Times of the Islands Summer 2022

That thought would stay with me right up until 2020.
I was having coffee with Mandy Dakin, the TCI Governor’s
wife, when she mentioned that she was relaunching the
FOOTSTEPS 4 GOOD charity event. This was started by the
former governor’s wife Jill Beckingham in 2014 and consisted
of multiple charity walks on various Turks & Caicos
Islands. What better idea than to link all these walks by
undertaking the first-ever circumnavigation of the entire
TCI chain?
So a plan that would eventually go down in history was
born. We spent the next few months not only training for
what would be an arduous physical challenge, but reaching
out to various vendors, suppliers, supporters, and
local charities to see not only who could assist, but who
could benefit from this event.
Our first major decision was how to cross the Turks
Island Passage, a 25-mile-wide stretch of rough, open
ocean that separates the Caicos Islands from Grand Turk
& Salt Cay. It is frequented by cruise ships and migrating
whales. Kayaking was the obvious choice but we felt
something more original was called for. We contacted a
UK company that makes boats for Atlantic crossings and
we managed to secure a two-man ocean row boat, delivered
from the UK.
Over the summer of 2021, we spent time jumping
between fund-raising, registering applicants, training
(walking and rowing), planning, kit purchases etc. and
it seemed our start date of December 2021 was looming
ever closer. And it soon arrived . . .
Day one
We had agreed that in order to complete an entire island
circuit, we should start and finish in the same place. As
this was to be a community event, we chose the Bight
Park. And so it was, at 5:30 AM on December 4, 2021,
Mandy Dakin, her son Fraser, I, and dozens of volunteers,
walkers, runners, and cyclists, set off on the first stage to
Leeward, some six miles in total.
It was a party atmosphere as we arrived at Leeward
Beach, where My Time Tours had arranged for the few
of us who would kayak over to Little Water Cay. Once
landfall was made, we bid farewell to those hardy souls
who had accompanied us and the three of us set off once
more.
It was tough going along the beaches and cliff tops of
Water Cay and onto Pine Cay, and after a short break, we
set off on our first “swim” over to Fort George Cay. For
this we used a small inflatable in which we stored our
packs, while we swam alongside.
It was a repeat of land and water crossings as we made
our way to Dellis Cay and onto our first night stop at
Parrot Cay.
Day two
After enjoying the luxury of Parrot Cay, it was a sunrise
paddle over to Bellefield Landing where we are joined by
North Caicos walkers, members of the TCI Cycling Club
and numerous Provo Road Runners, who would be joining
us for the first FOOTSTEPS 4 GOOD Community walk. Our
Mandy and John prepare to launch the UK-made, two-man ocean row boat that was used for longer crossings.
44 www.timespub.tc