Times of the Islands Fall 2022

TIMES
OF THE
SAMPLING THE SOUL OF THE TURKS & CAICOS ISLANDS FALL 2022 NO. 140
JUNKANOO!
A joyful island celebration
TCI TECH
Becoming a “Silicon Island”
ARC
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contents
Departments
6 From the Editor
17 Getting to Know
Ask Naqqi
By Jody Rathgeb
21 Back in the Day
Today, Yesterday, and Today
By Shelagh Barrington
24 Talking Taíno
King Cotton
By Bill Keegan and Betsy Carlson
30 Book Review
Hope is Alive: Ocean Country
By Diane Taylor with Liz Cunningham
45 Faces & Places
Race for the Conch 2022
62 Real Estate
Arc at South Bank
By Kathy Borsuk ~
Images courtesy Windward
77 About the Islands/TCI Map
81 Subscription Form
82 Classified Ads
Features
46 TCI Junkanoo Museum
By Abigail Parnell
52 TCI Tech
By Ben Stubenberg
Green Pages
38 Surviving the Storm
By Heidi Hertler, John Debuysser,
Autumn Zwiernik, Katie Tanner, Alyssa Landi,
Hayley Newman, and Morgan Rose, SFS
43 Farming Coral on Land
By Don Stark and Alizee Zimmermann, TCRF
TIMES
OF THE
SAMPLING THE SOUL OF THE TURKS & CAICOS ISLANDS FALL 2022 NO. 140
ISLANDS
On the Cover
Master Photographers James Roy and Christine Morden
of Paradise Photography (www.MyParadisePhoto.com)
are always on the lookout to capture colorful slices of
life in the Turks & Caicos Islands. This Junkanoo dancer
was participating in the annual Maskanoo celebration on
Boxing Day.
Just as we went to press on September 8, 2022, Queen
Elizabeth II, the UK’s longest-serving monarch, died at
age 96 after reigning for 70 years. Her loss will be deeply
felt throughout the country and the Commonwealth, and
by countless people around the world. Rest in peace.
17
Astrolabe
67 Investigating the Clues
The Origins of Junkanoo, Part 2
By Christopher Davis, Alex Kwofie,
Angelique McKay, and Michael P. Pateman
71 A Short Life
Captain Edward Lighbourn
Story & Images By Antoinette Lightbourn Butz
MARTA MORTON—WWW.HARBOURCLUBVILLAS.COM
4 www.timespub.tc

Turks and Caicos Property
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Caicos Islands. Located just a short walk from the beach and amenities, the exclusive development is composed of 17 custom-built
townhomes each with three bedrooms and three and a half bathrooms. The impressive units are 3 levels and feature approximately
2,100 sq ft. of stylish interior and exterior living space that offer views of the landscaped gardens, communal pool, and ocean views
from the upper levels. These upmarket Turks and Caicos homes are ideal for purchasers looking to buy a well priced three-bedroom
property in a highly sought-after vacation destination. Contact Bernadette Hunt for pricing and further information on ownership.
Bernadette Hunt
Exclusive Listing Agent
Cell ~ 649 231 4029 | Tel ~ 649 941 3361
Bernadette@TurksAndCaicosProperty.com

from the editor
SHUTTERSTOCK
Innovation comes when smart, opinionated people from all backgrounds come together to mingle and share ideas.
Innovation: A Key to Survival
I was so invigorated by Ben Stubenberg’s thought-provoking article, “TCI Tech: A Silicon Island in the Making?” What
a fresh approach to TCI’s future — a vision beyond sun, sand, and sea! I especially connected with the idea that the
Turks & Caicos Islands are one of those special places with the “mysterious alchemy that brings together smart, cocky
people with the confidence and hunger to change the way we think and live.”
Not surprisingly, this isn’t something new. Innovation has been the key to survival for all of the country’s inhabitants,
whether human, fauna, or flora. Consider the Taíno Indians who managed to find a way to weave fabric from
wild cotton. Or the Islanders of generations past, who had to eke out a living through farming, fishing, and ocean
trade after being left behind when the cotton plantations on which they were enslaved failed. Even the coral reefs
must be resilient (with help from mankind) to adapt to disease and climate change.
The practice of Islanders gathering to debate ideas — sometimes rather forcefully! — is also nothing new. Many
a shady spot, often beneath the branches of a large tree, is usually the occasion for a hot debate on the topic of the
day. It’s exciting to imagine what can result when you stir in a global mix of expatriates and visitors, bringing their
unique experiences to the table.
I’m always gratified when this magazine can highlight people who are thinking, acting, encouraging, creating
“above and beyond.” See Liz Cunningham’s ideas for “engaged hope” among communities, the Reef Fund’s new coral
nursery, and South Bank’s iconic “suspended private villas.” Innovation is alive and well!
Kathy Borsuk, Editor
timespub@tciway.tc • (649) 431-4788
6 www.timespub.tc

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transparent, and ‘no-pressure’ sales experience in helping you select
the best vehicle to suit your needs. We offer a selection of vehicles for
every budget, taste, or preference. We also provide fleet purchases and
company service packages.
Our relationship does not end at purchase. The Parts Department stocks a large
selection of genuine GM OEM Parts for purchase. We are proud of our factorytrained
certified technicians and state-of-the-art Service Center, equipped with
the newest diagnostic equipment. You can trust us to take good care of your car
irrespective of the brand, at a very competitive price. Butterfield Motors strives to
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TIMES
OF THE
ISLANDS
MANAGING EDITOR
Kathy Borsuk
ADVERTISING MANAGER
Claire Parrish
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
Shelagh Barrington, Kathy Borsuk,
Antoinette Lightbourn Butz, Dr. Betsy Carlson,
Liz Cunningham, Christopher Davis, John Debuysser,
Heidi Hertler, Dr. Bill Keegan, Alex Kwofie, Alyssa Landi,
Angelique McKay, Hayley Newman, Abigail Parnell,
Dr. Michael P. Pateman, Jody Rathgeb, Morgan Rose,
Don Stark, Ben Stubenberg, Katie Tanner, Diane Taylor,
Lisa Turnbow-Talbot, Alizee Zimmermann,
Autumn Zwiernik.
TMW2022.qxp_Layout 1 3/2/22 3:41 PM Page 1
TRUST INTEGRITY
EXPERIENCE
Serving international & domestic clients
in real estate, property development, mortgages,
corporate matters, commercial matters,
immigration, and more.
CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS
Samuel Baidoo, Shelagh Barrington, Sean Bassett,
Virginia Brea, Antoinette Lightbourn Butz, Liz Cunningham,
Heidi Hertler, Dr. Bill Keegan, Agile LeVin, Wes Matweyew,
Christine Morden/James Roy–Paradise Photography,
Marta Morton, Niall O’Mahony, Dodley Prosper,
Frank Quayson, Tom Rathgeb, Dr. Michael P. Pateman,
Shutterstock, Clarence Stringer, Ben Stubenberg,
Lisa Turnbow-Talbot, Turks & Caicos National Museum,
Turks & Caicos Reef Fund, Windward, Alizee Zimmermann.
CONTRIBUTING ARTISTS
Rasheed Demeritte, Wavey Line Publishing.
PRINTING
PF Solutions, Miami, FL
Times of the Islands ISSN 1017-6853 is
published quarterly by Times Publications Ltd.
Copyright © 2022 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
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Submissions We welcome submission of articles or photography, but
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While every care has been taken in the compilation and reproduction of
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TELEPHONE 649.946.4261 | TMW@TMWLAW.TC
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16 www.timespub.tc

getting to know
TOM RATHGEB
Naqqi is most comfortable in the TCI bush, examining
plants and explaining what they are and their
various uses.
Ask Naqqi
In-the-field botanist also fields questions.
By Jody Rathgeb ~ Naqqi Photos By Tom Rathgeb
Let’s say you’re outside, poking around the yard, and you encounter a bug you’ve never seen before.
It’s sort of spidery, but with hairy pinchers and some long things that might be antennae. What is it? What
do you do? Well, you might fetch a field guide and try to match a photo to your mystery insect. Or you
might take a photo and try to find out what it is in an identification app such as Picture Insect or Bug Finder.
But if you’re on North Caicos or Providenciales, you’re most likely to snap a photo, log into Facebook and
ask Naqqi.
Times of the Islands Fall 2022 17

B Naqqi Manco, Assistant Director of Research and Development at
the TCI Department of Environment & Coastal Resources, has an informal
voluntary side gig answering residents’ questions about plants
and animals they find in their yards. He also works on mentoring
younger DECR staff to learn the plants. In this case, he is helping
Terrestrial Ecologist Dodley Prosper key out Inagua Encyclia orchid
Encyclia inaguensis.
The “askee” of this informal Q&A is B Naqqi Manco,
a botanist and assistant director of research and development
at the Turks & Caicos Islands Department of
Environment and Coastal Resources. Answering questions
online about native plants, creepy-crawlies, and snakes is
not part of his job, but he gladly responds to the curious
and (sometimes) panicked in the name of sharing
knowledge and quelling fear. “I get questions about two
or three times a week, sometimes more,” he says. “Not
just for the Turks & Caicos. People send them to me from
all over the world. Most of the time I can give them a
family (a category in the scientific classification of plants
and animals), but sometimes I’m just looking at a bunch
of green leaves.”
He notes that he’s on more solid ground when
responding to things found in the Turks & Caicos Islands.
Naqqi is certainly uniquely qualified: He began visiting
TCI when his mother moved to Grand Turk when he was
young; he pursued biological studies at university in the
United States; and he has lived and worked in the Islands
since 2000. His work here has honed his knowledge, and
he continues to be doggedly curious about anything that
pops up in the bush or someone’s yard.
A human app
One reason he readily responds to questions is that he
has seen the limitations of computer apps that purport
to identify plants and animals. “Apps are restricted to a
geographical database and your camera,” he says. Most
of them don’t cover the Turks & Caicos. Then there is the
matter of accuracy. “There are a lot of plants that can only
be identified by dissection,” Naqqi notes. “There’s a plant
here called Stipitate Dog-Strangle. It’s a milkweed vine
that looks exactly like Northrop’s Dog-Strangle. In order
to properly ID it, you have to dissect the flower. An app
can’t tell you that.”
Okay, the average TCI homeowner might not care
which kind of dog-strangle he/she has, but you get the
idea that Naqqi cares more about a true ID than your
average app. Plus, he can recommend how to nurture a
native or kill an invader, and he will plead the case for
harmless but scary critters. “I like the panicky questions,”
he says, “The ‘OMG, WTF is this?’ posts.”
While a person might get a sting, rash, or bite in the
TCI bush, there isn’t anything truly dangerous, so Naqqi
uses these questions as an opportunity to teach people
about the value of our diversity and some environmental
laissez-faire. The only times he becomes annoyed by
questioners is when they have already destroyed something—a
harmless snake, mosquito-eating insect—out of
fear.
Plant blindness
Mostly, though, he’s happy that people are curious and
ask their questions, particularly about plants. It helps,
he says, to combat “plant blindness.” He says, “Our society
is such that plants are a backdrop for most people.”
They don’t notice them until they encounter something
unusual. “I don’t have plant blindness.”
He never did. Naqqi says that when he was a kid, “My
parents tried to get me into normal things, like sports,”
but he was always the odd one, distracted by birds when
Opposite page: These are just a few of the hundreds of plant and
animal images identified by Naqqi on Marta Morton’s Facebook page
in the Album “Plants, Bugs and Assorted Unknowns.”
Left to right from top: Nymphs of giant mesquite bug Sphictyrtus
chryseis; Tomato hornworm Manduca sp.; Cuban treefrog Osteopilus
septentrionalis; Southern Bahamas bark anole Anolis scriptus; Schaus
swallowtail Heraclides aristodemus bjorndali; Mexican monkey fiddle
Euphorbia tithymaloides; Bird cherry Crossopetalum rhacoma; Leaffooted
bug Leptoglossus; Tersa sphinx moth Xylophanes tersa.
DODLEY PROSPER
18 www.timespub.tc

Times of the Islands Fall 2022 19
MARTA MORTON — WWW.HARBOURCLUBVILLAS.COM

he was supposed to be playing soccer or gathering frog
eggs from puddles on the pitch to save them.
Thanks to a “brilliant” botany professor under whom
he studied at Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania,
Naqqi narrowed his interests to plants, and he worked in
the university’s greenhouse while studying English and
Biology. Yet his first job after his schooling, in 1999, was
with animals: He served in the education department at
the Pittsburgh (Pennsylvania) Zoo.
Looking for warmth
While he liked the job, he hated the northern weather.
After his door glazed shut during a winter storm, he
decided to visit his mother, Pat Saxton, who was then in
Grand Turk. During the visit he happened into a job with
the TCI National Trust and became its Darwin Initiative
project officer in 2000. Ten years later he moved into
project contracts for the DECR, and in 2016 he was taken
on as a civil servant.
Early in his TCI career, he was able to complete
an advanced diploma in Herbarium Techniques and
Management at Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew in London.
He didn’t quite expect that his 22 years studying the
TCI bush would also provide an unpaid side gig as “Ask
Naqqi,” but here he is.
Back and forth
Naqqi admits that answering others’ questions isn’t a
one-way transaction. The questioners act as his eyes and
ears throughout the Islands, enhancing his continuing
research and spurring him into learning more. He constantly
encounters surprises and exciting discoveries.
For example, one Sandy Point resident showed Naqqi
an orchid he found, and the botanist identified it as
Chinese Crown Orchid. Although it is similar to a native
TCI orchid, this one had apparently arrived in a shipment
of landscape mulch from Florida. “That it could even be
there was a surprise!” he says.
Another example: After Hurricanes Irma and Maria,
Naqqi began getting reports and photos of Scaly-naped
Pigeons. While similar to TCI’s White-crowned Pigeons,
these “probably blew in from Puerto Rico. They hung
around for about two years, then left.” Such reports are
valuable in biological research.
Research behind the answers
While Naqqi can answer most of the plant questions, and
those about the more common insects/spiders, from his
own knowledge, he does consult others and do research.
A rose by any other name
Those who wonder why Naqqi nearly always starts his
answers with the scientific name of the plant/animal
in question haven’t “walked a mile in his shoes.” The
botanist has been around the Turks & Caicos long
enough to know that common local names can be
misleading.
“I always have to remember where I am for the
common name,” he says, explaining that some plants
have multiple names depending upon where they’re
found.Tradescantia spathacea, for example, is called
oyster plant, Moses-in-the-boat, Moses-in-the-cradle,
and boatlily in various locations. In Lorimers, Middle
Caicos, what most call rosy periwinkles are tulips. In
Kew, North Caicos, any flower is a rose.
“And then the Bahamians have their own names,”
he says. He often asks an associate, “What’s that
called in Haiti?” It’s almost never the same name.
Best to stick with science. a
“I have a spider person (Dr. Sarah Crews) and a bug person
(Dodly Prosper),” he says, and he maintains a good
relationship with the botanists at Royal Botanic Garden,
Kew, England. His primary resource is Correll’s 1982
Flora of the Bahama Archipelago, a thick book that is
now out of print, and he supplements that with online
research.
None of these underpinnings is evident when the
Facebook query arrives. “What ARE these things?” is more
likely to get a matter-of-fact response: “Yellow-banded
millipede, Anadenobolus monilicornis. Originally from
South America, now established in Florida, and introduced
to TCI on imported plants and mulch. They’re
completely harmless, can’t bite or sting, but they can
smell bad if they’re disturbed. They just eat rotting vegetable
matter and seek out moist places to live, but will
climb walls during rain so they don’t drown.”
Naqqi is a trusted resource more accurate than any
app. Just ask Naqqi. a
Editor's note: Longtime readers of Times of the Islands
will recall countless fascinating, illustrated articles about
the TCI's flora and fauna penned by Naqqi over the years.
His vast knowledge, English major, and quirky sense of
humor all combine to make his compositions not only
educational, but fun to read. Thank you Naqqi!
20 www.timespub.tc

ack in the day
SHELAGH BARRINGTON
Today, Yesterday, and Today
Looking back at life on the Islands “back in the day.”
By Shelagh Barrington
Clockwise from top: The Third Turtle Inn was the TCI’s first hotel,
built in 1967. These are the ruins of the hotel, in spite of plans over
the years to rebuild the property.
Kat and Mike docked their trimaran Minx in Turtle Cove to get its
bottom scrubbed!
Shelagh Barrington is Kathi Barrington’s older sister. Kathi was editor of Times of the Islands from 1990
to 1993. On a recent visit to Providenciales, she had occasion to reminisce on those early golden days in
the sun.
TURKS & CAICOS NATIONAL MUSUEM COLLECTION SHELAGH BARRINGTON
Times of the Islands Fall 2022 21

Today . . .
It’s time for lunch. After a little local shopping along
Leeward Highway, we take the roundabout at Suzy Turn
and go down the road that leads us to the water and
Turtle Cove.
Yesterday . . .
In 1985, when Kat and Mike first sailed Minx, their
41-foot trimaran, into the Turks & Caicos Islands, destination
Providenciales, they anchored in a deserted marina
development at Leeward Going Through on the northeast
end of the island. George and I arrived in 1986, loaded
with supplies from the “real world,” for a two-week visit
aboard Minx.
Life on a subtropical, sunny island sounds idyllic. In
reality, it’s not that easy. Supplies must be rowed in from
shore; the dog must be rowed to and fro for daily walks—
friends and visitors too. Suntan, their German Shepherd
pup, had to be taught to bark at visitors arriving in their
own dinghies.
Mike and Kat fetched their food, booze, water, and fuel
in a tiny refashioned two seater Citroen, with a ghastly
green wooden body. It lacked doors, roof, and windshield.
Almost everything was imported and stock was
never consistent. Fortunately their friends at the Conch
Farm had a truck, which they generously shared, to collect
sporadic visitors from the tiny Provo airport which
had just extended its runway to accommodate jets flying
in guests to the brand new Club Med, which opened in
late 1984.
The supplies George and I brought in our luggage
included necessities not available on island: Bandaids,
underwear, dog treats, books, and Cryovac-sealed meat.
The meat was stored in Minx’s ice chest, along with a box
of chocolate Skor bars. The hoarded and allotted chocolate
bars became the new tradition of shared chocolate
for dessert.
Kat introduced us to cracked conch with peas ‘n” rice;
Mike made Johnny Cake for breakfast. We often shared
our evening meals—Mike’s catch of the day and Kathi’s
rice—with our other boating friends, Anka and Alain. This
French couple, who ran dive excursions for Club Med and
lived aboard the boat they ran, docked each night at the
closed Leeward marina. The Club supplied them with
more than ample food each night, and several bottles of
wine. They shared this bountiful surplus most nights. “Un
peu de vin blanc” became our motto.
Everything was an adventure. We rowed or dragged
Minx’s dinghy through the shallow channels in the
mangroves to see baby sharks and tiny fish that would
eventually populate the surrounding ocean. We joined
Mike and a friend who had a small motorboat to check
out the channels between the cays, looking for conch and
lobster, which Mike was becoming adept at spearing with
a Hawaiian sling.
On one snorkeling expedition we inadvertently invaded
the territory of a very large barracuda who, protesting the
occupation of his fishing grounds, circled the boat. When
we returned to the dinghy with lobsters and spied this
monster, George, activated by a rush of adrenaline, lifted
me straight out of the water and into the boat, a feat he
has never replicated. We also explored one of the nearby
cays to visit the rare local iguanas, which we fed stale
Club Med baguettes. (We know better now.)
When really, really, necessary we did laundry. We filled
the lone washing machine sitting in the tiny abandoned
washhouse with a hose. After the single-wash cycle, Kat
and I spread the hand-wrung laundry on the lines of an
embarrassed Minx to dry in the sun.
One afternoon we took the wooden car on a magical
mystery tour, over what were barely tracks, to the
newly established Conch Farm. Here, raising conch from
eggs was to become a fraught-with-drama, short-lived
island industry. We were met by and toured the facility
with marine biologist Megan. She and her partner Gary,
a sailor, boat builder and long-time friend of Mike’s, was
the operations manager at the farm. They also lived in
Leeward, on an amazing houseboat that Gary, Mike, and
various transient boaters built and launched there.
We often played euchre late into the evening. There
was light and music (when the batteries were charged)
and the sky was always filled with stars. On one dark
evening, after a full moon, we were startled by countless
phosphorescent green sparkles in the water, that
we would eventually learn were mating glowworms. And
when it was time for lights out, we were serenaded by the
soft crackle of shrimp as Minx rocked us to sleep.
During that first visit in 1986, Mike decided that
Minx’s bottom needed a scrubbing. We sailed her, inside
the reef, to protected Turtle Cove to get that done.
In the early days, Turtle Cove was the heart of
Providenciales. This was where the transient yachters,
who helped fuel the island economy, came in for safe
harbour, to effect repairs and restock on their way to the
Caribbean or South America. Deep-sea fishing diehards
were attracted to these pristine waters and the small
waterfront hotel, The Third Turtle Inn, served as the
meeting place for locals and imports alike.
22 www.timespub.tc

Overlooking the cove, The Third Turtle Inn served as the meeting
place for locals and imports alike from the time it was built in the
late 1960s.
TURKS & CAICOS NATIONAL MUSUEM COLLECTION
If you needed something, this was where you met, (at
happy hour), to find whomever could get it for you. Where
can I find someone to repair a sail or re-cover my weathered
cushions? Answer: See Barb or Faye, transplanted
Canadians, at Sew What. Or, where can I find someone to
repair my damaged boat or make a part for me? Answer:
See Mike. This was the genesis of Mike’s boat repair, rigging,
and eventually, welding business, Osprey Marine
Services. He was one of a handful of people who were the
“go-to” guys for fix-anything advice.
Pardon me, I digress . . . back to the sail to Turtle Cove.
This was Minx’s first sail down the coast, inside the reef,
and the route to and into Turtle Cove was not marked.
Mike is now a master at reading the local waters, but
that first trip was nerve wracking because the newbies
on board were not much help (except for moral support)
and because Kat and Mike were sailing their home, once
again, through unknown, coral head studded waters.
Obviously, they made it and safely anchored in the
middle of Turtle Cove. We met Brad and Debbie, who were
running the little marina, and who became fast friends.
To celebrate the brave sailors, we all got gussied up and
rowed over to the small—and only—fancy restaurant, the
now long-defunct Third Turtle Inn. I can’t remember what
we had for dinner, but it was delicious, and the treat for
all of us was that others did the cooking and clean up.
Today . . . February 2022
All these memories come flooding back as we walk the
docks around Turtle Cove, which has been transformed.
Where Minx once anchored, the Pond has been filled to
create a large spit lined with docks, some a tad dilapidated.
Turtle Cove Marina is small, but definitely a going
concern. A new boutique hotel, Zenza, has opened beside
the Sharkbite, and where the Turtle Cove Inn stood for
many years, another small condo is under construction.
Mango Reef Restaurant, which seats 200, is a lovely spot
on the water for lunch or dinner. We decide to lunch
there, joining locals and yachters.
The food is good and well priced, but we look across
at what now appears like ancient stone ruins of The Third
Turtle Inn and remember when it was one of a handful of
places to stay on Providenciales. So much has changed,
yet our memories remain.
Some may say that Turtle Cove, the heart of the island,
has been upstaged by the glitz and glamour of Grace
Bay, where countless condo resorts and a 12-story Ritz
Carlton now shadow that magnificent beach. But the
Cove remains the most popular hangout for long-time
residents and visitors. For good reason. It’s like coming
home. a
Times of the Islands Fall 2022 23

MARTA MORTON — WWW.HARBOURCLUBVILLAS.COM

talking taíno
Opposite page: Cotton plants continue to grow wild throughout the Caicos Islands. The flowering shrub produces leathery fruits (called bolls)
encasing fibrous lint and sticky black seeds.
Above: These cotton plants are growing at the Wade’s Green Plantation near Kew, North Caicos. It is the best-preserved historical agricultural
site in the Turks & Caicos Islands.
BILL KEEGAN
King Cotton
The fabric of our lives.
By Bill Keegan and Betsy Carlson
Competition had grown fierce. A burgeoning fitness industry in the 1980s had embraced man-made
fabrics to the point where DuPont Corporation could not meet demand for its trademarked product
— Spandex. In response, Cotton Incorporated recognized the need to remind consumers that cotton
products are soft, durable, and perhaps most important, natural. On Thanksgiving Day 1989, they introduced
a new advertising campaign touting cotton as “the fabric of our lives.” So what do we know about
this plant that that has played such a central role in human life for 6,000 years?
Times of the Islands Fall 2022 25

Cotton is a member of the mallow family of plants
(Malvaceae). The name is of Arabic origin, owing to its
historic introduction to Europe from North Africa. It
grows as a shrub that produces leathery fruits (called
bolls) encasing fibrous lint and sticky black seeds. It first
appeared about five to ten million years ago, and is native
to tropical and subtropical regions of both the Old and
New Worlds.
Over 50 different cotton varieties are recognized
(genus Gossypium), although only four species produce
spinnable fibers. Remarkably, human cultivation of cotton
began independently and at approximately the same time
on both sides of the globe. The two cultivated species
of American cotton are traced to Pacific coast Chile/Peru
and to Central America/Mexico. Their long-staple fibers
are up to two inches in length, making them superior in
workability and quality. Cotton fabric has been found at
archaeological sites in Peru (and possibly Mexico), dated
to around 4,000 BC.
The prehistoric presence of cotton in the Caribbean
has been directly documented from the recovery of seeds
in the late prehistoric site of Tutu on St. Thomas (USVI).
The two Old World species were native to the Indus River
Valley (Pakistan) and sub-Saharan Africa. Cotton fabric
has been found in archaeological sites in India also dated
to around 4,000 BC. Old World cottons have shorter fibers
(“short-staple”), typically less than one inch in length. The
fibers break apart more easily, are more brittle due to a
lower moisture content. They produce a coarser fabric.
We tend to think of cotton as white. Actually, white
is the product of selective breeding aimed at obtaining a
more easily bleached and dyed thread. One species (G.
barbadense) naturally occurs in shades of brown, green,
yellow, red, and light purple. Fishermen in Peru reportedly
prefer chocolate-brown varieties to produce camouflaged
fishing nets. Natural colors and dyed threads were combined
to produce the elaborate textiles of the ancient
Americas. The major advance in selective breeding was
the synchronization of flowering and fruiting in a single
season. This “annual habit” facilitated the harvesting of
entire fields at the same time, which when cultivated at
industrial scale required substantial numbers of field
hands. To a large degree, slavery was the tragic outcome
of profit-driven cotton production.
Christopher Columbus was the first European to
encounter American cotton (called sarobey by the
Taínos). He was offered balls of cotton thread everywhere
he stopped in the Lucayan Islands. In one case he saw 16
SHUTTERSTOCK
The Plantation Period occurred across the “Grand Caicos” (East, Middle, North, and Providenciales) from 1789 to 1820. For a very short time,
Loyalist plantations produced large quantities of raw cotton and substantial profits. They did so at enormous cost to the enslaved Africans
who worked the land.
26 www.timespub.tc

Above: Although producing cotton thread is both time and labor intensive, Christopher Columbus was offered balls of cotton thread everywhere
he stopped in the Lucayan Islands. Below right: The only extant example of a cotton reliquary was radiocarbon dated to A.D. 1439–1624.
It is understood to have been found in a cave west of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic at some point prior to 1891. It currently is housed
in the Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography, University of Turin, Italy.
balls of thread that he estimated to weigh more than an
arroba (about 25 lbs.). Because the Lucayans went naked
(except for married women who wore a small cotton
skirt), it is possible the cotton was grown in these islands
to trade with the larger Taíno communities in Cuba
and Hispaniola. On the north coast of Cuba, Columbus
encountered only fishing villages where he observed
nets and hammocks (hamaca in Taíno) made of cotton.
Larger settlements were located on the hillsides above
the coast. Columbus sent two emissaries inland to visit
a large village. They reported seeing “a large quantity of
cotton collected and spun and worked”; and in a single
house they had seen “more than 500 arrobas”, and that
“one might get there each year 4,000 quintales” (almost
200 tons). Columbus noted, “Cotton appeared to grow
naturally, uncultivated, and I believe that they have cotton
to pick in all seasons because I saw open pods, and others
opening and flowers, all on one tree.” He immediately
recognized its economic potential.
In 1495, Bartholomew Columbus visited the Taíno
province of Xaragua in Hispaniola to demand tribute in
gold, he was told that there were no gold deposits in the
territory. Instead, the cacique Behecchio offered cassava
bread (a replacement for hardtack on sea-going voyages),
SHUTTERSTOCK
BILL KEEGAN
Times of the Islands Fall 2022 27

BILL KEEGAN
These spindle whorls (huso) are from site CE-11, Puerto Rico. The most common are recycled
potsherds that were worked into a disk shape with the edges smoothed.
and his sister Anacaona brought Columbus to a building
that contained “a thousand things of cotton.” The most
spectacular Taino artifact is a cotton cemí (spirit representation)
— a doll-like figure encasing a human skull.
Dog hair was interwoven with cotton thread; perhaps to
appease the dog spirit Opiyelguobirán who is the guardian
of the dead.
Producing cotton thread is both time- and labor-
intensive. The sticky black seeds must first be separated
from the fibers. Originally done by hand, the invention of
a cotton gin mechanized the process. Once a household
name, Eli Whitney (“keep your hands off my cotton-picking
gin”) is usually credited with the invention in 1793.
However, Bahamians will point out that it was Joseph
Eve, an American Loyalist living in Nassau, who earlier
invented (1788 patent) the self-loading, wind-powered
cotton gin (“wind ginns”) that did away with the need for
a ginner. (A “ginner” is the operator.) Cotton gins consist
of two parallel rollers that turned in opposite directions
and were powered by hand, foot crank, water, wind, or
animal driven. The seeds fall away leaving only the fibers,
which are then combed to separate and align the fibers to
make ready it for spinning.
Traditional methods of fiber spinning use a pointed
wooden rod or “spindle” weighted on one end by a circular
“whorl” that functions like a flywheel
to help maintain momentum as the
device is spun like a top and the
fibers are pulled into thread. Cotton
is typically spun using the “supported-spinning”
method because of its
staple length and fragility (as compared
to hemp fibers). The spindle is
spun with one end placed in a small
bowl.
We do not have archaeological
evidence for how the Lucayans
cleaned and prepared their cotton
fibers, but we do have evidence that
they spun the fibers into thread. The
most common precontact spindle
whorls (called huso in Taíno) are recycled
potsherds that were worked into
a disk shape with the edges of the
whorl smoothed. The centers of the
disks were perforated with a drill of
stone or possibly shell. In the selection
of sherds for the production of
whorls, there appears to have been
a preference for slightly thicker/heavier bowl fragments
(especially bases) that would facilitate momentum during
spinning. In addition, whorls were made of stone, bone,
or shell. One ethnographic study even mentions a spindle
whorl made from a slice of calabash collected by Samuel
Fahlberg from historic Caribs on Trinidad in 1786. An
elaborate stone “spindle whorl” was collected in Puerto
Rico in 1907, although it may instead be an ornamental
object. Ceramic whorls are found across the Greater
Antilles and Northern Lesser Antilles, but are rare in the
Lucayan Islands.
Although Columbus recognized the economic potential
of cotton in the Caribbean, the initial plantation
economies of Spain and other European countries focused
their colonial efforts in the Caribbean on sugarcane
imported from the Canary Islands (via Southeast Asia).
It was not until Loyalist planters from the southeastern
U.S. arrived in the Turks & Caicos and The Bahamas that
Columbus’ vision was realized.
Following the Lucayan genocide, the Bahamian archipelago
became what Juan Ponce de León called “the
empty islands.” The Caicos Islands remained largely uninhabited
until 1787, when the islands became a refuge
for the American Loyalists. At the end of the American
Revolutionary War, those who were loyal to Britain
28 www.timespub.tc

(Loyalists numbered about 20% of the U.S. population)
had their property confiscated and found themselves
unwelcome. Approximately 13,000 Loyalists, many of
whom had owned cotton plantations, fled to Spanish
Florida and then on to the West Indies. The Caicos Islands
were well suited for a cotton plantation economy. Unlike
sugarcane, cotton is a hearty plant that does not require
exceptional soil, needs only moderate rainfall, and is tolerant
of drought and salt.
The Plantation Period occurred across the “Grand
Caicos” (East, Middle, North, and Providenciales) from
1789 to 1820. Most of the 72 people who obtained land
grants in Grand Caicos were Loyalists from Georgia or the
Carolinas. By 1796, there were 35 plantations operating
across these islands, two of which produced sugar and
the rest produced cotton. Over 5,000 acres were under
cultivation, and the Caicos produced over 50% of the cotton
output for all the Bahamian archipelago. However, by
1800, it became clear that all these plantations would fail
due to soil exhaustion and bug infestations. The sweet
leaves of the cotton plant were especially attractive to
the boll weevil. This tiny insect can lay up to 200 eggs
per bud and ripening fruit (“boll”). When the larvae hatch,
they eat the seeds and destroy the fibers. With no way to
control this pest, the boll weevil devastated cotton crops
throughout the islands.
For a very short time, Loyalist plantations produced
large quantities of raw cotton and substantial profits.
They did so at enormous cost to the enslaved Africans
who worked the land. By 1820 nearly all the Loyalists had
abandoned the Caicos Islands. The enslaved peoples they
left behind form the nucleus of the present-day population.
Slavery was abolished officially in Britain in 1807,
and in the British colonies in 1838. Still, the inhumanity
of slavery was only beginning to be addressed in the
United States. It was cotton which provided the planters
with their final line of defense. In the years leading up to
the Civil War, southern planters were confident that their
plantation economy based on enslaved labor would never
be challenged. Speaking on the floor of the U.S. Senate,
South Carolina Senator James H. Hammond declared: “No
power on Earth dares make war on it. Cotton is King!” a
The longest established legal practice
in the Turks & Caicos Islands
Real Estate Investments
& Property Development
Immigration, Residency
& Business Licensing
Company & Commercial Law
Trusts & Estate Planning
Banking & Insurance
1 Caribbean Place, P.O. Box 97
Leeward Highway, Providenciales
Turks & Caicos Islands, BWI
Ph: 649 946 4344 • Fax: 649 946 4564
E-Mail: dempsey@tciway.tc
Cockburn House, P.O. Box 70
Market Street, Grand Turk
Turks & Caicos Islands, BWI
Ph: 649 946 2245 • Fax: 649 946 2758
E-Mail: ffdlawco@tciway.tc
Dr. Bill Keegan is Emeritus Curator of Caribbean
Archaeology at the Florida Museum of Natural History
(University of Florida); and Dr. Betsy Carlson is Senior
Archaeologist at Southeastern Archaeological Research
(SEARCH, Inc.) in Jonesville, FL.
Times of the Islands Fall 2022 29

30 www.timespub.tc

ook review
Opposite page: Originally published seven years ago, Liz Cunningham’s book Ocean Country was inspired by the events that took place
during trips to the Turks & Caicos Islands.
Above: The TCI Turtle Project engaged local stakeholders and government to support a sustainable turtle fishery, culminating in legislation
enacted in 2014.
Hope is Alive
The ongoing impact of Ocean Country on global conservation.
By Diane Taylor with Liz Cunningham ~ Images Courtesy Liz Cunningham
Ocean Country is a memoir about belonging, longing, and awakening. It’s one woman’s journey from
loving the beauty of the ocean and all its life forms to realizing that all the oceans are diseased, abused,
and in peril — unless we commit to doing something about it. Liz Cunningham takes us through her own
grief about the imminent loss of this beauty, and the research she explores in an effort to save not only
the beauty, but also the ocean’s role as a crucial life-support system.
Times of the Islands Fall 2022 31

In her research, Liz Cunningham discovers that well
over 50% of the oxygen we breathe comes from the photosynthesis
(conversion of sunlight into chlorophyll,
which is green) of marine plants and algae. She makes
this more personal by rewording it: every other breath
we take depends on the health of these plants and algae.
How much of Earth is water? 70%. How much of Earth’s
water is salty ocean? 97%.
Cunningham’s first awakening happens in the Turks
& Caicos Islands. She’d been recovering from injuries
from a kayak accident and struggling with Hashimoto’s
disease, longing to return to go diving on the coral reefs
in the TCI, and finally finds the energy and courage. The
beauty overwhelms her: “My whole body was smiling.
Diving opened up so many unexpected worlds for me, not
just the ocean, but also my own body and how my breath
was connected to the world as a whole.” She learns from
a marine biologist that coral is a colony of millions of
vibrant animals. “Not plants. Animals. Each has tentacles,
a mouth, and a stomach; each spawns and propagates.”
She tells us that corals sense the full moon and sunset
and emit a chemical that allows them to smell each other
during spawning, that they mate and propagate, growing
in colonies that form the limestone reef armatures that
are essential to ocean life.
A week later, shock. Cunningham returns to dive on
this same reef, expecting to once again be stunned by
the variety of multicolored fishes, sea fans and corals.
Now the miles and miles of it are barren of life, and the
coral is “bleached” — white, not mesmerizing shades of
pink, purple, orange, red, yellow. She feels as if she is
swimming “through the ashen remnants of a bombedout
cathedral.” She knows the reef is fighting a terminal
illness.
The investigative reporter in her asks questions (a
running theme in Ocean Country). “What don’t I know?
What do I need to know?” She learns that there had been
a four-degree spike in the off-shore water temperature,
from 78º up to 82º Fahrenheit. That month of June, 2012,
she learns, had the warmest surface temperatures ever
—of both land and sea — in the Northern hemisphere.
Realizing the need to explore the ocean in other parts
of the world to understand the destruction that is occurring,
and learn what we can do to preserve the life of
COPYRIGHT VIRGINIA BREA
Liz Cunningham encourages readers to find something you love and get involved in a way that is meaningful, fun at times, and gives you
energy. Rays—oceanic manta rays or spotted eagle rays that you see in TCI—captivated her.
32 www.timespub.tc

the seas, Cunningham travels to the California Coast, the
Mediterranean, and the Coral Triangle — the Indonesian-
Philippines bioregion. Everywhere she goes this question
directs her quest: How can we live without leaving a trail
of destruction behind us? And a new one from all she has
learned: If we really do share an interconnected destiny
with other creatures, how do our lives need to change?
Liz Cunningham’s search for answers concludes after
swimming with a mother humpback whale, whose eye,
big as an apple, looks at her with calm, care, and confidence.
The mother’s calf wobbles close by. Whales have
their songs. If Cunningham could give us just one song,
she writes as her final word to us, it would be this: Find
someone or something to save. Be specific. Now’s the
time.
As I write those words of hers, hear them repeated
to myself in my own voice, they reverberate in my soul.
I notice my heart is beating faster. It’s urgent. And it’s a
love story. a
Update from Liz Cunningham
It has been seven years since Liz Cunningham’s beautifully
written book Ocean Country was published. What
Walkin May2017_Layout 1 5/28/17 5:45 PM Page 1
new research has she explored? Where has her heart led
her? There was only one way to find out. With typical
enthusiasm, she consented to answer a few questions.
Diane Taylor: Elaborate on your philosophy of “engaged
hope.”
Liz Cunningham: Well, Ocean Country was a story of finding
hope for the life of the seas in the face of our rapidly
degrading environment. Since it was published, the world
has become even more laden with massive, multiple crises
— climate change and the decline of democracy being
two of the biggest. But I think the hope I articulated in
Ocean Country is all the more relevant. The hope I found
was in people taking initiative, in coming together with
each other — our actions, our dignity, our compassion.
In the most impossible situations — chaotic or heartbreaking
— we don’t necessarily know there is hope. But
some people take action, they do what they can, what
they feel they must do. Then sometimes in hindsight, you
look back in time and see that those people became the
hope. That’s the kind of hope we need, sleeves rolled up,
doing what we can, what we must do, despite the odds.
Not just as individuals, we need to come together as communities
and coalitions.
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Times of the Islands Fall 2022 33

Project Puffin has developed restoration methods that inspired seabird
colony restoration efforts around the world.
DT: You recently launched a regular column in Seven Seas
magazine called Ocean Hope Chronicles. Tell us about
the most significant result of Project Puffin regarding seabird
conservation methods, as discussed in one of your
chronicles.
LC: I launched Ocean Hope Chronicles to draw attention to
people who embody hope for the life of the seas. Project
Puffin is a terrific example of that kind of hands-on hope.
It was founded by ornithologist Steven Kress and re-introduced
puffins on the Maine coast, bringing puffins back
in substantial numbers. Project Puffin also developed restoration
methods that inspired seabird colony restoration
efforts around the world.
It’s easy in times like these to question whether one
can really make a difference, the world’s problems seem
so overwhelming. Project Puffin is an important exam-
ple of how getting involved in a conservation effort not
only assists that one individual effort, but can fuel ripple
effects. Last year a study showed that Project Puffin’s
techniques had been used in over 800 seabird colony restoration
projects in forty countries. That’s a huge ripple
effect.
Supporting seabird conservation efforts in the Turks
& Caicos is just as vital. The Turks & Caicos Islands are
a critical area for birds that live there year-round and
migrating birds. One of the biggest joys I experienced in
TCI was seeing migratory birds in the fall and early winter
passing through on their north–south journeys, birds
such as the Belted Kingfisher and Wilson’s Plover. Their
lives depend on safe refuges in TCI to stop and refuel on
their migratory journeys which span thousands of miles.
DT: Are there any updates on the situations you
researched for Ocean Country?
LC: One of my favorite projects to write about in TCI was
the work of Amdeep Sanghera of the Marine Conservation
Society with the TCI Turtle Project, which engaged local
stakeholders to support a sustainable turtle fishery and
worked closely with the TCI government. That work culminated
in legislation enacted in 2014. There’s still more
34 www.timespub.tc

work to do, but the project has done so much to protect
turtles while still allowing them to be harvested, which is
a time-honored tradition in TCI. It’s an example of how
successful community-based conservation can be, that
we can all work together to meet conservation goals.
In the Mediterranean section of Ocean Country I
wrote about a sustainable seafood organization, Ethic
Ocean, which was then called Seaweb Europe. They have
continued to make great strides in shifting members of
seafood supply chains — chefs, culinary schools, restauranteurs
and fish mongers, and large retailers — towards
supporting sustainable fisheries. They have focused on
climate-friendly cuisine and brought attention to the
marine plastic crisis. They continue to do a great job of
building community around sustainability efforts. Food
brings people together. Sustainable food — a well-cooked
meal using ingredients that minimize our damage to the
planet — can do that all the more.
DT: What are you writing now?
LC: I have two books in the works. One is titled Compassion
Unleashed: The Heart of Hope and it’s inspired by what
we were just discussing, hands-on hope, people doing
what they must, taking action, and by doing that becoming
a form of hope. The other book is my primary focus
right now and it’s titled The Hidden Path of Breath and it
explores the pathways by which breath and photosynthesis
drive life on our planet. We were taught in school to
thank the plants for oxygen, but the greater gift comes
from the ocean. Over 50% of all the oxygen comes from
marine plants and algae in the ocean; some scientists
have estimated it to be over 70%. I wanted to know more
about that greater gift.
Learning about that greater gift took me more
deeply into the layers of life in the sea, but also to land,
to forests, river valleys, glaciers. I shadowed scientists
studying everything from microscopic cyanobacteria in
the ocean that produce tremendous amounts of oxygen
to the food chains that support seabirds to the biodiversity
that makes forests thrive to the feeding habits
of blue whales. As the research progressed, I found a
deeper knowledge and wisdom was surfacing. The story
of breath and photosynthesis is a story of interconnection
and reciprocity with our planet as a whole. There is wisdom
there, an understanding of pathways of healing, of
how we can restore ecosystems and how we can sustain
ourselves in the face of grave environmental devastation.
One of the experiences that originally inspired me
Times of the Islands Fall 2022 35

TCI’s mangrove-filled wetlands are a safe haven for juvenile fish, enhancing the richness of sea life.
was when I was diving on an extremely calm day and I
saw tiny bubbles fizzing out of some seagrass — it was
the oxygen! The sight of it floored me! It drove home how
much oxygen comes from the sea. At the same time, I
knew that the means by which that oxygen is produced
and circulates faces huge crises. Two of the biggest
problems are deoxygenation — the decline of oxygen in
certain layers of the ocean — and dead zones, areas that
have been so polluted that they no longer hold enough
of oxygen for sea life to live in it. One dead zone in the
Gulf of Mexico averages over 5,000 square miles — that’s
larger than the state of Connecticut.
So, what do we do about these problems? Both are
linked to climate change and pollution, so reducing carbon
emissions is essential as well as reducing pollution
such as nutrient runoff from fertilizer and sewage runoff.
But along with that, protecting and restoring wetlands
is a powerful counter to climate change and has multiple
positive effects. Wetlands sequester enormous quantities
of carbon, they also filter the water, stabilize coastlines,
and are key habitats for bird life. And of course, seagrass
produces oxygen in the water. You can see the richness
of life in a wetland with your own eyes in TCI. Just snorkel
or paddle in some mangroves and you’ll see plumes
of juvenile fish. The mangroves provide a safe haven for
them until they are large enough to migrate to the open
sea.
All these things bring me back to the reality that
36 www.timespub.tc

Reef Balls feature holes that allow fish to use them as habitats. When corals must be moved to be rescued from coastal development, they
are cemented to the environmentally friendly structures as a new home base. In 2008, Reef Balls were used to create another nearshore reef
across from the National Environmental Center in Providenciales.
WES MATWEYEW
despite how much damage we have done to our world,
there’s a lot we can do. It’s a very rewarding experience
to be involved with conservation. The key is finding
something you love — a place, a creature, a type of habitat
— and then get involved in a way that is meaningful
to you, that’s fun at times, that gives you energy.
For me, rays — oceanic manta rays or spotted eagle
rays that you see in TCI — they captivated me. And the
beauty of the Turks & Caicos Islands inspired me to no
end. But it was also the people I met, people like Amdeep
Sanghera, who worked on the TCI Turtle Project, Eiglys
Trejo, who raised nine baby sea turtles and raised awareness
about turtle conservation and marine plastic, Eric
Salamanca and Marsha Pardee’s work with mangroves,
Marsha’s work with reef restoration.
As I think of it, the list just goes on: Bryan Naqqi
Manco’s work with native plants, and Lormeka Williams,
who is now director at the Department of Environment
and Coastal Resources, Wes Matweyew’s fantastic nature
photography, Alizee Zimmermann who is the executive
director of the Turks & Caicos Reef Fund and who has
done so much beautiful art and illustration in service of
ocean conservation. It has been tremendously rewarding
to use my gifts as a writer to draw attention to work by
people like this, to what we can do for these amazing,
remarkable islands. TCI, the place it is, the islands, the
Eiglys Trejo holds one of nine baby sea turtles she raised.
life of the sea, the people I met, all lit a fire in my heart
for which I will always be grateful. a
Visit Liz Cunningham at www.lizcunningham.net. Copies
of Ocean Country are available at The Unicorn Bookstore
in Providenciales.
Times of the Islands Fall 2022 37

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/
CLARENCE STRINGER
Coral reefs have a complex symbiotic relationship with reef fish, providing shelter, nursery grounds, and food. In turn, fish help keep coral
reefs algae free which promotes reproduction and growth. Previous studies have concluded that fish species decrease in number after coral
cover has declined from disturbances such as disease and climate change.
Surviving the Storm
The effects of Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease on TCI reefs.
Coral reefs are one of the most biologically diverse and ecologically productive ecosystems on the planet.
They are aesthetically attractive and economically valuable. These distinct ecosystems provide essential
ecological, social, and economic value to millions of people globally. Not only do coral reefs provide
habitat essential for nearshore fisheries, they also support tourism and protect coastlines from natural
disasters.
By Heidi Hertler, John Debuysser, Autumn Zwiernik, Katie Tanner, Alyssa Landi, Hayley Newman
and Morgan Rose, The School for Field Studies Center for Marine Resource Studies, South Caicos
38 www.timespub.tc

green pages newsletter of the department of environment & coastal resources
moved through the Turks & Caicos Islands.
Studies of the South Caicos reefs have varied over
the years but largely revolve around the topic of reef
health. Coral recruitment — the settlement of coral larvae
on suitable substrate — is a key process for recovery
and resiliency of reef-building corals. Recruitment is sensitive
to a number of factors including live coral cover,
larval abundance, hydrodynamics, sedimentation, algal
competition, and site connectivity, producing large spatio-temporal
variations in recruitment.
In 2015, John DeBuysser, a former SFS student and
current SFS dive safety officer, surveyed coral recruits in
addition to the routine benthic assessment. The greatest
live coral cover was found at the Maze (8.2%, 20 m depth)
followed by the Arch (7.6%, 10 meters depth) and the
In addition to recruit and fish surveys, SFS students conduct regular
benthic surveys to help understand reef dynamics.
HEIDI HERTLER
In 2019, researchers at The School for Field Studies
in South Caicos (SFS) noticed a change in the local reefs.
Suddenly, at multiple sites, corals were dying; sometimes
just one area on an individual coral and other times entire
coral heads. It was quickly determined that a disease was
causing this sudden death of previously healthy corals.
Coral diseases have been studied for years, and in
many cases, researchers have been able to identify the
causes, transmission factors, and solutions to such
diseases. First reported in Florida in 2014, Stony Coral
Tissue Loss Disease (SCTLD) was killing corals faster and
across more species than any other coral disease known.
Over half of the stony coral species found on the Florida
Reef Tract are affected by SCTLD, though there are many
factors that influence the likelihood that a coral will contract
the disease, such as the location of the coral and
time of the year. Many researchers throughout Florida
and the Caribbean are actively trying to pinpoint the indicators
of the disease and the rate at which it progresses,
though it has proven to be a difficult feat as these attributes
may vary by species affected. SCTLD has largely
lowest at the Plane (0.92%, 10 meters depth). The reefs
surrounding South Caicos are dominated by lettuce coral
(Agaricia agaricites), lobed star coral (Orbicella annularis),
boulder star coral (Orbicella franksi) and massive
starlet coral (Siderastrea siderea). Of course, not all reefs
are created the same. For example, East Caicos reefs are
Times of the Islands Fall 2022 39

green pages newsletter of the department of environment & coastal resources
HEIDI HERTLER
These images of coral at the Lost Anchor dive site were taken after the ravages of SCTLD, suggesting some resilience or rebound from its
effects.
characterized by mountainous star coral (Orbicella faveolata),
lobed star coral (Orbicella annularis), boulder star
coral (Orbicella franksi) and mustard hill coral (Porites
astreoides).
Just like not all reef systems are the same, not
all coral use the same reproductive strategy — there
are broadcasters and brooders. This generally occurs
annually during mass spawning events in one or two
consecutive months and trigged by water temperature,
lunar and tidal cycle, and light. Many corals are typically
hermaphroditic, both sexes are represented in each coal
polyp. Broadcaster coral release sperm and eggs into the
water column. A planula larva is created when egg and
sperm connect. In the Caribbean region, large reef-building
corals, such as Acropora, Montastraea, Orbicella,
and Siderastrea, are generally broadcast spawners. The
This graph indicates the percentage of live coral cover from reef
surveys in the Admiral Cockburn Land and Sea National Park, South
Caicos. SCTLD was first reported in early 2019. Surveys were conducted
using underwater photography along permanent transects
and analyses using Coral Point Count with Excel extensions.
CPCE, NOVA UNIVERSITY
40 www.timespub.tc

green pages newsletter of the department of environment & coastal resources
pelagic larvae of these genera are more susceptible to
mortality and recruitment to reef habitat is dependent on
prevailing current patterns of the area.
It has been noted that these reef-building corals typically
have much lower abundance in recruitment studies
than brooding coral genera, Agaricia and Porites, who
develop their planula larvae internally or on the surface
of the parent colony before releasing. Brooding corals
tend to be smaller in size. Once the larvae settle, asexual
reproduction begins and the colony starts to grow.
The overall average coral recruitment density in 2016
of all sites was 15.9 ± 17.9 recruits/m 2 with the highest
number at the Arch (29.6 ± 25.5 recruits/m 2 , 10 meters
depth) and the lowest at the Chain (8.3 ± 12.3 recruits/
m 2 , 20 meters depth). This is greater or comparable to
other areas in around the Caribbean.
The predominant genera in 2016 of the recruit
community was Siderastrea, a broadcast spawner.
Addtionally, both recruit and mature coral communities
were characterized by presence of Agaricia, Diploria,
Montastraea, Orbicella, Porites, and Siderastrea. These
findings suggest strong connectivity in the area since the
CPCE, NOVA UNIVERSITY
Not all sites are created equal. The Arch has a greater number and
diversity of coral recruits after SCTLD. This is one of the most popular
dive sites in the Admiral Cockburn Land and Sea National Park.
sites are able to recruit both pelagic broadcast-spawning
coral larvae and local brooding coral larvae. From recruit
density and diversity it was evident that recruitment in
this area was able to successfully maintain coral community
structure.
Prior to 2019 onset of SCTLD, the reefs of South
Caicos remained relatively stable. Stony coral cover
(3.0%) and richness (9.9 taxa) did not fluctuate significantly
(2012–2018). Disease monitoring efforts show that
the regional outbreak of SCTLD poses a serious threat
to important framework-building corals throughout the
Caribbean. In TCI, SCTLD significantly impacted coral
cover (1.5%) and richness (6.3 taxa) (Figure 1). South
Here is another example of a coral impacted by SCTLD at The Warhead
dive site near South Caicos. Again, you can see the evidence of some
resilience.
Caicos reefs are now dominated by massive starlet
coral (Siderastrea siderea), lettuce coral (Agaricia agaricites),
and mustard hill coral (Porites astreoides). Reef
core evidence and modern surveys show that weedy or
stress-tolerant taxa such as Siderastrea spp. and Porites
spp., which used to be rare in reef assemblages, are now
prevalent in the Caribbean.
The overall average coral recruitment density in 2022
for all sites was 9.34 ± 8.99 recruits/m 2 , not significantly
different from 2016; however, the most abundant species
in terms of count of recruits by coral surveyors are now
Siderastrea sidereal and Porites porites (Figure 1). Rare
and susceptible taxa corals including elliptical star coral
(Dichocoenia stokesii), smooth flower coral (Eusmilia fastigiate),
grooved brain coral (Diploria labyrinthiformis)
HEIDI HERTLER
Times of the Islands Fall 2022 41

green pages newsletter of the department of environment & coastal resources
and maze coral (Meandrina meandrites) were absent
from all surveys for the first time; however they were still
observed on the reef (Photos from April 2022).
Although recruit density was different among sites
compared to 2016, there were no correlations between
recruitment density and coverage of key substrate types
— live coral, coralline algae, macroalgae, and pavement.
These findings suggest that another factor is at play influencing
the recruitment patterns.
Ecological shifts associated with SCTLD in South
Caicos are reported in the Turks & Caicos Islands and support
other studies in the Caribbean which demonstrate
that SCTLD significantly deteriorates reef composition.
Coral reefs have a complex symbiotic relationship with
reef fish, providing shelter, nursery grounds, and food. In
turn, fish help keep coral reefs algae-free which promotes
reproduction and growth.
Previous studies have concluded that fish species
decrease in number after coral cover has declined from
disturbances such as disease and climate change. Fish
surveys are included in SFS routine reef assessment. The
Admiral Cockburn Land and Sea National Park saw a 20%
increase in number of species, mostly invertivores; in
addition, there was a shift in dominant species based on
class. In 2016, carnivores were dominated by schoolmaster
snappers whereas in 2022 this class was dominated
by groupers. A healthy population of parrot fish dominate
the herbivore group in both 2016 and 2022.
What is next for TCI reefs? Coral reefs are keystone
ecosystems vital to ocean health; however, the number
and prevalence of diseases in the Caribbean affecting corals
is increasing dramatically starting in the 1990s, and
are recognized as a major factor in reef decline since the
early 2000s. Changing climate will continue to threaten
our reefs.
We must be part of the next step and prepare for the
future. Qualitative and quantitative research allow us to
assess impacts and develop opportunities for reef conservation.
Marine Protected Area are vital for promoting
healthy reefs but may not be enough in these changing
times. Restoration efforts can play a significant role.
Partnership between NGO, research organizations, and
business can make this happen. We must be prepared
for what the future brings and help our reefs weather the
changing environment. a
42 www.timespub.tc

green pages newsletter of the department of environment & coastal resources
This is TCRF’s new pilot coral nursery. The corals must be fed and their water quality maintained within very stringent parameters. With the
help of trained volunteers, TCRF is quickly learning the ins and outs of farming coral on land.
TURKS & CAICOS REEF FUND
Farming Coral on Land
Gene bank pilot nursery started.
By Don Stark and Alizee Zimmermann, Turks & Caicos Reef Fund
Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease (SCTLD) arrived in the Turks & Caicos Islands in 2019. This Caribbean and
Tropical Atlantic-wide disease has devasted reefs throughout the region. It has affected over 30 species
of stony corals — the big reef building corals — resulting in a significant loss of live coral coverage on
the TCI reefs.
Times of the Islands Fall 2022 43

green pages newsletter of the department of environment & coastal resources
The Turks & Caicos Reef Fund (TCRF) has been monitoring
and documenting this disease since mid-2019 and
has been fighting this disease since early 2020. It has
been a hard fight though, as each infected coral head
must be treated individually while scuba diving. This is a
very labor intensive and costly process, but a necessary
effort in hopes of preserving the biodiversity of the TCI
reefs.
There are rarely single-focused answers though,
and even less so with biological/environmental work. To
enhance our ability to preserve our reefs, the TCRF has
added another weapon to our armory in the battle against
this aggressive and deadly disease. TCRF has established
the first land-based coral nursery in the Turks & Caicos
Islands which will serve as the pilot for a large gene banking
program the organization is planning. Funded by a
grant from the John Ellerman Foundation in the UK, the
pilot project was built in June 2022 and is already housing
live stony corals. The SCTLD-threatened coral colonies
currently in the nursery were salvaged from the Blue
Haven Marina docks that were scheduled to be removed
and taken to the dump.
This project is an effort to create a species survival
program for stony corals that have been severely affected
by Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease. The nursery is located
at the TCRF office at South Bank Marina. The facility was
built with the assistance of coral nursery specialists from
The Reef Institute of West Palm Beach, FL and it is open
to visitors.
SCTLD has exacted a terrible toll and several species
are already functionally extinct on TCI reefs due to the
disease. Without this gene-banking effort, many of these
coral species could be lost forever. The pilot nursery will
enable TCRF staff and volunteers to learn coral husbandry
and coral tank maintenance. Already, they are learning
that running a land-based coral nursery is a complicated
process. Corals, which are animals, must be fed and their
water quality must be maintained within very stringent
parameters. And, the tanks must be kept clean. But fortunately,
with the help of trained volunteers, TCRF is
quickly learning the ins and outs of farming coral on land.
TCRF’s long-term goal is to expand the land-based
coral nursery program which will allow us to propagate
thousands of these important reef building corals and
ultimately restore them to the reefs around the Turks &
Caicos Islands. Working with the developers of the South
Bank community, TCRF hopes to expand this effort on a
much larger scale within the next two years. The expansion
will also include a coral research and education
center.
The office is open to the public and interested parties
should contact Alizée via email on alizee@tcreef.org to
arrange a visit. “Coral Ecology 101” school visits can be
arranged as well. a
TURKS & CAICOS REEF FUND
The new coral nursery is located at the TCRF office at South Bank Marina. It is open to visitors.
44 www.timespub.tc

faces and places
JAMES ROY — PARADISE PHOTOGRAPHY
Race for the Conch 2022
The 12th annual Turks & Caicos “Race for the Conch” Eco-
SeaSwim took place on June 25, 2022 in Grace Bay with
perfect open water conditions. One hundred swimmers
from the US and Canada and 30 from TCI participated
in 2.4 mile, 1 mile, or 1/2 mile events. In past years, US
swimmers dominated, but this year saw up-and-coming
TCI swimmers snag 10 of the 18 podium spots and take
home conch trophies.
“The remarkable TCI showing is a real testament to how
far competitive swimming has come in the country, and we couldn’t be more thrilled,” said Ben Stubenberg, who
co-founded the race with Chloe Zimmerman in 2010. The event also includes a 100 m Children’s Swim for youngsters
10 and under. The next “Race for the Conch” will be held on June 24, 2023. For more information and beautiful
pictures or to register, visit www.ecoseaswim.com. a
JAMES ROY — PARADISE PHOTOGRAPHY
AGILE LEVIN — WWW.VISITTCI.COM
Times of the Islands Fall 2022 45

PARADISE PHOTOGRAPHY

feature
Opposite page: Besides founding the TCI Junkanoo Museum, Kitchner “Kitch” Penn (at right) is leader of the We Funk Junkanoo Band, which
regularly performs at the Island Fish Fry on Providenciales, along other special events.
Above: The TCI Junkanoo Museum is located in a colorful building on Airport Road in Providenciales.
MARTA MORTON—WWW.HARBOURCLUBVILLAS.COM
TCI Junkanoo Museum
Preserving island culture in the 21st century.
By Abigail Parnell
If you have ever attended the Turks & Caicos’ Island Fish Fry (now held in The Bight on Thursday evenings)
or post-Christmas Maskanoo event, you’ve probably reveled in the irresistible rhythm of the drums,
whistles, horns, and cow bells of Junkanoo. This festival of intoxicating sound and colorful costumes
is a celebration of culture not to be missed. Fortunately, Junkanoo is still alive and kicking and the TCI
Junkanoo Museum is one place you can learn more about it.
Times of the Islands Fall 2022 47

In the Turks & Caicos Islands, Junkanoo started as
the tradition of “massing,” a masquerade event held at
Christmas consisting of a street procession of characters
in traditional costumes dancing to drums, bells, and
whistles. Its roots lie in the Islands’ period of slavery —the
New Year and Christmas holidays were a break for the
enslaved people, a time to celebrate! They used all they
had to construct vibrant clothes and instruments to create
a sound that realised their surging spirits of joy.
The backstory
TCI’s Junkanoo Museum is the result of the creative efforts
of its owner and coordinator Kitchener “Kitch” Penn. The
museum is located on Old Airport Road in Providenciales,
(to the right of The Snack Spot) and you can’t miss it!
It makes itself known with a striking, colourful outside
display.
Kitch Penn is also the head of the “We Funk” Junkanoo
band, which regularly performs at the Island Fish Fry,
Maskanoo, and other events across the country. He’s
been a fixture of the Junkanoo culture on these Islands
since the 1980s when he was hired to put on the first
Junkanoo festival.
After Penn’s Junkanoo events, he says, many partakers
wanted to “put that costume on, even though it
was sweaty! They wanted to beat the drum and feel the
instrument.” An idea flared to life inside him. A way for
people to experience Junkanoo outside of being observers.
They could have fun putting the costume on, playing
the instruments, and learning more about the history.
But these were not the only motivating factors in creating
a Junkanoo museum. The other factor? “A lot of
people don’t understand my passion and why I do what
I do, but it is principally because of the pledge I made to
my dad,” Penn says. “He challenged me to help the youth
of the Turks & Caicos Islands.” To learn more about their
roots, island youth can take advantage of the museum,
which also focuses on the entirety of TCI.
Penn’s father-—Simpson Calfred Penn MBE—also
helped youth, but he did so in the Bahamas as captain of
the Boys Brigade there. Simpson moved to the Bahamas
from Lorimers, Middle Caicos, when he was 17.
While Penn has lived here in the TCI, he has used
his love for basketball and Junkanoo to fulfill his pledge.
One way is by making basketball courts available on
Providenciales so the youth could further their skills. “I
took my life savings (to build that court),” Penn says. It
furthermore gave police a facility to play basketball and
volleyball. He also helped develop the Provo Basketball
David Bowen has played an important role in preserving TCI culture
for decades. Here, he wears a costume more reflective of the local
tradition of “massing,” which preceded Junkanoo in the Islands.
Association as well as associations in Grand Turk and
South Caicos. “I will proudly say that through our program
emphasizing discipline, self-respect, and true Christian
manliness I have accomplished my goal and pledge to my
dad.”
Inside the museum
The first steps inside the Junkanoo Museum open to its
entrance room where photographs of people participating
in Junkanoo line the colorful walls. You will also see
real-life Junkanoo costumes made out of strips of cardboard,
toilet paper, and newspaper.
On a tour of the museum, guests can expect to be
able to try on the Junkanoo costumes, beat on the goat-
or cow-skin drums, and take pictures—it’s all about
enjoying and experiencing the culture. As you’re having
MARTA MORTON—WWW.HARBOURCLUBVILLAS.COM
48 www.timespub.tc

Kitch Penn displays one of the costumes that visitors to the TCI
Junkanoo Museum can try on.
MARTA MORTON—WWW.HARBOURCLUBVILLAS.COM
Times of the Islands Fall 2022 49

MARTA MORTON—WWW.HARBOURCLUBVILLAS.COM
fun, you also get to learn about the history behind these
creations. For example, the conch shell horn’s purpose
lies in its ability to communicate with others instead of
the bass it adds to the percussion of Junkanoo. Fishermen
relied on their “shell-phone number” to let their families
know they had returned home.
The second room is home to the “Under the Sea”
aquarium. This detailed mural pays homage to the
Islands’ world-renowned turquoise waters, featuring sea
fans, coral, rays, dolphins, and more.
The third and final room of the museum is even more
colorful and vibrant than the first! More instruments and
full-body Junkanoo costumes are designed to express different
themes such as Carnival and the coconut leaf. It is
also home to the workstation for these handmade arts
and crafts. It reflects what the enslaved people had to do:
improvise. Nothing could go to waste. “Recycle, reuse,
reinvent! They had to use everything they had!” Penn
explains. Cardboard packing barrels were not thrown
away, but instead made excellent drums (different animal
skins over the tops made a variety of sounds) that
were lightweight and perfect for parading all night long.
Used cans and bottles were transformed into shakers or
maracas by way of dried peas or pebbles.
Today, the sound of Junkanoo is preserved by creating
the instruments with the same principle. Pulsating
The images on this page reflect the colorful interior of the TCI
Junkanoo Museum.
50 www.timespub.tc

percussion merges together—the chiming of a cowbell,
ripping of the saw, shaking of the maraca, and squeals of
a whistle. The whole body vibrates in tandem to the vigor
of the drums, and its symphony and rhythm are definitely
dance-inducing.
More about the museum
The Junkanoo Museum opened in December 2016 to
finally allow people “the full experience” of one of the
TCI’s favorite celebrations. It’s been quite successful
(receiving about 100 visitors a week as of August 2022)
as it satisfies the aim of an enjoyable experience of TCI
history and culture.
The Junkanoo Museum is open Monday through
Saturday, starting with tours at 11 AM and closing at 4
PM. An admission fee of $10 per person is required to
support the museum’s continued operation.
After the museum
Once the hunger for more island history and culture is
ignited after touring the museum, visitors will see there
is much more of Turks & Caicos to discover and explore
beyond Grace Bay Beach and its luxurious resorts.
Junkanoo in Turks & Caicos is possible year-round
if hired to perform at a special event. Or, on the island
of Providenciales, the weekly Thursday night Fish Fry (at
Stubbs Diamond Plaza) is the place to go. The Junkanoo
parade takes center stage (We Funk Junkanoo included)
with dancers and a packed crowd.
The annual Boxing Day Maskanoo parade remains the
most anticipated event of the year. And post-Boxing Day
is the most promising time for new recruits to the We
Funk Junkanoo Band, as they can prepare for a whole year
before the next Maskanoo, or practice their skills at Fish
Fry.
Kitchener Penn’s hope for the future of Junkanoo is
for “the appreciation level to increase” and to erase any
stigmas associated with the event. Junkanoo is a critical
part of Turks & Caicos history because it remembers and
honors generations past and their struggles. These are
the real sounds of Junkanoo—freedom. a
Abigail Parnell is an A-Level student at the British West
Indies Collegiate. She is an avid reader of all things fiction
and spends most of her time with her nose in a book. She
has recently found it important to be more appreciative
of the world around her, including her lovely TCI culture,
history, and “Beautiful by Nature” waters.
Times of the Islands Fall 2022 51

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feature
Opposite page: A tech sector is gaining traction in the Turks & Caicos Islands.
Above: Lemon 2 Go, in the heart of Grace Bay at Venture House, is a popular coffee shop where locals, residents, and visitors ricochet projects
and possibilities off each other.
BEN STUBENBERG
TCI Tech
Is a “Silicon Island” in the making?
By Ben Stubenberg
Can a small island nation renowned as a premier vacation destination for its spectacular beaches and
turquoise water also become a world class hub for tech innovation—a “Silicon Island?” At first glance that
seems improbable. After all, high end tourism drives TCI’s vibrant economy, not high tech. And plenty of
other places around the world aim to claim a stake in this fiercely competitive industry. But a brash and
brainy band of TCI tech entrepreneurs thinks otherwise and are telling anyone who will listen, “We have
what it takes, why not us?”
Times of the Islands Fall 2022 53

Transformative hubs
Just what makes a place that fundamentally changes the
way humans think, grow, and connect? Why do some cities
become the vanguards of global transformation in
philosophy, the arts, finance, science, and tech, while
similar locales with seemingly more to offer remain in the
shadows? In his book The Geography of Genius, author
Eric Weiner attempts to shed light on these conundrums
by taking the reader on a historical odyssey starting
with ancient Athens. That squalid town with its maze
of crooked alleys and shoddy homes crammed together
was not an obvious choice. Indeed, other Greek citystates
were more populous (Syracuse), richer (Corinth),
and stronger (Sparta). Nevertheless, Athens built the
Parthenon, not the others, and brought us Socrates,
Plato, and Aristotle, thinkers who laid the foundation for
Western philosophy.
Weiner also visits Hangzhou (China), Florence, Kolkata
(Calcutta), Edinburgh, and Vienna, among other cities,
that also once shined as global centers of creativity to
discern what produced their brand of brilliance that
reshaped our world. He ends the journey in a dry, hazy
expanse of urban sprawl bounded by brown hills south of
San Francisco that we know as Silicon Valley. For the last
50 years, that unlikely location with no natural splendor
and an endless jumble of shiny, if undistinguished office
parks has, of course, become the magnet of the universe
for tech. The innovations realized there impact and disrupt
the lives of nearly everyone on the planet.
As it turns out, these transformative
hubs don’t just happen because
someone wills it. Nor do they arise
through grandiose political planning.
But some mysterious alchemy
brings together smart, cocky people
with the confidence and hunger to
change the way we think and live.
Whether happenstance of fate or a
happy accident, the chemistry of
creation is not easily replicated, but
a few common features emerge.
Invariably, the sites of genius are
messy, fluid, engaging, and exposed
to a constant stream of new ideas.
They offer a “safe space” for intellectuals
and eccentrics to roam free
without constraint. Notably, they
accept and value immigrants. As
outsiders, it’s the immigrants who
54 www.timespub.tc
often see things with new eyes from a slight distance.
At the same time, the outsider needs to be a bit of an
“insider” too and have a degree of influence with the powers-that-be.
Patrons also play a key role by identifying and funding
exceptional talent in hopes of elevating their town to
greatness. The House of Medici, a politically powerful and
prosperous banking family in Florence in the 1400s, is a
case in point. The Medici family sponsored both Leonardo
de Vinci and Michelangelo, among others, when they
were struggling artists and nurtured them to become the
rock stars of their day—a status that remains undiminished
after 500 years. That support sealed Florence as
the artistic capital of the Renaissance for decades. Today,
venture capitalists might be considered the successors of
the ancient patrons, but with a bent toward seeking out
promising tech start-ups that can exponentially increase
wealth for both founder and investor.
These cutting edge metropolises have one more thing
in common: Venues where people with big ideas can
gather. Boisterous arenas where those with fast-firing
brain synapses can share and hash out wild, over-thetop
ideas that challenge the status quo and each other.
The settings might be town squares, coffee houses, pubs,
cafes. Today, that could include on-line discussions and
chat groups. However and wherever the innovators meet,
sparks must fly and foster a culture of audacious thinking
that envisions a “Brave New World.” The spread of those
SHUTTERSTOCK

infectious ideas in turn draws in more dynamic talent,
along with capital to finance endeavors that lead to big
leaps forward.
Local innovators
The tech entrepreneurs of TCI get all of this and have
commenced a national conversation about what a tech
eco-system would look like. Places like The Shore Club,
Tribe Café, and On Island, a state-of-the-art co-working
space in Grace Bay, have all hosted tech oriented sessions.
Coffee houses like Lemon 2 Go and even wine tastings at
the Wine Establishment have also sprung up as informal
spots to congregate and connect. Not surprisingly, the
spontaneous assembly of the exceptionally bright and
highly motivated mimics earlier hubs of world-altering
innovation. And like creative centers of yore, the views
flow freely and frankly without much filter among a good
mix of locals and newcomers.
On Island founder Manisha Tolani, who is from Provo,
has become a leading proponent for TCI-based innovation.
Using her tech, design, and marketing background,
Tolani has developed TCI’s only co-working space. The
flexible office environment with high-speed Internet connectivity
offers quiet corners for work contemplation, as
Times of the Islands Fall 2022 55

COURTESY SEAN BASSETT
BEN STUBENBERG
From top: Manisha Tolani is founder of On Island co-work space in
Grace Bay, an incubator for budding business concepts. Islander Sean
Bassett is the founder of Connect Digital Marketing, which owns and
manages all the digital advertising at the TCI airports.
well as a meeting space for synergistic encounters. In so
doing, On Island has become TCI’s incubator for nascent
business concepts.
“There is a lot of talent here and a diversity of people
with great ideas,” Tolani says. “I’m excited that On Island
can be that place where they gather and talk.” She adds,
“For TCI to realize its full potential as a tech hub, however,
we need to to upgrade Internet speed, as well as our
financial services arm. We already have the tech executives,
creative producers, and investors either residing
here or frequently visiting. That’s our strength and the
foundation for our tech future.”
Another entrepreneurial leader who sees TCI’s potential
as a high tech hub is Kenrick Quashie, founder of
La Fleur Ventures. Originally from St. Vincent and the
Grenadines, Quashie is the co-founder of Squeeze Cash,
a mobile app global money transfer system. Drawing on
his experience, he is working up plans for a “Tech City”
on Provo using vacant land near the airport. Working with
local architects, TCI’s tech community, and local government,
Quashie has caught the attention of investors who
see the possibilities.
Quashie knows full well the challenge ahead, but is
also quite mindful of TCI’s often overlooked by-product
of premium tourism—the tech and investment titans
from the US and Canada who visit the Islands. “They buy
houses here and see first-hand the benefits of living and
working in TCI, including the prospects for start-ups. In
this sense, TCI stands out from the rest of the Caribbean
Region.”
Sean Bassett, who grew up in Provo, is the founder
and driving force behind Connect Digital Marketing, one
of TCI’s top marketing, advertising, and software development
businesses. Under the brand Paradise Ports
Advertising, the company owns and manages all the
digital advertising at the Providenciales and Grand Turk
airports. What were once just wall ads have been converted
into electronic screens that collect data through
photos taken by visitors of QR codes. The QR codes allow
clients to track the effectiveness of the ads linked to
their websites or sales offerings. In addition, he started
an Instagram account, @turksandcaicos, that boasts an
astounding 300,000 followers. Bassett firmly believes
that “Tech Tourism” can kickstart and accelerate TCI’s
tech entrepreneurs. He says, “We already attract persons
with technical expertise to work remotely in TCI. Why not
entice more who can also work with us and share their
know-how?”
56 www.timespub.tc

Speeding up
TCI has always had digital nomads, but COVID accelerated
the numbers. Many who had visited TCI as tourists
returned to work remotely while the pandemic raged.
As remote working became more a norm than an exception,
some decided to stay longer and become part of
the community. TCI, as with other vacation destinations,
benefited from this influx by offering a more attractive
alternative to big cities that had become Ground Zero for
the disease. But as remote working expanded along with
local tech initiatives, so did the need for faster Internet
connectivity.
TCI telecom providers and the government are committed
to meeting ever-growing bandwidth requirements
for businesses and homes. Currently, TCI is served
by just one underwater fiber optic cable that lands on
Providenciales. That link provides almost all of Provo with
high speed uploading and downloading capabilities, as
well as transfers of data. However, the other islands rely
on microwave transmission that can’t handle the same
speeds or data transfers. That is about to change.
Deputy Premier and Minister of Finance, Investment,
and Trade, Hon. E.J. Saunders, points out that the government
is implementing a two phase plan to increase
Internet connectivity for the entire country. Phase 1 will
expand fiber optic cable to all the islands so that they
would be on par with Provo. In Phase 2, a second undersea
fiber optic cable would run from Grand Turk to the
Dominican Republic, linking with a carrier cable there.
Hon. Saunders, who is a successful tech entrepreneur
in his own right, conservatively estimates that each phase
would take two years. “A second fiber optic cable will
allow TCI households and businesses to accommodate
more devices at faster speeds,” he says. “Moreover, the
second cable will give TCI connective redundancy and
resiliency, as well as bring more competition to the market
that can lower prices.”
Saving reefs with crypto
Surrounded by spectacular seas and protected by one
of the longest barrier reefs in the world, TCI is a natural
locus for advanced marine research at the School for
Field Studies in South Caicos and the Turks & Caicos Reef
Fund (TCRF). Thanks to the initiative of Executive Director
Alizee Zimmermann, TCRF has begun a unique partnership
with international investment group Coral Tribe to
use crypto currency to help finance reef restoration. TCRF
is one of just four reef restoration beneficiaries in the
world that Coral Tribe has approved for funding.
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 2022 57

It works like this: A donor purchases an NFT (Non
Fungible Token) image created by Coral Tribe using the
crypto currency Solana. The proceeds are then allocated
to its charity arm, Impact Fund, which distributes a portion
of the donation to the crypto currency accounts of
approved non-profits like the TCRF. The crypto currency
can in turn be converted to US dollars. Coral Tribe chose to
operate using Solana because, unlike bigger players such
as Bitcoin and Ethereum, this crypto currency has minimal
environmental impact when “mined” on computers to produce
units or “coins” through complex algorithms.
Using this imaginative form of funding, TCRF has been
able to increase its in-water staghorn coral program by
installing a rope style nursery to grow over 600 “fragments.”
Zimmermann says, “We immediately saw the
potential for this method of funding to be a model for
expanding research that could well be a standard in the
near future. Moreover, Coral Tribe has created an online
community that goes well beyond NFT trades to bring
ocean conservation to the world of crypto. I’m an artist at
heart and the intersection of art, conservation, and technology
caught my attention immediately! We’re excited
about the wider potential cryptocurrency may have here.”
Solar power
One clear niche for innovation in TCI is the efficient
utilization of solar power. With bright sunshine almost
every day of the year, TCI is well positioned to take full
advantage with imaginative applications. Indeed, there
are several local solar entrepreneurs working to harness
this endless source of power. The prospect that every
house and business could be powered by solar panels on
the roof, windows, or in a large land clearing portends
an elixir that could one day take us off fossil fuel. But as
promising as solar power is, challenges remain, philosophical,
as well as practical.
Enter Matt Gorvin, founder and CEO of renu energy TCI
and one of TCI’s solar power pioneers. He poses a series
of provocative questions, beginning with, “What could TCI
be known for?” For Gorvin, TCI could become the region’s
clean energy leader, transforming the economy in the
next decade. “We need to think more holistically,” he
says. “Homes and commercial establishments should be
designed with energy conservation and self generation in
mind. Rather than perceiving solar power and energy storage
as supplements or add-ons to the grid, why not make
the starting premise independence from fossil fuel?”
ALIZEE ZIMMERMANN
The Turks & Caicos Reef Fund has begun a unique partnership with international investment group Coral Tribe to use crypto currency to help
finance reef restoration. This is the new underwater staghorn coral nursery.
58 www.timespub.tc

Wind Chime Villa in Turtle Tail is a sustainable property off the grid, using clean, renewable energy. Six Tesla Powerwalls are charged by the
sun during the day, storing the solar energy.
JAMES ROY — PARADISE PHOTOGRAPHY
In pursuit of that aspiration, renu has worked with
local building contractors to feed solar energy directly
into some of the homes in the South Bank and Beach
Enclave, among other developments. At the same time,
renu provides Tesla Powerwall batteries for storage of
excess energy to keep appliances running at night. As
a bonus, the excess energy produced can be used to
charge electrical vehicles using an electrical charger built
right into the garage.
While these houses are not entirely off the fossil fuel
energy grid, the power supply balance can be precisely
measured and monitored through an app that shows how
and when each power source is being used. The switch
between solar and fossil fuel works seamlessly, while
allowing the homeowner to check and adjust as needed
by, for example, shutting down an AC unit in a bedroom.
The app engenders a heightened awareness of energy
use that also gives the homeowner/resident more control
over energy allocation that can lessen dependence on fossil
fuel.
Even as the concept has proven to work on high-end
houses, Gorvin is committed to making this technology
available to the larger TCI community. He has begun
working with Provo Primary and Middle School educators
and parents to incorporate solar panels that renu
supplies at cost. As part of the school’s science class,
students will be given access to the app that allows them
to see and understand exactly how much their school
relies on fossil fuel versus solar. From there, students
will be able to design experiments to alter the balance for
greater energy effciency. In this way, students can get a
practical education in energy use to prepare them to take
on bigger projects later on.
Another pioneering TCI solar power company, Green
Revolution, takes a similar holistic approach by integrating
renewable energy into building design right from
the start. Working with major TCI building contractors
such as Norstar Group, Green Revolution has completed
more than 300 solar projects, removing 2,400 tons of
CO 2 from the atmosphere. Drawing on its years of experience,
Green Revolution is taking the concept a step
farther: Instead of applying solar power to just individual
houses and buildings, they ask, why not extend the
concept by developing micro grids that link small communities
to a solar power energy source? Essentially, the
idea is to build a distributed network of solar power generation
instead of having it all produced in one place.
These micro grids — already proven to work — would not
Times of the Islands Fall 2022 59

NIALL O’MAHONY
BEN STUBENBERG
Top: Sunshine Nursery Manager Marius Giese stands next to the solar
panels used to power distribution pumps for irrigating trees on the
property.
Bottom: Green Revolution installed solar panels maximizing unused
spaces at this house in Long Bay.
only reduce the demand
on diesel powered generators,
but lessen the
impact of power outages
due to weather or other
conditions.
Green Revolution
Director Robin Spruce
states, “TCI and Green
Revolution are well-positioned
to advance an
array of solar power solutions,
especially given our
geography that provides
350 days of sunshine.”
Paul Chaplin, Norstar
Group partner and Green
Revolution founder adds,
“We have demonstrated
the viability of solar
power design integration
through hundreds of projects. But we can’t rest there. We
have to keep pushing to make it more broadly accessible
to the TCI community in a manner that lowers energy
costs and ensures a cleaner environment.”
TCI’s main energy supplier is committed to exploring
60 www.timespub.tc

and testing solar energy solutions to benefit more TCI
residents. Currently, Provo’s fast growing energy requirements
outstrip a solar solution to wean itself off fossil
fuels for now. However, FortisTCI has initiated programs
for customers to operate rooftop solar panels, either
bought or leased, to sell back energy produced, thus helping
to reduce dependence on fossil fuel. It has also built
an electrical charging station at H2O Resort using solar
power and is planning to install one at the Ritz-Carlton.
At the same time, FortisTCI is conducting a study to
determine the feasibility of wind as an alternative energy
source on North Caicos. The company has installed a
laser scanning device on its property in Kew called LiDAR
ZX 300 to capture on-shore wind measurements over the
next 12 to 18 months. If the data shows wind to be a
potential energy source, a wind technology station would
be built at the same location.
The design innovations by renu energy TCI, Green
Revolution, FortisTCI, and others have in effect made
TCI a proving ground for alternative energy solutions.
As such, the initiatives hold out the prospect for breakthroughs
that could lead to cheaper and cleaner energy
production for TCI, and the larger Caribbean Region.
Food security
Beyond more energy efficient houses, solar power also
has the potential to play a critical role in the country’s
food security. Despite a long agricultural tradition that
has helped to sustain these Islands for centuries, the
recent population explosion on Providenciales in the past
25 years has led to a heavy dependence on food imports
from the US. As a country with limited rainfall and less
than ideal soil to supply the local food demand, TCI needs
a new approach.
Finding a way for TCI to be food secure has become the
mission of TCI-born Marius Giese, manager of Sunshine
Nursery. “Crisis fuels innovation,” he states right up
front. “Traditional agriculture cannot be scaled to meet
TCI needs. So we have to test new systems of production
more suited to our environment.” For Giese, one alternative
is to invest in climate controlled hydroponics using
LED lights with a “closed loop” irrigation system that recycles
the water. This method could eventually supply a
large percentage of TCI’s leafy greens, herbs, tomatoes,
and peppers that are most vulnerable to spoilage during
long transport.
Giese notes that Sunshine Nursery has completely
transitioned to use direct solar power to supply their
drip irrigation needs. He has introduced this technology
to several farmers in North Caicos who rely on pumping
the water from the fresh water lenses—a layer of fresh
water that accumulates directly above sea water anywhere
between 7–20 ft (2.5–6.5 m) below the surface. Local farmers
have drawn from this freshwater source for decades
on all the Islands. In fact, Islanders back in the day built
the settlements of Five Cays, Blue Hills, and The Bight on
Provo because of the proximity to these lenses that supplied
them with drinking water during times of drought.
However, the high cost of fossil fuel energy to pump
the water severely limited the potential to use this source
of water to grow crops on larger tracts of land. To make
available more water for irrigation, Giese is experimenting
with using solar power to pump and desalinate
seawater from below the surface, including building
affordable Lithium battery banks locally. “Despite harsh
growing conditions,” Giese points out, “TCI is in a unique
position to leverage new technologies that have become
available in the last decade to enhance food security. By
applying these technologies, we could leapfrog our way
into becoming a model for sustainable agriculture.”
Pivotal confluence
While TCI’s high-end tourism economy remains dominant,
a tech sector is gaining traction as a scrappy core of
locals and newcomers ricochet projects and possibilities
off each other. At the same time, TCI’s enticing environment
in an age of remote work augurs well for drawing
more tech talent and capital investment. That should also
spur TCI to educate more home-grown coders and software
engineers to effectively meet the growing demand.
The magic formula that produces hubs of innovation
remains as elusive and fluid as ever. Even more so, as
today’s super-connected world vastly broadens the range
of prospective tech centers. But global connectivity also
gives small islands like TCI an advantage to emerge as a
new contender for any number of tech niches. That sense
of possibilities presents TCI’s big dreamers with inventive
minds and plenty of pluck a clean slate on which to write
the future. a
Ben Stubenberg (bluewaterben@gmail.com) is a regular
contributing writer to Times of the Islands and a
story teller about TCI’s compelling history. He is the
co-founder of Caicu Naniki Vacation Adventures, a TCI
company specializing in private outer-island excursions,
swim instruction, and relocation consulting. He is also
the co-founder of the annual “Race for the Conch” Eco-
SeaSwim in Grace Bay.
Times of the Islands Fall 2022 61

eal estate
Opposite page: The South Bank development and marina is located on the southeastern shore of Providenciales on Long Bay.
Above: Arc is the newest and most distinctive South Bank neighborhood.
Arcing Upwards
South Bank’s new “suspended private villa” experience.
By Kathy Borsuk ~ Images Courtesy Windward
Life in the Turks & Caicos Islands is meant to be savored with each of your senses. Overarching is the
vast expanse of ocean blue, with as many different expressions as the face of a beloved friend. Beams of
golden sunshine are occasionally dimmed by the curtain of a cottony cloud. Then there are the sounds: a
seagull calling as it slices through the sky at sunrise; the steady shushing of a cooling breeze at sunset;
the quiet lap of water on shore, sometimes crescendoing into a steady beat. Smell and taste meld, as the
air has a distinct salty tang and flavor enhanced by the heady scent of tropical flora. Walking barefoot on
soft sand or carefully picking your way over rugged rock contrasts in texture with the polished smoothness
of a seashell.
This is a slice of life at Arc, the newest and most distinctive neighborhood of the South Bank residential
and resort marina community.
Times of the Islands Fall 2022 63

South Bank overview
South Bank is a 31-acre development on the southeastern
shore of Providenciales in Long Bay. The project began in
2017 with a focus on creating a water-based lifestyle in
an area of serene natural beauty. The expansive property
is bordered by sandy beachfront, limestone ironshore,
and verdant indigenous vegetation — with an inland
lagoon at its center and an integrated marina at its flank.
Thoughtfully designed buildings blend seamlessly into
the scene and offer a range of options for residents.
South Bank had comprised three different neighborhoods
of various residence types. The Ocean Estates
neighborhood encompasses 19 three- to seven-bedroom
beachfront and oceanfront villas, each with a private
pool, some with a transparent edge that seems to float
above the sea. To date, 15 villas are under construction,
with 16 sold and 2 reserved.
The Lagoon neighborhood includes three- to five-bedroom
beachfront villas surrounding a sandy swimming
lagoon, with some having their own boat docks. Of these,
all 18 villas are sold, under construction, and expected to
be completed in early 2023.
The Launch offers one- to three-bedroom townhomes,
aptly named Boathouses for their private rear terraces
with a boat dock suspended over the water. To date, only
five are still for sale (out of 38) and all are under construction
for completion in the first quarter of 2024.
It comes as no surprise that South Bank sales ranked
as the most successful real estate performance in TCI
history, with well over $150 million sold in 2021 and
2022 (thus far), alone. Joe Zahm, president/broker of
Turks & Caicos Sotheby’s International Realty comments,
“With over 65 properties sold between $1,000,000 and
$11,500,000 since 2020, South Bank — a robust and
secure 31 acre resort and residential marina community
with all the amenities — has been historically successful
in terms of sales performance. Buyers simply love the
concept, designs, and the variety of waterfront experiences,
from the Boathouses, each with a private slip,
to the Lagoon Beach Villas with their protected waters,
and including the signature Ocean Estates. Representing
South Bank has been a peak career experience for me
and my team.” The combination of a unique location,
well-conceived plan, desirable contemporary architecture,
and the outstanding reputation of the development firm
Windward, cemented its allure.
Debuting Arc
With the voracious interest in these properties, the developers
wanted to ensure that the final offering at South
Bank was truly special, surprising, and appealing to the
booming TCI luxury real estate market. Left untouched
was a prime two-acre “point” on the western Long Bay
shoreline. Its vantage embraces sunrise and sunset, along
Due to its position on a prime two-acre “point” on the Long Bay shoreline, Arc residences will enjoy sunrise and sunset views.
64 www.timespub.tc

A curved pool stretching along the shoreline in front of Arc includes lattice water beds, offering a cool place to relax.
with sweeping views of the Caicos Bank, South Bank inlet,
marina, lagoon, and protected Juba Sound wetlands teeming
with life.
After much thought, discussion, and careful consideration,
Windward is now debuting Arc, its ultimate and
perhaps most iconic neighborhood. Commissioned exclusively
for Arc is world-renowned architecture firm Lissoni
& Partners, with offices in Milan/Italy and New York/USA.
They created an unprecedented “suspended” private
villa experience for each of the 17 residences at Arc that
merges elevated viewpoints with an outdoor lifestyle.
Piero Lissoni and his team designed each Arc residence
to have a self-contained enclosure and connection
with the outdoors while remaining part of a community.
Thus, the five-level building blends privacy with an enormous
amount of livable interior and exterior space, in
the form of terraces, gardens, and private pools as well
as outdoor kitchen and dining spaces. Each residence
will enjoy unmatched views, the stunning beach, and the
resort amenities South Bank offers.
At Arc, two-, three-, four- and five-bedroom residences
are arranged in a terraced pyramid shape on four levels,
with the crowning 13,000-square-foot penthouse spanning
the entire fifth level with 360º views. The signature
residences will enjoy a dedicated lobby, underground
parking, elevator accesses, an exclusive fitness center,
and the finest residential finishes and amenities. A long,
curved pool parallels the oceanfront, lined with latticed
sunning “pods” and water beds, shaded by palms. Paved
walkways wind through the grounds, leading to private
lounging areas with umbrellas or firepits. A pool bar and
beachfront restaurant frames the sunset and serves to
enhance a day of relaxation.
Blending in with the primary natural tones of other
South Bank properties, residences at Arc will make use
of timbered walls, latticed roofing, and wooden screens
to provide privacy and sun filters. Indoor spaces will also
feature elements in earth tones to exude a feeling of comfortable
elegance, well suited to the beauty of the natural
surroundings.
Homeowners and their guests can partake of South
Bank resort amenities including watersports, tennis and
pickle ball courts, spa, and two restaurants and bars,
along with multiple beach access areas. Also available
are in-villa dining and spa treatments, with private chefs
and masseurs. The entire South Bank property is gated
and security monitored.
The South Bank Marina delivers service and facilities
for the South Bank lifestyle, including floating docks with
60 slips ranging from 30 to 120 feet. South Bank homeowners
can enjoy a Boat Concierge program that allows
them to simply call in to order their boat to the launch
spot fully maintained, fueled, and provisioned . . . then
drop it back off after their day trip.
Times of the Islands Fall 2022 65

The two-acre point at South Bank where Arc will be situated is surrounded by water views on all sides.
Why South Bank?
I recently spoke with one of South Bank’s directors, Ingo
Reckhorn, about the project’s overwhelming success and
bright future. He explained that the allure is the combination
of relaxed sophistication and wild beauty, attracting
buyers with a mutual love for water — boating, watersports,
swimming, beachcombing. To date, about half of
South Bank buyers are from the US and half from Canada.
Many plan to share their residence over multi-generations
of their family. Included are seasoned island residents
attracted by the long-term potential and appeal of a
waterfront lifestyle.
Ironically, sales out-performed expectations in an
era of pandemic, material shortages, and global construction-related
challenges. Fortunately, Ingo added,
“The solid partnerships formed by Windward over past
projects such as Blue Cay Estate give us a strong base
from which to deal with these challenges. We maintain
constant communication with our partners, suppliers
and contractors. That has softened the effects of these
challenges tremendously.” Windward also reacted to the
long and unpredictable lead-times of certain items such
as windows and appliances by ordering these necessities
much earlier than typically required to avoid bottlenecks
in finishing the units for move ins.
Prices for Arc residences start in the low $3 million,
providing a new option in the currently underserviced
beachfront property market in TCI. Joe Zahm adds, “The
magnificent Piero Lissoni designed Arc will elevate South
Bank and Long Bay, and is destined to be a timeless landmark
in Turks & Caicos.”
South Bank will be expertly managed by Grace Bay
Resorts, one of the leading hospitality providers in the
Caribbean. They will bring unparalleled expertise into
the operation of South Bank’s resort facilities and amenities,
as well as the rental program for all South Bank
residences. a
For more information, visit livesouthbank.com.
66 www.timespub.tc

astrolabe
newsletter of the Turks & Caicos National Museum
Front Street, PO Box 188, Grand Turk, Turks & Caicos Islands, BWI TKCA 1ZZ
tel 649 247 2160/US incoming 786 220 1159 • email info@tcmuseum.org • web www.tcmuseum.org
Bahamian artist Rasheed Demeritte painted this re-creation of Jan
Kwaw based on descriptions of Brandenburg Prussians.
RASHEED DEMERITTE
Investigating the Clues
The origins of Junkanoo – Part 2
By Christopher Davis, Alex Kwofie, Angelique McKay and Michael P. Pateman
In the Summer 2022 issue of the Astrolabe, the authors detailed various legends of the origins of Junkanoo
from European influences and mimicry to the Ahanta General, Jan Kwaw from Pokesu (today’s Princess
Town) in Southwestern Ghana. However, the question remains of how Jan Kwaw became the namesake
of Junkanoo in The Bahamas.
Times of the Islands Fall 2022 67

astrolabe newsletter of the Turks & Caicos National Museum
The history of The Bahamas has been very whitewashed
and conservative. This has been exacerbated in
modern times in tandem with a belief of watering down
aspects of history to make visitors more comfortable —
pandering to guests and painting a story that separates
us from our history. The true origins of Junkanoo do not
fit this narrative and this has contributed to this hero of
the Diaspora being lost in translation.
When making a closer analysis of data from the
Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade to The Bahamas, information
surrounding the first documented Trans-Atlantic slaving
vessel in 1721, the Bahama Galley, gives credence
to some of the more popular theories to arise over the
past several generations. One of these theories is that
John Canoe was a slave who came to The Bahamas, and
somehow petitioned the colonial government to take
a day off, “allowing” Africans to celebrate. The slave
ship Bahama Galley was owned by the governor of The
Bahamas George Phenney and took African captives from
present-day Southwest Ghana.
Could John Canoe (Jan Kwaw) have come to The
Bahamas as a slave onboard on this vessel? While this
would make sense for the previously mentioned narrative,
empirical data shows that he remained at Fort Gross
Friedrichsburg until 1724 when the Dutch were finally
able to expel him and his army. Additionally, in an anonymous
message sent to the editor of the London Journal
newspaper, we learn that the voyage took captives from
Cape Three Points, most likely from the British-held Fort
Metal Cross at Dixcove.
This region in Ghana is exactly where John Canoe
was operating as there are numerous Dutch and British
accounts detailing the problems (for the Europeans)
caused by Jan Kwaw and his warriors. The article was also
published in the Christmas issue of the Boston Gazette,
months after the ship arrived in 1721. Crucially, this provides
a definitive presence of an early Ahanta presence
in The Bahamas, with 295 captives arriving exclusively
from that area. The year before their arrival (1720), there
were only approximately 250 blacks living permanently
in The Bahamas. The new arrivals on the Bahama Galley
would have more than doubled the black population and
brought with them their culture, traditions, religion, politics,
and knowledge of Jan Kwaw.
Additionally, the first three slave ships to arrive to
The Bahamas (inclusive of the Bahama Galley) from the
African continent all came from the Ahanta region of
Ghana. This set the base cultural expression and what
caused “Junkanoo” to stick — to this day still the predominant
celebration among Bahamians of African descent.
During the same period, from 1721 to 1755, 24 Intra-
American slaving voyages were made to The Bahamas;
7 from Jamaica and the remainder from the 13 colonies
(later the USA) totalling just under 200 enslaved people.
This table shows the first three transatlantic slave voyages to The Bahamas from southwestern Ghana.
68 www.timespub.tc

astrolabe newsletter of the Turks & Caicos National Museum
Additionally, the 1721 newspaper report mentions
the bleak military and economic situation for the
Dutch in Cape Three Points. The Dutch lingered in the
area, with the help of other nations, to “bombard the
Brandenburgers Factory.” The anonymous observer goes
on to say that despite their efforts “tis believed they will
not be able to take it.” Unbeknownst to the author of the
short passage, he was speaking about Jan Kwaw’s occupation
of Gross Fredericksburg in Princess Town.
Another question about Junkanoo is why it is celebrated
around Christmas? Returning to the slave narrative,
tradition states that John Canoe requested permission for
the celebration in commemoration of the Christmas holiday.
However, if we evaluate historical records, Jan Kwaw
was the catalyst of several military actions in defiance of
slave trading since at least 1712, when he invaded Fort
Metal Cross which was the British stronghold on the Gold
Coast, interestingly on Christmas Day. Is the celebration
of Junkanoo on and around Christmas Day an unconscious
celebration of this victory by the descendants of
the Ahanta in the New World?
As a result of the research uncovering the true origins
of Junkanoo and linking it to the Ahanta people and the
wider diaspora, along with the community outreach and
King of the Ahanta Otumfo Baidoo Bonsoe XV, Ahantahene is currently
the longest reigning African monarch.
SAMUEL BAIDOO
Angelique McKay (Asafokyerba) is being initiated into the Ahanta tribe.
MICHAEL P. PATEMAN
Times of the Islands Fall 2022 69

astrolabe newsletter of the Turks & Caicos National Museum
FRANK QUAYSON
Co-author of this article, Christopher Davis was officially coronated
and enstooled as Jan Kwaw II and a member of the Ahanta Traditional
council.
service in Princess Town, the Ahanta traditional council
and the Chief of Princess town gave titles to the Sankofa
Flamingo team. The titles and honours are:
• Christopher Davis — Nana Asafohene Jan Kwaw II (John
Canoe II);
• Angelique McKay — Asafokyerba (warrior Queen of
Junkanoo);
• Tamara Scavella-Davis — Nkosuohema (development
and progress); and
• Dr. Michael Pateman, Robin Lightbourne, and Oswald
White — Okufo (warriors of Junkanoo)
Further, the King of the Ahanta, who is currently the
longest reigning African monarch, Otumfo Baidoo Bonsoe
XV, Ahantahene, officially coronated and enstooled
Christopher Davis as Jan Kwaw II and a member of the
Ahanta Traditional council.
This research is due to be published in a book, The
Black Rinse: Spirit of Junkanoo by Christopher Davis. It
changes the historical narrative of Junkanoo and the transatlantic
slave trade in The Bahamas and the wider African
Diaspora. It not only challenges the conservative narrative
of Bahamian historiography but confronts the global
rhetoric of Africans’ so-called “role” in the Transatlantic
slave trade. Africans are the only ones blamed for their
own genocide from the halls and theatres of academia,
entering the global consciousness where blame is placed
on an entire diverse group of people. A documentary
“Pilgrimage to Pokesu” based on the research and journey
for the team to becoming Ahanta is being produced by
Dr. Michael Pateman. To learn more about the research
on Junkanoo, Jan Kwaw, and the Ahanta, follow Sankofa
Flamingo on Facebook. a
Christopher Davis (Nana Jan Kwaw II) is a historian and
researcher at the Antiquities, Monuments, and Museum
Corporation (Bahamas) and founder of the Sankofa
Flamingo Foundation; Alex Kwofie is an oral historian
and tour guide from Pokesu (Princess Town), Ghana;
Angelique McKay, also known as the Junkanoo Goddess, is
the founder of the Junkanoo Commandos, a group who is
dedicated to bringing the celebration of Junkanoo to the
world by way of presentations, workshops, and performances;
and Dr. Michael P. Pateman is a former director
of the Turks & Caicos National Museum and currently
curator/lab director of the Bahamas Maritime Museum
on Grand Bahama.
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astrolabe newsletter of the Turks & Caicos National Museum
This is a typical page from Captain Edward Lightbourn’s letterbook.
A Short Life
Captain Edward Lightbourn
Story & Images Courtesy by Antoinette Lightbourn Butz
Captain Edward Lightbourn was my great-great-great uncle. I researched this article through many documents
found on Bermuda and the Turks & Caicos Islands, particularly from a letterbook in my possession
and a set purchased by the Bermuda Archives in 2018.
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astrolabe newsletter of the Turks & Caicos National Museum
Background
Edward Lightbourn was born in the Heron Bay
Southampton area of Bermuda on January 7, 1775. His
father was Samuel Lightbourn and he had a brother also
named Samuel. In 1794, he married Frances Bascome of
Salt Kettle, Paget and they had a daughter, Sarah Bascome
Lightbourn on April 13, 1795. Three other daughters, all
born in Bermuda, followed and then a son born in the
Turks Islands in 1811. Tragically, the son died the following
year. Other sons were later born in the Turks Islands.
Edward joined his father and brother in a business
trading under the name of Samuel Lightbourn and Sons.
This must have been boring for him, as in 1796 we read
of his assuming command of a privateer ship owned by
the famous Hezekiah Frith. The lucrative operation of
privateering had resumed after the re-outbreak of war
between France and England in 1793 and Bermudian privateers
found many rich prizes to bring into Bermuda.
However, England was not at war with the fledgling
United States so Bermudians had no right to
capture American ships. Nevertheless, Captain Edward
Lightbourn, being unable to find any French or Spanish
ships in 1797 and sailing the schooner Thetis (owned by
his father), captured the Newcastle, Delaware schooner
Nancy and took it to Aux Cayes. This brought charges
and looting against him and his prize master. The following
year he captured another American ship, the
brigantine Mary, whose captain, Faulk, objected strongly
in the courts to his treatment and eventually won his freedom
although with no compensation.
The next decade of Edward’s life is somewhat vague.
Privateering had effectively ceased in 1803 and there had
been legal complications over many of the ships captured
by privateers. His father-in-law’s 1805 will says that he
had recently sold Edward a house and land at Salt Kettle
for 460 pounds but not yet been paid. The Paget Parish
tax records show Edward owning a store and goods over
the period, but have not yet been followed through until
he left Bermuda.
Apparently in 1809 he was still a ship’s captain but
had fallen out with Hezekiah Frith. In a letter written
on May 17, 1809 from William Astwood in Bermuda to
Captain John Lightbourn Sr. in Turks Island, William says:
“Captain Edward Lightbourn about Four Weeks
past, had the offer of taking the Command of a vessel
belonging to Messer’s Joell and Francis Tucker.
Capt. Hezekiah Frith opposed his leaving Bermuda
until he had discharged the Bond he owed him, and
would not consent for him to go unless he gave a
Bond with security for 2,000 pounds. That he would
return except of Death or imprisonment by the first
day of December next.
Which proposal Edward at last consented to, with
a view of getting support for his Family, if nothing
more. The day before he went away, he mentioned to
me that he wrote on to Mr. Daniel Bascome stating
his situation, and as it appeared that there was a
sum of three or four hundred Pounds due from his
Father’s Estate to Capt. Samuel Lightbourn. Beg that
he would if possible, point out some mode of payment
in order to be the means of assisting him from bondage.
Edward requests me to mention the Circumstances
to you, saying on his return to Bermuda the Business,
it must be closed. At any rate, and in case he should
not be able to pay up Frith’s demand without his
property, say Furniture, Negros and being obliged to
be sold, which in all probability would be made a sacrifice,
of whether you would be Kind Enough to adjust
him, as far as for his property to be appraised, and
advance his some moneys — and take the property
as a security for the same. Until such time as he could
make you payment. I presume from his conversation,
what he meant was to request you to advance him
in case he should require it, some moneys, and take
his property as Security for a certain time without
paying interest. As otherwise it would be as well for
Frith to Hold a Mortgage on it. You’ll please acquaint
me relative to the above business that I might have it
in my Power to make Edward acquainted. Respecting
it as he must be miserable in his mind.”
It is not known for sure what the family relationship
between Captain John Lightbourn Sr and Edward
Lightbourn was, but Edward was probably his nephew.
John had been living off and on in Grand Turk for many
years in spite of having a wife and family both in Bermuda
and Turks, and a transcription of his correspondence with
his nephew William Astwood of Bermuda between 1806
and 1812 has been published in Letterbook of Captain
John Lightbourn Sr, which I have transcribed.
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astrolabe newsletter of the Turks & Caicos National Museum
Captain Edward must have decided at this point to
move with his family to Turks Island to get away from
the “Hezekiah Frith problem.” There is a June 1810 letter
from William Astwood to Captain John Lightbourn Sr saying
Edward Lightbourn was expected to leave imminently,
followed by a December 29, 1810 letter saying:
“Our relation and friend, Captain Edward
Lightbourn is about leaving this for Turks Islands,
with his Family, after meeting with many difficulty’s,
and ill treatment through Capt. Frith, but I flatter
myself that he is about to fix himself and Family
more comfortable than he has been for a long time
past.”
Further information about the family comes from
“Manuscript Letterbook of Correspondance to and from
William Astwood 1809–1811.” Writing from Turks Islands
on April 21, 1811, Captain Edward Lightbourn wrote to
William Astwood:
“We arrived here on the 10th January after an
agreeable passage of five days and all very hearty
and have continued ever since.”
It appears that Edward was joined by his brother
Samuel in the Islands because in December 1813 there is
a letter written by him while there to William Astwood in
Bermuda:
“Mrs. Lightbourn desires me to express her thankfulness
for your friendship in sending then a supply
of provisions & her respects to you and me Astwood
& family. She is very unhappy at present for the
safety of my Brother. He left us two months since
for Jamaica with a handsome little cargo of Pickled
fish, Tobacco, Salt & with prospects of success in his
voyage, but his evil star still accompanying him he
was taken to Cape Francois, by one of Christophes
Vessels on what pretense we are still ignorant tho we
have since learned that his vessel was confiscated &
sold & a desperate report accompanying this that he
and his Crew were in confinement, this however we
flatter ourselves, is incorrect as we have heard of his
being at liberty eight days after his arrival.”
Edward’s own account of the event comes in an April
9, 1814 letter to Astwood:
“Dear Sir;
I now have the pleasure of acknowledging the
receipt of your respectful favors of April 17th and
November 25th with three blls flour a half blls Sugar
a half Tierce rice which came very timely and respectable
which adds to the many former obligations we
find ourselves indebted for I know of Nothing what
would make me happy then to have it in my Power to
reimburse you therefore but ill fortune yet follows up
so closely that God knows when I shall have it in my
Power which those unhappy times continues but hope
they are nearly at an end at the moment when I begin
to be incouraged and thought I was again getting on
my legs only figure to yourself what my feeling must
have been on my arrival home from Pot Rico after the
Hurrycan when I found the Greater part of the town
gone my House one of the number near the half of
our Salt which we had collected since our arrival here
and every soal destitute of the most coarse necessary
of life But not withstanding after a few days Found it
necessary that I should exert myself and get to work
and get a covering for a part of my House which has
been a temporary shelter for my Family since and
for the want of lumber and other necessarys it yet
remain in that ruined state and I fear that it is so
shattered and damaged that it is not worth repairing
when I might have it in my power. In addition there to
I sailed from hence to Jamaica with a cargo of tobacco
Cod and Pickled fish some dry goods suitable to that
market and Salt and should have made an Excellent
voyage but for once the interference of Christophes
Cruisers which took possession of me and carried
me into Cape Francois where I was taken with all my
Crew immently to prison without anything being said
to us but abuse and there kept in close confinement
fifty two days and allowed me but one Rusk per 24
hours and a part of that time in a dungin without pen
and Ink or the least communication with any Buddy
without and there is no doubt on their intention to
put all to death but fortunately for us some unknown
friend gave information to our Capture and situation
to the Admiral of Jamaica who dispatched a man of
War to demand us but they denied of them Having
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astrolabe newsletter of the Turks & Caicos National Museum
any such capture of their being any such persons
with them and the man of War returned to Jamaica
assuring them that there would be other demands
made immediately which alarmed them and the
next night at 12 o’clock we were taken out which as
the first time of our seeing or hearing of each other
during our confinement by a private way to water
under moment expatiation of meeting the fate which
I had long expected but to our great joy found ourselves
disappointed and was carried in a boat under
a strong Guard and carried out of the harbor and
was informed by the officer that we were to be put
on a boat an American Schooner which was to sail
that morning for America at 10 o’clock, was put on
board without the knowledge of the Captain or anyone
but themselves. The Captain refused to take us
and was returning again into Port but the officer of
the Boat threatened him to return on his peril, After
some reflection he told me that he knew of our situation
and that he knows will put us ashore again that
we should all be privately dispatched therefore if we
would assure him that there should be no advantage
taken of him by my people that he would take us on
to New York.
Accordingly I did and we made sail after a few
hours we got acquainted with him to be one of us and
his humanity led him to be prevailed on to put us on
shore at Sand key where we remained thirty six hours
and our signals being discovered at Salt key boats
were sent to our relief and we arrived unexpectedly
here on the 23rd of Dec at 12 o’clock at night.
We have forwarded a protest to the Government of
Nassau and the Admiral of Jamaica as well as giving
a copy of Capt Rossnady? To the Foresters who sailed
from this about 10 days with a determination to go to
the Cape and demand restitution of that Government
and we are in hopes to recover the property — In
expectation of saving you a bisset? Soon I am expecting
a Spanish Schooner to leave from Mount Coast
with a cargo of cocoa and a deck load of cattle which
I have engaged to Navigate to Bermuda and I yesterday
had another application to take charge of a
sloop which is just purchased from new Providence
by Mr. Wheeland which is to sail in two or three days
for Port au Prince for a cargo from Bermuda but
my state of life would not permit me to do it. She
will return here from Port au prince and if I am not
employed on her return I shall take charge of her
for Bermuda — I have not been well since my arrival
and four weeks past my complaint terminated in an
Obstinate Pleurisy and fever which confined me for
three weeks, but am now about again getting hearty.
I am with due respect your obedient Servant,
Edward Lightbourn”
John Lightbourn, writing to William Astwood on
October 29, 1814 tells him that Edward has still not
recovered from his ordeal:
“Our relation Edward Lightbourn have ever since
arrived from the Cape has been under complaints
proceeding from his being confined in a dungeon
& this 5 weeks past been confined to his house and
Bed & ill man, & I with the rest of his friends think
of fear, he will not get the better of his complaints
which is gathering in his breast which I think is an
abscess from which he discharged a deal of matter.
The Doctor lives in hopes that Blistering will cure the
Complaint . . .
Sir your most obedient servant John Lightbourn
Sr.”
Another letter written to William Astwood the same
day by a Benjamin Lightbourn says much the same:
“I am sorry to inform you of the low state of health
Captain Edward Lightbourn in & fearful & all of his
friends he will not get the better of his Complaints. I
have seen him this morning & he tells me he is better
but what he spits of his stomach is the color of chocolate
and quite thick . . .”
Replying to Benjamin Lightbourn on December 17,
1814 William Astwood wrote:
“Dear Sir;
I am truly sorry to hear that cousin Edward is in
such a bad state of health. I heartily pray that he
may recover his health for the sake of his numerous
family . . .
Your most obedient Servant William Astwood”
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astrolabe newsletter of the Turks & Caicos National Museum
Edward did not recover his health and the sad fact of
his death is recorded in the next letter. Written in March
1815:
I remain Your most obd’t serv’t
William Astwood.”
“Dear Sir;
I was sorry for the loss you mentioned of Sister
Lightbourn. I have the same thing in return of the
death of my son Edward who departed this life on second
December last from a severe cold received from
his imprisonment at Cape Francoise . . .
Your most Obedient Servant Samuel Lightbourn”
Turks Islands March 14, 1815, Wm Astwood Esq:
“Dear Sir
Having been very long without opportunity write
to Bermuda friends I am induced to forward this per
Capt Gilbert via Port au prince merely to announce the
melancholy tidings of my Poor Brother’s Departure
on December 2nd last — His Death has left a numerous
family unprovided for which must have rendered
his last moments extremely embittered in his anxiety
expressed on this head He mentioned his desire
that his son Edward may find a friend in you & that
you should be informed of his wish that he may be
brought upon your guidance — Have the Goodness
to make mention this event known to my distressed
sister Mrs Thomas and inform her that all friends
have besides are in good health . . . . .
I remain most Respectfully yours &
Samuel Lightbourn Jun”
Bermuda May 31, 1815:
“Dear Madam
I am happy to have the pleasure of informing you
that Edward, William and Myself arrived home safe,
after Passage of twelve days and thank God, all of
us enjoyed good Health during the voyage and have
continued so since. Edward was not so sea sick, as his
friends expected, he lost only one meal, He appears
perfectly satisfied and I am inclin’d to think that he
will be much healthier here than at Turks Islands —
Mrs Astwood, and children, unite with me in my best
Respects, to yourself and family — and flattering
myself that you’ll make yourself Easy respect’g Edw’d
This is a portrait of William Astwood of Bermuda, to whom much of
the correspondence in this article is directed.
Captain Edward Lightbourn’s wife Frances stayed on
Grand Turk and died there in May 1830. One of their
daughters, Mary Hannah, married James Misick and had
at least three children including James born in 1822 and
Laura born in 1831. Laura married Queen’s Advocate
Francis Ellis but died young and it is not known whether
James had descendants in the Islands. Nor is it known
what happened to the other children of Edward and
Frances.
If anyone reading this has any information on Captain
Edward Lightbourn or his descendants or where he is buried
on Turks Island, please let me know. a
Antoinette Lightbourn Butz
tonibutz1944@gmail.com
Times of the Islands Fall 2022 75

astrolabe newsletter of the Turks & Caicos National Museum
LISA TALBOT
Museum Matters
Grub, Grill & Good Times — Grand Turk
The museum held the “Grub, Grill & Good Times”
fundraising event on July 30. (COVID restrictions
had prevented us from having the event since 2019.)
Vendors lined up in front of the museum selling local
dishes and vendor specialties. The live band V6 along
with Zeus entertained. Although rain cut the festivities
short, the event was well attended, with a great time had
by all! Thank you for supporting us!
Raffle tickets were sold with fantastic prizes. A huge
THANK YOU to all those that donated items: LIME/FLOW,
Graceway, Emerald Escapes, Salt Cay Whale Adventures,
Sunflower Oasis, Blue Water Diving, Osprey Beach
Hotel, Arches, Grand Turk Diving, Salt Raker, Sandbar
Exclusive Escapes, Margaritaville, Drift Villas, Island
Pure Water, Local Cash Donors, White Sands Charter, J
Squared, and Deep Blue Charter—also the TCI Culture
Department and Tourist Board for additional support.
Folks could watch the event on Facebook live thanks to
Derek Been filming and broadcasting for us. a
2022 Children’s Camp
The museum, in conjunction with the Turks & Caicos
National Trust and the TCI Culture Department held
a week-long Children’s Camp on Grand Turk in July.
The camp, both educational and fun, hosted over 40
children. They had sessions and crafts about history,
Junkanoo, and the Rock iguanas. They were treated to
an island tour, Gibbs Cay trip, and a Salt Cay trip. The
camp was made possible by proceeds from sales of
Where is Simon, Sandy? and Satchi and Little Star books
written by Donna Seim. a
Grethe Seim 100th Birthday Commemoration
In honor of the museum founder, Grethe Seim, we
received a large donation. Part of the donation is
being used to renovate the deck and area in the back
of the museum, including new decking, sun shades,
tables, and chairs. The area surrounding the deck will
be a botanical garden with all new plants and lattice
placed around. A large plaque honoring Ms. Seim will
be included. The deck is used for museum events as
well as rented to others for private parties. Once the
renovations are completed, we will have a public grand
opening. a
Spirit of Bermuda Visit
The Spirit of Bermuda visited Grand Turk and Salt Cay in
July as part of their “Following in the Footsteps of Mary
Prince” sailing. The museum, along with sponsorship
from the TCI Tourist Board, hosted a welcome reception
and assisted with tours and activities.
The Spirit is sailed by a student crew along with the
adults. They presented the White House on Salt Cay
with a limestone block. The students are re-enacting the
trade of blocks for salt that took place during the salt
industry days. Mary Prince was enslaved on Grand Turk
in the early 1800s. The students were learning about
the global impact of enslaved Bermudian women.
Thanks to the Ports Authority, Island Tram Tours,
Papa J Tours, Tim Dunn, Frankie Virgil, and Ollie Been
for assisting with tours and transportation. a
Current Days & Hours of Operation:
Grand Turk (Front Street): Hours vary daily, but in general
open on all cruise ship days 9 AM to 1 PM. When a
ship arrives on or after 11 AM, we will open one hour
after arrival for three hours.
Providenciales (The Village of Grace Bay): Open
Tuesday and Thursday, 10 AM to 2 PM.
Both locations include interesting exhibits and artifacts
related to the history and culture of the Islands.
Visit our gift shops for souvenirs, history books, and
locally made products such as baskets, jewelry, salt
products and more. Days and times of operation are
subject to change so please check our website or email
us for updated information:
www.tcmuseum.org• info@tcmuseum.org
76 www.timespub.tc

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.amnautical.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 43,000.
Getting here
There are international airports on Grand Turk,
Providenciales, and South Caicos, with domestic airports
on all of the islands except East Caicos.
As of May 1, 2022, all visitors ages 18 and above
must be fully vaccinated but are no longer required to
apply for travel authorization nor provide evidence of a
negative COVID-19 test prior to arrival nor present evidence
of travel insurance nor wear masks/face coverings.
Proof of vaccination in either a digital or paper record
must be presented on arrival. Visitors are fully responsible
for the cost of quarantine/isolation, hospitalization,
or medical repatriation in the event they test positive
during their stay. For more information and details, visit
www.turksandcaicostourism.com.
Times of the Islands Fall 2022 77

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.
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 and community cabs 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
connections. 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
FortisTCI supplies electricity at a frequency of 60HZ,
and either single phase or three phase at one of three
standard voltages for residential or commercial service.
FortisTCI continues to invest in a robust and resilient grid
to ensure the highest level of reliability to customers. The
company is integrating renewable energy into its grid and
provides options for customers to participate in two solar
energy programs.
Departure tax
US $60. It is typically included in your airline ticket cost.
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 are
located downtown on Airport Road. In Grand Turk, the
Post Office and Philatelic Bureau are on Church Folly. The
Islands are known for their 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.
78 www.timespub.tc

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 Nigel John Dakin. He presides over an executive
council formed by the elected local government.
Hon. Charles Washington Misick is the country’s premier,
leading a majority Progressive National Party (PNP) 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.
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. Practically all consumer
goods and foodstuffs are imported.
The Turks & Caicos Islands are recognised as an
important offshore financial centre, offering services
Times of the Islands Fall 2022 79

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 in 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, Episcopal, Jehovah’s Witnesses,
Methodist and Pentecostal. Visitors are always welcome.
Pets
Incoming pets must have an import permit, veterinary
health certificate, vaccination certificate and lab test
results submitted at port of entry to obtain clearance
from the TCI Department of Agriculture.
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,
sashes and hat bands. The National Song is “This Land
of Ours” by the late Rev. E.C. Howell. 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. Single-use plastic bags have been
banned country-wide as of May 1, 2019. There is also a
ban on importation of plastic straws and some polystyrene
products, including cups and plates.
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, snuba, kiteboarding, stand up paddleboarding,
mermaid encounters and beachcombing. Pristine reefs,
abundant marine life and excellent visibility make TCI
a world-class diving destination. Whale and dolphin
encounters are possible, especially during the winter/
spring months.
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. Birdwatching is superb, and there
is a guided trail on Grand Turk.
80 www.timespub.tc

There is an excellent national museum on Grand
Turk, with an auxillary branch on Providenciales that
includes the Caicos Heritage House. A scheduled ferry
and a selection of tour operators make it easy to take day
trips to the outer islands.
Other land-based activities include bicycling, horseback
riding and football (soccer). Personal trainers are
available to motivate you, working out of several fitness
centres. You will also find a variety of spa and body treatment
services.
Nightlife includes local bands playing island music
at bars and restaurants and some nightclubs. There are
two casinos on Providenciales, along with many electronic
gaming parlours. Stargazing is extraordinary!
Shoppers will find paintings, T-shirts, sports and
beachwear and locally made handicrafts, including straw
work, conch crafts and beach jewellery. Duty free outlets
sell liquor, jewellery, watches, perfume, leather goods,
crystal, china, cameras, electronics, brand-name clothing
and accessories, along with Cuban cigars. a
SEE
THE
DIFFERENCE
OPHTHALMOLOGY CLINIC
Ophthalmologist Dr. Sebastian Guzman is now available
for consultation in the Turks & Caicos Islands.
Dr. Guzman and his team are a group of doctors
representing three generations of ophthalmologists.
They specialize in the diagnosis and treatment of eye
diseases and those linked to the throat, nose, and
ears. At MD OJOS, we have our own equipment,
with all the advantages of a private clinic. We offer
a fast, complete, and comprehensive response to our
patients. We are trained in the application of the
latest technological advances for the correction of
different visual dysfunctions.
NOW OPEN IN REGENT VILLAGE
CALL 809 880 2020
WWW.OJOS.COM.DO
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ISLANDS
SAMPLING THE SOUL OF THE TURKS & CAICOS ISLANDS
One year subscription
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Please allow 30 to 60 days for delivery of first issue.
Times of the Islands Fall 2022 81

classified ads
Community Fellowship Centre
A Life-Changing Experience
Sunday Divine Worship 9 AM
Visitors Welcome!
Tel: 649.941.3484 • Web: cfctci.com
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FOR ALL YOUR
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RENTAL NEEDS
649-941-8438 and 649-241-4968
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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
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82 www.timespub.tc

WE ARE LEADING THE WAY TO
A CLEANER ENERGY FUTURE
Our executive team: (L-R) Vice President of Corporate Services and CFO Aisha Laporte; Vice President
of Grand Turk and Sister Island Operations Allan Robinson; President and CEO Ruth Forbes; Senior Vice
President of Operations Devon Cox; Vice President of Engineering and Energy Production and Delivery
Don Forsyth (seated); and Vice President of Innovation, Technology and Strategic Planning Rachell Roullet.
In a rapidly evolving electricity sector, energy leaders of today are
focused on driving the transformation to cleaner, more sustainable
energy sources.
At FortisTCI, our purpose and passion are unwavering – to serve our
customers, community, and the Turks and Caicos Islands with the
safe, reliable, and least-cost electricity they need – whenever and
wherever.
Every day, we are working towards an energy future that is cleaner,
more resilient, reliable, and sustainable.
www.fortistci.com | 649-946-4313 |

We help you turn some day
into right now . . .
nothing compares.
The Shore Club Villa 4
Long Bay Beachfront
THE FINEST COLLECTION
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649.946.4474 | info@tcsothebysrealty.com | turksandcaicossir.com
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Each franchise is Independently Owned and Operated.