • • • •
North Caicos
H
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 • Web www.pelicanbeach.tc 125–165 14 • • • • • • • •
Pine Cay
H
The Meridian Club - Tel 649 946 7758/866 286 7993 • Web www.meridianclub.com 800–1300 13 • • • • • • •
Parrot Cay
H
COMO Parrot Cay Resort & Spa - Tel 649 946 7788/855 PARROTCAY • Web www.parrotcay.com 550–2850 65 • • • • • • • • • •
Providenciales
H
H
H
H
G
H
H
H
H
H
G
H
H
H
H
H
H
H
H
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.aman.com 1000–2100 73 • • • • • • • •
Aquamarine Beach Houses – Tel 649 231 4535/905 556 0278 • www.aquamarinebeachhouses.com 200–850 24 • • • • • • • •
Beaches Resort Villages & Spa – Tel 888-BEACHES/649 946 8000 • Web www.beaches.com 325–390AI 758 • • • • • • • • •
Beach House Turks & Caicos – Tel 649 946 5800 • Web www.beachchousetci.com 532–638 21 • • • • • • • • • •
BE Beach Enclave – Tel 888 434 3981 • Web www.beachenclave.com see web 24 • • • • • • • •
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.caribbeanparadiseinn.com 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 649 941 5497/800 787 9115 • Web www.coralgardensongracebay.com 199-449 32 • • • • • • • • • •
Gansevoort Turks + Caicos – Tel 888 844 5986/649 941 7555 • Web www.gansevoorttc.com 315–720 91 • • • • • • • • • •
Grace Bay Club - Tel 800 946 5757/649 946 5050 • Web www.gracebayclub.com 650–1750 75 • • • • • • • • • •
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 • • • • •
The Inn at Grace Bay – Tel 649 432 8633 • Web www.innatgracebay.com 179–379 48 • • • • • • •
Kokomo Botanical Gardens - Tel 649 941 3121• Web www.aliveandwellresorts.com 169–299 16 • • • • •
Le Vele - Tel 649 941 8800/888 272 4406 • Web www.leveleresort.com 303–630 22 • • • • • • • •
La Vista Azul – Tel 649 946 8522/866 519 9618 • Web www.lvaresort.com 215–375 78 • • • • • • •
The Lodgings – Tel 649 941 8107/242 6722 • Web www.hotelturksandcaicos.com 175–255 15 • • • • • •
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 5880 • Web www.oceanclubresorts.com 180–690 191 • • • • • • • • • •
The Palms Turks & Caicos – Tel 649 946 8666/866 877 7256 • Web thepalmstc.com 595–1700 72 • • • • • • • • • •
Times of the Islands Fall 2018 77

where to stay
H
H
H
H
H
H
H
H
H
H
H
H
H
H
H
H
H
Providenciales (continued)
Pelican Nest Villa – Tel 649 342 5731 • Web www.pelicannest.tc 429–857 2 • • • • • •
Point Grace – Tel 649 946 5096/888 209 5582 • 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 • • • • • • •
Queen Angel Resort – Tel 649 941 8771 • Web www.queenangelresort.com 150–575 56 • • • • • • • • •
Reef Residences at Grace Bay – Tel 800 532 8536 • Web www.reefresidence.com 275-385 24 • • • • • • •
The Regent Grand – Tel 877 288 3206/649 941 7770 • Web www.theregentgrand.com 495–1100 50 • • • • • • • • •
Royal West Indies Resort – Tel 800 332 4203/649 946 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 & Spa – Tel 866 570 7777/649 333 7777 – Web www.sevenstarsgracebay.com 365–2400 165 • • • • • • • • • •
The Shore Club – Tel 649 339 8000 – Web www.theshoreclubtc.com 465–4650 148 • • • • • • • • • •
Sibonné Beach Hotel – Tel 888 570 2861/649 946 5547 • Web www.sibonne.com 110–375 29 • • • • • • • •
The Somerset on Grace Bay – Tel 649 339 5900/888 386 8770 • Web www.thesomerset.com 350–1300 53 • • • • • • • • • •
The Tuscany – Tel 866 359 6466/649 941 4667 • Web www.thetuscanyresort.com 975–1300 30 • • • • • • • •
The Venetian – Tel 877 277 4793/649 941 3512 • Web www.thevenetiangracebay.com 695–1175 27 • • • • • • • •
Villa del Mar – Tel 877 345 4890/649 941 5160 • Web www.yourvilladelmar.com 190–440 42 • • • • • • •
Villa Mani – Tel 649 431 4444 • Web www.villamanitci.com 6500–9500 8 • • • • • • •
Villa Renaissance - Tel 649 431 8899 • Web www.villarenaissancebeachresort.com 295–650 36 • • • • • • • • •
The Villas at Blue Mountain – Tel 649 941 4255 • Web www.villasatbluemountain.com 1200–2500 3 • • • • • • • •
West Bay Club – Tel 855 749 5750/649 946 8550 • Web www.thewestbayclub.com 235–1163 46 • • • • • • • • • •
Windsong – Tel 649 333 7700/800 WINDSONG • Web www.windsongresort.com 275–925 50 • • • • • • • • •
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
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 • • • • • • • •
H
H
H
G
South Caicos
East Bay Resort – Tel 844 260 8328/649 232 6444 • Web eastbayresort.com 198–1775 86 • • • • • • • • • •
Sailrock South Caicos – Tel 800 929 7197 • Web sailrockresortcom 600–800 6 • • • • • • • • •
South Caicos Ocean & Beach Resort – Tel 877 774 5486/649 946 3219
Web southcaicos.oceanandbeachresort.com 120–275 24 • • • • •
Hotel & Tourism Association Member
Green Globe Certified
Rates (listed for doubles) do not include Government Accommodation Tax and Service Charge
classified ads
SCOOTER BOBS_Layout 1 8/8/18 10:57 AM Page GBC2017_Layout 1 2/16/17 9:10 AM Page 1
HertzDollar_Layout 1 2/16/17 12:37 PM Page 1
We’re here to
make your holiday
the island way...
DEPENDABLE VEHICLE HIRE
SERVICE OFFERED:
Provo & North-Middle Caicos
Office: 946-4684
Amos: 441-2667 (after hours)
Yan: 247-6755 (after hours)
Bob: 231-0262 (after hours)
scooterbobs@gmail.com
www.scooterbobstci.com
Grace Bay Road across from Regent Street
Fun Friendly People
Appreciating Your Business!
941-8500
www.gracebaycarrentals.com
649.941.3910 649.946.4864
Call Us.
Whether it’s for the largest variety of
vehicles, or the better prices and
greater service.
www.hertztci.com www.dollarcartci.com
Open 8am to 5pm 7 days.
After hours call
Barry 332.0012 Patrice 332.8602 Sophia 331.9895
78 www.timespub.tc

classified ads
Forbes Classified changes due_Layout 1 8/9/18 Pure 11:51 Bliss_Layout A 1 6/13/18 7:29 AM Page 1
FORBES REALTY TCI
Caicu Naniki_Caicu Naniki classified 8/9/18 12:05 PM Page 1
R e j o u v e n a n c e S p a
“Go Beyond Provo”
Find your dream property on North Caicos,
Middle Caicos, Salt Cay or Pine Cay.
Call or email us today!
15% OFF
All Spa Services
Expires November 30th
649-432-7546
Touch of Bliss_Layout 1 8/9/18 11:59 AM Page 1
rejouvenancespa.com
www.ForbesRealtyTCI.com
Sara Kaufman cell: 1-649-231-4884
Ernest Forbes cell: 1-649-247-7599
info@ForbesRealtyTCI.com
Community Fellowship Centre
EcoSeaSwim_Caicu Naniki
A Life-Changing
classified 8/9/18
Experience
10:58 AM Page 1
Sunday Divine Worship 9 AM
Visitors Welcome!
Tel: 649.941.3484 • Web: cfctci.com
Phone: 649-242-3439 or 649-346-7344
TC Email: Safari_Layout touchofbliss@rocketmail.com
1 8/9/18 3:33 PM Page 1
Newly located at Caribbean Place
PRIVATE TOURS TO
NORTH & MIDDLE CAICOS &
SOUTH CAICOS.
SWIM LESSONS & SWIM SAFARIS.
STAND-UP-PADDLEBOARD
RENTALS & SALES.
5 STAR TRIP ADVISOR RATING
Stop by Swim & Surf Store at
Caicos Cafe Plaza, Grace Bay.
(649) 432-5000
www.caicunaniki.com
Swim Racing in Beautiful
Turquoise Grace Bay
“RACE FOR THE
CONCH”
ECO-SEASWIM
1/2 MILE, 1 MILE
AND 2.4 MILE
EVENTS
JUNE 29,
2019
(649) 432-5000
Fiona_Layout www.ecoseaswim.com
1 6/8/18 12:09 PM Page 1
Vacation Villa Rentals
Joanne Phillips, Turks & Caicos Safari
www.tcsafari.tc
Call: 1-904-491-1415
Email: tcsafari@tciway.tc
Brigitte ad Classified_Brigitte 8/25/17 11:50 AM Page 1
Tangled Hair Salon
Visit Hidden Treasures Boutique
T&C Veterinary_Layout 1 8/9/18 2:02 PM Page 1
Open 6 days per week
Follow us on
for cutting, styling and so much more
Instagram
Call 431 4247 (431 HAIR)
@hiddentreasurestci
PORTS OF CALL PLAZA
www.tangledhairsalonprovidenciales.com
D&Bswift_Layout 1 5/8/18 7:24 AM Page 1
Salt Mills Plaza
Grace Bay
Providenciales
The place
for your
vacation
wear
Skipper_Layout 1 2/16/17 11:36 PM Page 1
Turks & Caicos Veterinary
NEW Hours/Days
Clinic Hours
Monday thru Saturday
9:00am - 12 noon
Vet on duty Mon, Wed, Thur, Sat.
PyrateRadioClassifiedFall2018_Layout
24 Breezy Ridge (649) 946 4353
Caring for your pet as though it
1 8/26/18 1:
were our own since 1981 Email: tcvets@tciway.tc
FOR ALL YOUR
RELIABLE AND
AFFORDABLE
RENTAL NEEDS
649-941-8438 and 649-241-4968
autorental@dnbautoparts.com
Skipper’s
TAXI & TOURS
Lloyd “Skipper” Stubbs
at your service
GATEMAN8@HOTMAIL.COM
PH: 649 241 9959
PROVIDENCIALES,
TURKS & CAICOS ISLANDS
PyrateRadioTCI.com
Streaming at www.PyrateRadioTCI.com
Times of the Islands Fall 2018 79

dining out – providenciales
Amanyara — Amanyara Resort. Tel: 941-8133. Light gourmet
cuisine with menu changing daily. Open 6 to 10 PM.
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 7 AM to 5 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 7:30
AM to 10:30 PM. 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.
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. Indoor or terrace seating above
tropical garden. Open daily from 5:30 PM. Closed Sunday. Lunch
and pizza in the garden. 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. Fresh
local conch and seafood by the beach. Rum, buckets of beer,
live local bands. Open daily from 11 AM to late.
Cabana Beach Bar & Grill — Ocean Club. Tel: 946-5880.
Casual island fare, burgers, salads, snacks. Open daily from
7 AM to 10 PM. Tropical cocktails with a 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.
The Caravel Restaurant — Grace Bay Court. Tel: 941-5330.
Cozy restaurant offering island food with flair; famous for fish
tacos. Full bar. Open daily 5 to 10 PM, closed Thursday.
Chicken Chicken — Times Square, downtown Provo. Fast food,
fried chicken, native fare.
Chinson’s Grill Shack — Leeward Highway. Tel: 941-3533.
The Islands’ best jerk and barbecue, Jamaican pastries. Open
daily 8 AM to 10 PM; Friday to Midnight.
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 from 5:30 PM. Closed Monday. Look for the
Cocovan airstream lounge with garden seating or take-away.
Coconut Grove Restaurant & Lounge — Olympic Plaza,
Downtown. Tel: 247-5610. Casual native fare for residents and
tourists. Cracked conch, conch fritters, fried fish. Pool and game
room. Open daily 11 AM to 10 PM.
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.
Crackpot Kitchen — Ports of Call. Tel: 2313336. Experience
the best of authentic Turks & Caicos and Caribbean cuisines
with local celebrity Chef Nik. Open daily 5 to 10 PM except
Thursday; Happy Hour 5 to 7 PM.
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 — Grace Bay Road. Tel: 946-5921. Traditional
American pub fare; imported draught beers. Open for lunch and
dinner daily from 11 AM. Happy Hour specials. Large screen TVs
for sporting events. Karaoke.
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.
Drift — West Bay Club. Tel: 946-8550. Open-air beachfront dining.
Creatively used local ingredients. Full bar. Open daily.
Dune — Windsong Resort. Tel: 333-7700. Private beachfront
dining with limited availability. Fresh fare prepared to perfection.
Open daily.
El Catador Tapas & Bar — Regent Village. Tel: 244-1134.
Authentic Spanish tapas with a wide mix of cold and hot plates
meant for sharing. Fun and lively atmosphere. Open daily from
5 PM.
Element — LeVele Plaza. Tel: 348-6424. Contemporary, creative
cuisine in an elegant setting. Open for dinner Friday to
Wednesday 6:30 to 10:30 PM.
Fairways Bar & Grill — Provo Golf Club. Tel: 946-5833. Dine
overlooking the “greens.” Open for breakfast and lunch from 7
AM to 4 PM daily; Friday, Saturday and Sunday open until 8 PM.
Great Sunday brunch 9 AM to 3 PM.
Fire & Ice — Blue Haven Resort & Marina. Tel: 946-9900.
Drinks at the Ice Bar, dessert by the fire pits. South Americanmeets-Caribbean
flavors and spices. Open daily 5:30 to 9:30
PM. Closed Wednesday.
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 souse. All-you-can-eat seafood buffet
on Wednesday. Open daily 8 AM to 10 PM. Closed Sunday.
Carry-out available.
Garam Masala — Regent Village. Tel: 941-3292. Authentic
Indian cuisine, tandoori charcoal-oven specialties. Open daily
11:30 AM to 3 PM, 5:30 to 10 PM. Dine-in, take-out or delivery.
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 Sky Lounge & Bar — At the airport. Tel: 946-4472.
Burgers, sandwiches, local food. 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 to 10 PM nightly. Reservations required. Native cuisine night
on Tuesday with live music.
80 www.timespub.tc

Grace Grill — Neptune Plaza. Tel: 332-3663. Simple fare with a
Latin flair. Steaks, burgers, vegetarian. Open daily to 10 PM.
Grill Rouge — Grace Bay Club. Tel: 946-5050. Al fresco bistro.
Diverse menu. Fun cocktails. Open daily for lunch Noon to 3 PM,
dinner to 9 PM.
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. Full bar. A/C dining or outdoors on the
deck. Open daily 7 AM to 9 PM. Pick-up/delivery available.
Infiniti Restaurant & Raw Bar — 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.
Island Raw — Le Petite Plaza. Tel: 346-5371. Vegan lifestyle
kitchen, offering fresh, organic, raw, vegan, gourmet. Open
Friday, Noon to 2 PM.
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.
Jack’s Fountain — Across from Casablanca Casino. Tel: 946-
5225. Seafood, steak, unique specialty items in a lively, relaxed
“beach bar” atmosphere. Open 7 AM to 10 PM daily.
Kalooki’s Grace Bay — Le Vele Plaza. Tel: 941-8388. The perfect
mix of sweet and spicy Caribbean flavors. New location in
Grace Bay. Open daily 11 AM to 10 PM. Closed Thursday.
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 except Tuesday
5:30 to 10 PM.
Las Brisas — Neptune Villas, Chalk Sound. Tel: 946-5306.
Mediterranean/Caribbean cuisine with tapas, wine and full bar.
Terrace and gazebo dining overlooking Chalk Sound. Open daily
8 AM to 10 PM. Take-out available; private parties.
Le Bouchon du Village — Regent Village. Tel: 946-5234. A
taste of Paris. Sidewalk café with sandwiches, salads, tartines,
tapas, dinner specials, wine, cheese, dessert, coffees. Open
daily 11 AM. Closed Sunday.
Le Comptoir Francais — Regent Village. Tel: 946-5234.
French deli, bakery, wine shop. Open daily.
Lemon 2 Go Coffee — Ventura House. Tel: 941-4069.
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 readymade
gourmet meals. Open daily Noon to 3 PM; 6 to 10 PM.
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. Fresh local flavors
and seafood, homemade desserts. Open daily 11 AM to 10 PM.
Set price dinner on weekdays. Waterside deck, indoor or patio
dining. 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, sandwiches, smoothies. Open daily 7 AM to 8 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 Sunset Ridge Hotel (near airport).
Tel: 242-6780. Serving fresh local seafood straight from
the sea. Open daily 10 AM to 10:30 PM, Sunday 3 to 11 PM.
Opus Wine • Bar • Grill — Ocean Club Plaza. Tel: 946-5885.
International menu with Caribbean flair. Fresh seafood. Serving
dinner nightly 6 to 10 PM. Indoor/outdoor dining. Conference
facility, events, catering.
Outback Steakhouse TCI — Regent Village. Unbeatable
steak cuts complemented by chicken, ribs, seafood, and pasta.
Generous portions, moderately priced, casual atmosphere. Open
Monday to Thursday 3 to 11 PM; Friday to Midnight; Saturday 1
PM to Midnight; Sunday 1 to 11 PM.
Parallel23 — The Palms Turks & Caicos. Tel: 946-8666. Pantropical
cuisine in a setting of casual elegance. Boutique wine
list. Al fresco or private dining room available. Open daily 6 to
10:30 PM.
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. Seafood raw bar. Open daily
for breakfast, lunch, dinner; Sunday Prime Rib special.
Pelican Bay Restaurant & Bar — Royal West Indies Resort.
Tel: 941-2365/431-9101. Poolside restaurant and bar with
Caribbean, French and Asian fare. Breakfast, lunch, dinner daily
from 7:30 AM to 10 PM. Special events each week.
Pepper Town Café — Digicel Cinema, #4. Tel: 246-9237.
Native and Caribbean Dishes. Open daily except Sunday 11:30
AM to 7 PM. Island breakfast on Saturday at 7 AM.
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.
Provence — Le Vele Plaza. Tel: 946-4124. Traditional French
artisan-style cuisine. Fresh pasta, gelato, cheeses, charcuterie,
pastries, desserts. Open daily for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Retreat Kitchen Vegetarian Café & Juice Bar — Ports of
Call. Tel: 432-2485. Fresh, organic, vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free
fare. Fresh juices, daily lunch specials. Open for lunch
Monday to Saturday, 9 AM to 3 PM. Delivery available.
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.
Times of the Islands Fall 2018 81

Salt Bar & Grill — Blue Haven Resort & Marina. Tel: 946-9900.
Outdoor seating overlooking the marina. Sandwiches, burgers,
salads, classic bar favorites. Open daily 11:30 AM to 9:30 PM.
Seven — Seven Stars Resort. Tel: 339-7777. Elevated contemporary
cuisine fused with TCI tradition. Open Monday to Saturday,
5:30 to 9:30 PM.
72ºWest — The Palms Turks & Caicos. 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; casual dining. Sports bar/slots. Open
daily from 11 AM to 2 AM.
Shay Café — Le Vele Plaza. Tel: 331-6349. Offering organic
coffees, teas, sandwiches, salads, soup, pastries, gelato, sorbetto,
smoothies, beer and wine. Open daily 7 AM to 7 PM.
Simone’s Bar & Grill — La Vista Azul. Tel: 331-3031. Serving
fresh seafood and local cuisine. Open daily 11 AM to 11 PM;
weekends 7 AM to 11 PM. Popular bar!
Skull Rock Cantina — Ports of Call. Tel: 941-4173. The place
for Tex-Mex; daily drink specials. Open daily, 8 AM to Midnight.
Solana! Restaurant — Ocean Club West. Tel: 946-5254.
Oceanfront dining from sushi to burgers. Teppanyaki and Sushi
Bar, engage with the chefs. Open daily 7:30 AM to 10 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: 232-4444. Modern
Mediterranean cuisine featuring fresh fish and seafood. Open 6
to 10 PM daily, until 2 AM on Friday with DJ.
Sui-Ren — The Shore Club. Tel: 339-8000. Inspired flavors of
Peruvian-Japanese fusion cuisine with fresh seafood and organic
produce in a unique setting. Open 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.
Tiki Hut Island Eatery — Dockside at Turtle Cove Inn. Tel:
941-5341. Imaginative sandwiches, salads, seafood, Black
Angus beef, pasta, pizzas, fish. Open daily 11 AM to 10 PM.
Turkberry Frozen Yogurt — The Saltmills. Tel: 431-2233.
Frozen yogurt in a variety of flavors, with a large selection of
toppings. Custom donut bar. 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. Open from 5:30 PM to
late. Closed Thursday. Saturday is Pizza Night!
The Vix Bar & Grill — Regent Village. Tel: 941-4144. Highend,
island-inspired world cuisine, fine wines. Open daily for
breakfast, lunch and dinner. Available for meetings.
Yoshi’s Sushi & Grill — The Saltmills. Tel: 941-3374/431-
0012. Sushi bar menu plus Japanese cuisine. Open daily Noon
to 3 PM; 6 to 10 PM. Closed Sunday. Dine indoors or out. Carry
out available.
Zest! — Gansevoort Turks + Caicos. Tel: 232-4444. Lunch and
dinner beachfront. Taste of the Caribbean and Americas. Open
daily Noon to 5 PM; 6 to 9 PM. Fisherman’s night Wednesday. a
subscription form
VISIT WWW.TIMESPUB.TC TO VIEW CURRENT ISSUE ON-LINE!
TIMES
OF THE
ISLANDS
SAMPLING THE SOUL OF THE TURKS & CAICOS ISLANDS
One year subscription
$28 U.S. addresses/$32 non-U.S. addresses
Name____________________________________________________________________
Date ____________________
Address__________________________________________________________________
City _____________________________________________________________________
State/Province____________________________________________________________
Country/Postal Code_____________________________________________________
E-mail address (not required)_____________________________________________
r New Subscription r Renewal
r U.S. Cheque/M.O. enclosed
Mail with payment to:
Times Publications Ltd., c/o Kathy Borsuk,
247 Holmes Ave., Clarendon Hills, IL 60514
Please allow 30 to 60 days for delivery of first issue.
82 www.timespub.tc

MEET OUR NEWEST INNOVATION
We are driving towards an exciting energy future!
FortisTCI proudly introduces our Nissan Leaf Electric Vehicle (EV) and Charging Station. . .a pilot project to
support our environmentally sustainable energy solutions for the Turks and Caicos Islands.
To learn more about this EV pilot project and our renewable energy programs, email us at:
renewableenergy@fortistci.com
2017 Winner
Allied Member of the Year
www.fortistci.com | 649-946-4313

LIVE BEACHFRONT
The Villas At
Grace Bay Club
MLS 1800162
We all have dreams, and they are as vast and varied as the world is wide. But they all start with
inspiration, and inspiration starts with your surroundings. That’s what home is.
Family. Friends. A sense of place. An amazing view.
It’s all part of what makes a space a home, because your home is where you truly LIVE.
THE FINEST COLLECTION
Condominium | Home & Villa | Land | New Development
649.946.4474 | info@tcsothebysrealty.com | turksandcaicosSIR.com
Venture House, Grace Bay | Resort Locations: Grace Bay Club, The Palms, The Shore Club
Each Sotheby’s International Realty® office is independently owned and operated.