Times of the Islands Fall 2024

TIMES
OF THE
SAMPLING THE SOUL OF THE TURKS & CAICOS ISLANDS FALL 2024 NO. 148
ISLANDS
CAPTAIN KIDD’S TREASURE
A Blue Hills tall tale
HERITAGE STRAW WORK
Carriers of memories
THE AWAKENING
Twilight on the reef

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contents
Departments
6 From the Editor
19 Looking Back
The legend of Captain Kidd
By Jim Brown
22 Creature Feature
A hodgepodge masterpiece: Shortnose batfish
By Kelly Currington
66 Faces & Places
Poker Run 2024
By Nikki Stubbs
68 2024 Race for the Conch Eco-SeaSwim
By Ben Stubenberg
69 About the Islands/TCI Map
73 Subscription Form
74 Classified Ads
Features
36 Forty Years and Counting
Heritage straw work evokes memories
By Diane Taylor
42 The Awakening
Twilight on the reef
Story & Photos By Kelly Currington
50 Shifting Sands
An itinerant shipping container
By John Charles Hopkins
Green Pages
27 Humans, Birds, and the TCI
By Dodly Prosper
32 Happy as a Clam
The edge on seagrass meadows
By Natalie Ritter, Violet Apodaca, Kira Kaplan,
Lily Marynik, Sophie Moniz, Rory O’Connor,
Paul Stanley and Allya Swearngin
TIMES
OF THE
SAMPLING THE SOUL OF THE TURKS & CAICOS ISLANDS FALL 2024 NO. 148
On the Cover
Tucked at the northeast corner of North Caicos is a special
place worth visiting called Greenwich Channel. It is
formed at the northern tip of Bottle Creek by the convergence
of Horsestable Beach and Bay Cay.
By using a drone and locating himself on the
North Caicos side of the channel, Master/Craftsman
Photographer James Roy of Paradise Photography (www.
myparadise.com) was able to capture this dramatic
abstract image looking north towards the Atlantic Ocean.
The shallow water and shifting sandbars and channels
create surreal natural art in many hues of turquoise and
green. The final image was generated by stitching seven
separate images together.
65
ISLANDS
Astrolabe
54 Blue Hills Back in the Days
Story & Photos By Richard Grainger
57 Survivors of WW II Submarine Attacks
Rescued
Story & Illustrations By Eric Wiberg &
Andrew Warren
57 Run Aground
Shipwrecks of the Turks Islands (1801–1804)
By James Jenney
LISA TALBOT
4 www.timespub.tc

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from the editor
MARTA MORTON—WWW.HARBOURCLUBVILLAS.COM
When you smell a sweet, spicy perfume in the bush, look
for the Encyclia altissima orchid, one of the TCI’s “rare and
wonderful” plants. Look closely at this photo and find a
creature who is taking in the scent!
Rare and Wonderful
Whenever we thanked my dear deceased father for treating us to a meal out, a celebration, or a vacation trip, he
would always say, “It’s rare opportunity.” He meant for us to appreciate how special it was for our family to share
precious time together.
Living in the Islands and working on this magazine for the last 30 years has been a “rare opportunity.” An experience
is made up of place, people, and purpose. The Turks & Caicos Islands, especially in the early years, were the
most beautiful place I had ever seen. Not just the unreal blue hues of the ocean and soft cream-colored sand on the
beaches, but also the verdant bush, bursting out in every shade of green with colorful flowers tucked away within.
Many visitors agree that it’s the genuine kindness of the local people that complements the peaceful atmosphere.
And for me, being editor of this magazine has been a God-gifted purpose that has brought both challenge and joy.
Only others who have a deep and abiding interest and love for the Turks & Caicos would care about the subjects
we cover: local ghost stories, the lifecycle of a batfish, the memories wrought by a hand-woven basket, the spiritual
awakening an ocean dive can bring. And only those truly devoted to the conservation of the natural world, history,
and heritage would work so hard to study, document, and protect its intricacies, such as: the role of birds and seagrass
meadows in eco-systems; life in Blue Hills in the days of yore; an itinerant shipping container; shipwrecks and
rescues in these waters.
With each issue I give thanks for the rare opportunity to work with our wonderful contributors and advertisers,
and share these stories with our readers.
Kathy Borsuk, Editor
timespub@tciway.tc • (649) 431-4788
6 www.timespub.tc

Arc
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A Vacation with Variety
The Turks & Caicos Islands are a multi-island destination new properties currently in the
that offers visitors a vacation with variety. From barefoot pipeline. The Salterra Resort and
luxury to cultural immersion, visitors can enjoy a range of Spa, a Marriott brand, will open
experiences. At Experience Turks & Caicos, we are focused in South Caicos on February 15.
on developing, enhancing, and marketing tourism products Other properties include The Strand, South Bank by Grace
in all of our islands.
Bay Resorts, Andaz Turks & Caicos at Grace Bay, The Loren
Together with Providenciales, the commercial hub, the at Turtle Cove, The Point by Grace Bay Resorts, Kempinski
collection of main islands—Grand Turk, South Caicos, North Grace Bay, and three IHG hotels—InterContinental Hotels &
and Middle Caicos, and Salt Cay—create the perfect experience
for romantic escapes, girlfriend getaways, family
Resorts, Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants, and Hotel Indigo.
vacations, solo trips, wellness retreats, marine adventures, Events
and cultural immersion.
The TCI hosts a vibrant array of events showcasing the rich
Easily accessible by ferry to North and Middle Caicos and culture. Racing events such as the Valentine’s Day Cup, the
inter-island flights to South Caicos and Grand Turk, experiencing
everything the TCI has to offer is within reach, for the Conch immerse you in the community’s competitive
South Caicos Regatta, the Boating Club’s Poker Run, and Race
whether you prefer day trips or extended stays.
spirit. The weekly Fish Fry and Boxing Day Maskanoo Parade
Providenciales is famous for its luxury resorts and stunning
beaches, notably world-renowned Grace Bay with its planned for November 2024 aims to be a grand display of
offer a glimpse into culture while the inaugural Lucaya Fest
powdery white sand and turquoise water. This vibrant island talent with cultural performances, cuisine, an artisan market,
offers everything from watersports and world-class dining to games, and more.
lively entertainment and relaxation.
Grand Turk, where the capital Cockburn Town is located, Life is a Beach
is the historical heart. Here, history comes alive through colonial
architecture and you can wander along charming streets, Islands have equally beautiful beaches across the archipel-
Home to award-winning Grace Bay Beach, the Turks & Caicos
visit the National Museum, and explore the old Grand Turk ago. On Providenciales there is Long Bay Beach, where the
Lighthouse.
gentle waves make it ideal for kiteboarding, or Sapodilla Bay,
For those seeking untouched natural beauty, North and a haven for families with shallow waters perfect for young
Middle Caicos offer lush landscapes and serene seclusion. children.
These islands, joined by a natural causeway, are home to For those seeking seclusion, Mudjin Harbor’s dramatic
the largest cave network in the Caribbean at the Conch cliffs and hidden caves on Middle Caicos is a favourite for
Bar Caves, scenic Mudjin Harbor, award-winning Bambarra adventurers and photographers. Bambarra Beach was voted
Beach, and many trails.
the Second Best Beach in the Caribbean by USA Today readers,
a favourite for its long coast and shallow water. On
South Caicos, the fishing capital, is a paradise for snorkelers
and divers. Here, you’ll discover a charming blend Grand Turk, there is the popular Governor’s Beach and on
of rustic charm and natural wonders such as the Starfish South Caicos, choose from Salterra Beach, Cove Beach, and
Garden in the middle of the ocean.
Long Beach, considered the finest spots for swimming.
Salt Cay, a tiny island with a rich history of salt production,
offers a glimpse into the past with its colonial ruins and Food and Culture
quaint streets. Enjoy whale watching during the migration At the heart of local cuisine is the conch, often prepared as
season, relax on pristine beaches, or immerse yourself in fritters or in a flavourful stew. Fresh seafood, like grilled lobster
and snapper, is a staple, often paired with peas ‘n’ rice.
peaceful ambiance.
The Islands boast delectable creations from skilled chefs,
Luxury Resorts
along with popular dishes featuring a TCI twist. From elegant
fine dining experiences to casual beachside eateries,
With four Forbes Travel four-star hotels and eight Virtuoso
resorts across the Islands with several new properties in the culinary landscape offers something for every palate, a
development, the TCI offers luxurious accommodations true gastronomic paradise.
that blend elegance and comfort. There are a number of
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TIMES
OF THE
ISLANDS
CLEAR | MOVE | FORWARD
TCI’s local mover with global reach
MANAGING EDITOR
Kathy Borsuk
ADVERTISING MANAGER
Claire Parrish
MOVING IN
OR MOVING OUT ...
Let us handle the heavy lifting.
Professional and internationally-affiliated KR
Logistics & Services Ltd. is ready to lead your
relocation with white glove service. Contact us
today for all of your logistics needs.
+1 649 946 MOVE (6683)
info@krlogistics.tc | www. krlogistics.tc
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
Violet Apodaca, Kathy Borsuk, Jim Brown,
Kelly Currington, Richard Grainger, John Charles Hopkins,
James Jenney, Kira Kaplan, Lily Marynik, Sophie Moniz,
C.E. O’Brien, Rory O’Connor, Dodly Prosper,
Natalie Ritter, Paul Stanley, Nikki Stubbs, Ben Stubenberg,
Aliya Swearngin, Lisa Talbot, Diane Taylor,
Andrew Warren, Eric Wiberg.
.
CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS
Richard Condlyffe, Kelly Currington,
Tom Fuller–Big Blue Collective, Richard Grainger,
John Charles Hopkins, iStock(Ilbusca), Robert Johnson,
Douglas Kilaly, Middle Caicos Co-op, Marta Morton,
Michael Morton, Gina Nelson, C.E. O’Brien,
Paradise Photography, Dodly Prosper, Natalie Ritter,
Shutterstock, Ben Stubenberg, Lisa Talbot, TCI Boat Club,
Andrew Warren, Eric Wiberg, Siri White.
CONTRIBUTING ARTISTS
Wavey Line Publishing.
PRINTING
PF Solutions, Miami, FL
PROUD MEMBER:
Times of the Islands ISSN 1017-6853 is
published quarterly by Times Publications Ltd.
Copyright © 2024 by Times Publications Ltd. All rights reserved
under Universal and Pan American Copyright Conventions.
No part of this publication may be
reproduced without written permission.
Subscriptions $28/year; $32/year for
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Submissions We welcome submission of articles or photography, but
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
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While every care has been taken in the compilation and reproduction of
information contained herein to ensure correctness, such information is
subject to change without notice. The publisher accepts no
responsibility for such alterations or for typographical or other errors.
Business Office
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Tel 649 431 4788
E-mail timespub@tciway.tc
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Advertising timespublicationsads@gmail.com
18 www.timespub.tc

looking back
Was Captain Kidd’s treasure left behind on the beach at West Harbour Bluff? No one will ever know!
SHUTTERSTOCK
The Legend of Captain Kidd
A tale told by the “Old Time” men of Blue Hills.
By Jim Brown
Before the days of cable television and YouTube videos, folks would swap stories as the evening’s entertainment.
What follows is a “tall tale” about lost treasure that might have been whispered around the glow
of an oil lamp in the Blue Hills of yesteryear.
Times of the Islands Fall 2024 19

In the years after the War of Independence in the
United States (about 1780–90), many people who had
supported the British left the country. Imagine in the
southern regions, the cotton and tobacco plantations
owned by rich British colonialists were most unwelcome.
Many picked up their possessions and moved to more
friendly countries. The British government aided in this
migration and offered vast tracts of land in their colonies
like The Bahamas and Jamaica. The Turks & Caicos was
also dished out to some of these Loyalists. They came to
these shores with whatever they could carry away, including
their slaves.
At the time, cotton was “king.” It was replacing wool,
particularly in the New World where wool’s virtues were
not necessary. The cotton grown in the Islands was as
fine a cotton as could be found. Sisal was also grown for
rope making, which was important then too.
The settlers assigned property in the Caicos Islands
and their slaves found not a paradise but a rather barren
prospect for agriculture. The early years, however, were
productive and the plantation owners built stone homes
and quarters for their slaves and livestock, some of which
can still be seen today. Cheshire Hall on Providenciales is
a good example.
Supply ships brought staples and protected the colonies
as best they could from pirates and warring countries
such as France and Spain. There was trading with Haiti for
fruits and vegetables in return for dried conch and fish. In
1804 there was a slave revolt in Haiti freeing the country
from the French. Trade continued to flow and stories of
freedom were heard by the slaves here. They might try to
steal away in a small sailing boat and hope to get to Haiti
which was out there . . . somewhere!
The various slave families were known by the name
of their owner. Thus families with similar names may not
be genetically related but came from the same plantation.
Some plantations in the Caicos Islands thrived for
about 20 years before hurricanes and infestations of
insects caused them to be abandoned. The colonists left
their slaves to fend for themselves! Although they were
unlikely to have support from the British supply ships,
they did have gardens and field crops, fish, lobster,
conch, and some animals —along with tremendous ingenuity
and persistence—to survive as they had over the
years. Seasonal forays were made to out islands to collect
eggs from nesting seabirds.
These hearty people survived for 200 years off the sea
and land and trading with neighbors before development
of the tourist industry began. Many of the men went to
Wild cotton plants can still be found across the Islands, a reminder of
the days when cotton was “king.”
work in the salt business in sister islands or The Bahamas
or in seafaring with companies such as Bulk National
Carriers to make money. Wives and children stayed home
and revolving relationships kept the community together
surviving sickness, storms, and accidents at sea.
Local bush medicine developed over time was all that
was available to treat illness or injuries. There were no
early warnings for hurricanes and on several occasions
many fishermen were lost at sea. Travel between The
Bahamas and Haiti for work or trade was treacherous,
sometimes resulting in boats being lost or stranded.
There was no electricity until the 1970s, no roads but
walking paths connecting the villages, and little money.
Water was what you could collect from rain and store or
“tote” from hand-dug wells. There were no fans or window
screens, no lights except oil lamps, and homes were
small stone structures built to withstand the winds and
termites. It was a tough life, and those who could often
left for better conditions.
One could imagine that oral history and story telling
were the evening’s entertainment. Such experiences
returning people must have had—stories about an outside
world that the local children and adults may have
never seen. The following is a tale that may have been
based on truth:
MARTA MORTON–WWW.HARBOURCLUBVILLAS.COM
20 www.timespub.tc

THE LEGEND OF THE TREASURE OF THE PIRATE CAPTAIN KIDD
There is a tale told by the old time men of Blue Hills
about the missing treasure of the infamous pirate
known as Captain Kidd. It is known that pirates were a
feared and common visitor to many Caribbean islands
including the Caicos. On Providenciales at West Harbour
Bluff (or Split Rock as it is known today), there is a shallow
spot where ships would stop to careen over, or tip,
the boats to expose the underwater part of the hull
for cleaning. Perhaps it was on one of these visits that
the treasure was taken ashore and hidden just in case
some other passing ships showed up and tried to steal
the loot!
We know that ships did stop by, as there are dated
rock carvings on the headland and a small cave now
known as Pirates Cave. Sapodilla Bay is close by and
has several more rock engravings dated from the right
period. Both these bays were shown on Admiralty
Charts as excellent anchorage areas protected from
prevailing winds and as today, are very calm and much
enjoyed by visitors. Supply ships would anchor here in
the 1700 to 1800s when bringing persons or cargo to
Providenciales and row smaller boats around to Five
Cays Bay, which was too shallow for the ocean-going
ships. If visiting Cheshire Hall, notice that the cannon
placements are pointing south to the Bay Area—not out
over the ocean protected by the reefs.
Back to our story about the treasure of Captain Kidd,
as told by a well respected member of the Blue Hills
community. Following are the instructions to find the
treasure:
First, pick some trusted friends and on the evening
of the night after the full moon when the moon rises
about 8:00, gather on the beach at West Harbour Bluff
and send the boat away. It is important that no one can
see you there. Hide amongst the small trees and rocks
and wait very quietly. Soon darkness falls and the quiet
night settles upon you. Rest quietly and stay very still.
As the moon rises, the light is quite bright and soon
you can see well out to sea and back along the bay to
Sapodilla.
Wait, wait don’t move now! About midnight a cloud
may pass over the moon and bring darkness for an
instant and then look! A ship has appeared in the bay
right in front of your hiding places. Not too big a sailing
ship and the sails are lowered. Then a sound you know
well—the running out of an anchor chain—”ra-tat-atat-
atat-atat”! The moon glistening on the bay clearly lights
the ship and sailors are now lowering a boat and rowing
ashore. They have a dog—a large dog now running
on the beach barking. Suddenly, a white horse appears
on the hilltop, runs down to the beach and disappears
into the night. The sailors have shovels and picks and
are coming up the hillside near where you hide. Don’t
move, don’t be frightened—they don’t see you—they
just slowly walk inland for a few long minutes. Now, in
the moonlight they start to dig and you hear the shovels
and picks hitting the rocks. They dig and dig until
suddenly a shovel hits a metal object—CLANG—you
can tell by the sound! It must be the treasure box they
found!
But what now? Will they take it away? Back to their
boats? Your mates are seeing and thinking the same
thing. With this strange happening who is to say? Best
to grab it before they take off with it!
“TIME MEN, LET’S TAKE ‘EM” someone shouts. Your
mates all jump up and rush to the dig! But wait, what is
happening? The whole scene is fading away. The moon
has gone behind a cloud and you really can’t see anything!
After what seems a very long minute it clears,
and now, in the light, it is all gone! The sailors, the
row boat, the dog, and the ship at anchor in the bay!
All gone! They could not have sailed off in such a short
time! Ahh . . . but as the legend says—do not make a
sound or they will be chased away! But would they have
left the treasure? No one will ever know! a
James ‘“Jim” Brown was known by the handle “Sapodilla”
in the days of VHF radios before phones! He’s been
hearing tall tales in the Turks & Caicos since 1974 and
telling a few of his own!
SHUTTERSTOCK
Times of the Islands Fall 2024 21

KELLY CURRINGTON

creature feature
Opposite page: The Shortnose Batfish often hunts for prey by laying motionless on the sea bottom, partially covered by sand.
Above: The Shortnose Batfish appears to be a product of leftover parts of other creatures.
RICHARD CONDLYFFE
A Hodgepodge Masterpiece
Getting to know the Shortnose Batfish.
By Kelly Currington
One of the amazing things about scuba diving is that every time you enter the ocean you have a good
chance of seeing a creature you’ve never seen before. It’s always exciting when that happens! There is
no shortage of odd or weird looking inhabitants on the reef, but there is one that definitely stands out
amongst the rest.
This little fish has the appearance of not being created with a plan, but rather is the product of using
a bunch of leftover parts of other creatures. You will see though, that it is actually very well designed for
its habitat and lifestyle.
Times of the Islands Fall 2024 23

It has a down-turned mouth making it look grumpy, a
horn like a unicorn, a lure like a frogfish, a flattened body
like a flounder, modified pectoral fins that resemble bat
wings, and a tail that is just sort of stuck on the end to
complete the look. Its gill openings are situated at the
upper base of the pectoral fins, in the armpits. What is
this mishmash of a creature? This magnificent assembly
is the Shortnose Batfish (Ogcocephalus nasutus).
The horn, also known as the rostrum, is fairly long at
the juvenile stage but shortens as the individual matures,
often appearing as just a nub in older adults. Just below
the rostrum and above the upper lip is a retractable spine
with three fleshy bits on the end, which is used as a lure
to attract prey. This retractable lure is actually a modified
dorsal fin, making this creature a living evolutionary,
transitional species.
One of the ways this unique fish hunts for prey is by
laying motionless on the sea bottom, sometimes partially
covered by sand, and extending and wiggling its lure,
which resembles a potential meal to passing fish. When
an unsuspecting passerby gets within striking distance,
the batfish will open its expanding mouth and suck in the
prey in a fraction of a second. In addition to this ambushstyle
hunting, it also actively looks for food by using the
modified pectoral and pelvic fins to “walk” along the sea
floor looking for small prey hiding in the sand, sea grass,
or rocky rubble.
Though batfish are poor swimmers they can swim
short distances fairly quickly if they feel threatened,
before settling back on the bottom, where their mottled
brown, tan, spotted, and/or cream colorations are perfect
for camouflaging their presence. Their ability to camouflage
themselves against the sea floor is so good that
most times you look straight at them and don’t see them
unless they move.
Shortnose Batfish engage in what’s called cooperative
spawning. This means several males will fertilize the eggs
as they are released by a female, ensuring a higher success
rate for reproduction as well as a better probability
of survival of the species. The eggs and larvae are pelagic
drifters until they settle on the sea floor, where they will
metamorphose into the weird and beautiful body shape
of their adult selves.
As juveniles, they inhabit seagrass meadows, mangroves,
and even floating sargassum weed beds in the
shallow, protected inner reefs, which offers them protection
from predators. As adults, they can reside on coastal
lagoons all the way out to seaward reefs. They seem to
be solitary fish, or hanging out as mating pairs, but there
From top: This finger shows how small a juvenile batfish is, yet still
has the body shape of an adult.
Batfish are considered quite intelligent, changing their swimming
route to take advantage of the currents that bring their food source.
are reports that they can reside in larger social groups, or
schools.
Adults can reach between 36 and 38 centimeters (15
inches). They are usually seen in relatively shallow depths
of 1 to 20 meters (3 to 65 feet), but they have been found
at depths of 305 meters (approximately 1,000 feet). They
range throughout the western Atlantic and Caribbean
oceans.
Batfish are hardy little creatures and can live upwards
of 12 years, which gives them the opportunity to make
lots of baby batfish! These gems of natures have been
proven to be very intelligent as well. They have been
observed changing their swimming route to work with the
currents that bring their food source, like we as humans
would do if our favorite restaurant closed and we have to
find a new one.
The batfish diet consists of small invertebrates, small
fish, polychaeta worms (bristle worms), algae, and other
GINA NELSON
KELLY CURRINGTON
24 www.timespub.tc

KELLY CURRINGTON
This is a breeding pair of batfish. Note the hunting lure (retractable spine) at the far right which is used to attract prey.
plant matter on the reef. This means their lack of Olympic
swimming skills are not a detriment, but instead places
them right where they need to be—on the bottom relying
on their stealth, camouflage, and expert fishing skills.
The first time I had the pleasure of seeing one of these
beauties was in 2014 at West Caicos. I had been on a dive
with guests and when I surfaced, my captain asked me if
I had seen the Shortnose Batfish. I had not seen it. She
donned her tank and we descended to about 50-ish feet
in nothing but sand, but she took me right to him and
we named him Victor. He was sitting in the middle of the
sand patch and blended in so well that he was invisible
to eyes that had never seen him before. He was stunning,
and I was instantly in love with him. I watched him for
as long as possible trying to memorize everything about
him. Over the next few months, we visited Victor every
week. Every guest that was privileged to see him was
completely enthralled; he had become quite the celebrity!
One of the most incredible batfish encounters was
with a breeding pair. They were found in a rubbly-sandy
area not on the usual dive route. It was very evident that
the male was trying to shield the female from divers by
continuously placing himself between them and her. She
would tuck herself behind him or walk beside him right
Times of the Islands Fall 2024 25

Protecting, Preserving, and
Restoring the Coral Reefs of the TCI
Here is the author with her celebrity batfish, Victor.
KELLY CURRINGTON
Come visit our Coral Growing Facility
and get your TCRF merchandise!
Located at South Bank Marina.
We are open 1-5pm
Monday - Friday
Rashguards, Stickers, BCD tags and more!
All proceeds go to our environmental
projects in TCI.
up against his pectoral fin, nearly in his armpit. This was
when I first noticed the gill openings, and it was fascinating.
The perfection of their hodgepodge of characteristics
was very obvious when you see batfish moving across the
sand, hunting with their lure, and being invisible in plain
sight.
That being said, their superior camouflage can also
cause them harm. I have encountered batfish in as little
as 2 to 3 feet of water, so when you are walking in the
shallows, shuffle your feet so they will feel your presence
and can move out of the way and avoid being accidentally
stepped on.
These amazing creatures play a crucial role in the
health of coral reef ecosystems, controlling the population
of small invertebrates which helps the overall balance
of the reef. Like most other marine animals, conservation
efforts are essential to ensuring their long-term survival.
Every time you enter the ocean, it is your responsibility
to protect it and its inhabitants. Slow down, make it
a treasure hunt (for critters), don’t touch anything, and
take only pictures. Become a Sea Ambassador . . . a
26 www.timespub.tc

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/
The tropical seabird the brown Noddy (Anous stolidus) forages by swooping over the water and dipping down to catch small fish and aquatic
insects. It will also feed on fruit.
Humans, Birds, and the TCI
Our “feathered friends” are an important indicator of environmental health.
Story & Photos By Dodly Prosper, DECR Environmental Officer: Terrestrial Ecologist
Humans have always been fascinated with our avian neighbours. Throughout history, the relationship
between humans and birds has been multifaceted, encompassing utility, symbolism, and mutual benefit.
The genesis of our intricate bond was due to caloric fulfilment (a.k.a.”food”) provided by birds for the
continuity of the proto-humans, but evidence suggested that early humans also observed birds for survival
cues, such as finding water and tracking the seasons.
Times of the Islands Fall 2024 27

green pages newsletter of the department of environment & coastal resources
Although we cannot pinpoint the exact date
birds became more than “just food,” we do know that
Palaeolithic Qesem cave-dwelling hominid from 420 to
200 ka (kilo annum; 1,000 years ago) had collections of
their non-nutritious “integumentary appendages” (feathers).
This provides evidence that fascination with birds
persisted for many ages and will for many more to come.
As humans journeyed through the rise and fall of
countless civilizations and societies, survival was not the
name of the game anymore. Many creatures joined us
on this journey—amongst them birds—and began to play
more significant roles in the cultural, economic, and ecological
contexts of the world.
In “Selecting Indicator Species to Monitor Ecological
Integrity: A Review,” Carignan and Villard (2002) stated
that birds are an important indicator of environmental
health. This is due to them being easily detected, identified,
and efficiently censused over large areas, as well
The West Indian whistling duck (Dendrocygna arborea) is both elusive and listed as “Near Threatened” by the International Union for
Conservation of Nature. It produces a “whistling” rather than “quacking” sound.
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green pages newsletter of the department of environment & coastal resources
The osprey (Pandion haliaetus) is often seen soaring in Turks & Caicos skies. Their diet is almost exclusively fish from the open ocean. Their
droppings concentrate nitrogen and phosphorus-rich nutrients to the soil of the bird islands on which they roost.
as their presence, abundance, and reproductive success
being influenced by their surrounding habitats.
Globally there are over 11,000 species of birds.
However, nearly half of all species are in decline and
1,409 species (or one in eight species) are now threatened
with extinction. Although this does paint a gloomy
picture, there is a shred of optimistic hope as 6% have
increasing populations. In the Turks & Caicos Islands
(TCI), we have roughly 210 species flying in our skies with
only 12 species being globally threatened. Also, despite
the size of TCI, we hold 1% or more of the global population
of several bird species.
Birds play essential roles in various ecosystems. They
are usually overshadowed by charismatic insect species
like the bumblebee (Bombus spp.), butterflies, and moths
(Lepidoptera spp.) but birds are vital for pollination. For
instance, the bananaquit (Coereba flaveola) and Bahama
woodstar (Nesophlox evelynae) are key pollinators for
numerous plant species such as the pineland golden
trumpet (Angadenia berteroi), wild allamanda (Pentalinon
luteum), Euphorbia gymnonota, and E. tithymaloides. As
they siphon a plant’s nectar from its flowers, the birds
could collect a substantial amount of pollen with their
This Bahama woodstar hummingbird (Nesophlox evelynae) is standing
watch over her chicks in their tiny nest. These birds are key
pollinators for many local plant species.
Times of the Islands Fall 2024 29

green pages newsletter of the department of environment & coastal resources
This Northern mockingbird (Mimus polyglottos) was found in South
Wells, Grand Turk. Seeds from the fruit they eat are often dispersed
far from the parent plant.
slender beaks and they are off to a new batch of flowers.
As you can imagine, pollination isn’t the function that
makes birds essential—they are also engineers of their
habitat. Species like the white crown pigeon (Patagioenas
leucocephala), pearly-eyed thrasher (Margarops fuscatus),
and Bahama mockingbird (Mimus gundlachii) can
be seen feeding on the fruits of the poisonwood tree
(Metopium toxiferum), love-vine (Cuscuta americana),
and the like. The seeds of the fruits are hardy enough
to withstand the fluids of the birds’ stomachs and pass
through their cloaca relatively unscathed. Thus, they are
likely to be dispersed far from the parent plant, ensuring
the regeneration of their habitat.
Like many species, birds are also key in the nutrient
cycle and like all creatures, it involves their poop.
For example, seabirds such as the Audubon’s shearwater
(Puffinus lherminieri) and the osprey (Pandion haliaetus)
feed on fish in the open ocean and then return to islands
to roost. Their droppings (called “guano”), derived from
their fish diet, concentrate nitrogen and phosphorus-rich
nutrients from a wider ocean region onto the comparably
small area of the bird islands they roost on. There have
been studies that show the relationship between seabirds
and coral reefs, as the birds provide nutrients to reefs
that accelerate coral growth and recovery.
Finally, birds are excellent pest control. Species
like the Antillean nighthawk (Chordeiles gundlachii) are
hyper-energetic, gravity-defying aerialists of the Lucayan
archipelago, making quick work of all the flying insects
that comes into their sight. However, predatory birds,
such as barn owl (Tyto alba), American kestrel (Falco
sparverius) and Merlin (Falco columbarius) help maintain
the balance of animal populations by controlling rodents
and even other smaller birds.
Despite their importance, the Turks & Caicos Islands
face similar conservation challenges as other regions,
including habitat loss, climate change, and human
encroachment. Efforts to protect bird habitats are crucial
for maintaining biodiversity. Initiatives such as the establishment
of protected areas, conservation programs, and
public education campaigns aim to safeguard the Islands’
avian populations. Local and international collaborations
enhance these efforts, ensuring a coordinated approach
to conservation.
Addressing threats to bird populations requires
ongoing commitment and innovation. Climate change, in
particular, poses a significant challenge, with rising sea
levels and changing weather patterns affecting habitats.
Conservation strategies must adapt to these changes,
incorporating resilience and sustainability. Community
engagement through citizen science programs such as
eBird, iNaturalist, and Caribbean Birding Trails are vital
in fostering a culture of conservation, ensuring that the
importance of birds is recognized and valued. a
The Piping plover (Charadrius melodus) is a wintering migrant to the
Turks & Caicos Islands.
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green pages newsletter of the department of environment & coastal resources
Above: This curious young American kestrel (Falco sparverius) is a predatory bird that helps control rodents.
Below: This American oystercatcher (Haematopus palliatus) was spotted on the cliffs near the Crossing Place Trail on Middle Caicos.
Times of the Islands Fall 2024 31

green pages newsletter of the department of environment & coastal resources
MICHAEL MORTON—WWW.HARBOURCLUBVILLAS.COM
A graceful southern stingray glides over a seagrass meadow off the coast of Providenciales. Such meadows play a crucial role in cycling
essential nutrients in the oceans.
Happy as a Clam
Getting the edge on seagrass meadows.
By Natalie Ritter (The School for Field Studies), Violet Apodaca (Bowdoin College), Kira Kaplan (Smith
College), Lily Marynik (Wellesley College), Sophie Moniz (Connecticut College), Rory O’Connor (Lehigh
University), Paul Stanley (University of Massachusetts Amherst) and Aliya Swearngin (Grinnell College
Edited by Dr. C.E. O’Brien, The School for Fields Studies, Center for Marine Resource Studies
Over the past year, students and staff from the School for Field Studies (SFS) Center for Marine Resource
Studies (CMRS) conducted a study on the relationship between seagrass beds—a critical marine ecosystem—and
a small and unassuming group of clams called lucinids, in the shallow waters surrounding
South Caicos. In collaboration with Dr. Robert Johnson from the University of Wisconsin, this team was
interested in learning how these organisms support and strengthen each other’s ability to survive in our
ever-changing world.
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green pages newsletter of the department of environment & coastal resources
Why study seagrass meadows?
A seagrass meadow is much like a terrestrial grass
meadow, with lush expanses of green grass covering the
seafloor. While they may not look like much, seagrass
meadows play a crucial role in cycling essential nutrients
in the oceans, making them available to other organisms
such as fish, turtles, and various invertebrate species like
conch and lobster, thus sustaining a healthy and diverse
ecosystem and promoting the success of local fisheries
and tourism.
Seagrass meadows in the tropical western Atlantic,
including the Turks & Caicos Islands, are composed of
three main species: turtle grass, manatee grass, and
shoal grass. Combined, these species cover over 88,170
km 2 (about 54,786.3 mi 2 ) and are estimated to be able to
store up to 1,337.8 Tg of carbon annually. This is equal
to the yearly carbon emissions of 74,000 US households!
Thus, despite occupying only a small fraction of the
ocean floor, they are responsible for 15% of the ocean’s
total organic carbon storage. This makes them one of
the most productive ecosystems on our planet and key
to reducing planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions.
Seagrass meadows in the tropical western Atlantic are
also critical for regional biodiversity as they are home to
at least 313 species of fish. These meadows act as habitat,
allowing small organisms to hide from their predators
and reproduce. The extensive root and rhizome systems
of seagrasses also help prevent coastal erosion by trapping
sediment and pathogens, keeping the water clean
and clear.
Unfortunately, the Caribbean and wider tropical western
Atlantic are experiencing an increase in human-caused
problems such as pollution, industrial development, and
the effects of climate change. In the face of these challenges,
it is vital to understand the effects of disturbance
to seagrass ecosystems in order to predict potential
changes in ecosystem services and productivity of seagrass
meadows in this region.
An important relationship
Key to seagrasses’ ability to provide ecosystem services
is their mutualistic relationship with lucinids. The high
productivity of seagrass results in the rapid accumulation
of dead plant tissue (seagrass blades and roots) and
other organic matter (waste from animals inhabiting the
meadow) in the sediment. Decomposing bacteria works
quickly to break this down, and this process produces a
This tiger lucine (Codakia orbicularis) is lying amid sand and seagrass
off the shores of South Caicos.
toxic compound called hydrogen sulfide as a byproduct.
Over time, hydrogen sulfide accumulates, making it difficult
for seagrass to grow and thrive.
Lucinids live in the sediment beneath seagrass meadows
and contain a special type of “sulfide-oxidizing”
bacteria. This mutualistic bacteria breaks down the toxic
hydrogen sulfide into a much safer substance called sulfate,
which is used by seagrasses to grow. Measurements
of sulfides in seagrass meadow sediments have found
that lower levels of hydrogen sulfide are correlated with
the number of lucinids present, demonstrating that these
small bivalves and their symbiotic bacteria are vital to
reducing the concentration of hydrogen sulfide in seagrass
meadows. Our research team set out to investigate
the relationship between seagrass and lucinids of South
Caicos by conducting snorkel and SCUBA surveys during
Fall 2023 and Spring 2024.
Getting edgy
To study the relationship between seagrass and lucinids,
our team took advantage of a natural feature of
seagrass meadows called “erosion edges.” These are an
abrupt break in a seagrass meadow, with a cliff-like ledge
that is composed of several centimeters of sediment,
exposed seagrass roots, and rhizomes. These edges form
as a result of natural disturbances like storms and animal
grazing, as well as human-caused disturbances like
dredging or damage from boating activities. Above the
edge lies undisturbed seagrass and below is typically a
sandy plain that is devoid of seagrass as a result of the
disturbance.
ROBERT JOHNSON
Times of the Islands Fall 2024 33

green pages newsletter of the department of environment & coastal resources
These erosion edges allow us to observe the relative
abundance of lucinids in their preferred habitat (meadow
above the edge) versus a less ideal habitat (sandy plain
below the edge). Since seagrass meadows are fragmenting
more rapidly as a result of increasing storm and
human activity, it is critical to understand how fragmentation
could potentially impact seagrass meadows, lucinids
and the ecosystem services (habitat, food, clean water)
they provide.
In November 2023 and April 2024, our CMRS
research team, known affectionately as the “Core-lation
Corps,” conducted surveys and collected sediment samples
from eight different sites around the island of South
C.E. O’BRIEN
C.E. O’BRIEN
Here is a seagrass erosion edge approximately 0.3 meters in height.
Caicos. Snorkeling or SCUBA diving, we performed a transect
(essentially a long tape measure) survey measuring
the percentage of seagrass cover across ten meters both
above and below eight erosion edges. This was accomplished
by placing a PVC frame (a “quadrat”) every two
meters along the transect and estimating the proportion
of it covered by each of the three species, as well as measuring
a random subset of the seagrass blades. By doing
this five times, we were able to get a good estimation of
the species composition of the meadow and the density
of seagrass coverage.
We also used a cylindrical “drill” to collect sediment
cores from both above and below the erosion edge. This
was the most difficult part of the work, since pushing
the drill into the sea floor took a great deal of effort and
air, especially in the water with no point of leverage. The
process was not without its rewards, however, as stirring
up the sediment with this drill attracted many curious
wrasses and pufferfish that wanted to see what we would
dig up!
From top: SFS students Paul Stanley, Lily Marynik, and Aliya Swearngin
assess seagrass coverage along the transect line.
SFS Waterfront Assistant Natalie Ritter and student Sophie Moniz
measure seagrass blade size in a quadrant.
SFS student Aliya Swearngin and Principal Investigator C.E. O’Brien
extract a sediment core.
ROBERT JOHNSON
NATALIE RITTER
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green pages newsletter of the department of environment & coastal resources
Back in the lab, we sorted through the sediment cores
by hand (resulting in lots of mud under our fingernails!)
to identify, count and measure every live and dead lucinid
so that we could compare their abundance above and
below the edge. As predicted, we found that live lucinids
were more abundant in seagrass meadows above the erosion
edge than in the mostly sandy plain below.
This finding supports the idea that the less stable,
lower-sulfide sediments below erosion edges are less
suitable habitats for lucinids, and thus that disturbances
to seagrass meadows limit the lucinids’ access to suitable
habitat. More difficult to explain was the fact that we
found no direct correlation between seagrass abundance
and lucinid abundance. This suggests that the amount
of plant material produced by the seagrass in a meadow
and the hydrogen sulfide produced by its subsequent
breakdown is not the only determinant of lucinid success.
Other factors, such as high levels of predation on
lucinids in the meadow or differences in the ease with
which lucinids can burrow into the sediment may also
play a role. Future research will hopefully uncover some
of these factors.
As human activities and habitat disturbances increase,
seagrass beds become more fragmented, leading to more
erosion edges. With lower sulfide levels in the sediment
below the edge, fewer lucinids populate the disturbed
sediment, which may hamper the ability of seagrass to
recolonize that area, slowing any potential recovery of
the meadow. If the pace of fragmentation exceeds that of
recovery, the beautiful seagrass meadows of the Turks &
Caicos Islands will disappear over time, leading to a loss
of fish, conch, and lobster, more eroded coastlines and
dirtier water.
The Core-lation Corps’ research has emphasized the
importance of protecting these vital habitats. To help
protect our seagrass, it is important to set anchors carefully
to avoid damaging seagrass beds and to support
sustainable tourism practices by avoiding resorts that
dredge to remove seagrass for aesthetic purposes. These
simple practices can help ensure the survival of seagrass
meadows and the myriad of species that depend on them,
preserving the natural beauty and abundance of the Turks
& Caicos Islands for generations to come. a
The School for Field Studies is a US-based academic
institution that provides multidisciplinary, field-based
From top: SFS Waterfront Assistant Natalie Ritter picks through the
contents of a sediment core to separate lucinids.
SFS students separate lucinid shells from sediment cores and measure
them.
environmental study-abroad opportunities to undergraduate
university students. Long term data collection by
staff and students is a crucial element of observing and
understanding climate impacts, beneficial to stakeholders,
and essential to policy makers.
To learn more about the SFS TCI program, visit www.
fieldstudies.org/tci. For detailed article references, contact
Director Heidi Hertler on South Caicos at hhertler@
fieldstudies.org.
C.E. O’BRIEN
Times of the Islands Fall 2024 35

PARADISE PHOTOGRAPHY—COURTESY MIDDLE CAICOS CO-OP
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feature
The finely woven baskets shown above emerged from the minds and hands of women on Middle Caicos (opposite page). The women who
began the art of basketry brought this skill from ancestors in West Africa and adapted it to the palms and sea grasses that grow in TCI.
DOUGLAS KILALY
Forty Years and Counting
Heritage straw work carries cherished memories.
By Diane Taylor
I carried very little when I left my home on Pine Cay in the early 1980s. At one time, people who felt
an emotional attachment to the county or land they had to leave took with them a handful of earth to
cherish as fond memory of paths they had walked, people they had known. Packed away in my luggage
were Turks & Caicos treasures that came from the earth, which is to say, hand-crafted baskets that were
fashioned from grasses and palm leaves that had grown in the soil there—as indeed, I had grown roots
in that same soil.
Times of the Islands Fall 2024 37

Seven in total, these heritage baskets have provided
me with a place to keep apples and oranges, to gather
snap peas from my garden, to enhance a flower pot, to
organize sewing items, and myriad other uses. I wished
then, as I wish now, that I knew the names of the women
who wove these sturdy baskets. At the time, a friend gave
me three as a parting gift, and I bought the other four
from someone on Pine Cay, who had bought them from
women on North and Middle Caicos.
In addition, there is the large lined bag, with handles
and bright orange and yellow flowers embroidered on
one side, that Mary Forbes gave me when I visited Sandy
Point a few days before my departure. To make this bag,
she wove long two-inch-wide “plaits” from palm leaves
(while comfy, I imagine, on that blue couch so often visible
through her almost-always-open door), then sewed
them together to the shape she had in mind. This friendly
classy bag has provided me with an ideal place to store
shoes and other paraphernalia for feet, like felt insoles,
shoe laces, and mink oil for my winter boots.
You might ask, “Have these forty-year-old baskets
and bag not disintegrated? Not come apart? Not become
frayed and saggy?” If you were to ask such a neophyte
question, as I myself might have asked had I not lived
with these graceful and well-used baskets for over forty
years, I would answer, “Not at all—other than aging richly
into a slightly deeper hue.” In fact, I fully expect them
to be around for another forty years. Mind you, by then,
they will be keeping someone else company—perhaps my
niece, who is only fifty-two.
What I especially appreciate about these baskets and
bags is the heritage aspect—the wealth of experience and
knowledge that those who made them inherited from the
early days. That was when their ancestors built sailboats,
made bush medicine from wild herbs, fished, farmed, and
every necessity was handmade—the woven baskets and
bags a prime example. In the earliest days, no money was
in circulation; you could not buy household items. People
depended on each other, doors were open, and respect
for others and the land were survival skills.
DOUGLAS KILALY
This selection of the author’s cherished Turks & Caicos straw work shows its versatility and durability—after 40 years of use!
38 www.timespub.tc

Islander Rhynnie Williams gathers grasses from the fields of Middle Caicos.
SIRI WHITE—COURTESY MIDDLE CAICOS CO-OP
I have a vivid memory of a man from Middle Caicos
who sometimes worked on Pine Cay and would later
become a lawyer. He always carried with him a bottle of
thick bright green liquid his mother made for him from
plants and herbs. He drank a little every morning, as a
“tonic” as he called it. Certainly, among other nutrients,
it would have been filled with chlorophyll, which is very
close in molecular composition to that of hemoglobin in
human red blood cells.
Bambarra on Middle Caicos was one of the villages in
the Turks & Caicos Islands where the first finely woven
baskets emerged from women’s minds and hands. Some,
with an extremely tight weave and lined with pine resin,
held water. In West Africa, there is a large ethnic group
of people known as the Bambarra, most of whom live
in southern Mali, where there is also a village by that
same name. The connection between the two Bambarras
is very real, with a shipwreck leaving slaves from West
Africa stranded on Middle Caicos. The women who began
the art of basketry on Middle Caicos brought this skill
with them across the Atlantic and adapted it to the types
Heritage straw work, made by artisians from the Middle Caicos Co-op,
is available at the Caicos Straw Craft shop on North Caicos.
COURTESY MIDDLE CAICOS CO-OP
Times of the Islands Fall 2024 39

of palms and sea grasses that grow in TCI. Some DNA
research has confirmed this.
The Middle Caicos Co-op was created in 1998 with
the goal to ensure fair income for the artisans and to
preserve this heritage straw work. For many years roughly
seventy artisans (average age sixty-five) regularly produced
baskets and bags of a remarkable variety. Today
the not-for-profit retail shop, located in North Caicos,
is active and full of these straw work treasures but only
twenty artisans are regularly producing the crafts now.
The painstaking process of collecting, drying and
cleaning the raw material (fanner grasses and palm
tops), even before the arduous task of sewing, plaiting
and weaving the straw crafts, has not widely appealed to
younger generations. Today’s artisans range in age from
forty to ninety, a solid group of artisans who truly enjoy
the labour of creating their baskets and bags. The plan is
to soon have an artisan in the shop one day a week working
on her craft and answering questions visitors may
have.
The Middle Caicos Co-op has evolved into: the Caicos
Straw Craft Shop with a large interpretive display; the
Caicos Heritage Museum that showcases a gallery of stunningly
beautiful black and white photographs and books
and cards; and the Boathouse, home to the fleet of handcarved
model sailboats that grace the sea each year at the
annual Valentine’s Day Cup on Bambarra Beach.
When I see the Caicos baskets around my house,
three on the sewing machine, one on top of the fridge,
two by the kitchen window and one on my dresser, I see
women sitting with grasses and palmtops around them,
perhaps a child or two nearby, their hands busy cutting
strips and weaving them just so, to patiently and knowledgably
create attractive items that feel warm to the
touch.
Back then, and into today, the baskets carry eggs,
shells, corn, toys . . . and dreams. Basket after basket,
time after time and beyond. They are a cultural tradition
that is a vital part of the history of the Turks & Caicos
Islands. They are also a part of my own history, as well as
just plain good for the soul.
When I hold one of these baskets, or the bag, my
fingers are communicating with the fingers of a woman
(or yes, an occasional man) who fashioned the fibers into
graceful shapes that are part of my present, past, and
future. I am grateful to be accompanied by the artisans
for a connection to the Turks & Caicos Islands that continues
to hold a special spot in my heart. a
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feature
Both twilight (opposite page) and dawn (above) are magical times on the colorful reefs of the Turks & Caicos Islands.
The Awakening
Twilight on the reef is a magical time.
Story & Photos By Kelly Currington
The Turks & Caicos Islands are famous for the powder-white, sugar-sand beaches and stunning turquoise
water; they attract hundreds of thousands of visitors to the country every year. For divers, it’s the wonders
of what lies beyond where sand meets sea and beneath the surface of that aquamarine water that
brings them here.
Times of the Islands Fall 2024 43

One of my favorite things to write about is diving in
the place that stole my heart so many years ago. The
gorgeous reefs and dramatic walls of the Turks & Caicos
Islands are the main attraction for most divers, and the
clear, warm, mild conditions welcome all levels of diving
experience, making it the perfect place to blow bubbles.
These reefs are home to a large variety of marine life,
from the tiniest of creatures like shrimp, slugs, blennies,
and some nudibranchs, to the larger critters like sharks,
turtles, rays, and the occasional pelagic visitor like great
hammerheads and mantas. During the months of January
through April, the annual migration of the North Atlantic
humpback whales brings them through the TCI on both
ends of their journey. We have it all!
When it comes to the ocean, most divers have an
embedded appreciation and respect for the reefs, the
eco-system, and the animals because it’s what they have
come here to experience. They see it through different
eyes than non-divers who have not had the privilege of
feeling the connection to Mother Ocean.
When you talk to non-divers and ask them what they
love about the ocean, the usual responses are the sound
of the waves, the beautiful turquoise color, the smell of
the salty air, and that they are intrigued by the mystery
of what’s below. All of these are valuable attributes, but
there is only so much you can know about the ocean until
you have ventured into her womb.
Nightime on the reef brings out creatures typically tucked away in dens during the day. From top: the Channel clinging crab, Spotted moray
and blackfish hunt for prey at night, while the parrotfish is frozen in place and the Green moray eel is getting cleaned after night hunting.
44 www.timespub.tc

Those who wander into the depths and are changed
forever will talk to you about the way the ocean makes
them “feel” instead of what they “think” about it. They
feel weightless underwater, they feel free underwater,
they feel alive underwater, and they feel more comfortable
underwater than on land. All of these come from the
intimacy of bonding with the ocean, and it is a soul-saturating
and transformative experience when it happens.
Slipping below the surface of the waves with the sunlight
streaming through clear water creates a stunning
backdrop for the perfect dive. Perusing the reef in the
company of the creatures that call it home is such an
amazing experience. The profusion of life fills all the
senses—tiny shrimp hiding in the crevices and peeking
out, blennies popping out of their abandoned worm
holes, rays gliding across the sea floor, turtles meandering
through the coral, and sharks passing by to check out
the intruders in their home. This is what dive enthusiasts
crave—the ability to share space with these residents in
the magnificent underwater world.
We are all connected to Mother Ocean, as her survival
determines our own survival as a species. Learning her
anatomy, heartbeat, and needs are crucial if we want to
protect her, and ultimately ourselves. Unquestionably,
diving allows us to get up-close and personal.
As a dive professional, I have experienced the magic
of the ocean thousands of times. It is part of who I am
and affects how I perceive everything. Though each dive
contributes to this bond, there is one particular dive that I
will remember for the rest of my life. It is “The One” where
I heard Mother Ocean’s heartbeat and felt her life.
The crepuscular dive
The moon was still suspended high in the sky and the
ocean was calm and mysterious as I slipped below the
surface into the dimly lit world. The dive started as any
other night dive. Using a low lumens torch, I descended
slowly, allowing my eyes to adjust to the darkness. I made
my way along the reef exploring every nook and cranny
in hopes of observing all the night creatures that come
out to hunt in the cloak of darkness. In this environment,
there were no signs of reef fish flitting about—they were
all tucked away and out of sight in an attempt to evade
the dangers of night. Crabs, lobsters, and eels were visibly
hunting, a complete opposite of their behavior during
the day when they stay in their dens. Octopus melted
over the coral, probing every crevice with their arms looking
for hidden snacks. Parrotfish were frozen in place,
their colors blending into the coral, and butterfly fish laid
Times of the Islands Fall 2024 45

motionless against the sea floor, using the darkness to
escape predation. Big shadows cast by blackjacks were
visible in my peripheral, ready to swoop in and nab any
unfortunate creature illuminated by my torch. (This is why
you never shine your torch directly on any creature—you
render them helpless and ultimately can cost them their
life.) So far, this was a normal night dive . . .
Over the next thirty minutes, I became inherently
aware of a shift in the energy on the reef. With every
blink there was a different pulse. It’s strange how you
process things in this calm and tranquil environment. The
number of night creatures was lessening. Though I never
“saw” them leave or hide, they were just gone. The night
sounds were getting fainter, and I could sense the presence
of a powerful force.
I was suddenly enveloped in a stillness and a type
of silence that is very difficult to describe with words.
It was as if Mother Ocean was resting for a brief time to
ready herself for the approaching day. I was witnessing
the most magical time on the reef, those few moments
between the darkness of night and the safety of the
morning light, where the moon has not yet set, but the
sun is just starting to peek at the edge of the horizon.
There is no movement anywhere on the reef. Every creature
has vanished, not a single piece of soft coral sways,
and the sand is as motionless as a photograph, just complete
stillness. I was alone in the belly of Mother Ocean,
feeling like I was the only soul on Earth, yet more alive
and safe than I had ever felt before.
It was here, in these few moments, that I could hear
my pulse beating around me. I felt my miniscule presence
in the vastness of Mother Ocean’s womb, completely connected,
feeling her rhythm and her electric soul. I was so
grounded and comforted by this powerful energy that my
entire emotional circuit had morphed and was seamlessly
moving with the ocean, my life matching her cadence.
I floated there, motionless in time, every one of my
senses alive and raw, absorbing the enchanted spell that
had been cast. I could feel the ocean on my fingertips,
I could see the micro-movements of the ebb and flow,
I could hear the coral breathing, I could taste her salty
blood, I could smell her essence. My vestibular system
was perfectly balanced and I was more spatially aware
than ever before. A type of peace and contentment
washed over me that can only be described as an outof-body
experience, and my entire mind, body, and soul
were all joined in this moment. THIS is the real Twilight
Zone, and it is a special place . . . I was home.
46 www.timespub.tc

My trance was interrupted by movement that had
been absent during the twilight minutes. I stared at the
coral in the faint light and noticed a couple of tiny wrasse
popping in and out of the crevices, only venturing a few
inches out of their safe haven before darting back inside.
In a few blinks, there were more tiny fish (I call them
ocean confetti) moving above the coral. Then my attention
was drawn to the dim glow of light now blanketing
the reef, and I realized the sun was rising and the night
had crept away silently.
TMW2022.qxp_Layout 1 3/2/22 3:41 PM Page 1
At night, the Caribbean spiny lobster goes from being the hunted to
the hunter.
The Awakening
Within ten minutes, the stillness had vanished as the
cover of darkness was replaced by penetrating light from
the morning sun, providing safety for the diurnal creatures
as they stirred from their night slumber. The reef
started buzzing with life again, like a switch had been
flipped and when the lights came on, the party started.
The energy was full of activity and life. Grunts and snappers
were schooling, reef sharks glided slowly along the
edge of the reef, parrotfish changed out of their camouflage
pajamas into their vibrant day colors and were
having breakfast and making new sand. (Fact: 70% of TCI
sand is made from parrotfish poop.) Stingrays were floating
over the sand scouting for buried fare, blennies were
waking up and looking out their doors, and soft corals
swayed with the ocean’s heartbeat. The reef had awakened
to a new dawn. Those who had survived the hazards
of darkness now had another chance to participate in the
circle of life.
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Times of the Islands Fall 2024 47

When the first rays of sunlight dawn on the horizon and begin to appear on the reef, all motion stops for a few moments.
The experience of witnessing those twilight moments
will never leave me; it was an honor. It reminds me of how
precious and fragile life is and how we need to protect it
at all costs. I have done hundreds of crepuscular dives
since, and I am awestruck every time by the awareness
those few moments of quiet and stillness provide, and
how they center and balance every part of me.
By all accounts I am a creature girl, and I cherish
encounters with the tiniest to the largest of inhabitants,
but that intimate bond with Mother Ocean gave me a
new understanding of her soul. I wish every person could
experience that feeling because it would instill a strong
desire to protect her.
Always remember when entering her domain that
you are a visitor and responsible for keeping her healthy
and respecting her anatomy. Show her love, respect, and
humility, and she, in turn, will reward you with the most
unimaginable treasures.
The waters of the Turks & Caicos are some of the most
beautiful and calm in the world, so getting the chance to
dive them is an honor. Please make the conscious effort
to slow down and observe the glorious bounty she presents.
From the ocean to you: Respect and protect. a
Of Mother Ocean, Kelly Currington says, “My heart beats
for her, my soul craves to be in her womb, and my mind
only calms when I’m wrapped in her arms. We are connected
forever. The ocean is my home.”
48 www.timespub.tc

JAMES ROY—WWW.MYPARADISEPHOTO.COM
50 www.timespub.tc

feature
Opposite page: This stunning photo is an aerial view of Greenwich Channel, just south of the container’s location in 2023.
Above: The positions and dates shown on this Google Earth image are taken from Google Earth Historical Imagery. They show how the itinerant
shipping container has moved over time.
JOHN CHALRES HOPKINS
Shifting Sands
An itinerant shipping container.
By John Charles Hopkins
Barrels, bottles, buckets, buoys, cargo slings, coconuts, crates, nets, planks, poles, roots, rope, sea grass,
seaweed, stumps, and tree trunks: an alphabet of flotsam abounds along the shores of Bay Cay and other
outlying barrier islands that flank North Caicos.
Times of the Islands Fall 2024 51

The locus is Spanish Point where the Caicos Bank protrudes
into the Atlantic Ocean, exposed to the prevailing
easterly winds and the west-flowing Antilles Current.
Three large “cuts”—kilometre-wide semi-circular breaks
in the fringing reef—capture the floating debris.
Occasionally over the past 40 years, more substantial
vessels have washed in: a small freighter (a rumoured
ganja boat), a couple of pleasure yachts, and a mysterious
sponsored trans-ocean rowing-boat inscribed LES PUREE
DE LEGUMES FRAIS. Two substantial iron anchors hint of
other vessels, centuries past, in distress on a leeward
shore. But of all the debris, none is quite as extraordinary
as a 6-metre long (20 feet) shipping container that came
in through one of the cuts a decade ago.
The shipping container must have floated in, presumably
being water-tight or carrying buoyant contents, and
grounded off Sand Bar Point, Bay Cay. By January 2016, it
had been reduced to a skeleton, a steel frame, the walls
and contents gone. An assemblage of gulls had taken
possession of the frame, established an ephemeral hierarchy
of perches, and were using it as a fishing platform.
At that time, the container seemed grounded, and would
slowly rust and disintegrate over a period of years.
In 2018, a somewhat more weathered container
appeared off the east end of Horse Stable Beach, some
5.5 km to the west of Sand Bar Point; a similar assemblage
of gulls jockeyed about possession. And in 2023,
the frame of a container and a group of argumentative
gulls graced the tidal delta off the mouth of Bottle Creek,
1.5 km to the east of Horse Stable Beach.
As there was only one container frame off North
Caicos at any one time, it was obviously the same container
frame that had moved, but how? It couldn’t float
and seemed firmly planted on the sandy substrate. Also,
there was no question about locations and times—I had
photographed the frame at each location and recorded
the co-ordinates by GPS. Google Earth Historical Imagery
independently substantiates these observations.
Variably fuzzy but unmistakable images of the container
frame off Sand Bar Point can be found on four
Google Earth images acquired in 2016. There are three
fuzzy images recorded between 2018–2022 off Horse
Stable Beach. It is clearly visible off the mouth of Bottle
Creek on the 2023-06-22 image, which is also its current
position (March 2024).
The collation of four images from 2016 offers a unique
record of local movement. Not only is the container frame
present in each image, but in a 7-month period its position
changed over a distance of about 12 metres and the
orientation through 30 degrees. Some of this apparent
JOHN CHALRES HOPKINS
These photos of the itinerant shipping container prove that it moved over the years, a testimony to the power of natural processes.
52 www.timespub.tc

movement may be due to variations in geo-centering
the images (also seen among adjacent similar-size patch
reefs) but these effects are in the order of a few metres at
most. In any case, the changes in orientation substantiate
movement. Similar evidence of local movement can be
inferred among the images from the Horse Stable Beach
location.
An inescapable conclusion is that the container frame
has intermittently moved across the sandy sea floor.
The 5.5 km passage from Sand Bar Point to Horse Stable
Beach was probably in response to Hurricane Irma in
2017 that blew east to west, oblique to the strand along
Bay Cay; toppled Casuarina trees along Bay Cay record
this wind direction. In contrast, the eastern retreat from
Horse Stable Beach to the mouth of Bottle Creek may have
been affected by winter storms driven by cold fronts from
the Gulf of Mexico or the Atlantic Coast. A familiar winter
storm pattern on North Caicos occurs when the prevailing
East–Northeast tradewinds diminish, then, after a couple
of still days, the wind blows hard from West–Northwest
turning to North with accompanying heavy swells.
Local movement as seen on the 2016 images is probably
a response to lesser storms or interacting swell trains,
especially in the Spanish Point area where wave refraction
around the reef stacks induces variable currents. One
can envisage that movement of the container frame is
the result of waves incrementally pushing and lifting the
frame, coupled with undermining of the sandy substrate
by wave turbulence. Confirmation of these processes by
direct observation would be interesting but potentially
hazardous.
The story of the North Caicos container is testimony
to the power of intermittent natural processes that move
sand, erode rock, and sculpture the northern shore of
the Caicos Islands. Will the container move again before
it inevitably breaks up? As with all matters geological,
time will tell. Meanwhile, the container frame in its current
position is a useful navigation marker for finding the
shallow-water entrance into Bottle Creek. a
John Hopkins is a retired geologist who has been a regular
visitor to North Caicos since 1982, and homeowner
since 1989. Over the years he has been observing sedimentation
processes and shoreline changes among the
Caicos Islands; more recently he has started to compile
some of these observations as a retirement hobby. This
article is intended to be a collection of topical events that
emphasize geological process that form and modify the
Caicos Islands.
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Times of the Islands Fall 2024 53

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
Scenes from the Blue Hills of the 1970s (clockwise from top left): Hand-built Caicos sloops were crucial to the economy for fishing and transport
between islands. The sloops were constructed using local hardwood. Scenic Turtle Cove was the area selected by Fritz Ludington to
construct the Third Turtle Inn. Matron Molly Laycock walks along the beachside road; she ran the clinic in Blue Hills.
Blue Hills Back in the Days
The beginning of remarkable change.
Story & Photos By Richard Grainger
The article in the Winter 2023/24 issue of Times of the Islands, “Blue Hills—An Authentic Seaside
Settlement,” reminded me of my first visit to Blue Hills in 1971. At that time, it was the name of the entire
island of Providenciales, not just one settlement. It was the beginning of a great transition, not just for
Blue Hills but for the whole territory of Turks & Caicos.
54 www.timespub.tc

I first visited Blue Hills in the early 1970s under rather
strange circumstances. I became the sole medical officer
on Grand Turk after a period when there had been no regular
doctor for some time. Locum general practitioners
from Canada had provided an interim service so there
was no handover or notes to introduce me. Indeed, there
was no one in charge of the health service and nothing
like a strategic plan, annual reports, or even proper financial
accounts available.
Fortunately, Matron Molly Laycock was able and
adaptable and she took me around the Islands on a
familiarisation tour. Blue Hills was one of the first clinics
I visited. We left from the US Navy Base on Grand Turk
on the early morning flight of Air Caicos in a Piper Aztec
plane piloted by Berkely Barron. The flight to “Blue Hills”
(as Providenciales was known locally at that time) took
about forty minutes.
It was at this time that I learned about Fritz Ludington
who had built two hotels in the Bahamas. When the
Pindling government embarked on a policy of “The
Bahamas is for Bahamians,” Fritz saw this as a time
to leave there. He realized the enormous potential of
Providenciales, as it became known.
At the time of my visit the population of Blue Hills
was small. Packed coral roads linked the settlements
of Blue Hills, Five Cays, and The Bight. There were no
major roads, public electricity supply, running water,
or other essentials but it was planned to develop the
island into a major tourism destination. Fritz had to get
approval for his development proposal with the help of
Gus Lightbourne, who was the Blue Hills member of the
legislature council.
The development proposal included the construction
of the 4,500-foot, packed coral airport runway on which
we were about to land. This was not at the site of the
current international airport. The plan included the building
of a hotel. A lease of 4,000 acres of Crown Land for
development was agreed upon.
Scenic Turtle Cove was the area selected by Fritz to
construct his hotel. He named it the Third Turtle Inn as
it was his third hotel after the two in the Bahamas. The
rationale was to provide a marina to base Fritz and his
friends’ motor yachts so they did not have to sail down
from Florida to fish. The Third Turtle was the first hotel
in the eastern Caicos Islands, besides the Admiral’s Arms
on South Caicos. There were several developments that
followed this initial project such as the formation of the
Provo Power Corporation and the establishment of Caicos
Airways Limited.
My first visit to Blue Hills some fifty years ago was at
a time when many of the original plans were coming to
fruition but great change was underway. Having arrived
early, we went to the Third Turtle for breakfast. From
there we travelled by truck to board a boat to get to Blue
Hills, then off loaded our gear to be carried on the heads
of local boys to the clinic.
There was little at Five Cays at that time apart from a
lobster packing plant. Most of the “crayfish” were caught
by Haitians free diving to considerable depths. Some of
them eventually suffered from symptoms like the bends
with collapsed lungs and neurological deficits. Quite a
terrible price to pay for very small reward! Crayfish tails
were sold for about 50 Jamaican cents (the Jamaican dollar
was the currency in use then) so it was cheaper to eat
crayfish than meat. Another local delicacy we got used
to was conch fritters. The best fritters were produced by
Mamma Ariza at Grand Turk airport.
There were many Haitians on the Islands who did most
of the heavy work for minimal wages. Many had valuable
skills but could not compete with the locals for permanent
posts. For example, the government mechanics on
Grand Turk condemned a couple of lorries as beyond
repair and they were were dragged to the Grand Turk
town dump and abandoned. Some Haitians rescued them
and the lorries were back on the road the same day.
In the past, small hand-built wooden sailing boats
were crucial to the TCI economy for fishing and transport
between the Islands. The designs had evolved from earlier
European designs introduced in the 18th century. The
Caicos sloops were constructed using the hardwood of
the West Indian locust tree and mahogany for the frames
with Caicos pine for the planks. (The Caicos pine is the
only native pine species in the Turks & Caicos Islands.)
Lignum vitae and Jesuit bark were used for the fittings or
recycled pieces were utilised. Blue Hills was the only place
in the Turks & Caicos where remnants of this industry
could still be seen at that time and I saw a sloop under
construction as I went to Blue Hills Clinic.
Blue Hills is the oldest settlement on Providenciales,
and at one time the entire island carried the name.
After the salt industry began to develop on Grand Turk
and Salt Cay, only a small number of people settled in
Providenciales and lived by subsistence farming, fishing,
and ship salvaging.
Blue Hills used to be the center for wreck salvaging
in the Turks & Caicos. The many recorded wrecks on the
reef off the north and west coasts show Providenciales
was hazardous to seafarers before GPS became common.
Times of the Islands Fall 2024 55

astrolabe newsletter of the Turks & Caicos National Museum
The effects of Hurricane Donna in 1960 were visible a decade later.
During a wilder time in Turks & Caicos history, the
islands between Providenciales and North Caicos supported
pirate bases due to their fresh water sources. In
fact, what is one of the closest cays used to be known as
Pirate Cay because of the buccaneers. The famous female
pirates Anne Bonny and Mary Read were known to have
operated from the island.
In 1960 Hurricane Donna was one of the most powerful
hurricanes to strike the Turks & Caicos, causing widespread
destruction, yet amazingly did not take any lives.
A significant storm surge—probably one of the highest
seen in centuries due in part to the Caicos Islands lying
across the path of the hurricane and damming the flow
of water created by the low pressure and wind—isolated
many communities for weeks. New channels were opened
at quite a few locations, including Bottle Creek, and Water
Cay was split in two. On my visit it was still possible to see
the effects of Hurricane Donna. There were many abandoned
houses as their occupants had moved to Grand
Turk or the Bahamas. Many houses had lost their roofs
and palm trees looked like telegraph posts without their
leaf tops.
It was on this visit to Blue Hills that I first met traditional
midwives who provided basic health care, support,
and advice during pregnancy and childbirth. Their training
was based mainly on experience and knowledge gained
through the traditions and practices of the communities
where they lived. Few had received formal secondary education
and training, but learned their trade by informal
apprenticeship. One midwife I met was also using traditional
healing methods and herbs.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) was said to have
run a training course for the nurses in the Turks & Caicos
although I was never able to find any syllabus that was
used. Questioning the nurses it seemed that they were
taught to use a sharp razor and sterilised string when cutting
the baby’s umbilical cord. They were then instructed
to give an injection of ergometrine to facilitate delivery of
the placenta to prevent postpartum bleeding. One nurse
I spoke to did not agree, as local tradition seemed to
suggest that a pint of blood should be lost after birth to
flush out the uterus. She took me outside the clinic and
showed me some plants that she boiled up to use instead
of ergometrine.
This was a worrying situation to me, as supervision
of the outer clinics was very limited because the doctor
on South Caicos was virtually confined to that island. I
decided to visit the outer clinics as often as possible and
it threw up many interesting cases.
The WHO definition of health, formulated in 1948,
describes it as “a state of complete physical, mental, and
social well-being and not merely the absence of disease
or infirmity.” In my opinion, conditions at Blue Hills at the
time did not conform to that definition. It was a challenge
to initiate change and distinguish when the change lead
to progress. a
56 www.timespub.tc

astrolabe newsletter of the Turks & Caicos National Museum
This newspaper clipping shows seamen from the Hardwicke Grange in the lifeboat under Edward Warren, who were within sight and sound
of the Turks & Caicos Islands following a submarine attack during World War II.
Survivors of WW II
Submarine Attacks Rescued
The remarkable brush of a lifeboat with the Mouchoir Banks and TCI.
Story & Illustrations By Eric Wiberg & Andrew Warren
In previous editions of Astrolabe we documented how, from over 130 ships attacked around Turks &
Caicos Islands and The Bahamas during World War II, at least 72 survivors landed in the TCI and a further
334 men landed in The Bahamas. It is tempting to add the 23 men in the SS Hardwicke Grange lifeboat,
who came within one mile of the rocks off Grand Turk and heard the surf breaking on the Mouchoir Bank
before being picked up by the ship Athelprince on June 23, 1942.
Times of the Islands Fall 2024 57

astrolabe newsletter of the Turks & Caicos National Museum
This is their story, as told mostly by the witnesses, the
captain, the rescuers, a skilled and determined Second
Officer Edward Lionel Warren, King’s Commendation,
later an esteemed Trinity House Channel Pilot, and his
son Andrew Warren in Italy, who recently found and
shared the charts and logs which his father kept for all
these years.
The British-flagged refrigerated passenger and cargo
ship Hardwicke Grange was launched on April 20, 1921
by William Hamilton and Company of Glasgow. At 9,005
gross tons, she was 430 feet long and 61.1 feet wide. Her
owners were Houlder Line Ltd. of London. It was named
after a country house in Hadnall, Shropshire, which
was built for Viscount Sir Roland Hill before 1808 and
destroyed in 1931 due to “insufficient wealth.”
Second Officer Edward Lionel Warren kept charts and logs of the sinking
of the Hardwicke Grange and subsequent rescue at sea of 23 men
in lifeboats.
The Hardwicke Grange was a 9,005-ton, 430-foot British-flagged
refrigerated passenger and cargo ship.
At the time of her sinking Hardwicke Grange was
under the command of Captain Timothy McNamara and
had a total crew of 78 persons, including 5 gunners, 2 of
them army and 3 Royal Navy. The ship left Newport News
on June 8, 1942 with an incomplete cargo of 700 tons of
refrigerated goods. Her destination was Buenos Aires via
Trinidad.
She was sunk by Hans-Ludwig Witt of U-129.
McNamara intended to bypass the Caribbean Sea altogether,
and instead opt to head east of the Windward
Islands. The course of southeast was taking the ship
past the Windward and Mona Passages, and the Anegada
Passage as well. This was the route as dictated by the
Naval Control Service Officers (NCSO) who were instructed
by the Admiralty in London. The routing may have been
to avoid the U-boats reported to have been ravaging ships
in those areas since March and April.
Watch-standers on Hardwicke Grange were brought
to extra alert on June 11, their fourth day at sea. Though
Second Officer Edward Lionel Warren stated that they
“received no warning of submarines and were not expecting
to be attacked,” they held a zig-zag course during
the day. Soon after sunrise the First Officer sighted an
aircraft, probably on patrol south of its base in Bermuda.
Spotted about three miles away and too far for identification
purposes, the plane kept its distance, did not
investigate or challenge the Hardwicke Grange, and ultimately
flew out of sight.
At midnight the ship was heading south on a straight
course roughly midway between San Juan and Bermuda.
Though the night was very dark, the air was light and
variable and the seas were smooth. The ship continued
at 13 knots until at 2:30 AM local time it was struck by a
torpedo that hit the starboard or west-facing side of the
ship. Though the only sound was a dull thud, the concussion
which followed rocked the ship and everyone in
it. The torpedo killed Greaser Henry Catterall, 21, Third
Assistant Engineer John James Lancaster, 36, and Greaser
58 www.timespub.tc

astrolabe newsletter of the Turks & Caicos National Museum
The Hardwicke Grange was sunk by Hans-Ludwig Witt of German
U-129.
John Joseph Lynd, 45, all in the engine room. After a huge
column of water, smoke, and debris showered the bridge
the foretop mast collapsed, followed closely by the two
derricks. The insulation for the refrigerated holds was
cork, and the refrigerating units operated on a particularly
pungent gas, leaving a strong odor of burnt cork
throughout the ship.
Warren witnessed a second torpedo strike the
Hardwicke Grange between the engine room and the #4
hold, the hatches of which were blown off. The engine
room was flooded, the alarm sounded, and the ship
listed 20 to 25 degrees to starboard and began to lose
momentum. Yet as more water rushed in from the second
torpedo, the ship slowly regained an even keel and began
settling down very low in the water.
The wireless operator attempted to send an SSS or
SOS on the emergency set, the main aerials having been
destroyed, but is not thought to have succeeded. The firemen
whose job it was to feed the boilers with coal could
not come up through the engine room and had to clamber
up through the stokehold chute where the coal was
loaded.
McNamara ordered “Abandon Ship,” the idea being
that the boats would be manned and lowered to within a
few feet of the surface of the sea until the ship stopped
moving, then lowered the final distance so that they
would not swamp. Two of the boats on the starboard side
were useless: #5 was smashed by the explosions and #1
could not be broken free from the davits. As a result, four
boats were lowered: #3 on the starboard side and #2, 4,
and 6 on the port side.
Warren received a scare when he left #3 boat on the
starboard side to ask the captain for final instructions on
the port side, only to find that the three portside boats
had cast off. He ran back to the starboard side and found
that the boat he had helped launch was now only attached
by a line called a painter. He just managed to clamber
aboard before the line was released from the ship.
Though all of the lifeboats sank as deep as the benches
due to the timbers having dried out and the seams having
become permeable, all four boats managed to clear
the ship by 3:00 in the morning. As soon as the boats
were clear, Witt in U-129 moved in with the submarine’s
deck guns to finish off the large ship. The men in three
of the boats were astern of the ship on the port side, on
the northeast quadrant, and the sub surfaced and began
firing from the southwest quadrant, or the starboard bow
of the ship. However, the first shots were too high and
landed amongst the boats on the opposite side of the
ships. Alarmed, the boats moved further off.
Meanwhile three men—the Third Officer and two other
men—cast off from the doomed ship aboard a raft. After
roughly half an hour of shelling the vessel caught fire
amidships. By 3:30 AM the silhouette of the ship disappeared
and the Hardwicke Grange had been sunk.
Witt took the submarine over to the three men on the
raft. He told them that there were four boats astern and
provided them with Dutch milk tablets. Witt was flanked
by two sailors with machine guns while he spoke to the
men on the raft. The fear amongst U-boat officers was
that merchant ship survivors might stow weapons in their
lifeboats and use them against submarine officers when
they approached to question them. After telling the raft
survivors that they would be picked up by the boats at
dawn, Witt and U-129 motored off on the surface.
During the balance of the night the boats and raft
stayed close by the site of the sinking, and in the morning
they all rendezvoused and split into four lifeboats,
taking the three men off the raft. Warren transferred to
the #3 lifeboat which had a total complement of 23 men
in it, including all three Royal Navy gunners. McNamara’s
boat had 20 men, the Second Officer’s boat had 16, and
the First Officer’s also had 16.
Warren provided each boat with a course and distance
to The Bahamas from his last plotted position. Before
heading southwest, they searched the debris field and
discovered a sentry’s box with binoculars and (low and
Times of the Islands Fall 2024 59

astrolabe newsletter of the Turks & Caicos National Museum
From top: This chart shows where Warren’s lifeboat brushed the
north coast of the Turks & Caicos in 1942.
This map shows where the Hardwicke Grange was sunk by U-129.
This image depicts the lifeboat’s journey towards the TCI.
behold) a bottle of whisky. Of course, all of the gunners
denied ownership of the whisky, so Warren used it later
to purify some putrefying fresh water, and mixed it with
raisins and prunes to create a concoction which was popular
with the men.
After two days, Warren’s boat fell behind and the Third
Officer said that he would take his boat south. By the third
day (June 15) all the boats had separated. McNamara’s
boat made it to Monte Cristi, Dominican Republic by
June 25. The Third Officer’s boat landed at Mole Saint
Nicholas, Haiti, and the First Officer’s boat was picked
up by an Allied ship and the crew of 16 officers and men
were landed in Jamaica. For all the survivors being landed
in so many different ports, McNamara was awarded an
OBE.
The newly-unearthed log by Warren holds confirmation
of what the men endured and their proximity to the
Turks & Caicos, in logbook form as were as charts. On
June 18, Warren notes dryly, “thunderbolt experienced .
. . Momentarily stunning Cadet Cassels. Everybody experienced
shock, as though the boat had been stopped
suddenly by a blow. We appear to be in the center of
a local electrical disturbance.” The following day he
records, “I still maintain that we should make the Caicos
Group first, which we should do in two or three days.”
On June 20, their ninth day, Warren’s boat “overtook the
stranger,” which proved to be their McNamara’s lifeboat.
He “believed to have sighted land yesterday afternoon
on my port quarter.” Warren opines, “Impossible. Believe
myself that we are 60 miles from the nearest land (The
Caicos) . . .” That day the men recorded seeing “several
flies” and “two strange birds,” including bosun or frigate
birds. He records “trouble with sharks” and a “shoal of
tiny fish” as well as marlin and tarpon. Warren speaks of
creating a lead line to sound shallow depths, which “will
come in very useful in case we make the islands and have
to make a difficult landfall between the reefs.”
On June 20 they “sighted large flock of birds, a tiny
moth, and several flies. Grand signs. Several pieces of
quite new driftwood from trees also seen. We cannot be
very far from land.” The next day he writes, “We cannot
be far off the land and should sight it within the next four
days at the most. On making it, if uninhabited and composed
of small cargo as are the Caicos Islands, I intend
finding the largest and if satisfactory to stay and rest all
hands for 24 hours. If large enough I shall leave the main
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astrolabe newsletter of the Turks & Caicos National Museum
body under Mr. Charlton whilst I and a few of the stronger
make N.W. or W.N.W. along the cays until we strike a
lighthouse or settlement. The provisions being divided,
I taking just enough for 10 days or 300 miles.” The following
day however, the breeze fell and they made less
progress, though sighted driftwood and parts of a tree.
They sighted the Athelprince at 5:40 in the morning
of June 21, 1942, and in calm conditions they were able
to row alongside and “all crew boarded safely and without
assistance,” which is a matter of pride for a surviving
commander. Athelprince survived a U-boat attack earlier
in the war, and her sister ship Athelqueen was sunk near
Eleuthera by an Italian submarine earlier that year, the
survivors landing at Hope Town, Abaco. Captain Roberts
of the rescue ship confirmed Warren, the rescued officer’s
belief that the 23 Hardwicke Grange men in his lifeboat
had in fact “passed within a mile or two of several rocks
during the night, and were 5 miles off Mouchoir Bank, so
would have made the reefs by 07000 hrs . . .” or dawn.
They had to leave the other boats to their fates. However,
all the men who made it off the mother ship also made it
ashore alive.
The Hardwicke Grange men in the lifeboat under
Edward Warren were able to prove that they did indeed
come within sight and sound of the Turks & Caicos
Islands and Mouchoir Bank, and most likely the boat
under McNamara did as well. This means that Warren and
his son have re-written history and that rather than 72,
in fact 95 Allied merchant sailors at least made it to the
Turks & Caicos Islands from German and Italian submarine
attack in World War II. As much as they wanted to,
Warren and the nearly two dozen others were unable to
set foot in the TCI and had to settle for Cuba instead. a
Eric Wiberg is from Nassau and lives in Boston. He has
authored over 40 books and 1,000 articles, mostly on
maritime and aviation history in The Bahamas, Turks &
Caicos Islands, and New England. Contact him at: eric@
ericwiberg.com
Andrew Warren is the son of Capt. Edward L. Warren,
who kept the journal and charts. Andrew contacted Eric
in 2024 to tell the story further. An active sailor, Andrew
lives in Italy. Contact him at: warren725@btinternet.
com
Previously in this series:
Astrolabe, Times of the Islands Winter 2020/21, “TCI in
WWII: Fauna, Part II”.
Astrolabe, Times of the Islands Summer 2020, “TCI in
WWII: Fauna, Part I”.
Astrolabe, Times of the Islands Winter 2019/20, “Survivors
of U-Boats, Part II”.
Astrolabe, Times of the Islands Fall 2019, “TCI WWI, WWII:
Stifinder 1918, Vineland 1942.
Times of the Islands Fall 2024 61

astrolabe newsletter of the Turks & Caicos National Museum
ILBUSCA
In the early 1800s, export of salt, “white gold,” was the backbone of the Turks Islands economy and ships arrived from all over the world.
More ships led to more shipwrecks and loss!
Run Aground
Shipwrecks of the Turks & Caicos Islands–The Turks Islands (1801 – 1804)
By James Jenney, The Bahamas Lost Ship Project
As the 18th century came to an end, the harvesting of salt continued to be the main export of the Turks
Islands, and ships arrived from all over the world to get their share. And as more ships headed to the
Islands, there were more incidents resulting in loss.
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astrolabe newsletter of the Turks & Caicos National Museum
November 25, 1801 — LIBERTY
The American ship Liberty, of and from New York City
bound for Port-au-Prince, Haiti, was under the command
of a Captain Densmore (also found as Duzamore) when
she had the misfortune to be cast away at Turks Island.
The only other detail that has been found concerning the
loss is that the crew was reported as saved, but whether
through their own exertions or by rescuers from shore is
not known. There are no other details regarding either
the incident or any post-disaster salvage efforts.
January, 1802 — MINERVA
There are few details about the loss of the 357-ton
Canadian ship Minerva which sailed from an unspecified
port in New Brunswick for an unspecified port in Jamaica.
Lloyd’s List reports only, “The Minerva, Potter, from New
Brunswick to Jamaica, was lost near Turks Island in
January last.” A British revenue cutter brought the captain
and crew of the Minerva to a port, probably Nassau,
from where they could make their way home. The final
fate of the vessel is unknown.
August 5, 1802 — EZRA
After being at sea for 22 days, the American brig Ezra was
cast away on the reef north of Turks Island. According
to a later news report, “Came up from quarantine [in
Baltimore], schooner Friendship, Capt. Chance, from
Turks Island. In the Friendship came home the mate, Mr.
John Saunders, and crew of the brig Ezra, Smith, from
Boston bound to Cape Francois, which was cast away of
the north reef of Turks Island on the 5th ult. Vessel and
cargo lost . . .” Salvaging on this wreck, if any, was not
reported.
August 6, 1802 — SALLY
The loss of the schooner Sally is another that comes
with a mystery. A thorough check of the news for several
months on either side of the loss date has come up with
nothing other than the duplication in various newspapers
of a single notification found in the New York Commercial
Advertiser. The report there is as follows, “schooner Sally,
King, from hence [New York] to Jamaica, lost off northwest
point of Turks Island; people saved.” This most
likely indicates that the vessel was a small one and did
not offer enough detail to warrant further coverage.
October 26, 1802 — NANCY
There was some confusion among news reports concerning
the name of this ship from Norfolk, Virginia
that was lost in the Turks Islands. She was reported as
Nancy Nivison in one newspaper and Nancy Neversink
in another but appears to have been just Nancy. She ran
aground while sailing at night where prudence would
have suggested the use of a local pilot to navigate around
the intricate shoals between Grand Turk Island and Salt
Key. The reports agree on the outcome of the disaster,
“All the crew, sails, rigging and part of the cargo were
saved and carried to Turks Island, but the vessel is lost.”
Mr. Driver, the mate of the lost vessel, brought the news
of the loss to New York City aboard the British schooner
Elizabeth and Mary.
March 12, 1803 — TWO FRIENDS
The ship Two Friends of New London was either a very
bad sailing vessel or was being sailed very badly. In early
February she left Nassau for Turks Island, presumably to
pick up a load of salt. The sailing distance between the
ports is about 400 miles, perhaps 8 to 10 days at sea. On
March 17 she was spotted off Heneagua [Inagua Island],
appearing well, but five days later she sailed into Cape
Francois, Haiti in distress and in want of water and provisions.
She restocked and continued her voyage with only
130 miles left to reach her destination. What happened
next is uncertain but two weeks after leaving Haiti she
wrecked on Salt Key, off Grand Turk. The vessel was a
total loss but the crew was saved.
March 13, 1804 — HOPE
The American brig Hope set sail from Gonaives, Haiti
with a full cargo of coffee on March 4, 1804. Nine days
later the merchant vessel ran aground on Turks Island,
“through the misconduct of the captain.” Of all the ways
that the cause of a shipwreck can be described, this is the
one which is the most unusual and difficult to pin down.
It could be that the master was unskilled at his job, i.e.,
a poor navigator, one who could not read or correctly
interpret his charts, or had little or no knowledge of currents
and other sea conditions that make the difference
between a safe, successful voyage and one that ends in
disaster. Or he could have simply had a bit too much
grog and become careless. The Hope was lost where she
landed.
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astrolabe newsletter of the Turks & Caicos National Museum
March 2, 1804 — EUNICE
The story of the final voyage of the schooner Eunice is
difficult to unravel. She cleared customs at New London,
Connecticut on January 31 for a trip to Bermuda. But
before heading south she sailed up the Connecticut River
to Middletown, from which port she departed on February
10 still bound for Bermuda. Nothing more was heard until
the announcement of her being cast away and wrecked at
Turks Island on March 2 in a storm. The question to ask is
whether or not the schooner made it to Bermuda and was
then sent on to Turks Island, or was she caught in a storm
on the way to Bermuda and driven south to the Turks &
Caicos Islands, more than 800 miles further south? No
other information is found regarding vessel or crew.
August 28, 1804 — CATHERINE
Although the newspaper article that appeared in the
October 1 edition of the New York Evening Post dealt
mostly with the effect of a storm of considerable size and
magnitude which struck the West Indies on September
5, it also mentioned the loss of the Connecticut schooner
Catharine (also found as Catherine or Catherine D)
which occurred a week before the hurricane. The following
excerpt was from a letter sent by a man from Turks
Island dated Sept. 1804, “On the 28th ult, the Catharine,
Daniel Griswold, master, ran ashore. Vessel lost; crew
saved.” A later report pinpointed the loss to be on a reef
near Turks Island. No other information has been found
regarding this loss.
September 4–5, 1804 — Hurricane at Turk’s Island
The New York Evening Post of October 1 printed the
following excerpt from a letter sent shortly after the
hurricane was over, “. . . Sept. 5, experienced the most
severe hurricane ever known by inhabitants; all the vessels,
except two, which put to sea, parted their cables,
and went ashore at the riding place [west side of Grand
Turk Island]. The schooner Martin, James Cannon, master,
belonging to Washington, N.C., from Jamaica loaded
with salt, was driven ashore on the beach and totally
lost . . . The schooner Mary, Morrison, of Somerset, R.I.,
was also driven ashore on the beach, but it was expected
would be got off. The brig Rising Sun, of Newport, John
Jenks, master, was also ashore, but it was expected she
would be got off. The brig Phobe, James Perkins, master,
of Kennebunk, went ashore and was totally lost. The brig
Conculsion, Andrew Phillips, master, of Castine, went
ashore and totally lost. Captain Barton in a hermaphrodite
brig from Rhode Island, ran on the salt key and totally
lost, but the crew saved. The schooner LIttle Edward,
Crowell, of Sagg-Harbor, Long Island, is supposed to be
lost . . . Captain Richard Starr, of the brig Eliza and Mary
sailed from St. Thomas in company with an hermaphrodite
brig belonging to Portsmouth, John Riley, master,
and lost sight of her the night before the gale — Capt.
Starr informs us, that on the day after the gale, he saw a
wreck and a number of broken pieces floating, amongst
which a table, which he is sure he saw in Capt. Riley’s
cabin. . . . An English sloop which lay in the Hawk’s Nest,
on account of the severity of the weather, the people were
ashore, the vessel parted her cables, went to sea, and not
heard of since. Capt. Morrison of the schooner Mary, after
being driven ashore was robbed of some of his clothes,
and flying jib; being exasperated was determined to shoot
the first [to] attempt to board his vessel, and cautioned
them to keep off. . . . One of the king’s agents, hearing
this, forbid him or any other man, doing anything of the
kind, on pain of being put in close confinement. Every
unfortunate American captain on the island was robbed
of something or other . . .”
At least ten vessels in and around Grand Turk were
impacted by the effects of the storm. There were three
schooners, four brigs, one frigate, one ship, and one
sloop that were blown ashore or damaged in various
ways. Seven were American vessels; the others, British.
Six are known or believed lost, two are known to have
survived the storm, and two were probably rescued and
returned to service.
The September hurricane of 1804 put an exclamation
point on the wrecks at Turks Island for this year but it
would be less than three months before disaster struck
again early in 1805. The saga of the shipwrecks of Turks
Island will be continued. a
James Jenney is the director of research for the Bahamas
Lost Ships Project, which is working in collaboration with
the Bahamas Maritime Museum and Carl Allen of Allen
Explorations. For more information, visit https://www.
bahamasmaritimemuseum.com.
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astrolabe newsletter of the Turks & Caicos National Museum
Museum Matters
Grub, Grill, & Good Times 2024
Our annual event and raffle on Grand Turk were a success
again this year. Despite the morning rainstorms,
the community came out to join us for local cuisine
and a splendid performance from local band V6. We
sold the most raffle tickets this year since holding the
event. A huge Thank You to those businesses and individuals
who donated prizes and funds. Congratulations
to all the raffle winners! Grub, Grill, and Good Times
continues to be enjoyed by the community and a good
fundraiser for the museum.
Lobster season celebration
The museum on Grand Turk held a small event on
August 10 to celebrate the opening of lobster season.
A DJ provided music and vendors sold lobster, seafood,
and other fare. The museum was able to raise
some additional funds. a
Wymara donation
A $2,500 donation from Wymara Resort & Villas was
presented to the Turks & Caicos National Museum to
support the work the museum is doing to promote
and preserve the history, heritage, and culture of our
Islands. Museum Director Lisa Talbot and volunteer
Marjorie Sadler gave representatives from Wymara a
tour of the Providenciales location. Wymara is working
on a cultural activity guide for guests and will
be including the museum and Heritage House as a
preferred activity. The museum was extremely appreciative
of the donation and hopes to assist in any way
to offer their guests an informative experience. a
Art in the museum
Inside the museum, visitors can find TBD Fine Arts.
Owner of the gallery Titus de Boer is there to offer
guests a chance to buy local and Caribbean region
works of art. We also have a live painter in front of
the museum. Riphat Lombard paints local street scenery,
animals, and ocean settings. Visitors can make a
special request or purchase one that he has already
completed. These are nice additions to the overall
experience of the museum. a
Representatives from Wymara Resort & Villas (at left) present
Museum Director Lisa Talbot and volunteer Marjorie Sadler with a
$2,500 donation to support the museum’s work.
Wymara representatives tour the Providenciales branch of the
museum. From left: Marizza De La Rosa, Finance & Accounting
Manager; Shelley Rincon, Chief Executive Officer; Elisha Jennings,
Director of Owner Relations; and Phoebe Pereira, Training and
Development Manager.
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 9 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 & Photo By Museum Director Lisa Talbot
Times of the Islands Fall 2024 65

faces and places
Poker Run 2024 dubbed a resounding success!
The Poker Run celebrated its tenth anniversary in late July. Founded and organized by the Turks & Caicos Boat Club,
the event’s appeal is the chance to win cash prizes while spending an exciting day on the sea. Participants visit various
checkpoints, drawing a playing card at each one, all in the pursuit of the best poker hand by the end.
Contributing to the ongoing success of the TCI Poker Run are great organization, excellent teamwork, and strong
support from sponsors. This year’s event was able to donate some $39,000 as follows: TCI Kidney Foundation
$17,000; TCI Diabetic Association $10,000; Child Abuse Turks & Caicos $7,000; and SNAP Center TCI $5,000.
These sponsored charities expressed profound gratitude
and appreciation to the TCI Boat Club and the
sponsors for their beneficial financial support. These
organizations are making a life-saving difference to local
communities.
The main objectives of the TCI Boat Club have always
been to give back, while having fun on the water. We want
to help our communities and bring awareness of some of
the organizations that provide much-needed assistance to
so many people in their different areas of service.
Putting on the Poker Run involves a lot of time and work from the eight-member committee and sometimes the
going gets rough! But when we reflect on how many people that have been helped and how many more are in need,
we team members are motivated to try harder.
The committee includes: President Albert “Froggie” Williams; Vice President Johnson Stubbs; Treasurer Solie
Williams; Secretary Ralph Dietche; Nathenial Rigby and Nikki Stubbs in Public Relations; Asa Williams in Social Media;
and Social Media Coordinator Keioceia Howell. The 11th Annual Poker Run is planned for August 1–3, 2025. Stay
tuned to @TCIBOATCLUB for updates. a
By Nikki Stubbs ~ Photos Courtesy TCI Boat Club
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A big thank you to Poker Run 2024 sponsors
Double Platinum sponsors: TCI Ministry of Tourism, South Bank Marina, SEAKEEPER, Honda Marine, Boston Whaler,
GARMIN, Discount Liquors, Provo Beverage, TCI Paint, Experience TCI, Shisha Lounge.
Platinum sponsors: DHC General Contractors, Casablanca Casino, E&E Group, Olympic Construction, Wymara Resort,
Island Drilling, Waratah Ltd., Turtle Cove Marina, Flamingo Café, Grace Bay Medical, HAB Group, CBMS Ltd., St. Regis–
The Residence, Hugh O’ Neill, Times Publications.
Gold sponsors: GRAEF Americas Ltd., The Lodgings Hotel, Gordon’s Supply, PTS Equipment Rentals, BBF Cooper Jack,
Ward Construction, Cairsea, FLOW, Provo Auto Supply, Sunshine Rentals, Provident Limited, Hog Road Restaurant,
Pioneer Cleaners.
Silver Sponsors: Affordable Auto, Caicos Express Airways,
Froggie’s Souse House, E&V Equipment, Champion VIP
Services, Rent A Buggy, Al’s Car Rental, Caicos Oil, Bite
Me Sportsfishing, XL Insurance, Caribbean Crusin’, Five
Cays Watersports, Island Solutions, M&J Charters, KARS
VIP, Captain Oak’s Tiki Bar, TCI Waste Disposal, KB Homes
Center, TCI Sanitation, Trevor Garland, New Generation
Sounds, Radio Turks & Caicos.
Times of the Islands Fall 2024 67

faces and places
TOM FULLER–BIG BLUE OLLECTIVE
This aerial shot shows the start of 2.4 mile race that was part of the Race for the Conch Eco-SeaSwim on June 29, 2024.
2024 Race for the Conch Eco-SeaSwim
The calm, clear turquoise waters of Grace Bay once again made for ideal conditions at the 14th annual Turks & Caicos
“Race for the Conch” Eco-SeaSwim on June 29, 2024. A total of 130 swimmers competed in 2.4 mile (Ironman), 1 mile,
and 1/2 mile distances starting and finishing on the beach in front of Rickie’s Flamingo Café.
Some 100 of the swimmers came from the US and Canada and 30 participated from TCI. Despite fierce competition
from very good Masters swimmers, male and female TCI swimmers managed to snag six conch trophies,
including a clean sweep for the top three spots in the 1/2 mile men’s division. The event also included a 100 meter
Children’s Swim for youngsters ten years and under that
saw 20 new swimmers showing what they could do.
Founded and organized by Ben Stubenberg and
Chloe Zimmermann in 2010, the open water swim race
has become one of TCI’s premier sporting events. The
founders take seriously the “Eco” part of the name by
mandating, for example, reef friendly sunscreen by all
participants. The conch trophies are made locally by
Stanford Handfield and Lucie Stubbs. Proceeds from
entry fees and generous local sponsors go to the Provo
Children’s Home, Red Cross, TC Reef Fund, and Project
Inclusion Turks & Caicos. The next “Race for the Conch”
takes place on June 28, 2025. Event information can be
found at www.ecoseaswim.com.
By Ben Stubenberg
Winners of the 1/2 mile men’s division were (from left): Tajhar
Williams, Ethan Gardiner, and Sean Walters. They are holding the
locally made conch trophies.
BEN STUBENBERG
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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 April 1, 2023, all COVID-19 related travel
restrictions have been removed for travel to the Turks &
Caicos Islands. There is no vaccine, testing, or insurance
requirement. On August 12, 2022, the last day of statistics,
32,338 people were vaccinated in the Turks & Caicos
against COVID-19 (at least one dose). This was approximately
73% of the total population. For more information
and details, visit www.visittci.com.
Language
English.
Times of the Islands Fall 2024 69

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 roundabouts
at major junctions. 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
70 www.timespub.tc

company is integrating renewable energy into its grid and
provides options for customers to participate in two solar
energy programs.
Departure tax
US $35. 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 Internet. Local
station WIV-TV broadcasts on Channel 4 and Island EyeTV
on Channel 5. There are a number of local radio stations,
magazines and newspapers.
Medical services
There are no endemic tropical diseases in TCI. There are
large, modern hospitals on Grand Turk and Providenciales.
Both hospitals offer a full range of services including:
24/7 emergency room, operating theaters, diagnostic
imaging, maternity suites, dialysis suites, blood bank,
physiotherapy and dentistry.
In addition, several general practitioners operate in
the country, and there is a recompression chamber, along
with a number of private pharmacies.
Immigration
A resident’s permit is required to live in the Islands. A
work permit and business license are also required to
work and/or establish a business. These are generally
granted to those offering skills, experience and qualifications
not widely available on the Islands. Priority is given
to enterprises that will provide employment and training
for Turks & Caicos Islanders.
Government/Legal system
TCI is a British Crown colony. There is a Queen-appointed
governor HE Dileeni Daniel-Selvaratnam. She presides
over an executive council formed by the elected local gov-
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 Fall 2024 71

ernment. Hon. Charles Washington Misick is the country’s
premier, leading a majority Progressive National Party
(PNP) House of Assembly.
The legal system is based on 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
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, Assemblies 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, microchip, and
lab test results submitted at port of entry to obtain clearance
from the TCI Department of Agriculture.
Potcake Place is a non-profit dog rescue charity based
in Saltmills Plaza on Providenciales. They adopt out 100%
of all rescues to approved, screened homes throughout
the Turks & Caicos Islands and North America.
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.
72 www.timespub.tc

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.
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
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Times of the Islands Fall 2024 73

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