Times of the Islands Spring 2023

TIMES
OF THE
SAMPLING THE SOUL OF THE TURKS & CAICOS ISLANDS SPRING 2023 NO. 142
ISLANDS
TRACKING WHALES
How far do they travel?
THE BUZZ ON BEES
Island hives
KITEBOARDING MECCA
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contents
Departments
6 From the Editor
19 Getting to Know
Commitment: Nothing Compares
The journey to build TCSIR
By Davidson Edens Louis
26 Book Review
The Last Resort
By Jody Rathgeb ~ Photo By Tom Rathgeb
28 Creature Feature
Sea Cucumbers
By Kelly Currington
45 Faces & Places
Royal Cup All-Star Basketball Game 2023
By Nandina Hislop ~ Photos Courtesy TCISC
60 Resort Report
Not Just Kiteboard Heaven:
H2O Life. Style Resort
By Kathy Borsuk
76 About the Islands/TCI Map
81 Subscription Form
82 Classified Ads
Features
46 Houses of the Hurricane
Photos By Tom Rathgeb ~ Text By Jody Rathgeb
54 Foray into Beekeeping
By Diane Taylor
Green Pages
31 A Whale of a Project
By Katharine Hart, Cathy Bacon,
and Amy Avenant
36 Redefining Reefs
Story & Photos By Rachel Craft
39 Cleaning Stations
The five-star marine restaurant and spa
By Hope Milo and C.E. O’Brien
43 Greening Our Schools
By Amy Avenant
Photos By Jonathan Sayao
TIMES
OF THE
ISLANDS
SAMPLING THE SOUL OF THE TURKS & CAICOS ISLANDS SPRING 2023 NO. 142
On the Cover
This aerial “selfie” was taken by local photographer/
athlete/artist/adventurer Wes Matweyew. Of the location,
Wes says, “It’s an amazing spot just downwind from
Daniel’s Café on Middle Caicos. There are holes in the
boat that turn into waterspouts as the waves press up
underneath—spraying you as you ride by and creating
rainbows in the sun’s rays. Whales were swimming just
outside the surf break, so it was just another one of those
dreamy Turks & Caicos kitesurfing experiences.” Wes’s
YouTube channel is kite surf seclusion and GoProHobbit
on Instagram.
31
Astrolabe
67 Sleuthing the Stave Story
Story & Illustrations By Jeff Dodge
70 Remembering When:
Operation Cossack
Story & Images By Paul Ward
Apollo Mission Badges
By Dr. Richard Grainger
KATHARINE HART
4 www.timespub.tc

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from the editor
ERIC GORSKI
Besides producing honey and other products, honey bees pollinate $15 billion worth of crops in the United States each year, including more
than 130 types of fruits, nuts, and vegetables. Bees are endangered due to a variety of human-based activities.
Bee-reaved
Folks who read this editorial regularly may recognize that I am missing my late father deeply—please bear with me.
Diane Taylor’s article about beekeeping on Pine Cay brought back lots of memories. My father was a hobbyist beekeeper,
and every spring for the last decade, he would have been introducing a new colony of bees and a queen into
his backyard hive. I was often the clumsy but willing assistant. We usually extracted honey in early summer—this first
batch light and floral-tasting—and in the late fall, when the honey would be thick, dark-colored, and fiercely guarded
by the bees as it was their winter sustenance. This year, the hive is empty, and I am sure my dad’s neighbors’ gardens
will not be as abundant as when his bees did their job of pollination.
My dad was a chemical engineer and a detail-oriented list-maker who valued “making best use of your time.” I
think that’s why he was drawn to the bees. They operate in a complex, cooperative society that is stunning in its efficiency.
I remember watching the “guard bees” monitoring the hive’s small opening so no “robber bees” could enter
and steal their precious fare. As long as there was daylight, “worker bees” would ceaselessly fly out and up and back
again. (In fact, one bee travels approximately 55,000 miles and makes two million trips between flowers and hive to
make one pound of honey.) And when we carefully opened the hive, hundreds of bees would be busy inside sharing
a huge variety of duties.
My parents’ friends and neighbors would look forward to the gift of a jar of honey from “Borsuk’s Busy Bees.”
I am trying to remember that this magazine is something like that. Each idea, story, photo, and advertisement is
like a precious package of nectar or pollen that comes together to create a sweet end result. I can never thank our
contributors enough. Kathy Borsuk, Editor timespub@tciway.tc • (649) 431-4788
6 www.timespub.tc

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TIMES
OF THE
ISLANDS
MANAGING EDITOR
Kathy Borsuk
ADVERTISING MANAGER
Claire Parrish
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
Amy Avenant, Cathy Bacon, Kathy Borsuk, Rachel Craft,
Kelly Currington, Elisann Delancy, Jeff Dodge,
Dr. Richard Grainger, Katharine Hart, Nandina Hislop,
Davidson Edens Louis, Hope Milo, Dr. C.E. O’Brien,
Jody Rathgeb, Diana Taylor, Lisa Turnbow-Talbot,
Paul Ward.
.
CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS
Rachel Craft, Jeff Dodge, Helen Fairchild, Eric Gorski,
H2O Life. Style Resort, Katharine Hart, Chuck Hesse,
Kon Studio, Denise Marrotta, Wes Matweyew, Hope Milo,
Michael Monfore, Lee Munson, Dr. C.E. O’Brien,
Tom Rathgeb, Jonathan Sayao, Shutterstock,
TCISC, TCSIR, Lisa Turnbow-Talbot, Paul Ward.
CONTRIBUTING ARTISTS
Wavey Line Publishing.
PRINTING
PF Solutions, Miami, FL
Times of the Islands ISSN 1017-6853 is
published quarterly by Times Publications Ltd.
Copyright © 2023 by Times Publications Ltd. All rights reserved
under Universal and Pan American Copyright Conventions.
No part of this publication may be
reproduced without written permission.
Subscriptions $28/year; $32/year for
non-U.S. mailing addresses
Submissions We welcome submission of articles or photography, but
assume no responsibility for care and return of unsolicited material.
Return postage must accompany material if it is to be returned. In no
event shall any writer or photographer subject this magazine to any
claim for holding fees or damage charges on unsolicited material.
While every care has been taken in the compilation and reproduction of
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subject to change without notice. The publisher accepts no
responsibility for such alterations or for typographical or other errors.
Business Office
Times Publications Ltd., P.O. Box 234,
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Tel 649 431 4788
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Advertising tfadvert@tciway.tc
18 www.timespub.tc

getting to know
Above from left: Joe Zahm, at 33 years old, when the band Everyman
was being formed; Nina Siegenthaler, at 5 years old, in Sapodilla Bay;
and Richard Sankar at 31 years old.
At right: Turks & Caicos Sotheby’s International Realty Board of
Directors: Joe Zahm, President/Broker; Nina Siegenthaler, Vice
President; and Richard Sankar, Director/Broker.
Commitment:
Nothing Compares
The journey to build Turks & Caicos Sotheby’s International Realty.
By Davidson Edens Louis ~ Illustrations Courtesy Turks & Caicos Sotheby’s International Realty
The bravest souls who manage to impact our lives, contribute to human endeavors, and make serious
social advancements have one thing in common. They are committed.
Times of the Islands Spring 2023 19

Commitment turns implausible dreams to attainable
realities, it breaks barriers, and softens the most daunting
fears. Commitment by no means is an easy task! It is
an unshakable dedication, and staying committed is one
of the most demanding challenges a person may face. It
is also one of the most rewarding.
I have always had a great curiosity and appreciation
for the concept of motivation. In university, I was
obsessed with it. I have watched documentaries and films
and read memoirs while searching for the reasons that
propel some of the world’s most successful people to the
top. What links these great minds together? They are all
utterly committed to their goal. They live and breathe it,
almost as if there was no alternative outcome other than
what they set out to achieve.
Far from the classroom, I discovered three real-life
case studies right in front of me. For market leaders Joe
Zahm, Nina Siegenthaler, and Richard Sankar, their commitment
to the Turks & Caicos Islands and their careers
is decades deep.
Leading Turks & Caicos Sotheby’s International Realty
(TCSIR), they are musician, island mom, and dog-dad,
but also experts who are committed to remaining pioneers
in the Turks & Caicos real estate industry. From
record-breaking sales in dollar values to extensive
involvement in the development of the community, it
echoes in everything they do. Being at the infancy of my
career, I am astonished by their combined achievements
and contributions.
Who is Joe Zahm?
My 56-minute interview with Joe was a series of stories,
quotes, and chunks of music lyrics all pieced together
in a captivating, poetic manner. The ex-lawyer and ski
enthusiast (once known as the “ski-attorney”) is one of
the most electrifying individuals I have worked with. Yet
Joe’s story is as affectionate and full of energy as he is.
Joe is also an artiste: guitarist, singer, writer, and father
of three.
Beside the Joe Zahm who has led the industry with over
$4 billion brokered in real estate sales, there is someone
who takes interest in his art and community endeavors.
Joe came to the Turks & Caicos in 1989 at the age of 29.
“From 22ºF below zero in the Colorado Rockies to 82ºF in
Providenciales in nine hours,” he recalls. He traded in his
ski boots for a pair of loafers and embarked on what has
become a lifelong passion and career.
In late 1998, Joe along with our current Minister of
Tourism, Environment, Heritage, Maritime, Gaming,
and Disaster Management Josephine Connolly, formed
Connolly Zahm Properties (CZP), a real estate brokerage
and consulting firm specializing in luxury beachfront
developments. By then, Joe had years of real estate
experience in the Turks & Caicos Islands, including
development, management, and sales. He pioneered, witnessed,
and aided the drastic leaps the TCI has made as
a destination and helped build the foundation on which
the nation now stands. He brought the first professional
computer software from Colorado, along with various
operating procedures, while at the same time writing
the popular song “Beautiful By Nature” with his band
Everyman.
Now working with the top luxury resorts and developers,
Joe gains tremendous satisfaction in seeing how far
TCI has progressed in over 30 years. Joe adds, “I couldn’t
be more proud of the Turks & Caicos people, who have
stepped up to lead and support what is now a premier
global real estate and tourism brand.”
Joe described his journey in the Islands to be a marathon
that requires dedication, patience, and persistence.
“My energy follows the keen level of inspiration and
interest that Turks & Caicos continually provides. The
resilience of the country and its people give me the inspiration
to carry on.”
Who is Nina Siegenthaler?
Nina has achieved over $1.5 billion in individual real
estate sales, she is one of Sotheby’s International Realty’s
Top 100 Agents Worldwide, and she continues to be the
number one producer in dollar sales volume in Turks &
Caicos for many years running. But that’s not all of the
story.
Nina’s love affair with the Turks & Caicos started
when she was just five years old. “It warms my heart
just thinking about it,” she says with great tenderness
in her voice. Anchored in Sapodilla Bay, Nina first discovered
the country on a family sailing holiday from the
Bahamas in 1981. Her father decided to go on a bike ride
and returned to the boat saying, “We’re going to build
a house on Providenciales!” He had bought a piece of
land in Thompson’s Cove on the spot after bumping into
then-developer Walt Thompson. Struck by the island’s
raw charm, the decision to move to the Turks & Caicos
Islands was unified. By 1985, the family left the Bahamas
and constructed a new home and life on Providenciales.
Nina left the Islands in 1987 at the age of 11 to pursue
her education, but her longing to return home remained
strong. In fact, Nina’s mother gifted her a subscription
20 www.timespub.tc

TMW2022.qxp_Layout 1 3/2/22 3:41 PM Page 1
This beautiful parcel of land on Grace Bay Beach, sold for $20 million, was just one of TCSIR’s “Significant Sales” for 2022.
to Times of the Islands while she was away at boarding
school and college in the early 1990s to make her feel
more connected to home in the TCI. She earned a BA
in Art from Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania before
moving to New York City. The tragedy of the 9/11 attack
revealed that it was time to return “home,” a place where
she would feel safe.
Back in the Turks & Caicos, Nina reunited with her
friend Richard Sankar, who came into her life when he
originally listed her parent’s house. “It was meant to be,”
she said. “A chilling sensation washed over me, starting
from the back of my neck down to my feet. I had
goosebumps all over! The ambiguous power of destiny or
fate differs from person to person. For me, it was rather
clear—I am a strong believer of ‘what-is-to-be-will-be’.”
Richard referred her to Joe at Connolly Zahm Properties
where she began her auspicious career in real estate.
Nina was made partner when Connolly Zahm Properties
merged with Turks & Caicos Sotheby’s International
Realty.
Who is Richard Sankar?
Richard is a man with an omnipresent charisma and
endless love. Richard is “dad” to four loving, docile, and
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Times of the Islands Spring 2023 21

Built on the pristine beach at Parrot Cay, Dhayni House ranked as another of TCSIR’s top “Significant Sales” of 2022.
totally unperturbed potcake dogs. He is a soft spoken
and calculated leader. His voice is warm and empathetic.
Brought up from a humble beginning in Trinidad &
Tobago, Richard never ceases to push himself. From the
debut of his career at age 16 at the Bank of Nova Scotia
to record-breaking real estate sales, Richard proves the
proverb, “From humble beginnings come great things.”
Like Nina, Richard’s contribution in the local real
estate market is significant. In 1997, when he moved to
the Turks & Caicos Islands, he quickly became the topproducing
agent at Prestigious Properties for more than
a decade. A founding member of the Turks & Caicos Real
Estate Association (TCREA) and a local philanthropist,
Richard is heavily involved in improving the local industry
and the lives of young people.
“What keeps you going?” I leaned in and asked. There
was a slight pause. I couldn’t help picture in my head a
young Richard: eager, disciplined, and very much structured
from an early age. Not much has changed—his
office is all-white, perfectly organized, and not a speck
of dust on the desk. His Caribbean mother would have
been proud. “Empowerment for the local people,” Richard
answered, which brought me back into the room.
Great leaders build amazing communities because
they have a vision. They do so in a variety of ways and
over an extended period of time. They shape and unify
individuals by sharing their experiences and knowledge.
Richard devotes a large portion of his career to mentoring
and education. In the words of Antoine Saint-Exupéry, “If
you want to build a ship . . . teach the men to yearn for
the vast and endless sea.”
What are we at TCSIR?
Individually, Joe, Nina, and Richard show tremendous
resilience and commitment. Together, they have created
a premier luxury real estate brokerage firm in
Turks & Caicos with a profound track record and significant
foothold in all market segments, particularly new
development and trophy properties. The Turks & Caicos
Sotheby’s International Realty (TCSIR) originally formed in
1990 was revived in 2013 by the trio who came together
with a single vision: To make a difference by serving clients
and community with passion and integrity.
The distinguished corner Venture House on Grace Bay
Road is a mere emblem of the labor involved in building
TCSIR over the years. “Nothing happens without waiting.
The seed in the ground does not become a tree overnight.
It goes through seasons, nurturing, watering, pruning
22 www.timespub.tc

efore it bears fruit,” said Ngina Otiende. Much of this is
true for TCSIR.
For instance, the COVID-19 pandemic was one of the
most significant disruptions the Islands have ever faced.
In late March 2020, our world and everything in it came
to a screeching halt as TCI closed its borders to tourists
and visitors through the end of July. Resorts, restaurants,
airports, and businesses closed and near-to-completion
real estate deals were either canceled or deferred. Such
crucial times beg to be innovative.
TCSIR had to think creatively and adapt. They
responded to this crisis with various technologies. The
introduction and continuance of the brand’s state-of-theart
Matterport 3D technology (originally introduced to TCI
real estate in 2018), simple narrated FaceTime tours, videos,
signature high caliber photography, regular virtual
internal team meetings, participation in industry Zoom
conferences, and virtual showings proved to be working.
Third-party expert inspections, effective documentation,
quality communication, and diligent agents also helped
in giving clients confidence in buying in TCI. As a result,
Joe Zahm explains, “Clients felt more connected with our
network, team, and community than ever. Virtual buying
became a ‘thing.’”
Times of the Islands Spring 2023 23

He adds, “There is light at the end of the tunnel. Unlike
the aftermath of the financial crisis of September 2009,
where we had weak fundamentals and luxury buyers
disappeared, the opposite has occurred here. Buyers,
interested in luxury assets remained in the game and
continued to shop and purchase real estate.”
These innovative ways to connect clients to Turks
& Caicos worked. There was a 137% increase in video
viewership on the Turks & Caicos Sotheby’s International
Realty YouTube channel and increased activity with thirdparty
web site partners like the New York Times and
Mansion Global. This subsequently marked an astonishing
year with significant sales including Bajacu listed at
$18.8 million, Dream Big Villa at $5.75 million, Cerulean
at $4.8 million, and the sale of a Leeward beach parcel at
$8.5 million. This proved a demonstration of a resilient
country and its real estate industry.
Howard Shultz said, “When you are surrounded by
people who share a passionate commitment around a
common purpose, anything is possible.” TCSIR has seen
tremendous results in 2022, closing its final quarter
responsible for 61% of market share sales for listings over
$1 million and 60% of the market for residential sales
over $3 million. TCSIR and its team, now 28-strong, have
long been responsible for some of the country’s most significant
sales, including many on Parrot Cay, rock legend
Prince’s island estate, and most recently, the Forbes Road
property on Grace Bay Beach. But the journey doesn’t
stop there.
It has always been in the fabric of Turks & Caicos
Sotheby’s International Realty to give back to the local
community. Throughout the years, TCSIR has significantly
contributed to many charities and non-profit organiza-
24 www.timespub.tc

tions in need of a helping hand. “A rising tide lifts all
boats,” John F. Kennedy said and it is true. It is in giving
that we receive and it is by giving, we help to leverage
social disparity.
Located in the Atlantic Ocean, our “Beautiful by Nature”
Islands are at risk of being hit by hurricanes. When
Category Five Hurricane Irma hit in 2017, TCI stayed
strong with the unquestionable backing of the private
sector. Joe, Nina, Richard, and other industry leaders collectively
joined hands. TCSIR partnered with Do-It-Center
to provide much needed building assistance to residents
who were hardest hit. It was imperative to aid in rebuilding
lives in the community in which everyone lives.
It isn’t only in critical times that Turks & Caicos
Sotheby’s International Realty runs to the rescue; also
through education, mentorship, and fundraising through
art. TCSIR has been a proud sponsor of Food for Thought
since its beginning in 2016. Food for Thought is a nonprofit
dedicated to ending the unacceptable number of
children going to school without having eaten breakfast.
Joe enthusiastically supports the annual Art Auction
Fundraiser held by the Edward Gartland Youth Center.
Nina continues her diligent work with United Way Turks
& Caicos, focusing on education, crime prevention, and
youth development, along with hurricane restoration and
COVID-19 relief. Richard’s advocacy and determination to
empower locals shines through mentorship and working
to offer equal opportunities.
There’s something important I gathered while talking
with Joe, Nina, and Richard. There is an indisputable
trust between the three of them. Maybe committing
isn’t enough! Maybe the marathon Joe mentioned earlier
is in fact a relay race. The journey to success is one
that requires a series of devoted team members. After
all, where would we be without those who nudged us in
moments of self-doubt? Henry Ford said, “When everyone
is moving forward together, success takes care of itself.”
Self-commitment is only half of the equation. So, this is
about everyone who has contributed, small or big, to get
Turks & Caicos Sotheby’s International Realty where it
is today. If we can see further, it is by standing on the
shoulders of giants. a
Graduate, writer, and artist Davidson Edens Louis joined
Turks & Caicos Sotheby’s International Realty as the marketing
coordinator, where he hopes to use his creativity
to share the unparalleled works of TCSIR.
Times of the Islands Spring 2023 25

ook review
The Last Resort
Raising the red flag on overdevelopment.
By Jody Rathgeb ~ Photo By Tom Rathgeb
The Last Resort by Sarah Stodola might seem an odd choice of book to review in these pages. After all, it
does not feature or even mention the Turks & Caicos Islands, and its author has no TCI connections. The
book’s subtitle, however, explains much: A Chronicle of Paradise, Profit, and Peril at the Beach. This is a
“beach read” about the beach that is significant for everyone in the Islands, including tourists, entrepreneurs,
all residents, and the government.
26 www.timespub.tc

The book explores seaside tourism in all its facets,
from its European origins in health, then gambling and
luxury, to today’s all-inclusive beach resorts. In between
are topics that cover the globe: the “bure,” or bungalow
format that fanned out from Fiji; erosion and rising
waters; the hedonism of party places like Ibiza, Fort
Lauderdale, and the early iterations of Club Med; and
most importantly, the shutting out of locals in the name
of luxury.
Stodola brings a good amount of experience to her
explorations. She is the founder and editor of Flung, a
publication that challenges assumptions about travel,
and has written about travel and culture for a number of
other publications, including the New York Times, Slate,
the Wall Street Journal, and the BBC. Her interest in beach
vacations rose when she was introduced by a surfer to
that culture’s search for worldwide waves.
Globe-hopping
In The Last Resort, Stodola starts with a brief review
of how beachside vacations grew from spa visits and
early “health resorts,” then began to draw the rich with
gambling and glamour and became “a shorthand for paradise.”
Then she does some globe-hopping, looking at
beach tourism from several angles.
In Waikiki, she visits the high-rises along a troubled
beach that has been through all of the “saving” tactics:
replenishment, groins, seawalls. “No expert can assure
me that in a hundred years, the Waikiki beaches will be
here at all,” she writes.
Exploring the origins and spread of beach resort culture,
plus its future, takes Stodola to Fiji, Nicaragua,
Senegal, Vietnam, Portugal, and Indonesia. But along
the way she also warns of overdevelopment and partyculture
tourism, which sever connections with the places
that host them. Particularly interesting is a section on
the overdevelopment cycle, as laid out by R. W. Butler, a
geographer at the University of Ontario, in 1980.
This seven-phase cycle will look familiar to anyone
who has traveled to find, or who lives in, “paradise.” The
stages:
Exploration. Small numbers of visitors check out a destination.
There are few amenities for tourists. “Rather than
locals catering to the tourists, the tourists must assimilate
. . . into the local culture.”
Involvement. Locals start providing tourist services, and
there’s plenty of interaction.
Development. Marketing and advertising begin. External
organizations, often foreign, build hotels and restaurants.
As Stodola puts it, “ . . . the Hilton will now be
happy to welcome you.”
Consolidation. Tourist numbers now equal the local population.
Tourism is the main driver of the economy.
Stagnation. Peak tourist numbers have been reached.
“The season” is busy, often overwhelming. The luxury
market starts looking elsewhere. Cancun is a good example.
Decline. The area struggles to compete with newer areas
and deal with problems of limited resources, crime, and
complaints.
Rejuvenation. This stage doesn’t always happen, but
when it does it involves a shift of focus. For example,
Myrtle Beach embraces the bikers instead of discouraging
them. Some resorts market more heavily toward LGBTQ
tourists or the Chinese, for example, or promote their
true cultural connections over a stereotype of paradise.
Stodola pays particular attention to the local people
and cultures affected by beach tourism, pointing out both
problems and solutions. The Last Resort ends on a hopeful
note with the chapter, “A Better Way,” and examples
of how local communities can help to avoid the boom–
decline cycle and shape tourism that is more sustainable
and less destructive.
Readers will not find the words “Turks and Caicos”
anywhere in this book. But its importance to the Islands
cannot be overstated. a
The Last Resort, Sarah Stodola, is published by Ecco, an
imprint of HarperCollins Publishers. Copyright 2002.
$27.99 USD.
Times of the Islands Spring 2023 27

creature feature
KELLY CURRINGTON REEF CREATURE IDENTIFICATION
The main three types of
sea cucumbers found in
the Turks & Caicos are
(clockwise from top): the
Donkey Dung, the Tiger
Tail—which can reach
lengths of up to six feet—
and the Furry. They do
not swim, but caterpillar
across the sea floor.
Sea Cucumbers
Learning more about “nature’s Roomba.”
By Kelly Currington
Sea cucumbers are an important part of the eco-system, yet many people know little about them, and
some divers have never seen one of these amazing and beautiful creatures. Let’s take a look at these
squishy, odd-looking “vacuums of the sea.”
28 www.timespub.tc

There are around 1,000 different species of sea
cucumbers world-wide, usually found on the sea floor
near coral reefs, seagrass beds, and other fixed habitats
at depths between 10 and 120 feet. The main three found
in the Turks & Caicos are the Donkey Dung, the Furry,
and the Tiger Tail, which can reach lengths of up to six
feet. They do not swim, but caterpillar across the sea floor.
They have an elongated body covered in a leathery skin
with varying textures, patterns, and nodules. While they
do not have a “true” brain or any distinct sensory organs,
they instead have a complex network of neurons that help
them experience touch and the presence of light.
How do sea cucumbers help the eco-system? That’s
a great question, since based solely on appearance, they
don’t look like they have a whole lot to offer, but they
definitely do. They are suspension feeders, roaming the
sea floor using small, tube-like feet to feed on algae, tiny
animals, and decomposing matter; they also ingest sand,
mud, and other sediment. They pull the nutrients from
everything they ingest and then poop out clean sand and
filtered water. Voila—an underwater Roomba!
Under normal circumstances, they are either stationary
or moving in a cumbersome way, like a big clumsy
Walkin May2017_Layout 1 5/28/17 5:45 PM Page 1
caterpillar. However, if they feel threatened, they can kick
into high gear by flexing their bodies and rolling away in
an act of fear and self-preservation. If you happen upon
one of these sea dwellers while swimming, snorkeling,
or diving, please do not touch them, encroach on their
space, make loud noises, or follow them if they start to
roll away, as this causes great stress. If they continue to
feel threatened, they can expel part of their toxic guts in
an attempt to defend themselves from a predator, and
some species even shoot sticky threads from their bodies,
entangling and confusing a predator to give them
time to escape. But continued or repeated stress at this
level can eventually be fatal, so please be respectful and
quietly admire sea cucumbers from a healthy distance.
Another part of the sea urchin’s self-defense is the
ability to blend in with their environment and be nearly
or completely unnoticeable. This is crucial when trying
to hide from natural predators like crabs, turtles, fish,
and some species of shark. Sadly, their biggest threat is
humans who farm and fish them for consumption, depleting
their numbers significantly, pushing the species
towards the threatened list. They are also at risk from
climate change, ocean acidification, habitat destruction,
and water pollution. If they can manage to stay off the
menu and not succumb to other factors, sea cucumbers
can live between five and ten years.
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Times of the Islands Spring 2023 29

john redmond associates ltd.
architects & designers
construction consultants
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p.o.box 21, providenciales, turks & caicos is.
tel.: 9464440 cell: 2314569 email: redmond@tciway.tc
My first encounter with a sea cucumber was a funny
one. My son and I were walking along Grace Bay Beach
and wading in the water when we saw this large brown
thing in the water. I thought it was excrement and all I
could think about was how huge the creature must have
been to excrete it. When I discovered that it was actually
an animal, I laughed until my cheeks and sides hurt!
Even this did not give me all the education I needed
before my first up-close encounter with a Furry sea
cucumber while diving. There she was, so beautiful and
intriguing, just lying there on the white sandy bottom.
She suddenly lifted one end of her body up off the floor
and opened and closed her mouth repeatedly. I couldn’t
believe what I was seeing. I used my camera to record this
incredible encounter. She continued this for 10–15 minutes
and I was paralyzed with excitement. This secured
my fascination with sea urchins, and I couldn’t wait to tell
my mates what I seen and filmed. When I pushed play, the
laughter was immediate and robust, so much so that they
had a hard time getting the words out to tell me what
they were laughing at.
After they caught their breath, they told me that I had
spent half my dive filming her bottom, her bum—not her
mouth! I laughed with them, but held firm on my happiness
at witnessing an amazing sight.
Over the years I have come to love these little squishy
pickles and all the good they do for the oceans. I can
spend a whole dive watching one inch across the sea
floor, studying its behavior, skin texture, and the deliberateness
with which it moves.
Sea cucumbers typically reach sexual maturity around
three years of age. Their eggs are externally fertilized
after the female releases her eggs into the water column
and they come into contact with sperm released from a
male. The best chance for this to be successful is for
there to be numerous males and females together in the
same area at the same time.
There is a whole wonderful world below the ocean’s
surface, so slow down and take the time to really see all
the amazing and interesting creatures that are right in
front of your eyes. They all play a vital role in keeping
the reefs healthy and they all have interesting behaviors
and characteristics. Everyone wants to see the big-ticket
creatures like sharks, turtles, rays, and octopus, but there
are so many fascinating unfamiliar creatures on the reefs
that deserve the same respect and notoriety. The more
you know about these creatures, the more you will want
to protect them.
From the ocean to you . . . treasures galore! a
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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/
A breaching humpback whale is one of the most majestic animals in the ocean. It was photographed by Katharine Hart on February 13, 2023
under SRP #2022-12-22-44.
A Whale of a Project
Monitoring the presence, distribution, and behaviour of humpback whales.
By Katharine Hart MSc., Cathy Bacon MSc., Turks & Caicos Islands Whale Project, and Amy Avenant,
TCI Department of Environment & Coastal Resources.
Photos by Katharine Hart, Deep Blue Charters, under SRP #2021-12-29-26
Every season, the Turks & Caicos Islands (TCI) become the winter haven for one of the most majestic and
charismatic animals in the ocean, the humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae). Visitors and residents
alike follow suit, making a seasonal migration to Grand Turk and Salt Cay in the hopes of encountering
these whales from a boat or, if everything aligns, the possibility of slipping into the water to see them
eye-to-eye.
Times of the Islands Spring 2023 31

green pages newsletter of the department of environment & coastal resources
The Turks & Caicos Islands Whale Project (TCIWP)
is a collaborative project between TCI’s Department of
the Environment & Coastal Resources (DECR), Deep Blue
Charters (a private boat charter company in Grand Turk),
and independent researchers. The primary objective is
data collection regarding the distribution and behaviour
of North Atlantic humpback whales within TCI’s territorial
waters. North Atlantic humpback whales migrate annually
from feeding grounds in the north to the warmer
waters of the Caribbean, which act as breeding and nursery
grounds. The objectives of the TCIWP include the
establishment of a long-term humpback whale project
based in the TCI, developing a consistent presence and
TCI-wide data collection through dedicated surveys, and
citizen-based science.
For the 2022 season, data collection took place
between January 22 and April 6, with a total of 55 surveys
on 38 survey days. Data was primarily collected through
vessel-based surveys and in-water observation, with GPS
data, photographs and videography for identification,
whale behaviour, and environmental parameters (e.g.
weather conditions, depth) recorded. Over the three and
a half months of surveys, three species were identified:
humpback whales, Atlantic spotted dolphins (Stenella
frontalis), and bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus).
A total of 112 cetacean groups, comprising 288 individuals,
and 108 humpback whale groups, comprising 243
individuals, were encountered during TCIWP surveys, as
shown in the table below.
In the 2022 season, mother and calf pairs were the
most commonly encountered groups of humpback whales,
followed by adult pairs and mother-calf pairs with an
escort. Less frequently encountered were single whales,
competitive groups of adults, and singing males. This season
(2023), there appears to be a notable difference in
the first few weeks, with a greater number of single adult
whales being encountered and fewer mother-calf pairs.
Citizen science
Citizen-based science is a key aspect of the TCIWP, with
the submission of photographs by whale watching operators
and passengers contributing valuable information to
the understanding of humpback whales in the TCI. At the
start of the 2022 season, the TCIWP established the Turks
& Caicos Islands Humpback Whale Catalogue (TCIHWC)
in collaboration with DECR for photo-identification of
whales in the TCI to facilitate matching of these whales
to other areas in the North Atlantic. It is exciting to see
members of the public getting involved, and to share
the excitement when interesting matches or information
about the whales is discovered through photographs and
videos. We recently received a match to a whale who is
46 years old, which holds a record of being the longest
time between the first and last sightings of an individual
humpback whale!
The TCIHWC now holds more than 330 individual
humpback whales that have been catalogued, 292 at
the end of the 2022 season. Ninety-six (33%) of those
292 individual humpback whales have been matched
to another breeding and/or feeding ground. TCIHWC
includes images dating back to 2008 and re-sightings to
all known feeding areas in the North Atlantic. To date,
matches have been made to multiple breeding and feeding
grounds in the North Atlantic, primarily the Gulf of
Maine in the USA, Newfoundland and Labrador in Canada,
Iceland, Norway, West Greenland, the mid-Atlantic region
(consisting of Virginia Beach, New Jersey, and New York),
and the Silver Bank and Samaná Bay in the Dominican
Republic. Some individuals observed in the TCI were
matched to Bermuda, although Bermuda is recognized as
a mid-point during the whale migration between breeding
and feeding grounds.
Identification of some well-known whales generates
a lot of interest with humpback whale lovers both locally
and on the feeding grounds. “Pinball” is an extremely
Marine Mammal Species Encountered during the 2022 Season
Species Common Name Species Scientific Name Total Number of Total Number of
Groups
Individuals
Humpback Whale Megaptera novaeangliae 108 243
Atlantic Spotted Dolphin Stenella frontalis 1 25
Bottlenose Dolphin Tursiops truncatus 3 20
Total 112 288
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green pages newsletter of the department of environment & coastal resources
This is a photograph of TCI-96, known as “Pinball,” taken on the Turks Bank in February 2022. It was submitted by citizen scientist Denise
Marotta and helped determine that Pinball did not have a calf at the time.
popular whale and has been a repeat visitor to TCI for
many years. In the 2022 season it was expected that she
may potentially be seen with a calf. Through submission
of photographs by citizen scientist Denise Marotta, it was
determined that she was with other adult whales and was
without a calf. Pinball was seen in the following weeks
as part of a competitive group of adult whales and later
with an individual male, or escort. It was exciting to hear
reports from the feeding grounds in the north that she
was looking particularly large in the summer months, and
hopes that she was pregnant were confirmed early in the
2023 season when she was the first whale to be identified
with a calf on the Turks Bank.
While images of tail flukes are the most desirable in
terms of photo-identification, the project also encourages
the submission of dorsal fin photographs, as these can
be valuable when matching whales. The image at right
was submitted by Lee Munson with Big Blue Collective
in February 2022. The unique dorsal fin of this mother
with her calf allowed her to be identified as TCI-205,
“Ventisca,” from the Gulf of Maine feeding ground.
This is a dorsal fin photograph of TCI-205, known as “Ventisca,”
observed with her calf in February 2022 on the Caicos Bank.
DENISE MARROTTA LEE MUNSON—BIG BLUE COLLECTIVE
Times of the Islands Spring 2023 33

green pages newsletter of the department of environment & coastal resources
MICHAEL MONFORE
Identification of whales can also be made through
unique markings, scars, and physical damage. The image
at left is a screenshot taken from a video submitted by
Michael Monfore, clearly showing unique damage to the
tail stock of this female humpback whale. From this scar,
the whale was identified as TCI-204, or “Angie”, from the
Trinity Bay, Newfoundland and Labrador feeding ground,
seen early in the season on the Turks Bank with a calf.
Angie and her calf were encountered again later in the
season.
Even if you think your images may not be useful,
please always submit them! As seen here, we can use
them to help identify individual humpback whales and
gain valuable knowledge about the whales coming to TCI.
KATHARINE HART
From top: This image is the damaged tail stock of humpback whale
TCI-204, known as “Angie,” on the Turks Bank. These are the unique
tail flukes of a male humpback whale (TCI-81). Here is TCI-207,
“Pendiente” (Pinball’s escort), blowing bubbles.
New and exciting data
Since the submission of our 2022 Scientific Research
Report to the DECR, a manuscript titled: “First documented
humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) photo-identification
match and round-trip migration between Iceland
and the Turks & Caicos Islands,” has been submitted to
a peer-reviewed scientific journal for publication. This
manuscript details the first reported match between
Iceland and the TCI and includes information regarding
the individual humpback whale’s (TCI-36, also known as
na12473 in the North Atlantic Humpback Whale Catalog)
round-trip migration, which took place within one year. It
was photographed in Iceland and re-sighted 88 days later,
approximately 6,224 km away, in the breeding grounds
off the TCI. It was then photographed in Skjálfandi Bay,
Iceland, approximately six months later, 6,229 km away,
showing a round-trip migration of approximately 12,453
km between the two locations. This manuscript includes
an image taken by a citizen scientist, Lee Munson, who
was included as a co-author.
Watch, don’t touch
The Turks & Caicos Island Whale Project would like to remind those on the water that we are in the realm of humpback
whales and we need to respect them and give them space. Following too closely or approaching whales can be
dangerous and cause behaviour changes that could have long-term consequences for the whale population here.
Please contact tciwhales@gmail.com or DECR for more information on best practices and guidelines for interacting
with cetaceans in the TCI.
Acknowledgments
We would like to thank our captain, Captain Kellison Talbot, for his unwavering commitment and expertise throughout
this and previous seasons.
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green pages newsletter of the department of environment & coastal resources
It is a thrill and an honor to witness a humpback whale using its powerful tail fin to launch themselves out of the water (known as breaching).
This beauty was photographed by Katharine Hart on January 26, 2023 under SRP #2022-12-22-44.
We would like to thank the operators and whale
watch charter companies that submitted videography
and photographs to the TCIHWC during the 2022 season.
The operators include: Deep Blue Charters, Ocean Vibes—
Grand Turk Shore Excursions, Reef Divers, Flamingo
Divers, AquaTCI, Big Blue Collective, Salt Cay Divers, Dive
Provo, Diventures, and Navis Charters.
We’d like to thank and recognize the citizen scientists
who graciously shared their images and videos with
us: Aailyah Oudman, Ann Hawkins, Bruce Hyde, Bryony
Rushton, Christine Hughey, Connie Dalziel, Denise
Marrotta, Dominique Wright, Edward Wright, Jill Mumford,
Jim Frey, Joanne Buddle, Karin Rödl, Kaylam King, Kelly
Edmonds, Kyle Furness, Lee Munson, Lou Middleton,
Mat Slattery, Melinda Volkert, Merche Llobera, Michael
Schofield, Mike Monfore, Myhoa Bird, Nancy Johnson,
Philip Shearer, Richard Langhorne, Roddy McLeod, Rosalie
Bergeron, Shelley Jensen, Tasia Simons, and Tazmara
Gowans. a
Katharine Hart is a marine biologist and co-owner of
Deep Blue Charters on Grand Turk. Cathy Bacon is a
marine biologist based in the United States. Both are lead
researchers for the Turks & Caicos Islands Whale Project.
Amy Avenant is the DECR Environmental Education and
Outreach Coordinator.
Times of the Islands Spring 2023 35

green pages newsletter of the department of environment & coastal resources
These Reef Balls—concrete structures designed to grow coral and attract fish—are arranged off Malcolm’s Road Beach on the western side
of Providenciales.
Redefining Reefs
Reef balls offer one way to protect coral reefs.
Story & Photos By Rachel Craft
On a recent trip to the Turks & Caicos Islands—my first visit, and hopefully not my last—I discovered that
half of the Islands’ beauty lies underwater. I swam with hawksbill turtles at Smith’s Reef, spotted moray
eels at Bight Reef, and nearly choked on my snorkel when an immense eagle ray soared past me through
Triggerfish Reef. But the least expected sight, and the one that most captured my interest, was off of the
remote Malcolm’s Road Beach on the western side of Providenciales. As I paddled farther from shore,
goggles down, I found myself in an eerie, otherworldly sea of “Reef Balls”: concrete structures designed
to grow coral and attract fish.
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green pages newsletter of the department of environment & coastal resources
At first I wondered if I was looking at some kind of
garbage, or perhaps the remnants of some long-lost civilization.
I later learned I’d stumbled upon 925 of the
largest Reef Balls in the world, each nearly as tall as I
am and weighing around 5,000 pounds. These aren’t the
only artificial reef structures to have been built in the
Turks & Caicos—over the last three decades, countless
Reef Balls have popped up all over TCI to create new coral
habitat and aid existing natural reefs.
Reef Balls were news to me, but the plight of coral
worldwide was not. Reefs everywhere have been struggling
under various (mostly anthropogenic) stresses:
overfishing, pollution, habitat destruction, climate
change. Nearshore reefs are under even more pressure
from hundreds of thousands of tourists each year, who
cause inadvertent damage by standing on corals, leaving
behind trash, or wearing toxic sunscreen.
The loss of our reefs would be a tragedy to anyone
who, like me, has experienced the wonder of watching
fish in their natural habitat through a pair of snorkel goggles.
But sadly, if humans cause reefs to go extinct, that
would be the least of our worries. Reefs buffer coastlines
from storms, provide jobs through fishing and tourism,
and support thousands of species of fish, many of which
are key sources of food for coastal communities. Losing
coral reefs would mean losing food, income, and protection
for roughly half a billion people—including many in
the Turks & Caicos. It is clearly in our best interest, not
just Mother Nature’s, to do what we can to protect coral
reefs. The Reef Balls are one of several ways scientists are
tackling this challenge.
While I was excited to see these Reef Balls in action,
I was also curious. As a former materials engineer,
I’m familiar with the harshness of the marine environment.
Few materials can withstand the corrosive salt
water for long; most will start to disintegrate after a few
years, leaching chemical and particulate pollution into
the ocean. Seeing the vast rows of Reef Balls outside
Malcolm’s Road Beach, I wondered how they were built
to help the environment without causing more harm. The
answer turned out to be a relatively simple design—but it
took a few decades to figure out.
Although ancient hunters experimented with the
first artificial reefs as a way of luring more fish to their
nets, using them for eco-friendly purposes was mostly
a 20th-century idea. People started to notice how shipwrecks
evolved into flourishing man-made reefs, and they
got the idea to kill two birds with one stone by dropping
garbage into the ocean.
Florida’s Osborne Reef is a prime example: In the
1970s, a huge effort was undertaken to “recycle” over
a million car tires by turning them into coral habitat.
Unfortunately, what was meant to become the world’s
longest artificial reef ended in ecological disaster. We
learned the hard way that reefs couldn’t be built from
just anything. Tire rubber, for example, doesn’t have the
right surface texture to allow coral larvae to attach, and
it’s too lightweight to stay in place over many years. All
the tires managed to grow was algae, and they floated
away after the first storm, creating a massive pollution
problem that’s still being cleaned up 50 years later.
Since then, scientists have learned how to build successful
artificial reefs. This means using marine-safe
materials that can stand the test of time in salt water,
such as steel (what most shipwrecks are made of), glass,
and cement. Dumping glass bottles and cinderblocks
won’t work—these structures must be large and heavy
enough to prevent movement during storms. They must
have enough surface texture to promote coral attachment,
and enough nooks and crannies to encourage fish
to take shelter.
The Reef Balls, devised by the Reef Ball Development
Group, are made from concrete with a pH similar to seawater,
which prevents the balls from decaying. They’re
expected to last 500+ years underwater! The concrete’s
texture and chemical makeup mimic natural coral limestone,
making it an ideal place for coral to attach and
grow. It’s also easy to mold into the shapes needed for
a successful artificial reef. Reef Innovations built and
installed all of the Reef Balls around TCI, including the
aptly named “goliath” model at Malcolm’s Road Beach.
They make many other sizes and shapes of concrete
reef structures, some as small as nine inches high—but
their weight distribution keeps them in place even during
storms, and their hole patterns are designed so that
rough seas actually push the Reef Balls further into the
sand.
Some Reef Balls are installed with coral fragments
transplanted from imperiled reefs. Others rely solely on
“natural recruitment,” meaning they bide their time on the
sea floor until coral larvae, drifting past in the current,
latch on. Natural recruitment is understandably a slower
Times of the Islands Spring 2023 37

green pages newsletter of the department of environment & coastal resources
process, and it depends on how many larvae and nutrients
are in the water—relatively few in TCI’s clean, clear
water. That’s why the Reef Balls I saw weren’t exactly covered
in coral during my recent visit, six years after their
2016 installation. I did see some small yet promising corals
growing from the balls, and several fish swimming in
and out of the holes, but it will take several more years
before the corals grow enough to obscure the Reef Balls
beneath.
The first use of Reef Balls in the Turks & Caicos
Islands was in the Grace Bay area in the late 1990s. In
a project funded by the Turks & Caicos National Trust,
Reef Balls were used to create snorkel trails through
Smith’s Reef and Bight Reef to guide snorkelers and minimize
coral damage. Shortly afterward, the Department
of Environment & Coastal Resources created a separate
artificial reef nearby, reducing stress on Smith’s and Bight
Reefs by drawing tourists away.
Since then, Reef Innovations has installed thousands
of Reef Balls at sites all over the Islands. Most are
off of Providenciales, with a few around Grand Turk or
smaller islands like Pine Cay. Some are used to transplant
corals that are under threat from new construction
projects. Others, like the one off Malcolm’s Road Beach,
are intended to protect the shore from storms, floods,
and erosion—with the added benefit of creating new coral
habitat.
Paddling over those Reef Balls gave me mixed feelings.
On one hand, it was a sobering reminder of why we
need artificial reefs: because natural reefs are struggling,
and (let’s be honest) it’s our fault. But at the same time,
it gave me hope. Seeing a thousand Reef Balls sitting
patiently beneath the water, with young corals making
their tentative way out of the concrete, reminded me that
there are plenty of people who love the ocean as much as
I do, and they’re doing everything they can to protect it.
a
Rachel Craft is a Colorado-based writer and recovered
engineer who loves all things outdoors. When
she’s not busy exploring, she writes fantasy and sci-fi
stories for children. You can learn more about her at
www.racheldelaneycraft.com.
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green pages newsletter of the department of environment & coastal resources
SHUTTERSTOCK
This Nassau Grouper (Epinephelus striatus) assumes a stationary, head-up position with its mouth open, a common pose at cleaning stations,
as gobies (Gobiosoma spp., indicated by arrows) give the inside of its mouth a good clean.
Cleaning Stations:
The five-star marine restaurant and spa.
By Hope Milo, Hollins University, Roanoke, Virginia ~
Edited by C.E. O’Brien, Ph.D., both from The School for Field Studies,
Center for Marine Resource Studies, South Caicos, Turks & Caicos Islands
Coral reefs are well known for their abundance and biodiversity, teeming as they are with multitudes of
organisms hovering over heads of flower coral or ducking inside tunnels and hidey holes. In studying
these bastions of diversity, researchers have discovered similarities between these marine ecosystems
and our own bustling towns and cities.
Times of the Islands Spring 2023 39

green pages newsletter of the department of environment & coastal resources
Indeed, the organisms that inhabit the reefs are quite
used to living communally, as these species have co-existed
for millions of years. The immense biodiversity
within the rich but confined coral ecosystems has over
time driven adaptive radiations of intriguing behaviors
that increase organisms’ likelihood of survival and success.
For instance, some fish swim together, some live
together, and some even hunt together. Within species,
cooperation confers benefits to individuals such as protection,
coordination, and more efficient dissemination
of information. However, there are also examples in
which evolution results in cooperation between species.
This cooperation is known as symbiosis, quite literally
meaning “living together,” and it refers to a relationship
in which two species live in close proximity and accrue
some advantages (and sometimes, disadvantages)
through their association.
There are three primary types of symbiosis, each
describing the benefits—or detriments—the species
involved in the relationship exchange. The first of these
is parasitism, where one species benefits at the expense
of another species, referred to as a host. A second type
is commensalism, in which one species benefits from
an association with another while the other is neither
harmed nor helped. The third type, mutualism, involves
two species forming an alliance that is advantageous for
both. Mutualism is further subdivided into facultative
and obligate forms. The former describes a beneficial
relationship in which an organism could survive without
the other (it is helpful, but not necessary) while the latter
describes one which an organism requires for survival.
Much like humans, reef fish are not immune to the
plague of diseases or ectoparasites (“outside parasites,”
think mosquitoes or ticks) that afflict us. Naturally, they
lack any trained medical professionals to deal with them
or, of course, any hands to swat them away. Luckily for
these germ-riddled fish, an effective—and quite astounding—mechanism
that “mass produces” mutualism across
countless species has arisen over millions of years of
evolution: cleaning stations. It is as if aquatic entrepreneurs
sensed a demand and sprang to action to meet the
need.
Imagine, if you will, a drive-thru spa or even dentist,
someplace you could drive up to and get a quick and convenient
exfoliation or tooth-cleaning. That is essentially
how these cleaning stations function on reefs. Client
fish—those individuals seeking the removal of dead skin
or parasites—will swim up to these stations, usually populated
by gobies (in the genus Gobiosoma), juvenile or
initial phase Bluehead Wrasse (Thalassoma bifasciatum),
and Pederson Cleaner Shrimp (Periclimenes pedersoni).
They will strike a stationary, almost trancelike pose, letting
these cleaners know they have a new client in their
midst. The cleaner fish, for its part, will then get to work,
snatching up any ectoparasites or erstwhile skin clinging
to their clients, even venturing inside potentially risky or
sensitive areas such as their mouth.
Both the client and the cleaner benefit from this. The
client gets cleaned, while the cleaner acquires a tasty
snack. Whether this relationship is facultative or obligative
(i.e. essential to survival or just a nice perk), however,
is species-specific. While it’s usually facultative for the client,
it can be obligative for the cleaner, as some depend
entirely on cleaning for sustenance. Interestingly, some
SHUTTERSTOCK
C.E. O’BRIEN
At left: Some cleaner species, like the Sharknose Gobies (G. evelynae, solid arrows) and the Pederson Cleaner Shrimp (Periclimenes pedersoni,
dashed arrow) on this Nassau Grouper (E. striatus) are cleaners all their lives. At right: Others, such as the five Bluehead Wrasse (T. bifasciatum)
cleaning this initial phase Princess Parrotfish (Scarus taeniopterus) as an initial phase Redband Parrotfish (Sparisoma aurofrenatum)
looks on, are only cleaners as juveniles and during their initial phase.
40 www.timespub.tc

green pages newsletter of the department of environment & coastal resources
HOPE MILO
At left: Whereas many marine organisms attempt to be inconspicuous, like the Peacock Flounder (Bothus lunatus, arrow designates upper eye),
many cleaner organisms, (at right) like the vibrant Pederson Cleaner Shrimp (Periclimenes pedersoni) go the opposite route, adopting bright
colorations that will help them stand out.
SHUTTERSTOCK
cleaner species, like the Sharknose Goby (G. evelynae)
and Pederson Cleaner Shrimp (Periclimenes pedersoni)
are cleaners all their lives while others, like the Bluehead
Wrasse (T. bifasciatum), are only cleaners during one
stage of their lives, usually when they’re young.
In order to advertise their services, cleaner fish have
evolved a “uniform” of sorts—a particular color scheme
which signals to potential clients that they’re “open for
business.” Where many marine organisms attempt to be
as inconspicuous as possible (like the flounder, who’s
flat, tan body is almost undiscernible against the sandy
sea floor), cleaners go the opposite route. They deck
themselves out in bright colors that have been shown to
provide the most distinct contrast to their surroundings:
blue, which has been shown to stand out the most when
juxtaposed with a coral reef background, and yellow,
which offers a stark contrast against the blue of the open
water. These colors are made even more obvious by the
tendency of the cleaner fish to have a black lateral stripe
along their sides, making them stand out all the more.
This Great Barracuda (Sphyraena barracuda), a fearsome predator, is being cleaned by several Sharknose Gobies (G. evelynae).
SHUTTERSTOCK
Times of the Islands Spring 2023 41

green pages newsletter of the department of environment & coastal resources
SHUTTERSTOCK
This Lemon Shark (Negaprion brevirostris) is enjoying a “spa treatment” from its attendant remoras.
Not every organism has to visit a cleaning station
to get its spa treatment. Some larger organisms have
their own personal cleaning attendants. Turtles, whales,
sharks, rays, and other large fish often have one or more
remora fish that travel along with them. These “groupies”
attach to larger animals (or sometimes people or boats)
with a modified dorsal fin that forms a suction cup. This
mostly mutualistic relationship benefits remoras with free
transportation, as well as food scraps and tasty skin parasites
from the host organism, and benefits the host by
keeping it parasite-free.
Alongside cleaning, cleaner fish have also been
observed providing another service—tactile stimulations,
or “touch therapy.” Research demonstrates that fish enjoy
and even benefit from the sensation of touch. In fact,
tactile stimulus has been shown to lower cortisol (the
hormone associated with stress) levels in fish. It has even
been shown that fish actively seek out these tactile sensations,
as they have been observed posing for cleaners
even when free of ectoparasites.
Like your favorite spa or massage studio, cleaning
stations are also peaceful retreats from the chaotic world.
Studies have shown that in the presence of cleaner species,
aggression from piscivores (fish-eaters) on nearby
prey species decreased by 50–60%, depending on species.
This fact may be attributable to the “touch therapy”
cleaner fish employ as a method to avert any potential
conflict from ever arising.
Some cleaners do a better job than others. Within
this class of cleaning individuals, some fish may occasionally
“cheat,” meaning that instead of nibbling off any
ectoparasites, they nip at the client fish itself, removing
their much-needed scales or mucus. In order to combat
this, clients have been shown to prefer cleaners that provide
better—and less painful—services, refusing to revisit
“cheaters,” or even spurning cleaner fish that aren’t attentive
to their needs.
These “cheating” behaviors have called into question
the true nature of these cleaning stations. While they do,
undoubtedly, provide a crucial service to many clients,
increasing fish biodiversity and abundance, the spectrum
of cleaning behavior—from mutualistic to parasitic, as
when those nefarious “cheaters” nibble at their hosts—
show that nature doesn’t always fit neatly into human
definitions and demonstrates the sheer amount of diversity
of lifestyles present in the natural world.
Indeed, cleaning stations and other instances of symbiosis
on coral reefs indicate that evolution may promote
higher levels of coordination among the species living
in densely packed environments. If a coral reef is like an
underwater city, then cleaning stations are truly akin to
marine spas: a place fish may go to enjoy a time of rest,
relaxation, and rejuvenation. a
For detailed article references or more information
about The School for Field Studies, contact Director Heidi
Hertler on South Caicos at hhertler@fieldstudies.org or
visit www.fieldstudies.org.
42 www.timespub.tc

green pages newsletter of the department of environment & coastal resources
Students are introduced to the new “Greening Our Schools” programme by popular National Trust mascot Rocky the Iguana.
Greening Our Schools
Letting education foster hope.
By Amy Avenant, DECR Environmental Outreach Coordinator &
Elisann Delancy, TCI Government Department of Education Curriculum Development Officer
Photos By Jonathan Sayao
Climate Change. These two words cause much anxiety for today’s global population, particularly our
youth. This generation is the most informed yet, with access to technology like none before them. This
means they are aware of global affairs and concerns, particularly climate change’s impact on local and
international communities. However, providing hope for our young people in the face of an imminent
global environmental disaster is often challenging. As 2050 (the predicted tipping of the environmental
scales) hurtles towards us and we are faced with irreparable damage to our natural environment, the onus
is on us—the adults—to find a solution to global warming and climate change . . . and quickly.
Times of the Islands Spring 2023 43

green pages newsletter of the department of environment & coastal resources
One such way is involving our young people
in being part of the solutions instead of perpetuating
the problem! The Department of Education
(DoE) recognised the importance of fostering a
“green” culture through youth engagement, as
our island communities are some of the most
vulnerable to the impacts of climate change.
As a result, the department’s Curriculum
Development Unit has partnered with the DECR’s
Outreach and Education Unit to “green” school
campuses nationwide through the “Greening Our
Schools” programme.
The programme is an exciting and innovative
initiative, encouraging sustainable approaches
and environmental management on school campuses.
It requires schools to develop practical
and creative ways to reduce their carbon footprint,
increase or conserve biodiversity, and
sustainably use their natural resources. In addition,
the program aims to develop energy- and
environmentally-literate citizens through service
projects, leadership, and activism.
Greening Our Schools addresses four “problem”
areas: Waste management, electricity
conservation, water conservation, and biodiversity.
It aims to make environmental awareness
and action an intrinsic part of the life and ethos
of a school—which hopefully will rub off onto
their community, and carry right through to
adulthood.
Introducing critical-thinking skills and applying creative
and scientific thinking will foster ingenuity and green
consciousness among the generation who may require
it the most. Although the program officially launches in
September 2023, the DoE and DECR have been working
hard to promote it throughout private and public schools
in the Turks & Caicos Islands. Supported by the Turks
& Caicos National Trust’s charismatic mascot, Rocky the
Iguana, the departments have visited schools, educating
teachers and students alike about their role in the fight
against climate change and the benefits of being awarded
the coveted “Green Ribbon” award!
This award will be bestowed upon the school with the
most outstanding performance-enhancing sustainability
practices among all the schools qualified for Green Flag
status. The program is a sustainable initiative that will be
From left: TCI Department of Education Curriculum Development Officer Elisann
Delancy, “Rocky” the Iguana, and DECR Environmental Outreach Coordinator
Amy Avenant are visiting schools across the country to educate teachers and
students about their role in the fight against climate change.
carried out annually.
If your school has yet to be visited, don’t fret! Rocky
will be there soon enough, and all schools will have an
opportunity to register before the 2023/2024 school
year begins. In the meantime, students are encouraged
to put their thinking caps on and consider reducing their
school’s overall carbon footprint and making a difference
to the TCI’s natural environment. a
44 www.timespub.tc

faces and places
Above: HRH The Earl of Wessex presents the Royal Cup to Walken Gedeon, coach of winning Team East. At far left is Jarrett Forbes, director/
CEO of the Turks & Caicos Sports Commission. Below: MVP Dylan Morris spent much of the game in the air.
Royal Cup All-Star Basketball Game 2023
To commemorate the visit of Their Royal Highnesses The Earl and Countess
of Wessex, the Turks & Caicos Islands Sports Commission (TCISC) hosted the
first Royal Cup High School All-Star Basketball Game 2023. Over 500 students
filled the stands from 20+ schools, cheering on their respective teams.
Pooling TCI’s top 24 players, Teams East and West were formed using
athletes who competed in the TCISS Inter-High School Basketball Season
2022/23. Team East consisted of players from H.J. Robinson High School,
Wesley Methodist School, Louise Garland Thomas High School, Marjorie
Basden High School, and Elite High School. On Team West, players came from
Raymond Gardiner High School, Alpha Christian Academy, British West Indies
Collegiate, Maranatha Academy, and Clement Howell High School.
The Earl of Wessex took time to meet with the All-Star players, our professional
athletes, sport federation executives, sponsors, and unsung sports
heroes. These include leaders of the sport governing bodies; major donors
to sports development; and those who have accomplished greatness in sport
such as Delano Williams (our Olympian who represented Great Britain in 2016),
TCI’s 2022 Commonwealth Game athletes, TCI’s pro boxer Gary Lightbourne,
and Collegiate Ice Hockey player Kristoff Malcolm.
His Royal Highness presented the Royal Cup to Team East who came out
victorious, and the MVP trophy to top player Dylan Morris. HRH was presented
with a keepsake from Mr. William ‘Bill’ Clare. In the end, the game was thoroughly
enjoyed by all. The only question is “When can we do this again?” a
By TCI Sports Commission Media & Communications Specialist Nandina Hislop ~ Photos Courtesy TCISC
Times of the Islands Spring 2023 45

feature
Many of the crumbling remnants of houses seen across North Caicos can be traced back to homes built just after Hurricane Donna struck
the country in 1960.
Houses of the Hurricane
A hidden history in the “bush” of North Caicos.
Photo essay by Tom Rathgeb ~ Text by Jody Rathgeb
The beauty of the Turks & Caicos Islands isn’t always about turquoise water and white sand. There is also
beauty to be found in the “bush” and in the echoes of the past.
On North Caicos, crumbling and overgrown one-room houses peek through the bush and talk to those
who are interested in hearing about “the old days.” Most of them are reminders of the recovery from
Hurricane Donna, which hit hard on September 7, 1960.
Times of the Islands Spring 2023 47

Wilbert Forbes, who was nine years old September 1960 and living by the beach in Whitby, recalls that news of the
storm came from Nassau through the radio. His father Aaron was in the Bahamas at the time, but he says his mother,
Wealthy, “was well-informed.” Told to move to high land away from the sea, she took her (then) four children—Agnes,
Shirley, Wilbert, and Shirrington—to nearby Musgrove Hill. Joining them were relatives and other families who lived
in the same area: a crowd of Swanns, Robinsons, Forbeses, Handfields, and Lightbournes.
48 www.timespub.tc

The storm brought down nearly all of the beachfront houses, and on Musgrove Hill a large tree (“it was either an
oak or a tamarind”) toppled, killing a donkey that had been brought there. Gary Lightbourne was only two years old
at the time and lived in Bottle Creek. He recalls that his family stayed in their house because it was high on a hill. He
says, “At first the creek was sucked dry and lots of people were picking up snapper, shad bar, and other fish—some
were still jumping! Then it seemed like the water poured back in ‘like a river.’ Afterwards, there were creeks and
Times of the Islands Spring 2023 49

50 www.timespub.tc

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
waterholes all about, even in the Pineyard. Creek Mouth
and other entrances from the sea were a lot deeper after
the hurricane. It was like a natural dredging.”
Hope James-Hamilton was 10 years old when
Hurricane Donna hit the Islands, but she remembers the
event like it was yesterday. She recalls, “When we first
heard the hurricane was coming, it was kind of exciting.
Everyone was baking bread, frying fish, washing and
packing away clothes to get ready. My daddy (the late
Charles Hubert James), the late Raymond Gardiner, and
the other men were checking the barometer and watching
the creek. When he saw the creek was dry, my daddy said
we had to go to the shelter. But mummy didn’t want to
go! I remember he pulled me through the last open window
in the house, which was closed up, and tied me to
a tree so I wouldn’t blow away while he tried to convince
mummy to leave.” The family made it to the shelter at
the school, where Hope honors the “brave, strong men”
who held the iron door shut against the winds while others
went to a nearby shack and cooked rice in a big pot.
The men then crawled between the shed and the shelter
clutching handfuls of rice for the people to eat as they
rode out the storm.
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
Times of the Islands Spring 2023 51

Amazingly, no human lives were lost in the hurricane,
but there was plenty of destruction island-wide
to homes and the boats that were a livelihood to many.
Nevertheless, Wilbert Forbes calls the storm “a blessing in
disguise.” The reason? Recovery assistance came quickly
and generously from the West Indies Federal Government,
Jamaica, the United States, and Canada. In addition to
food of all types, there was cement, lumber, and roofing
materials. The Islanders set to rebuilding their homes and
repairing their sloops.
They built quickly and simply: one-room structures
of native stone and cement, with corrugated metal roofs.
Skills and tools varied; only one man, says Wilbert, had
a level and a square. Others crooked their elbows to
approximate a right angle.
Over the years, residents added improvements and
built larger and better homes which can be seen across
the island today. But the “hurricane houses” remain as a
testament to island resilience. Created as the result of a
natural disaster, they, too, are “beautiful by nature.” a
Sources: Wilbert Forbes of Whitby, North Caicos; Gary
Lightbourne and Hope James-Hamilton of Bottle Creek,
North Caicos, and H.E. Sadler’s Turks Islands Landfall,
Second Edition.
52 www.timespub.tc

Times of the Islands Spring 2023 53

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feature
Opposite page: Bees work together in the hive in complex interactions to turn pollen and nectar gathered from flowers into honey. Without
the pollination provided by bees, certain flowering plants could not exist.
Above: Honey bees are swarming honeycomb cells nestled in a fallen tree trunk in Jamaica.
SHUTTERSTOCK
Foray into Beekeeping
Pine Cay was the site of TCI’s first bee hive.
By Diane Taylor
The 2021 David Attenborough film, “Breaking Boundaries,” tells of a time not too long ago when England
had no more short-haired queen bumble bees, a species important for pollination, not a single one. In
1990, they were extinct in the UK due to loss of grassland habitats. To stave off potentially bleak harvests,
England sent a brigade of scientists to France where their mission was to steal a hundred of the
nectar-drinking insects to ensure a functioning ecosystem that would, in turn, ensure good crops. Theft
was an immediate solution to a desperate situation. Bees are that important.
Times of the Islands Spring 2023 55

What are the ways that we become part of a new place,
to feel that we know the place, to feel like we belong?
Becoming friendly with trees is one way. And so, after
several months on Pine Cay, I set out one afternoon in
1981 to introduce myself to some of the long-time rooted
members of the island.
Walking through the scrub brush, arms covered in
a long sleeved shirt, I scarcely noticed the mosquitoes
buzzing and biting about my face so taken was I with the
graceful green boughs of Caicos pine trees, their long
needles like fountains. Walking innocently on, I met up
with a tree I did not recognize, and could not find in my
Caribbean tree book. I stepped into its welcome shade,
pulled off a glossy dark green leaf and crushed it between
my fingers in an effort to identify it by the smell of its
juices, as the book said to do. By then, the bites on my
face were itchy, so, with the sap of the leaf still on my
fingers, I scratched. And scratched. The next morning,
my face was unrecognizable—completely covered in large
weeping blisters.
The tree was poisonwood, Metopium toxiferum. I’d
given myself a good dose of the irritant urushiol, the
same oil that is in poison ivy. This tree, with its own
defensive strategies, had things to teach a newcomer.
Soon, I would discover that poisonwood trees have a
sweeter side. As part of the PRIDE (Protection of Reefs and
Islands from Degradation and Exploitation) experimental
organic garden, it was my job and delight to bring honey
bees to the island to ensure pollination. Could a hive of
bees survive on Pine Cay? I contacted Dr. Julia Morton, a
pioneer in economic botany, by letter (the days before
e-mail!) at the University of Miami and she said, yes, there
are many nectar- and pollen-producing trees and plants
in the Turks & Caicos. She sent me her booklet, Medicinal
and Other Plants Used by People on North Caicos. Prime
among them was poisonwood, which is especially abundant
in nectar and pollen. I was beginning to feel like I
knew this tree, like I could engage respectfully with this
arboreal neighbour.
Dr. Morton’s other related booklet Honey Bee Plants
of South Florida describes many plants (trees, shrubs,
palms, vines, herbs, grasses, cacti, and field crops) that
are worked by honey bees in Florida. Of the sources she
rates as excellent, Pine Cay had ten that are plentiful:
seagrape, buttonwood, poisonwood, inkberry, necklace
pod, beach morning glory, mahoe, castor bean, palmetto
palm, and thatch palm.
We started with just one hive that included five frames
of comb, and a colony of 8,000 mild-mannered Italian
honey bees, Apis melifera, with its one queen, all purchased
from a beekeeper in Miami. These three pounds
of bees were contained in a small wooden box, screening
on two sides so they could breathe, and transported with
me by plane. At first, airport staff were leery about allowing
bees on the plane, “No ma’am! No bees!,” but when
I pointed out the extra steel mesh screening around the
COURTESY CHUCK HESSE
These images were extracted from the PRIDE Newsletter, Volume VII,
No. 1, 1982. In the newsletter, Diane Taylor wrote an article about her
experience in beekeeping on Pine Cay.
At left: “Dee” Taylor, wearing protective headgear, shows off PRIDE’s
first bees.
Above: The beehive was set in a plastic tub filled with water to discourage
lizards from eating the bees.
56 www.timespub.tc

whole box, they agreed to carry them in cargo. Back on
Pine Cay, excitement was in the air as we assembled the
knocked down hive kit’s several cut-to-fit pieces of wood,
and installed the bees in their new quarters.
A few mornings later, while still at home (about a ten
minute walk from the garden), I heard a strange sound
coming from just outside the house. What was that? I
walked out the screen door and followed the hum down
the path to where there was a large poisonwood tree that
had been in blossom for some time. The bees had found
it! Hundreds of them! Even as I write this 40 years later, I
still feel the amazement and relief I felt that morning. I’d
brought them to a foreign land and they were adapting
just fine. Now, I know that bee colonies are routinely and
safely flown thousands of miles to ensure pollination of
many kinds of crops.
However, a foreign land had hazards, as in lizards that
saw a free meal in bees as they left the hive first thing
in the morning to forage. One flick of the tongue and
another bee was devoured. To circumvent this predation,
we added stilts to the hive. Still the onslaught continued.
We placed the stilts in a plastic tub filled with water. This
worked. Upon examination, the queen bee was still laying
eggs, and still keeping a sense of unity among her
numerous colony.
If the surviving and even thriving colony wasn’t sweet
enough to our ears and minds, there was the honey.
Eventually, we harvested 70 pounds of comb honey and
tasted the golden liquid. Ah, when the floral bouquet
Above: In spite of being an irritant to humans, the Poisonwood tree
is especially abundant in pollen and nectar, and thus attractive to
honeybees.
Below: This image was taken by Helen Fairchild and given to PRIDE
for use in its October 1976 newsletter.
KON STUDIO
HELEN FAIRCHILD
Times of the Islands Spring 2023 57

SHUTTERSTOCK
Above: Each hive has one queen bee (shown in center) who lays about 1,500 eggs in a day. All of the worker bees and drone bees are her
offspring. The queen lays a single egg in each cell that has been cleaned and prepared by the worker bees to raise new brood.
Below: Honey bees undergo four states of development inside a cell of wax comb.
touched our tongues, we noticed a more gentle sweetness
than store-bought honeys, and a slightly less viscous
texture. We were very pleased with the alchemy that had
been wrought from soil and sun, blossoms and bees.
Beekeeping is a real possibility for an enterprising
soul in the Turks & Caicos Islands. The initial outlay is
small, and a hive can multiply from 8,000 to 80,000—
depending on equipment size and capacity—in the first
year. In addition, there are side businesses like propolis,
bee pollen, bee venom, wax, and queen rearing. Queen
rearing is potentially the most lucrative business, and is
the most important aspect for healthy hives world-wide.
Queens need to be raised in isolation to keep them free
from disease and to prevent them from breeding with
inferior strains. Because the Turks & Caicos is an island
domain, and because bees do not travel over large bodies
of water, TCI is potentially a good place to raise queens.
Propolis is a resinous mixture that honey bees produce
by mixing saliva and beeswax with exudate gathered
from tree buds, sap flows, or other botanical sources.
It is used as a sealant for unwanted open spaces in the
beehive. Propolis seems to help fight against bacteria,
viruses, and fungi. It might also have anti-inflammatory
effects and help skin heal.
Bee pollen contains vitamins, minerals, carbohydrates,
lipids, and protein. It comes from the pollen that collects
58 www.timespub.tc

SHUTTERSTOCK
Stingless bees, specifically Melipona beecheii, could thrive in the
Turks & Caicos. They are smaller and able to extract nectar from tiny,
narrow flowers.
on the bodies of bees as they fly from one flower to
another. Bee venom is the poison that makes bee stings
painful. It is given as a shot for bee sting allergy. It is
also used for osteoarthritis, Parkinson disease, multiple
sclerosis (MS), nerve pain, and other conditions. Beeswax
has been used since prehistory as a lubricant and waterproofing
agent, in wax casting of metals and glass, as
a polish for wood and leather, for making candles, as
an ingredient in cosmetics, and as an artistic medium in
painting.
There are challenges! Varroa mites are reddish
coloured parasites that live and feed on adult honey bees.
They can weaken the colony and make it susceptible to
other diseases. Neonicotinoids are insecticides used on
farms and urban landscapes. They are absorbed by plants
and can be present in pollen and nectar, which are then
toxic to bees. Some poisonous plants including oleander
have a nectar that is harmless to bees but produces a
honey that is toxic to humans. Bee stings can be painful,
and a small percentage of people have anaphylactic reactions
that can cause death. All things considered, working
with bees can be addictively fun and introduce you to a
lifelong passion for one of the world’s most complex and
social species.
Speaking of stings, there is such a thing as stingless
bees, over 400 species of them in fact, all of which produce
honey which sells for much more than honey-bee
honey. They are native to tropical and subtropical countries
around the world, and were domesticated by the
Mayans for their honey and wax.
Specifically, Melipona beecheii is a species native to
the Yucatan and the entire Caribbean basin that would
no doubt thrive in the Turks & Caicos. They are much
smaller, and therefore able to extract nectar from tiny
narrow flowers that are inaccessible to the larger honey
bees. Their hives are much smaller, too, and can be miniature
clay pots. Another plus is that they continuously
produce queens that do not need to be isolated. They
help maintain the health of ecosystems, and are used to
pollinate crops, such as strawberry fields in Brazil. And
just think—no stingers means no smoke needed to calm
aggressive moods of bees that have stingers and know
how to use them.
David Attenborough is 96. When he tells a story about
queen bee theft in a documentary on how to save the
planet, you perk up your ears and listen. We and fellow
travellers—the bees—have things in common. We both
depend on Earth for sustenance and shelter, and we both
need oxygen to breathe. Our destinies are intertwined.
a
Many thanks to B Naqqi Manco, Assistant Director of
Research and Development for DECR, for sending me
research articles on the raising of Melipona beecheii bees.
A beehive creates a variety of products, from left: honey, propolis, pollen, bee bread (a mixture of pollen and nectar or honey) and wax.
SHUTTERSTOCK
Times of the Islands Spring 2023 59

esort report
Opposite page: H2O Life Style. Resort offers a luxury lodging experience for kiteboarders and active travelers alike.
Above: The resort is positioned on Long Bay Beach, known as one of the best kiteboarding places in the world.
Not Just Kiteboard Heaven
H2O Life. Style Resort combines wellness and sustainability.
By Kathy Borsuk ~ Photos Courtesy H2O Life. Style Resort
The wind was blasting out of the southeast with mild chop in the blue-green sea and the dune grass
bending towards the sand. Mmm . . . not a quiet beach day today, I thought. But as I looked towards the
horizon, I saw what appeared to be the fluttering of huge butterflies, swooping and diving in the breeze.
Below the “wings” were intrepid thrill-seekers on boards, swiftly skimming across the waves. A young
Islander ran over with a huge grin, “The wind’s at 18 knots! We’re having fantastic rides this morning!”
He was the beach concierge at H2O Life. Style Resort on Long Bay—the only luxury kiteboarding resort
located in one of the world’s best places to enjoy the sport.
But I soon learned that you don’t have to be a kiteboarder to enjoy this world class resort.
Times of the Islands Spring 2023 61

For many years Long Bay in Providenciales has been
known to offer nearly perfect conditions for kiteboarding
and related watersports. Here, the water is warm, shallow,
and buffered with soft white sand. The beach is wide,
with plenty of room to launch and land safely. And best of
all, the Turks & Caicos benefits from one of the longest
ideal “wind seasons” in the world: steady 14 to 22 knot
onshore breezes from November to August.
Rob Ayer is an avid kiteboarder and seasoned developer
in the Islands. The first project for this transplanted
Canadian was in 2009 with the 59 room Wymara Resort
on the western end of Grace Bay Beach. It morphed into
the chic Gansevoort Turks + Caicos before rebranding as
the Wymara Resort and Villas in 2019.
A savvy prognosticator, Rob purchased the three-acre
Long Bay beachfront property in 2016, just before prices
in the area started to skyrocket. He says, “I always loved
the color of the water on this side of the island. After Stan
Hartling invested several years in removing all the old
conch shells from the beach for The Shore Club, I knew
the time was right to start planning the perfect ‘lifestyle’
resort.”
Rob teamed up with fellow Canadian Nicolas Boucher.
From experience, the pair knew the beach was perfect for
kiteboarding and that there was a market for kiteboarders
who wanted a luxury experience. He explains, “They
are active travelers, who like nice things and who want to
experience ‘kiteboard heaven.’ This side of Providenciales
is less touristy and has a more natural feel. It is mostly
upscale, residential villas along the beach. So we positioned
H2O as a wellness resort for folks with an active
lifestyle who value sustainable travel.”
The resort is modern and sleek in the “building block”
style that is prevalent in new construction. Besides being
able to bear hurricanes with minimal damage, the flat
roof design allows for solar panels and a stunning rooftop
terrace with a bird’s eye view of the island. H2O
includes 16 condominium units that can be divided into
25 rental units. The condos sold out quickly, as investors
and island residents realized their unique appeal.
Interiors feature cool, muted tones, much welcome
after a day in the sun and sea. The design is understated,
ultra-modern elegance, with every detail well considered.
Spacious living areas feature picture windows and outdoor
terraces facing the ocean. Suites are available with
one to four comfortable bedrooms, full kitchens, elegant
bathrooms, and many include dedicated office spaces
with desks.
The peaceful, private site includes two pools and a
selection of outdoor spaces for enjoying the Caribbean
H2O Life. Style Resort includes three buildings on three acres of land fronting Long Bay Beach. Note the solar panels on the roofs. They contribute
at least 1/2 of the electricity used by the resort.
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vibe. The central pool is for fun and frolic, flanked by the
HangTime outdoor bar, where guests can enjoy made-toorder
cocktails and nutritious smoothies. The oceanfront
infinity pool is a dedicated quiet area where sunbathers
can enjoy the breeze and natural dunes. Nearby, a shaded
“hammock garden” and hot tubs offer additional peaceful
places to relax. As a result, the resort is perfect for couples,
yet equally family friendly.
And for kiteboarders and watersports enthusiasts?
The boutique service is supreme, with no detail forgotten.
There is a certified “kite valet” whose sole purpose
is to teach, assist, launch, land, and encourage guests to
enjoy their favorite sport, be it kiteboarding, kite surfing,
wing surfing, E-foils, or sailing Hobie sailboats. There is a
rescue boat on call for those who might go astray. A wind
meter keeps track of the hourly breezes. And there are
plenty of like-minded aficionados on the beach to share
tips and tricks.
H2O guests can choose from a full quiver of top quality
rental gear, “the latest and greatest” Rob says. There is
a well stocked retail store of beachwear and accessories.
Guests can rinse and store their own gear in dedicated
locker areas below the beachfront buildings. Lessons by
top island pros are readily available. There are also boats
to be chartered for fishing trips or jaunts to the Tiki Bar
floating in the middle of Long Bay.
From top: The penthouse outdoor terrace overlooks the magnificent
expanse of Long Bay Beach and the Caicos Banks beyond.
Interiors feature cool, natural tones that highlight the colorful vistas
of the sea from the large picture windows in each suite.
Times of the Islands Spring 2023 63

Above: The central pool is for fun, sun, and frolic, with the HangTime bar front and center. Heated Jacuzzis are poolside.
Below: The beachfront building rooftop is an ideal place to start the day with a yoga session.
However, Rob explains, a stay at H2O is meant to be restorative to all, with a variety of health and wellness
options. Especially popular is rooftop yoga, with its cool breeze and stunning sea views, especially sunrises and
sunsets. Others partake of the fitness center and spa, with massage therapists on call. There is a pickleball court on
site, with tennis available nearby. Many folks enjoy strolling the beach and allowing the simple beauty of sea, sand,
and sun to work its soothing spell.
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Among the many thrilling watersports popular on Long Bay Beach is wing surfing. H2O offers guests the chance to try out the latest and
greatest gear from their large inventory.
As a luxury property, H2O’s “lifestyle concierge” is prepared to attend to any and every need. This includes prearrival
grocery stocking and the services of a private chef. There are multiple restaurants within a short beach walk
from the resort, while the glitter and glamour of Grace Bay is an easy drive across the island.
Sustainability is key as the Islands become more developed. From H2O’s inception, Rob and Nicolas chose a
“consciously designed setting that honors the planet.” In conjunction with local power company FortisTCI, rooftop
solar panels are currently contributing about half of the energy used by the resort. The property is cooled with high
efficiency air conditioning units and uses energy-efficient lighting. Biomass treatment tanks turn wastewater into
Times of the Islands Spring 2023 65

WES MATWEYEW
Above and below right: Watersports that rely only on wind power help keep the Turks & Caicos “Greener by Nature,” and have a quiet beauty
and grace all their own.
irrigation for landscaping. A reverse osmosis device in
each unit allows for filtered drinking water directly from
the taps, eliminating thousands of throw-away plastic
water bottles. A Tesla electric “house car” is available
for guests’ use. And thanks to a government protected
“green space” to the east of the property, the views of
native vegetation will remain untainted.
I realized that the sports favored here are also
helping keep the Turks & Caicos “Greener by Nature.”
Kiteboarding, kite sailing, wind surfing, wing surfing,
and sailing use no fuel, contribute no emissions (except
exclamations of joy), and are naturally quiet. It’s a far cry
from the bustle of engine-driven boats that pass along
Grace Bay all day.
So what’s the buzz? Guests are raving about this small,
niche resort. Since opening in December 2020, the repeat
rate is rising like the kites in the wind. Many guests travel
from Europe and South America, lured by the beach’s reputation
and overjoyed to have lodging that makes their
vacation so perfect.
BOLD Traveller magazine is Canada’s leading luxury
travel and leisure publication, catering to an audience
of discerning travellers who want a richer and more
meaningful connection ​with the places and culture they
experience. H2O Life. Style Resort recently made the
magazines’s first #BoldHotels List: 10 newcomers that
are leading the charge and pushing the boundaries of
what makes a great hotel—not just gateways to a place,
but destinations in their own right. a
For more information, visit h2oresorttci.com.
WES MATWEYEW
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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
Author Jeff Dodge is an avid collector of vintage Turks & Caicos Islands postcards. He recently turned sleuth trying to determine how a paper
salesman in California in the late 1920s obtained a wide-ranging collection of early postcards and photographs of Grand Turk Island.
Sleuthing the Stave Story
What is the origin of a mysterious collection of vintage images of Grand Turk?
Story and Illustrations By Jeff Dodge
What was the connection between the Turks & Caicos Islands and a paper salesman from Los Angeles,
California? This question came up after I noticed that a number of the vintage Turks Islands postcards in
my collection had the name and address of a Los Angeles man stamped in light blue ink on their backs.
My curiosity finally grew to the point that I had to know who this man was and what was his connection
to the TCI. The name stamped on these postcards was “George A. Stave.” My first guess was that he had
visited Grand Turk Island in the late 1920s or early 1930s. That guess would have been wrong.
Times of the Islands Spring 2023 67

astrolabe newsletter of the Turks & Caicos National Museum
This postcard was published circa 1906. The cactus farthing stamp was issued between 1922 and 1926, but was in use until 1938. The King
George V stamps were issued between 1928 and 1935/1938. (Note: The stamps weren’t cancelled and the postcard wasn’t posted.)
What made the mystery more interesting was that the
earliest postcard with Stave’s name and address stamped
on it was produced in 1906 (see above) and the latest
postcard bearing Stave’s name and address was produced
about 1928 (see below). In addition to factory produced
postcards, Stave’s name and address also appeared on
photographs of scenes on Grand Turk.
George A. Stave (née Arne Georg Stave) was born in
Norway in 1892. He arrived in New York in 1907 with
two of his eight siblings—two years after his father, who
immigrated in 1905. His mother and the rest of the family
immigrated to the U.S. in 1911. By 1910, George,
his father, and his two brothers were living in Seattle,
Washington. His father worked as a baker.
Following his service in the U.S. Navy during World
War I, George returned to Seattle where he was employed
as a paper salesman—probably for the American Writing
Paper Company. He married Wilma A. Moore in 1922 and
by 1923 they were living on Deane Avenue in Los Angeles,
California. By 1930 the Stave family was living at 1152
Murifield Road in Los Angeles—the address stamped on
the postcards bearing Stave’s name and address. The
Stave family was still living on Murifield Road in 1936,
but by 1940 they had moved to Salinas, California. In
1942, the Salinas city directory notes that Stave had his
own paper company and by 1962 he was the manager of
the Salinas Valley Wax Paper Company. George Stave died
in 1981.
Based on when Stave lived at the Murifield Road
address and the dates when the stamps that were affixed
to the front of some of the postcards he collected were
issued, one can deduce that Stave must have acquired
these postcards and photos between about 1928 and
1930.
There is nothing to suggest that George Stave had the
opportunity to travel to the Turks & Caicos Islands during
the years he resided on Murifield Road. As a wholesale
paper salesman and the head of a family of four—five
This sepia postcard of South Creek was published circa 1928. It was produced from an Edmund Neale Coverley photograph that was first
used to produce a colored postcard in 1909. Both color and sepia postcards from this photograph were printed for Coverley by Stengel &
Co. of Dresden, Germany. The King George V ½d stamp was issued between 1928–1935. (Note: The stamp wasn’t cancelled and the postcard
wasn’t posted.)
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astrolabe newsletter of the Turks & Caicos National Museum
This photograph with a hand-written title below the image shows Stave’s name and address stamped on the reverse side.
counting his mother-in-law—it is not likely that he ever
traveled to the West Indies. A search of passenger and
passport records bear this out. Therefore, one must conclude
that Stave was a collector of postcards and possibly
stamps as well. But how did he acquire these postcards
and photos? There are several possibilities.
Perhaps a friend of George Stave visited Grand Turk
Island in the late 1920s. However, this is unlikely, because
a short-term visitor to the Islands would not have been
able to find or acquire the wide variety of postcards and
photos dating from 1906 to 1928 that found their way
into Stave’s collection. This suggests that Stave’s contact
was probably a resident on Grand Turk.
If you assume Stave was put in touch with a resident
of Grand Turk, then how might this have occurred? He
may have known someone on Grand Turk through his
work as a paper salesman, though it is unlikely since his
sales territory was most likely the western United States.
Another possibility is that he might have written someone
such as the American Consul on Grand Turk for the name
of a person on the island who could obtain a variety of
postcards and/or stamps for him. This is possible, but,
who might this contact have been?
One name that comes to mind is Robert O. Challis.
He was stationed at Cable and Wireless on Grand Turk
from early January 1926 to 1932. There is evidence that
Challis, who was himself a photographer and who turned
some of his photographs into postcards, took at least one
or two of the photographs in Stave’s collection.
The photo and postcard below supports this thinking
that Robert Challis might have been Stave’s contact on
Grand Turk and the person who sent him the postcards
and photos.
The photograph above has a title written below the
image. There are six like this in the collection of the Turks
& Caicos National Museum and they all have Stave’s name
and address stamped on their backs. The Museum’s
founder, Grethe Seim, acquired these photographs from
This is the same photograph as above, but printed on postcard stock. Someone noted that the photo was by Robert O. Challis—an employee of
Cable & Wireless and a photographer. Challis officially reported to work on January 11, 1926, but probably moved to Grand Turk in late 1925.
Times of the Islands Spring 2023 69

astrolabe newsletter of the Turks & Caicos National Museum
the Smithsonian Museum sometime between 1980 and
1998—where the Smithsonian got them is unknown. It
is believed that most of the photographs were taken by
Robert Challis about 1926. However, one of the photos
with the hand-written title (Caicos Islands – Sponges) was
probably taken by Edmund N. Coverley before 1910,
though someone other than Coverley probably printed
this picture from his negative.
Robert Challis was one of three known early photographers
residing on Grand Turk in the 1920s and early
1930s—the other two were Edmond N. Coverley and John
C. Crisson. Note however, that Coverley passed away in
1927—before some of the stamps on the postcards sent
to Stave were issued. John Crisson, best known as a newspaperman,
printed some of his photos on postcard stock.
He sometimes marked them with his name using an
embossing stamp. The Turks & Caicos National Museum
has in their collection both embossed and unmarked
postcards and photos by Crisson—none bear Stave’s
name on their backs. Crisson owned The Chronicle and
Dependency News from about 1924 to 1930. It’s possible
that Crisson, being a newspaperman and photographer,
was Stave’s contact on Grand Turk.
Unfortunately, there is no way to pinpoint the source
of the postcards and photos in George Stave’s collection
with certainty. Stave descendants that could be located
did not know about his postcard collection, however most
of his descendants could not be found. Consequently, the
mystery of how a wide variety of vintage photographs and
picture postcards of scenes on Grand Turk ended up in
the hands of a paper salesman living in California in the
late 1920s and early 1930s remains an enigma.
If you have pre-1938 picture postcards or photographs
of the Turks Islands (Grand Turk) with George
Stave’s name and address stamped on them, I would be
interested in hearing from you. Postcards from Stave’s
collection have been found in other collections—especially
in California. You may email me (Jeff Dodge) at
tinqua@aol.com. a
Remembering when:
Operation Cossack
Story & Images By Paul Ward
Experiencing the hustle and bustle of development
in the Turks & Caicos today, especially on
Providenciales, it is hard to believe that the basic infrastructure
was put into place only a little more than 50
years ago.
In 1967, Provident Limited, a development company
headed by Fritz Ludington, identified the potential
of Providenciales’ beautiful beach and pristine turquoise
seas. The TCI Government granted 4,000 acres
of Crown Land to Provident in exchange for constructing
an airstrip, roads, a jetty, and a hotel. By 1970,
the Third Turtle Inn and Turtle Cove Marina were in
operation.
The Turks & Caicos Islands are a British Overseas
Territory and in 1970, the UK initiated Operation
Cossack. It had dual benefits. According to Dr. Richard
Grainger, medical officer in TCI from 1970–71, “In the
1970s, the trade unions in the UK were powerful and
prevented or severely limited the activities of the Royal
Engineers in using or practicing their essential skills—
such as building roads or bridges—in the UK.” As a
result, 97 men from the 15th Field Support Squadron
of the Royal Engineers (and three RAF divers) were sent
to the Turks & Caicos Islands to carry out a number
of civil engineering tasks such as road building and
repair, updating the telephone system, constructing a
large water tank at South Caicos airport, and removing
obstructions from several channels to make it easier
for boats to navigate.
According to Turks Islands Landfall: A History of
the Turks & Caicos Islands, “The detachment was based
at South Caicos and comprised about 100 men. . . . A
diving party blasted a passage from Fort George Cut to
Sandy Point. From Sellers Cut to Long Bay the channel
was opened. At Middle Caicos, the canal near Lorimers
was opened.”
Paul Ward was part of the diving team of the Royal
Engineers. He recently contacted us about sharing his
memories of that brief, but important, time of his life.
He recalls that their mission was to mark out a channel
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astrolabe newsletter of the Turks & Caicos National Museum
Above and right: The Sunday Mirror on March 8, 1970 describes
some of the escapades of British servicemen taking part in Operation
Cossack.
Below: Royal Engineer divers used explosives to blow up coral to open
up channels for boats to navigate through the reef.
from the breakwater to enable low-draft yachts and boats
to get to shore, which would ultimately aid the tourist
trade for the Islands. “For me, it was a dream assignment
— camping on the beach and experiencing the most pristine
waters and beaches in the world.”
The servicemen landed by a troop carrier in late
January, 1970 and left in early April. In a somewhat-sensationalized
article in the Sunday Mirror (March 8, 1970),
the newspaper reports “daily confrontation with sharks,
vicious barracudas and aggressive eels up to 12 feet
long.” Paul Ward says that the RAF divers were employed
as shark guards for his team of Royal Engineer divers
who used explosives to blow up coral obstructing the
channel.
The main camp site for the divers was at Parrot
Cay. Paul recalls that George Stubbs provided the petrol
to power the outboard motors they used to get to the
clearing sites. He also remembers an Islander who had
a donkey called Lulabell, who they could hear approach
through the bush chatting away to the animal. He says,
“I was very lucky to experience the Islands before development,
especially meeting up with an American diver
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astrolabe newsletter of the Turks & Caicos National Museum
From top: The main camp for Operation Cossack’s divers was located
on the beach at Parrot Cay.
Servicemen lived in tents on the beach and used small boats to travel
between the Islands.
The Royal Engineers at “Camp Caicos” received mail via carefully
placed drops from airplanes.
who with his wife and daughter set up home in a cave on
one part of Parrot Cay. He was an artisan who used pieces
of wreckage he found whilst diving to make furniture.”
Another favorite memory is going on a night dive to
experience some of the sea creatures that lived in the
waters around the coast. As well, Paul notes, “We would
see the occasional very large manta ray leap out of the
water and flying fish come into our boat. Our diet was
supplemented by turtle and parrotfish that were stunned
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astrolabe newsletter of the Turks & Caicos National Museum
or killed during some
of the explosions in the
water. Occasionally a few
of us would go to the Third
Turtle Inn for a change of
scenery and a few drinks,
following the sandy dirt
tracks through the bush
to get there. For R&R we
were taken to the ‘Pan Am’
Base (originally US Guided
Missile Tracking Station
at South Base) on Grand
Turk.”
Paul returned to the
UK sporting a Caribbean
tan, a detail that helped
impress his wife-to-be in
a bar in Southampton.
(They recently celebrated
their 50th wedding anniversary.)
To mark the
experience, the team created
a tie to commemorate
their time in the Islands. a
The Royal Engineers diving team
created a tie to commemorate their
time in the Turks & Caicos Islands.
and individuals with their own stories about their contribution
to the mission.
The Apollo 15 was the first “J” mission with a longer
stay on the moon, with their badge representing
three stylised birds flying in close formation to represent
the three crew members working towards their
common goal. Two crew members descended to the
moon while the third remained in lunar orbit. This is
symbolised in the badge as two symbolic birds fly close
to the moon with the third remaining at a distance.
The landing point on the moon is shown with the 15
number of the mission shown in Roman numerals just
behind the symbolic birds.
These badges are not intrinsically valuable but are
of significant historical importance as they represent
what was a major period of manned space exploration
and are symbols of the hopes and aspirations of the
individual mission teams. Our son Andrew was only a
child when he was given a full set of the original Apollo
mission badges that had been issued up to 1972. They
were a remarkably generous gift from our American
friend, Macy, and will be treasured forever as a lasting
memory of our friends, South Base, and Grand Turk.
Note: The Royal Engineers returned to the Islands in
January 1971. During this visit, they resurfaced the
South Caicos airport runway and opened up Ingram’s Cut
near Lorimers, Middle Caicos.
Remembering when:
Apollo mission badges
By Dr. Richard Grainger
A curiosity we discovered from our friend Macy Riepe
was that one of the tasks that astronauts on Apollo missions
had to undertake was to design a patch to represent
their flight. The astronauts were conscious of the historic
nature of their venture so took great care in the creation
of their mission patch design. Each member of the team
involved was presented with a patch—which included the
down range team members on Grand Turk—so I think
there may be original badges in the Islands to this day
This is the badge created for the Apollo 15 space mission. US Air
Force team members at the tracking station at South Base in Grand
Turk were part of the mission team.
Apollo 15 was of particular interest as it was the
ninth crewed mission in the Apollo program but only
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astrolabe newsletter of the Turks & Caicos National Museum
the fourth to land on the moon. It had a longer stay
on the moon than previous missions and a significantly
greater focus on science. It was the first to use
the Lunar Roving Vehicle.
The Apollo 15 mission started on July 26, 1971
and ended on August 7, 1971. The moon landing took
place between July 30 and August 2. Commander
David Scott and Lunar Module Pilot James Irwin
landed and explored the local area using the Lunar
Rover. In total they spent 18 1/2 hours on the moon’s
surface and collected 170 pounds of moon rocks.
A number of us watched the journey towards the
moon in real time from the mess hall at South Base
on Grand Turk, but were taken aback when the final
landing was superceded by the evening bingo session!
This was incomprehensible, as moon landings
were so rare and the principal function of South Base
was tied to the space program.
The astronaut crew of Apollo 15 never flew in
space again as they were involved in a scandal after
the flight. They had taken a number of stamps to the
moon which they sold to a German stamp dealer in an
unauthorised deal. a
Museum Matters
Children’s club returns
We are pleased to be offering the Children’s Club again
on Grand Turk. In December 2022, we held a Christmas
day, where the children made Christmas cards, painted
ornaments, played games and received gift bags.
In February it was Learn to Paint Day—much enjoyed!
Local artist Aysha walked the children through the steps
to paint a donkey in honor of Sandy from the popular
Where is Simon, Sandy? book.
We plan to hold the club every four to six weeks,
with the annual week-long club scheduled during the
summer.
Proceeds from the book sales of Satchie and Little
Star and Where is Simon, Sandy? pay for all the activities
we do for the Children’s Club. a
Helping hands are much appreciated
After Hurricane Fiona, a group from Diamonds
International assisted with debris clean-up. The museum
did not suffer any major damage and it was mostly tree
branch collection. We appreciate these volunteers!
Another group from the American multinational pharmaceutical
company Merck & Co. assisted in cleaning
up the Heritage Garden at the museum’s Providenciales
campus. This included laying path markers and removing
old, damaged signs from the building. The Merck
program allows their employees extra time off if part of
the time is spent volunteering for non-profit groups. We
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astrolabe newsletter of the Turks & Caicos National Museum
Visitors from the pharmaceutical company Merck & Co. volunteered to clean up the museum’s Heritage Garden in Providenciales.
were the lucky association they selected.
Grand Turk gift shop volunteers help the employees
during busy times and extended hours. Thank you to
Patsy, Annette, Jackie, and Jennifer for all you do.
We can not express enough thanks to our most
valuable volunteer Marjorie Sadler. She keeps the
Providenciales museum location running smoothly. We
could not do it without her!
The Heritage Garden in Providenciales received a
generous donation of three large trees from Marius
Giese, owner/manager of Sunshine Nursery. a
New exhibits and updates
Grand Turk:
• We have updated the John Glenn and Scott Carpenter
exhibit with new storyboards and banners. People often
comment that they did not realize that the Turks &
Caicos Islands played such an important role in the US
space race of the 1960s.
• A donkey and cart were added to the Salt Industry
section along with information about both. One of the
most frequently asked questions by museum visitors is
“What’s up with all the donkeys?” This exhibit explains
why they are on the Salt Islands and the integral role
they played in the salt industry and early settlement of
the Islands.
• Work continues on the People of the Islands exhibit.
We have new banners of several of the people interviewed.
Additional storyboards and banners are being
added regarding the history of each of the inhabited
islands.
Providenciales:
• New cement stands were constructed for cannons
that were recovered from a construction site.
• New televisions have been purchased to replace the
very old ones that play the information videos. The old
TVs were still using CDs!
• New signs for the Lucayan posters displayed at both
locations were added. 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 at 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
Story & Photos By Museum Manager Lisa Talbot
Times of the Islands Spring 2023 75

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.
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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
Times of the Islands Spring 2023 77

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. 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
Food for Thought provides free daily
breakfast to government school students.
A donation of $300 will provide breakfast
to one child for a whole school year.
To donate or learn more please
email info@foodforthoughttci.com
or visit foodforthoughttci.com
Food for Thought Foundation Inc. (NP #102)
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
Times of the Islands Spring 2023 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
subscription form
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OF THE
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Times of the Islands Spring 2023 81

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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
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At FortisTCI, our purpose and passion are unwavering – to serve our
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