Presents the "soul of the Turks & Caicos Islands" with in-depth features about local people, culture, history, environment, real estate, businesses, resorts, restaurants and activities.
TIMES
OF THE
SAMPLING THE SOUL OF THE TURKS & CAICOS ISLANDS SUMMER 2021 NO. 135
ISLANDS
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21 RESTAURANTS
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contents
Departments
6 From the Editor
17 Remember When
Born of Necessity
Story & Photos By Bengt Soderqvist
24 Eye on the Sky
Be Prepared
By Paul Wilkerson
28 Talking Taíno
Child’s Play
By Bill Keegan, Betsy Carlson and
Michael Pateman
34 Looking Back
Bonefish Ahead!
By Diane Taylor ~ Photos By Marta Morton
45 Faces & Places
Snack & Paint
By Jody Rathgeb ~ Photos By Tom Rathgeb
58 Real Estate
Hot, Hot, Hot!
By Kathy Borsuk
77 About the Islands/TCI Map
81 Subscription Form
82 Classified Ads
Feature
46 The Stars of Our Woods
By B Naqqi Manco ~ Photos By Marta Morton
52 Paradise Waiting
By Jayne Baker ~
Photos By Paradise Photography
Green Pages
37 A New Hope?
Story & Photos By Alizee Zimmermann, TCRF
TIMES
OF THE
ISLANDS
SAMPLING THE SOUL OF THE TURKS & CAICOS ISLANDS SUMMER 2021 NO. 135
On the Cover
Marta Morton, owner/operator of Harbour Club Villas
& Marina (www.harbourclubvillas.com) did a careful
photographic study of a family of Bahama woodstar hummingbirds
that made their home on the property. Here,
the two chicks appear ready to burst out of their tiny
nest. See article on page 46.
41 Sponging It Up
Story & Photos By Melissa Heres, SFS
Astrolabe
66 If Maps Could Talk . . .
Story & Images Courtesy Marjorie Sadler
72 What’s Hiding in Your Closet?
By Lisa Turnbow-Talbot
34
BETH SWANSON–SHUTTERSTOCK.COM
4 www.timespub.tc
TurksAndCaicosProperty.com
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from the editor
STL IMAGES
TCI’s popular Junkanoo celebrations (shown here) morphed from the original tradition of Maskanoo, in which costumes were made from tissue
paper, newspaper, brown paper and plastic bags. In this way, the past has melded into the present, and culture survives.
Kudos to Culture
My family heritage is Czechoslovakian. All four of my grandparents immigrated to the United States in the early
1900s; one grandmother had to wait two years before she could legally enter and reunite with her husband. As
children, my siblings and I were blessed to know these relatives from a foreign land, who spoke a different language
(mostly when it was a topic we shouldn’t hear) and shared a rich heritage from the “Old Country.” Food (pork, dumplings
and sauerkraut), customs (accordian music and polka dancing), a strong sense of community and caring among
other immigrants from Europe, values of thrift and hard work, a strong appreciation for the freedoms of America and
an overarching love for us, their grandchildren, were an important part of our life.
I say this so readers will understand why the culture of my adopted country—the Turks & Caicos Islands—is so
important to me. Here, I have long felt “at home,” especially among the older folk. Like my own family, they had to
work hard, use ingenuity, sacrifice and stick together to survive and thrive. This is reflected in the stories of days
past that often frequent our pages.
My fear is that as the TCI grows into a safe haven for the wealthy, it becomes just another gated beach destination
and loses the charm and uniqueness that have captivated visitors and residents. And so we continue to highlight
the TCI’s national treasures—environment, people, folkways, history—in the hope of encouraging readers to look
beneath the surface and study the “soul of the Turks & Caicos Islands.”
I’m so grateful that we are back in business with a full, extended printing of this issue. We look forward to getting
it into the hands of the many new travelers who are flocking to the country this summer.
Kathy Borsuk, Editor • timespub@tciway.tc • (649) 431-4788
6 www.timespub.tc
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resorts have always been equipped with full-service
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TIMES
OF THE
ISLANDS
MANAGING EDITOR
Kathy Borsuk
ADVERTISING MANAGER
Claire Parrish
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
Jayne Baker, Kathy Borsuk, Bengt Soderqvist,
Dr. Betsy Carlson, Melissa Heres, Dr. Bill Keegan,
Bryan N. Manco, Dr. Michael P. Pateman,
Jody Rathgeb, Marjorie Sadler, Lisa Turnbow-Talbot,
Diane Taylor, Paul Wilkerson, Alizee Zimmermann.
CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS
Anna Handte-Reinecker, Melissa Heres, Marinas.com,
Marta Morton, Paradise Photography, Dr. Michael P.
Pateman, Provo Pictures, Tom Rathgeb, Marjorie Sadler,
Bengt Soderqvist, STL Images, Beth Swanson—Shutterstock,
Lisa Turnbow-Talbot, VisitTCI.com, Alizee Zimmermann.
CONTRIBUTING ARTISTS
Alejandra Baiz, NOAA, Wavey Line Publishing.
PRINTING
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16 www.timespub.tc
emember when
This is one of the two original planes that comprised Caicos Airways Ltd. (see the CAL logo under the wing). It was a Cessna 180 that belonged
to Kris Ludington and carried one pilot and three passengers. Pilot Embry Rucker is at left.
Born of Necessity
TCI’s first airline comes to life.
Story & Photos By Bengt Soderqvist
After Fritz Ludington’s Provident Limited kick-started the development of Providenciales in the fall of
1966, a lot of changes occurred. Nothing changed more dramatically than the way people were traveling.
Up until that point, the main modes of transportation had been walking and boating.
Times of the Islands Summer 2021 17
The sailing sloops were very important and the fact
that there were so many sailors affected the way people
spoke. If you lived in Blue Hills you walked up to The
Bight. (It was upwind.) I recall one time in the early 1970s
when I tried to locate Hilly Ewing, who was the building
inspector at the time. Before we had telephones, the best
way to locate people was to inquire at the airport. On my
question if anybody had seen Hilly somebody answered,
“He went up this morning.” He had flown to Grand Turk,
which is upwind from Providenciales.
One time, at the Third Turtle’s construction site when
Alfred Stubbs tried to organize some workers to move
a concrete mixer, I heard him saying, “Move the stern.”
Alfred had been a sailor all his life, so even a mixer had a
bow and a stern. A journey by sloop to Grand Turk from
Providenciales was a big event in those days, but all that
was soon to change.
In the Spring 2021 issue of Times of the Islands, I
wrote about the original airstrip on Providenciales. In the
beginning, that strip was mostly used by Fritz when he
flew to Grand Turk for meetings with the government.
In Grand Turk he used what we named the “Downtown
Strip,” which was a dirt road just north of St. Thomas
Church. According to Dr. Leo Astwood, Frankie Jones
from Bermuda, who was the District Commissioner in
South Caicos in the 1950s, had a small plane that he used
to land there. Dr. Astwood told me, “When I came back
home in 1971, Embry was landing there.”
The Downtown Strip was conveniently located within a
short walking distance of the TCI Government compound.
At the time, the main airport in Grand Turk was controlled
by the US Government and it was very complicated to
obtain a landing permit. Fritz was always very generous
when it came to offering free rides if there was a seat
available. One time I heard Fritz saying, “There are so
many people who want to go to South Caicos and Grand
Turk, we might as well start an airline.” Shortly thereafter,
Caicos Airways Ltd. (CAL) was formed.
This was in 1967 and one important factor was that a
man named Lew Whinnery had shown up on the scene.
Ray Ward and his construction crew were building the
Third Turtle Inn on top of the cliff just south of what today
is Turtle Cove Marina. One day they saw a small, single
engine sea plane circling the construction site before
landing close to the beach in front of them. Soon afterwards,
Lew walked up to the construction site. He had
flown over Providenciales before and this time, noticed
that something was different. Lew asked Ray what he was
building and if he needed some help. Ray replied that it
This image shows the “Downtown Strip” in Grand Turk. It was a dirt
road just north of St. Thomas Church.
This picture includes Lew Whinnery’s seaplane. He was en route from
South America to the United States, but got delayed in Turks & Caicos
for a few years! He was one of CAL’s original pilots.
would be a big help if he could fly to South Caicos and
bring back a few cases of Heineken beer because they
were running low. That is exactly what Lew did, so we
knew right away that he was a man with his heart in the
right place!
In 1967, Heineken was the only beer available in Turks
& Caicos. I was told, or read somewhere, that Turks &
Caicos held the world record in Heineken drinking per
capita. Apparently somebody in an office in Holland
who was handling shipping documents got curious and
wanted to find out more about the country. (This was
before you could Google such information, so he probably
had to go to a library to educate himself.) He learned
that the total population of Turks & Caicos at the time
was 6,000 people. Adding up the amount of Heineken
that was shipped out to TIMCO in Grand Turk gave Turks
& Caicos the world record.
Lew Whinnery was a very experienced pilot and he
expressed interest in sticking around in Turks & Caicos
for awhile. Embry Rucker, also a pilot, already worked for
18 www.timespub.tc
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CAL’s second plane was a Twin Bonanza. This photo was taken on Providenciales when the airstrip was only 700 feet long.
Provident Limited. With two pilots available, Fritz, Embry
and Lew sat down to figure out how Caicos Airways Ltd.
was going to operate.
There were two airplanes available. The Cessna 180
that belonged to Kris Ludington carried one pilot and three
passengers. There was also a Beechcraft Twin Bonanza
with room for one pilot plus five passengers. Embry lived
This is a 1969 aerial photo of the airstrip on North Caicos. It was
located on a tidal flat just south of Kew. Heavy rain or high tides
made it unusable.
in South Caicos where there was a very good runway.
Grand Turk had the downtown strip, Providenciales had
the 1,200-foot strip, but there was nowhere to land on
North nor Middle Caicos.
Embry and Lew went to work and found some locations
that could be used as airstrips. On North Caicos
they picked a spot on the tidal flats just south of Kew.
Most of the time this strip had a smooth and hard surface,
but heavy rain or extremely high tides would make
it unusable. On Middle Caicos they picked two places.
One was just east of Conch Bar. In those days there was
a footpath between Conch Bar and Bambarra named
Anderson Road. They arranged to have some bush cut
and made one section of the path wider. The second strip
was between Bambarra and the beach just north of the
settlement. This strip was truly unique because it had a
dogleg. As the pilot was gaining speed on takeoff, he had
to slightly change direction!
As soon as CAL was up and running it also became
the mail carrier for the government. Earlier, the mail
on Providenciales arrived from Grand Turk via the boat
Donna Casilda captained by Algernon Dean, who had the
contract with the government. According to Algernon
Dean’s son (with the same name), the mail was supposed
to be delivered every two weeks but sometimes
got delayed. The “Post Office” on Providenciales was the
living room of the Brown’s house in Blue Hills. This was
located just east of the government school, rest house
20 www.timespub.tc
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These aerial photos from 1969 show the early airstrips on Middle
Caicos. The top image is located just east of Conch Bar; the “Anderson
Road” footpath was cleared and made wider. The bottom image was
between Bambarra and the beach just north of the settlement. This
strip was truly unique because it had a dogleg.
and water tank, which is about where the jetty is today.
At the time, I was using the mail service to correspond
with friends and relatives in Sweden, and surprisingly, it
functioned very well. I remember standing outside the
front door, which was split so the lower part remained
closed, while through the open upper half I watched Osley
Brown searching through the mail. I only just learned
that the postmaster was actually George Brown. The only
person I remember seeing there was Osley, who I now
understand was actually the daughter.
I recall a public meeting in Blue Hills when one item
that was discussed was the mail service. A gentleman,
which I now understand must have been George Brown,
22 www.timespub.tc
pointed out all the increase in work and suggested that
an increase in pay would be in order. Earlier, Algernon
Dean used to deliver the mail bag to the Brown house,
but now Osley had to walk to the airport several times a
week.
Another incident I recall is when CAL pilot Embry
Rucker and his wife Noreen were living in Caicos House
in South Caicos. Late one afternoon I was the only passenger
flying out of Grand Turk with Embry. As we were
climbing above Grand Turk, Embry said, “Lew is almost
landing on Providenciales, so I’m not going to waste fuel
and fly you over there this evening. You can sleep on the
couch at our place. I have to be on Providenciales early
tomorrow anyway.” Made sense. I thought it would be
nice if I could help out with dinner, since I was crashing
their place. I asked Embry if he could get somebody on
the radio and, if Lew hadn’t left, have him bring back four
steaks. Fritz’s favorite food was New York strip steaks
and I knew we had plenty in the freezer. Embry made
radio contact and ordered the “steaks.” But when Lew
arrived to Caicos House he brought four survey “stakes.”
Whoever Embry spoke to on the radio had figured that if
I was staying in South Caicos it was because I was doing
some survey work. I don’t remember what we had for
dinner that evening, but knowing Noreen she would have
opened some cans and whipped up something delicious.
As time went on, CAL expanded. More airplanes and
pilots were added. Even a DC3 was used on the downtown
strip in Grand Turk. By 1971 the main airport on Grand
Turk was opened for use. Soon thereafter, air service
between the Islands was taken over by other companies,
but it had all started in 1967 with Embry and Lew. a
The new post office in Providenciales is named after George Brown.
VISITTCI.COM
Times of the Islands Summer 2021 23
eye on the sky
The Tropical Atlantic region is fresh off the most active hurricane season in history, with 30 named storms
and 14 hurricanes, with 6 major hurricanes. While no two seasons are alike, can we expect similar results
for the 2021 season?
Be Prepared
2021 hurricane season poised to be active.
By Paul Wilkerson
Times of the Islands Summer 2021 25
Hurricane season runs annually in the Atlantic from
June 1 to November 30. It is important to note that tropical
activity can occur outside of these dates, of course.
Named systems have formed in May and also in December
due to favorable conditions in the Atlantic Basin.
During 2020, El Niño conditions transitioned to neutral/weak
La Niña. In general, neutral and weak La Niña
conditions lend to a more active season. Upper level
winds during this type of El Niño–Southern Oscillation
are typically light across the Atlantic Basin, resulting in a
reduction in wind shear, which promotes an environment
conducive to tropical development. The other piece of the
2020 puzzle was well-above-normal sea surface temperatures
across the entire Atlantic, Caribbean and into the
Gulf of Mexico. As a result, plenty of fuel was available
for tropical development.
For the 2021 season, unfortunately some of the conditions
will mirror the 2020 season. As of press time, weak
La Niña conditions were present, with the forecast calling
for these conditions to continue to weaken through
the first month of summer before conditions turn neutral
for the remainder of the summer and into the early
fall. Additionally, sea surface temperatures currently are
running above normal in a large portion of the Gulf of
Mexico, the Caribbean and the Atlantic Basin. As a result
of these conditions, the opportunity will exist for a significant
tropical season across the Atlantic.
NOAA is predicting another above-normal Atlantic
hurricane season. However, experts do not anticipate the
historic level of storm activity seen in 2020. For 2021, a
likely range of 13 to 20 named storms (winds of 39 mph
or higher), of which 6 to 10 could become hurricanes
(winds of 74 mph or higher), including 3 to 5 major hurricanes
(category 3, 4 or 5; with winds of 111 mph or
higher) is expected.
My personal official forecast is for 20 named storms, 9
hurricanes and also 4 major hurricanes. (For perspective,
the average hurricane season sees 14 named storms,
7 hurricanes and 3 major hurricanes.) While it is nearly
impossible to say with accuracy at this time, islands in the
Caribbean and the United States mainland stand a high
likelihood of seeing multiple land-falling systems during
the 2021 season.
With the 2021 season on the horizon, it is important
for all travelers to the Islands to take time to think about
their hurricane preparedness plans if one should occur
during your travels. It also is important to think about
adding trip insurance to protect your investment. If a
hurricane strikes while you are on-island, there is a significant
likelihood that you will be delayed in returning to
your country of origin. Also ensure that friends and family
at home are aware of your travel plans and have a copy
of your itinerary. If on-island and a tropical system threatens,
be sure to check with your hotel/resort/villa staff to
26 www.timespub.tc
get important messages concerning what you need to do
in order to stay safe. Follow all directions given, as they
are there to look out for you.
For our friends who call the Islands home, it is equally
important for you to go over your safety and preparedness
plans with your entire family. Let your neighbors
and friends know where you plan on seeking shelter
should a tropical system materialize. In the lead-up to
tropical systems, make sure to first and foremost follow
messaging instructions from the Department of Disaster
Management and Emergencies (DDME). This is the official
government source for messaging to island residents.
Other important entities to follow include the National
Hurricane Center and the Bahamas Meteorological
Agency. For unofficial information, my island weather
page—Turks and Caicos Weather Info on Facebook—provides
a good source of information prior to, during and
post-tropical systems. Iit is important to vet any and all
information you receive. In the event of a land-falling system
in the Turks & Caicos Islands, my page will only post
information that has been verified, in order to provide
accurate and up-to-date information for citizens and travelers
alike. DDME messaging will always be a significant
part of facts on the weather page.
While the Turks & Caicos Islands are three and a half
years removed from major Hurricane Irma, many still feel
the effects of that terrible event. Understandably, many
likely deal with anxiety as hurricane season approaches.
With diligent planning on the front end, you can be better
prepared to weather the storm should tropical weather
threaten this season. For visitors, preparation and conversation
about trips during tropical season will enable you
to make smart decisions and ensure your vacation runs
smoothly should inclement weather develop. a
Times of the Islands Summer 2021 27
ALEJANDRA BAÏZ
talking taíno
Opposite page: Alejandra Baïz is a Taíno artist from Borikén, Puerto Rico, who has always been inspired by the themes of her ancestors. She
says, “My artwork is a kind of storytelling that give us back the humanity and the true history of our Taíno ancestors, so denied, rejected and
hidden throughout the centuries. It is a way to recognize their struggle and reaffirm our identity.” She painted “Anacacuya” in 2016. For more
of her work, visit https://alejandra-baiz.weebly.com.
Above: The Taínos made red beads from the cherry jewelbox shell (Chama sarda). Given their small size and haphazard distribution, we
propose that children were tasked with collecting these shells in the beach wash.
Child’s Play
What was the life of Taíno children like?
By Bill Keegan, Betsy Carlson and Michael Pateman
The huge interest in the Paleo Diet got us wondering. If eating like a “Caveman” was a great idea, then
why not other ancient practices, like childrearing? However, developing Paleo-Parenting guidelines proved
challenging because children are largely invisible in research on ancient societies. Then we came upon
the picture of young children in Amazonia walking through a burning garden and realized how difficult
it would be to encourage young parents to follow our advice! So parenting aside, what about the kids?
Times of the Islands Summer 2021 29
Finding any discussion of children in anthropological
studies proved nearly impossible. In fact, a scholarly
article written less than 20 years ago asked, “Why don’t
anthropologists like children?” Despite being important
members of all communities, and often the most numerous,
their activities have rarely been studied. One rare
example that highlighted children’s activities comes
from Doug Bird and Rebecca Bliege Bird, who conducted
research among islanders of the Torres Straits off the
northeastern coast of New Guinea.
The Birds studied child’s play in these traditional fishing
and farming communities, and it was what you would
expect from watching children today — games of speed,
strength, caring for pets and mimicking adult activities.
Instead of “Doctor” they played “Shaman,” where one
child would pretend to heal another who pretended to be
a sick patient. The process involved a dramatic ritual in
which the shaman removed an offending foreign object,
the “cause” of the illness, by sucking the object out of the
afflicted individual. The Spanish described this practice
for adult shaman (behique in Taíno) in the Caribbean.
The Birds also observed that children often played
together just beyond the watchful eyes of adults; close
enough to reassure themselves that adults were nearby,
but free from adult supervision. This gave us a simple,
yet illuminating, insight — we won’t see children in the
archaeological record of the past until we look for them.
Yet children have received even less attention from
archaeologists. What should we be looking for in terms
of preserved archaeological (“material”) evidence of their
activities?
Our search for children intensified as part of our
effort to develop a more comprehensive curriculum for
the Bahamas Ministry of Education. The story of the
Lucayans, the first people to live in The Bahamas and TCI,
was woefully out of date. Yet, secondary school students
were expected to pass a comprehensive history exam
which includes writing an essay about Lucayan “recreation.”
None of the resources provided to the teachers
even mentioned recreation.
In fact, the only mention of children at all concerned
the practice of flattening an infant’s forehead. This was
illustrated with what looks like a Medieval torture device
— a hinged board supposedly used to squash the skull
flat. Wrong! The actual procedure involved tightly binding
the front and back of the skull with a cloth bandana and
leaving it in place for six to nine months. The six main
bones of a child’s skull are held together by cartilage
so the brain can grow to its adult size. Binding the skull
permanently adjusts the relative positions of the bones to
create what was considered a beautiful appearance and
provided a permanent mark of identity. While flattening
the forehead was easily associated with infants, finding
other accounts of children proved much harder.
Our first archaeological encounter with children
happened when Betsy and Bill collaborated on an archae-
This is the “archaeological rescue project” undertaken by the authors in St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands in January 2014. They excavated a
1,600-year-old site that had been sealed beneath the roadbed. In addition to pottery and other tools, the site contained thousands of whelks
(Cittarium pica) and other tiny clam and snail shells that could have been collected by children.
30 www.timespub.tc
What better way to keep the Taino kids busy then to have them glean the rocks while the adults engage nearby in more productive fishing
and gathering? Small shellfish are especially well suited for a child’s size and attention span.
SHUTTERSTOCK
ological rescue project in Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas,
US Virgin Islands in January 2014. New sewer and utility
lines were being installed under Main Street, and the team
quickly, but carefully, excavated a 1,600-year-old archaeological
site that had been sealed beneath the roadbed.
In addition to pottery and other tools, the site contained
thousands of whelks (Cittarium pica) and other tiny clam
and snail shells. Kelly Delancy, who now works for the
National Museum of the Bahamas, helped with their analysis
when she was a graduate student at the University
of Florida. Our study attracted international attention in
the article, “Children Have Been Helping Their Families
‘Grocery Shop’ for Centuries” printed in Martha Stewart
Living on March 27, 2019.
Almost all these shells came from animals that live
in the rocky intertidal zone. If you walk along the rocky
shorelines in the Turks & Caicos today and look closely,
you will see chitons, nerites, limpets, star shells and other
denizens of tide pools and splash zones. Over the years
we have eaten most of these (they taste best in garlic
butter!), but they are a lot of work for a very small morsel.
From a strictly economic perspective, they require more
energy to collect and cook than they return in calories.
Economics is not always the best way to explain what
people do. We know that everyone likes variety in their
diet, and we sometimes choose the most expensive item
on the menu. (A choice made easier when offered a discount.)
The large whelks at the Main Street site are something
we expect adults to collect, but why were there so
many tiny shells? Our sample looked like as if someone
was instructed to collect every animal living on the rocks
without regard to size. What better way to keep the kids
busy then to have them glean the rocks while the adults
engage nearby in more productive fishing and gathering?
These small shellfish had other characteristics that
are especially well suited for a child’s size and attention
span. They are abundant so the children won’t get
bored, predictable so you know they will find something,
lightweight and easy to carry by even small children, and
they are easy to collect, especially by small hands. Smallsize
resources that are easy to capture are best suited to
foraging by children. Modern studies of children helping
adults with mollusk collection confirmed this idea.
Children were less selective, captured a higher diversity
of taxa, rarely engaged in field-processing (extracting the
Times of the Islands Summer 2021 31
Could this small figurine (radiocarbon dated to AD 1426–1515) made
of finger coral be a doll? Its simplicity suggests that it may have been
made and carried by a child.
meat from the shell) and focused on resources located
close to their habitation or base camp. In addition, the
seemingly small contributions from children made longer
collecting trips more rewarding.
A related activity is worth considering. Every archaeological
site that we have studied has evidence for the
manufacture of tiny (2–4 mm) disc-shaped beads. White
beads were made from the queen conch shell, and red
beads from the cherry jewelbox shell (Chama sarda).
The jewelbox shell has the unusual quality of retaining
its bright red color for hundreds of years if protected
from sunlight. Based on our experience walking beaches
in The Bahamas and TCI, jewelbox shells are rare, and it
is unlikely that enough shells for bead making could be
collected in a single foraging trip. It is more likely that
the shells were accumulated over time. Given their small
size and haphazard distribution, we propose that children
were tasked with collecting these shells in the beach
wash. The advantage of collecting the dead shells from
the beach was that they were already partially shaped and
polished. This may have been a way for children to curry
favor with adults while at the same time playing along the
Atlantic coast beaches.
Archaeological evidence for toys is much harder to
find. Kids pick up all manner of objects and pretend that
they are something else, but anything made of a perishable
material is long gone. The long running joke is that
when archaeologists find something they can’t explain
they attribute it to “ceremonial significance.” Perhaps we
need to ask instead whether things we can’t explain are
due to child’s play?
For the past four years we have been investigating a
Lucayan archaeological site near Wemyss on Long Island,
Bahamas. Site LN-8 is a Lucayan settlement with three
32 www.timespub.tc
superimposed living surfaces. Large stains from house
posts show that we were excavating inside Lucayan
houses that were rebuilt in the same location over a period
of 500 years. One of many mysteries is why we found so
many small pieces of finger coral (Porites porites) inside a
house. There are no known practical uses for this type of
coral. We wondered, could they be associated with a kid’s
game, perhaps a kind of ancient LEGO? Such speculation
may seem farfetched, but while counting and weighing
dozens of pieces we made a discovery that may point to
children.
A small figurine, perhaps a “doll,” made from finger
coral was recovered. The object was found at the second
living surface (28–38 cm below surface), which is
radiocarbon dated to AD 1426–1515. It measures 6.2
cm in length and has two eyes incised on either side
of the head. The coral was abraded in places to produce
the figurine shape, and the coral polyps are worn
smooth through handling. A “mouth” appears on one
side, although this may be from suspending the doll on
a string necklace. There are a set of eyes on either side
of the head, which could reflect symmetry, but also gives
the object the same appearance when viewed from either
side. Or, the two sets of eyes might reflect the “twin spirits”
ascribed to cemís. The conventional interpretation of
this artifact would be a cemí idol, the representation of
a spirit(s), which would elevate it to the status of a ceremonial
object associated with adult practices of worship.
Yet cemís are rarely manufactured from coral, and the
simplicity of the artifact suggests to us that it may have
been made and carried by a child. We call this object a
“doll” to emphasize this point and interpret it as a child’s
talisman.
When we were children there were no car seats, no
bike helmets, no sunblock; but if you went swimming
less than 30 minutes after eating you would drown. Even
recent notions of childrearing don’t always provide sound
guidance. Walking through a burning garden and carrying
a machete might not concern parents in Amazonian
communities, but crayons are certainly a better gift for a
five-year old today. a
TWATIMES_Layout 1 2/16/17 7:49 AM Page 1
Dr. Bill Keegan is Curator of Caribbean Archaeology at the
Florida Museum of Natural History (University of Florida);
Dr. Betsy Carlson is Senior Archaeologist at Southeastern
Archaeological Research (SEARCH, Inc.) in Jonesville, FL;
and Dr. Michael Pateman is former Director of the Turks
& Caicos National Museum and currently Curator/Lab
Director of the AEX Maritime Museum on Grand Bahama.
Serving international & domestic clients in real estate, property development,
mortgages, corporate & commercial matters, immigration, & more.
TEL 649.946.4261 TMW@TMWLAW.TC WWW.TWAMARCELINWOLF.COM
Times of the Islands Summer 2021 33
looking back
This 1967 photograph shows the original airstrip after it had been extended to 1,200 feet. The Kew Town roundabout is approximately where
the 90º turn in the track road is. Walkin Marine’s current location is left of the standing water at the top of the picture.
Opposite page: These days, fishermen come to TCI’s abundant waters to fly cast for bonefish. Flamingo Lake, opposite Harbour Club Villas,
is a favorite spot for anglers.
Above: Although this man is using a cast net to collect bait fish, “hauling” for bonefish also involves surrounding the fish with a net.
Bonefish Ahead!
Hauling bonefish with Willis Taylor “back in the day.”
By Diane Taylor ~ Photos By Marta Morton
It was Easter Monday of 1982. On a whim, a small group of us (six, to be exact) sailed from Pine Cay to
Sandy Point on North Caicos with Richard Kriss on his 22' sailboat Little Wing. It was beautiful sailing as
we threaded our way through reefs and tied up to the dock. The same dock where I’d seen Haitian sloops
with their cargo of Haiti-grown fresh vegetables the crew would trade for dried conch that Caicos fishermen
had dived for. We all had to be back on Pine Cay the next morning for jobs, and arranged for trans
(transportation) with one of the few cars on the island to pick us up early the next morning.
Times of the Islands Summer 2021 35
We chatted with people at Sandy Point and then our
“trans man” Zander drove us to Horse Stable Beach where
we walked the beach and marvelled over the shells and
the stillness. As the sun descended perilously close to the
horizon, the no-seeums began to hunt their large human
prey, so we headed over to Susan Butterfield’s for supper.
For some reason, the other five were able to spend
the night at a friend’s house that could only take five.
We heard that someone had a place where one person
could sleep and that’s where I spent the night. I got up at
5:15 Tuesday morning to wait for trans that never came.
Fortunately!
How Willis Taylor knew my situation, I don’t know, but
he came by and said he was heading to Pine Cay by motor
boat from Bellefield Landing. Would I like to come? Well,
yes! Broad smiles all around. His two teenage sons straddled
one bicycle, he another, and my place was behind
him.
Off we rattled on the gravel road under pedal power.
The last half mile or so veered down a steep hill, and we
plunged down at a mad pace, me holding on to him. Willis
knew and steered around every pothole and in no time we
arrived at the low tide water, and he and the boys tucked
their bikes away in the underbrush.
We loaded ourselves and our belongings into the skiff
that had a huge pile of netting in the stern. Willis showed
me his lunch bag that contained several whelks he’d collected
from the north side of Dellis Cay—his wife had
boiled them for him earlier that morning. The engine
came to life and we headed out across the flats. I’d be
home for breakfast.
Suddenly, the boy at the bow pointed ahead and off to
the port side. “Bonefish!” I didn’t see anything, but Willis
immediately steered over to an area several hundred feet
away, and as we approached I could see the water alive
with large silvery fish, lots of them, just below the surface.
I looked at Willis who gave me a little frown. “We
have to stop for these,” he said. The work day starts now.
He threw the anchor over and he and his sons leapt
into the waist-deep water, carrying the huge net. Within
minutes, the two boys carried one end of the net in one
direction towards the school of fish and Willis carried the
other end in the opposite direction until eventually the
net formed a large circle that trapped many of the fish
inside. All three began catching the two- and three-foot
long fish with their hands, giving the necks a quick twist
and tossing them into the boat.
“You, too,” Willis, worried look on his face, motioned
to me to give them a hand. Really? Okay, I could do this!
Into the den of circling fish I slid. “Break their necks if
you can, otherwise, just throw them in the boat,” he said.
Okay. I’d caught smelt (seven inches long) in Ontario with
my bare hands, I could do this! Well, this was different,
and I wasn’t a big help but I did add a few to the several
piling up in the skiff. I didn’t have the know-how to snap
their necks, though.
Those guys moved FAST! The excitement lasted all of
fifteen minutes. The boys carefully walked the net back in,
folding it just so, so that it would be ready at a moment’s
notice again. At least fifty bonefish. A good haul, a good
hunt. Most of them he would sell to the Meridian Club on
Pine Cay. Calm now, he weighed anchor and steered the
boat and cargo back on course over the milky turquoise
flats.
The next day, I ran into Willis on Pine Cay and he gave
me a slow warm smile and slight nod of the head. Not
long after, I somehow wound up on another bonefishing
trip with him, and “we” captured over eighty. He said I was
his good luck charm.
No, Willis, you were mine. How many people can say
they have been bonefishing the traditional time-immemorial
way? a
Diane “Dee” Taylor lived and worked for three years on
Pine Cay with her husband Gary Hodgkins in the early
1980s. They worked with PRIDE (Protection of Reefs and
Islands from Degradation and Exploitation) under the
direction of Chuck Hesse.
She teaches memoir writing and has published The
Gift of Memoir: Show Up, Open Up, Write. She is part
of Spirit of the Hills Writers. For more information, visit
https://dianemtaylor.com.
36 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 Turks & Caicos Reef Fund is trial testing a new treatment against Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease. Here, the infused hemp has been
applied to Grooved Brain Coral (Diploria labyrinthiformis) in May, 2021.
A New Hope?
TCRF tests alternate, non-antibiotic treatment against SCTLD.
Story & Photos By Alizee Zimmermann, Turks & Caicos Reef Fund
From wreaking havoc on the Florida Reef Tract to now threatening the stony coral population of reefs
in 17 countries and territories, Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease (SCTLD) is proving itself to be the most
aggressive, virulent and indiscriminate coral disease in the Atlantic/Caribbean region to date.
Times of the Islands Summer 2021 37
green pages newsletter of the department of environment & coastal resources
“Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease (SCTLD) is a new
lethal disease first reported in Florida in 2014. The cause
of the disease is unknown but it is affecting more than 30
species of corals especially brain, pillar, star and starlet
corals. The disease spreads quickly causing high coral
mortality. Since then, outbreaks of SCTLD have been
confirmed in the Caribbean off Jamaica, Mexico, Sint
Maarten, the US Virgin Islands, Dominican Republic, Turks
& Caicos Islands, Saint-Martin, Belize, Sint Eustatius, The
Bahamas, Puerto Rico, British Virgin Islands, Cayman
Islands, Guadeloupe, St. Lucia, Honduras and Martinique.”
(https://www.agrra.org/coral-disease-outbreak/)
As I attempt to wrap my head around what has
happened in the past two-plus years since SCTLD first
appeared on the reefs of the Turks & Caicos Islands, I
suddenly realize that it was two years to the day that I
had my first face-to-face encounter with an invasion zone
at the far south end of West Caicos. That day changed
everything. Before May 23, 2019, I had never heard of
Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease. Two years later, it is a
focal point of my career and my life.
I’m not special or
unique; there are dozens
of people across
17 nations—scientists,
researchers, government
officers, NGO staff, citizen
scientists, scuba divers,
volunteers—whose lives
have all shifted focus,
who have been on the
frontlines of an unseen,
underwater battle. We
share a mutual sadness.
As stated in previous
articles, SCTLD was first
observed by the School
for Field Studies (SFS) in
South Caicos in January
2019. Since then, it has
spread locally to all the
fore reefs of the Turks &
Caicos Islands, now having
been confirmed on
the reefs of East Caicos in
March 2021. (Initial inva-
sion date undocumented but evidenced to be some time
earlier based on observed coral mortality.)
The School for Field Studies has collected extensive
baseline data on the reefs of South Caicos and in
February 2021 published a paper comparing the average
percentage of live coral cover between 2012–2018 to the
one-year post-SCTLD live coral cover recorded in 2020.
These studies indicate a 60+% loss of live coral cover on
the reefs studied.
Once again, we are not alone. St. Thomas recorded
34% loss of live hard-coral cover in the span of four
months in 2019, attributed to SCTLD. These numbers
are being repeated on reefs across the region. Not only
is this disease deadly and often resulting in entire colony
mortality, it is also spreading like wildfire through the
water column, able to infect large tracts of reef in very
little time.
Research into transmission vectors is still ongoing
but it has been affirmed that that the pathogen(s) is
waterborne and can be carried by dive gear (especially
If you see a tagged coral asking you to photograph it and email to SCTLD@tcreef.org please do! This project
aims to engage divers and citizens to help in a wider monitoring effort.
38 www.timespub.tc
green pages newsletter of the department of environment & coastal resources
neoprene and the inner bladder of a BCD),
as well as through ballast water from recreational
and commercial vessels.
Although hit hard, scientists and managers
in the TCI are also fighting hard to
track, treat and manage SCTLD locally as well
as continuing to participate in the regional
conversation and effort. An incredible line of
communication and collaboration has opened
amongst managers and scientists, governments
and NGOs, neighbouring islands.
The Turks & Caicos Reef Fund (TCRF) has
been working alongside the Department of
Environment & Coastal Resources (DECR) to
test trial different intervention and treatment
methods as well as the continued tracking of
disease presence.
You may remember an article on the
success of the treatment used by multiple
strike-teams region-wide— amoxicillin mixed
into a specially designed paste called Base2B.
This intervention method continues to be the
most effective at halting disease progression
across a colony. In TCRF’s Final Status
Report based on a permit received to test the
efficacy of antibiotic treatment, up to a 90%
success rate was still being recorded in up to
six months of monitoring.
TCRF currently has a Scientific Research
Permit allowing us to expand our intervention
efforts and treat large, priority colonies
along the reef tract. If you see a tagged coral
asking you to photograph it and email to
SCTLD@tcreef.org, please do! This project
aims to engage divers and citizens to help us
in a wider monitoring effort. We can’t be everywhere at
once, but with an active local dive community, we’re hoping
to engage opportunistic monitoring of our expansion
efforts.
Alongside this effort, over the past month, we have
started testing an alternative, non-antibiotic treatment
This Maze Coral (Meandrites meandrina) was treated with the original treatment
method, amoxicillin in Base2B, in May 2021.
created by Ocean Alchemists, the same company that
developed the Base2B currently used. TCRF has been
working closely with the team at Ocean Alchemists and
we were excited for the opportunity to be the first to
test trial their newly developed non-antibiotic treatment
on SCTLD in the field. This particular treatment has
Times of the Islands Summer 2021 39
green pages newsletter of the department of environment & coastal resources
had notable success against Black Band Disease in the
labs at the MOTE Marine Laboratory in Florida. It is an
all-natural, non-antibiotic proprietary formula (it smells
like Christmas with a heavy cinnamon component!) that
has been imbued into flat braided hemp ropes which are
then stapled into the coral along the lesion margin. In
May 2021, TCRF tagged approximately eighty colonies
along three transects on the dive site Catacombs in Grace
Bay, Providenciales and either treated with one of the two
treatments or kept as a control.
We are conducting a head-to-head trial of Coral Cure
D versus amoxicillin in Base2B with a selection of control
colonies left untreated. Although ongoing, we were able
to revisit the site with up to three weeks since treatment
and the results are positive! Soon we will be reporting on
our experimental trials to help continue improving the
product. Not only are we looking at efficacy compared
to the amoxicillin treatment, we are also making observations
on ease of application as well as other properties
such as the swelling capabilities of the product which
affect how deep into the grooves of certain corals the
product can reach. If the treatment doesn’t reach down
into the valleys of a brain coral, for example, it is less
likely to be successful is stopping the disease progression.
We will be monitoring the treated coral heads and
documenting each tagged colony photographically every
two weeks (weather dependant) for two months and then
once a month after that for a total of six months from
treatment day. We will be looking at the comparative efficacy
of this new treatment approach to that of the current
standard of care, the amoxicillin in Base 2B.
As mentioned above, preliminary observations are
positive and if this treatment proves successful, it will be
ground-breaking in SCTLD interventions. Even those most
in favour of antibiotic intervention do so with a “time is
of the essence” motivation. If a successful alternative can
be found, this will ease environmental fears as well as
probably easing permitting difficulties across the region
and allowing strike teams to act faster.
Is this a new hope? Well, I sure hope so! If you are
interested in learning more about Stony Coral Tissue
Loss Disease log onto https://www.agrra.org/coral-disease-outbreak/
and email alizee@tcreef.org. There are
many ways in which we can all help the fight. a
40 www.timespub.tc
green pages newsletter of the department of environment & coastal resources
Editor’s note: In the Spring 2021 issue of Green Pages, the photo on the bottom of page 52 and the two photos on the bottom
of page 56 should have been credited to Anna Handte-Reinecker. Our sincere apologies!
Several blue, yellow and brown sponges can be seen in this photograph. Sponges come in all shapes and sizes but are characterized by their
pore-like structures that filter water through their bodies for nutrients and oxygen.
ANNA HANDTE-REINECKER
Sponging It Up
The hidden beauty of sponges.
Story & Photos By Melissa Heres, Waterfront Assistant, The School for Field Studies
Sponges, in my humble opinion, are likely the most underrated of all marine organisms. Often underappreciated
and tossed aside as a bathing accessory or the feature of children’s TV shows, sponges don’t
necessarily come to mind when one thinks of extraordinary marine life. That, however, should change.
Sponges—although classified as the simplest animal forms (and yes, they are animals!)—have extraordinary
characteristics, features and life stages that are truly awe-inspiring.
Times of the Islands Summer 2021 41
green pages newsletter of the department of environment & coastal resources
Let’s start with a quick
crash course in sponge
biology. Sponges are considered
to be some of the
simplest animals due to
their structure—they lack
true tissue, organs or
even a brain, and instead
rely on specialized cells.
These cells work together
to filter water through
the sponge, allowing the
organism to absorb oxygen
and gain nutrients.
This filtering occurs when
cilia, or hair-like projections,
move in order to
create an area of negative
pressure inside the atrium
of the sponge, driving
water into the sponge’s
cavities via pores, or ostia,
and out through the main
opening, or osculum,
located near the top of the
sponge. Sponges also contain spicules, which act as support
to the structure, as well as spongin, which is a type
of collagen which give sponges their “spongy” structure.
One of the ways to capture a sponge’s beauty is
to put it under a microscope. Spicules—those support
structures mentioned earlier—can come in a variety of
different shapes, all of which are unique to different
sponges. By figuring out whether the spicules within a
certain sponge are composed of calcium or silica, as well
as by determining the shape of the spicules, scientists
can identify sponge species.
Peeking inside the atrium of sponges is my favorite pasttime while scuba diving. You can often find brittle
stars or shrimp that call them home hiding inside.
Sponges can reproduce in three ways: By spawning,
fragmentation and budding. Spawning occurs when
sponges release their sperm into the water column in
hopes that it will reach another sponge. If it does, the
cells of the sponge can capture the sperm and transport it
to the eggs for fertilization and brooding of larvae. Later,
the sponge will release the brooded larvae. This is the
only time in the sponge’s life when they’re not immobile,
as the sperm, and later the larvae that form, can move
with ocean currents until they find a spot to settle on the
sea floor. Interestingly, most sponges are actually hermaphroditic,
and produce both egg and sperm.
Fragmentation occurs when a part of a sponge
breaks off, for example, and then is perhaps moved by
currents or wave action to settle in a nook elsewhere.
Finally, budding occurs when part of a sponge actually
begins growing a clone of itself, which can eventually
break off to settle elsewhere, or remain attached to begin
a colony of sponges.
Freshwater sponges have a unique adaptation that
allows them to survive dormant in unfavorable conditions,
such as cold water, droughts or anoxic (low oxygen) environments.
These sponges can create gemmules, which
have an outer protective layer and can remain dormant
for long stretches of time. When conditions become
favorable again, these gemmules can release cells that
create new sponges, and some gemmules have even been
stored for up to 25 years!
Sponges and corals are often confused for one
another and I’ve even heard someone refer to a sponge
as a “coral-sponge.” Sponges and corals are, however, two
42 www.timespub.tc
green pages newsletter of the department of environment & coastal resources
different types of organisms. Sponges can be identified
by their telltale ostia and osculum. Sponges will have
what look like pores all over their structure, which are
the ostia, as well as a main large opening, usually near
the top of the sponge, which is the osculum. Corals don’t
have these pores or the osculum. If observed closely,
corals do have polyps—structures with tentacles used to
capture food—and will lack any opening or osculum.
Sponges are fascinating and bizarre creatures that
have incredible abilities. The following are some ways
that scientists have researched sponges in order to learn
more about these unique organisms. With a quick search
online, interesting videos can be found of this research,
but please keep sponges safe and don’t try this on any
sponges you see in the water!
One interesting way to check out a sponge’s flow of
water is to fill a syringe with water and food dye and
release this concoction around the base of a sponge.
You will soon see the colored water being released out
of the osculum at the top of the sponge, which shows
how sponges can filter water very quickly in order to get
proper nutrients and oxygen!
Sponges are widely considered the most basic animal
form, yet they actually have incredible abilities to
regenerate. Scientists have studied this characteristic by
separating sponge cells by squeezing them through a silk
cloth. Sponges are then actually able to re-form their cells
into a sponge. Even more interestingly, if two sponges
are separated in this method, they can recognize their
own cells and re-form as two sponges!
Although there are several types and body plans
of sponges, one in particular stands out as an awe-inspiring
and incredible animal. The Venus flower basket
(Euplectella aspergillum) is a type of glass sponge. These
sponges live in the deep sea, and have an intricate shape
created by layers of silica made in a precise pattern to
keep them structurally sound. The most interesting
part of this sponge, however, are its inhabitants. These
This giant barrel sponge stands tall at a dive site off the coast of South Caicos named The Spanish Chain.
Times of the Islands Summer 2021 43
green pages newsletter of the department of environment & coastal resources
This sponge is actually being colonized by sponge zoanthids (Parazoanthus parasiticus), which are the round, yellow tentacle structures seen
all over the sponge. Inside this sponge, you can see the red arm of a brittle star.
This giant barrel sponge (Xestospongia muta) looks like it’s missing
a piece, creating a horseshoe shape. Sponges have incredible abilities
to regenerate, and it may form back into a single cylindrical structure.
sponges are almost always seen with two shrimp living
inside of them, one male and one female. It is thought
that these shrimp swim into the small pores of the sponge
as larvae and are soon too large to escape.
A bit closer to home in the Turks & Caicos Islands,
there are several other types of sponges that you might
encounter. From the giant barrel sponge (Xestospongia
muta) that can grow as large as six feet across, to the red
boring sponge (Cliona delitrix)—so named for its ability
to bore into rock and other substrates and only growing
about a foot long—sponges throughout the Caribbean
can come in a variety of shapes and sizes. Sponges
can also be a habitat for many smaller creatures that
live among the reef. Brittle stars—closely related to sea
stars—and shrimp call some species of sponge home. So
the next time you’re snorkeling or diving on one of the
TCI’s beautiful reefs or walls, keep an eye open for these incredible eyeless creatures. a
For additional information about The School for Field Studies,
visit www.fieldstudies.org or contact us on South Caicos at hhertler@fieldstudies.org.
44 www.timespub.tc
faces and places
From top left: Kadra Been-Handfield arranged the Snack & Paint event on North Caicos. Max Gardiner, one of the younger participants, took
to the task immediately. Susie Cortez of Dallas, Texas added to the artistic aura of the day by doing a live painting of a flamingo while the
children worked. The finished painting will be displayed on North Caicos at the welcome center for Flamingo Pond.
Snack & Paint
To paint a picture of TCI’s future, look no further than the Snack & Paint event held on North Caicos at Horse Stable
Beach in May 1, 2021, where children spent an afternoon painting and socializing in games.
Organized by North Caicos businesswoman Kadra Been-Handfield, the event drew 30 participants who were
encouraged to paint either a fish or something of their own imaginations. While they painted, artist Susie Cortez of
Dallas, Texas, worked on a painting that will, after framing, be displayed at the welcome center at Flamingo Pond.
Mrs. Been-Handfield was helped by a number of volunteers and supporters, including Barbara Gardiner, Joylyn
Handfield, District Commissioner Cynclair Musgrove, Althea Ewing, Merrica Handfield, Jody Rathgeb and Sara
Kaufman. They, too, enjoyed refreshments and the delight of seeing TCI’s future leaders express themselves.
By Jody Rathgeb ~ Photos By Tom Rathgeb
From bottom left: Future artist in the making Kamron Gardiner eagerly takes brush to canvas.
A helper selfie includes, from left, Maxine Beswick, Barbara Gardiner, Joylyn Handfield, Kadra
Been-Handfield and Althea Ewing.
Times of the Islands Summer 2021 45
feature
Opposite page: Robust, funnel-shaped flowers in bright hot colors are the Bahama woodstars’ favorite food.
Above: The next generation of Bahama woodstar hummingbirds is ready to leave their nest at Harbour Club Villas. The mother (at right) is
carefully supervising her young chick.
The Stars of Our Woods
The Bahama woodstar is TCI’s only regular resident hummingbird.
By B Naqqi Manco, TCI Naturalist ~ Photos by Marta Morton
Some years ago, while drilling drift seeds for a craft project, a bay bean Cannavalia rosea seed escaped
and rolled across the floor, at some point getting swept out the front door. Seed coat compromised
and sitting in an enriched flower bed, it took in the rain and did its best to out-show Jack’s beanstalk. It
wound up a shrub, then up a string to the eaves, where it scrambled eastward and dropped numerous
runners, eventually cloaking the entire front of my house, eaves to ground, in a thick tangle of leafy
vines. Following a heavy rain, it bloomed with such ferocity—its purple blooms like succulent sweet-pea
blossoms—that it became something of a buffet line for nectar feeders.
Times of the Islands Summer 2021 47
During the day, butterflies and carpenter bees visited;
at night sphynx moths and beetles came for their shifts.
Such a productive viny tangle is irresistible to wildlife, but
there was one creature that filled the role of the supreme
diva of the bay bean façade, to which all others —even
members of her own species—gave deference. The prima
donna who chose to sup at the vines ruled them heartily,
but never so much as when she decided that the bank
of lianas was a suitable place to nest. It was then that a
Bahama woodstar showed her specific nature to me and
my visitors.
The Bahama woodstar Nesophlox evelynae is the only
hummingbird regularly resident in the Turks & Caicos
Islands and given its pugnacious nature, that’s not surprising.
Its species name honours the daughter, Evelyn,
of Conrad Loddiges (1738–1826), a German-born British
botanist. (Noteworthy here is that the generic epithet was
changed from Caliphlox to Nesophlox in 2014; and the
woodstar populations on Great and Little Inagua in the
Bahamas were named as the separate, endemic species
Nesophlox lyrura in 2015.) One wonders about the general
social comportment of namesake little Evelyn, as the
feisty Bahama woodstars hardly tolerate one another;
much less chance they would countenance another competing
species.
Far from the damp, muggy habitat of the majority of
the over 360 hummingbird species in the humid riparian
and montane forests of South America, the Bahama
woodstar stakes out territory in some of the driest, most
stunted, scrubby forests available. Hummingbirds are the
third most speciose family of birds, and the bee clade—
the group to which woodstars belong—is the youngest
and most rapidly speciating group.
Bahama woodstars are found throughout the Lucayan
Archipelago from Abaco (Bahamas) southward into Turks
& Caicos Islands, but they tend to be more numerous
on the central and southern islands where a heavy competitor
in the larger northern island forests—the Cuban
emerald hummingbird Riccordia ricordii—is absent.
Indeed the Cuban emerald has been noted in Turks &
Caicos Islands, but only as a vagrant on two confirmed
occasions. Our only other very unlikely vagrant hummingbird
is the world’s smallest bird and a close relative of the
woodstar, the Cuban bee Mellisuga helenae. (There are
two credible records of Cuban bee sightings in the Turks
& Caicos Islands.) With these species generally absent,
the Bahama woodstar has free range of the TCI and with
their frightful brand of militantly weaponized gumption,
the larger birds tend to steer clear of them too.
Hummingbirds are known for being fearless defenders
of their territories, including nests and feeding
areas. It’s not unusual to see them interacting with other
birds —including larger birds of prey—in a way that is
surprisingly severe. They chase, stab and harass other
birds away with their superior flight capacity, powered
by wings that beat over 60 times a second and can allow
them to attain true hovering, and to fly forward as well as
up, down, sideways, backwards and even upside down.
This is due to the structure and movement of the wings,
which move more like human hands treading water than
they do other birds’ wings. Angling each wing forward
on the down-stroke and backwards on the up-stroke in a
figure eight motion, they fly on vortices as much as they
do lift.
Flying and hovering on vortices is energy expensive,
and hummingbirds have the highest metabolisms of any
vertebrate. Their heart rates average 250 beats per minute
at rest, spiking to over 1,000 beats per minute during
their most demanding flight manoeuvres. Fortunately,
their main food source as adults—nectar—is sugar-rich.
They can digest and burn this sugar as little as thirty
minutes after a sweet sip.
Malaika Lakhani’s examination puts into perspective how tiny the
hummingbird nest really is.
48 www.timespub.tc
Above: This female hummingbird has completed her nest with silky wisps of air-plant seeds.
Below: The first egg—roughly the size of a soybean—has just hatched; at right are the pair of baby hummingbirds.
In Turks & Caicos Islands, Bahama woodstars encounter
numerous plant species that have specifically evolved
to accommodate bird pollinators. Robust, funnel-shaped
flowers in bright hot colours are their favourites. These
blossoms also carry the typical trait of having scent only
at night (for the sake of long-tongued sphynx moths
which also visit them) or no scent at all. Hummingbirds
have no significant sense of smell, and find their food
exclusively by sight and memory, so plants don’t bother
perfuming their flowers for them.
Some of the Bahama woodstars’ favourite nectar
plants are very showy—the Christmas hog potato Ipomoea
microdactyla with its waxy scarlet trumpets, and the
five-fingers Tabebuia bahamensis with its blousy crepe
paper funnels in pale pink. These are seasonal bloomers,
and so they do what they can to attract their pollinators.
But just as attractive are the subtly orange tube-blooms
of the golden creeper Ernodea littoralis and pineland
creeper Ernodea serratifolia which bloom year-round and
therefore spend less energy making gaudy displays.
Times of the Islands Summer 2021 49
While these flowers are certainly custom fit to the
woodstars, other birds that cannot fit inside them still
sometimes get to the nectar. It’s common to see five-fingers
flowers with rough holes ripped in their tube bases,
the delicate pink browning from the damage done by
the scimitar bills of bananaquits, more robust nectar
feeding birds. Bananaquits are one of many species for
which woodstars have no time, and will bravely scold and
chase from their favourite plants. As bananaquits are
more social birds that live in family flocks, a sacrificial
bananaquit sometimes diverts a defensive woodstar from
a favoured flower patch while the rest of the family tears
the posies up and loots the juice.
This well-defended precious nectar is put to good
use by the woodstars. Throughout the year but mostly
in summer, females gather spider webs, wild cotton, fine
grass and air-plant seed fluff to built tiny nests, the size
of walnut shells, on branches often just 1–2 meters off
the ground. Males take no part in nest-building; they
spend their time defending territories especially rich with
nectar plants that are likely to attract females. Male hummingbirds
are, like most birds, most flashy than the hens,
and the male woodstar is equipped with an iridescent
gorget (chin-to-throat patch) and small crest. He will flash
his gorget and raise and lower his crest while twittering at
a female, hoping to attract her attention. The gorget can
be angled, and it can flash as amethyst purple or blood
red, depending on the light angle. He can even “turn it
off” to almost black, by angling it downward.
The male woodstar achieves that colour show by
way of his feathers, which in hummingbirds rely on both
pigmentation and structural refraction of light to create
colour. In fact, it is the melanin itself that is arranged in
a structured formation within the feathers that refracts
the light, and the feathers themselves incorporate both
melanin and carotenoids for their pigmentation.
Once a female is sufficiently wooed and mates, she
completes her nest. The nest is camouflaged with bits of
lichen stuck to its outside. The silky wisps of the air-plant
seeds, usually cuttlefish air-plant Tillandsia balbosiana,
silvery air-plant T. streptophylla, flexuous air-plant T.
flexousa or scorn-the-ground T. utriculata, tend to find
their placement on a tree limb bound into a moisture-retaining
nest the perfect place to germinate, and this is
how many air plants wind up in trees. The germinating
seedlings further assist in the camouflaging of the nests.
Into the disguised nest the female will lay two white
eggs roughly the size of cooked soybeans. Pound-forpound
(so to say), Bahama woodstar eggs are massive in
From top: The female hummingbird gathers insects and nectar to feed
her quickly growing young.
The male Bahama woodstar is equipped with an iridescent chin-tothroat
patch and small crest. Both are used to attract the attention
of a female.
50 www.timespub.tc
elation to the female’s body size. To compete relatively,
a chicken would need to lay two eggs the size of goose
eggs. The female incubates them stalwartly for two to
two-and-a-half weeks, and then gathers insects and nectar
to feed her quickly growing young. Fully feathered
within ten days, they often leave the nest for their first
uncertain flights in as little as 15 days. They need to be
able to fly strongly, and will be able to do so within a
week, in order to find food and—perhaps most importantly—survive
hurricane season.
Bahama woodstars are known to survive hurricanes
by hunkering down near the ground in dense scrub, often
on the leeward side of a tree trunk. But many are lost in
the strong winds, and they may also succumb to starvation
if a hurricane has been strong enough to damage
vegetation severely enough that nothing is in flower.
Scarlet cordia Cordia sebestena becomes a lifesaver for
them, as these trees often throw out their orange blooms
right after storms. Oddly, while other populations of hummingbirds
seem to take quickly to hummingbird feeders,
Turks & Caicos woodstars don’t seem to—but planting
their favourite native species definitely helps them and
attracts them to home gardens.
But my diva hummingbird arrived after a happy gardening
accident, and I had no idea any nesting was going
on—I never actually found the bay bean vine diva’s nest,
so well she hid it. I only knew it was there from the sudden
shift in her behaviour. Where she would previously
defend the flowers from bumblebees and bananaquits
with an authoritatively selfish demeanour, she suddenly
became downright kamikaze at anything that flew too
close to the vines even as the flowers acquiesced.
Hummingbirds—thankfully—tend to completely
ignore anything they don’t see as a threat, and so I didn’t
have to watch my head the way I do for the repugnantly
aggressive American kestrel that nests in the corner
of my office roof every year. But one mid-morning, a
passing male Bahama woodstar caught sight of the few
remaining purple bay-bean flowers and zoomed in for an
inspection. Diva must have heard his wing hum, because
she emerged in full Amazon warrior mode quite ready
to lance him through. The moment he saw her, he spiralled
upward behind me then dropped behind my head
by inches; I could feel his wing-paddled vortices puffing
against my neck and hear the low hum just beyond my
ears.
Diva Woodstar suddenly—for the first time ever—
took an interest in me. She flew accusingly at my face
and hovered a foot in front of my nose, glaring as she
darted left and right. Within a few seconds the interloping
male tried to peek around me (as evidenced by the buzz
and breeze near by right ear), and the jig was up. Diva
rocketed at him past my right temple, he tightly circled
around the back of my head and to the front, and both
twittering the entire time, she chased him in three full
circles around my head (I felt like a noggin-knocked cartoon
character) before he pulled up and careered over my
roof, sacrificing elegance for speed. Once she was sure
he was forever vanquished, she retired back to her nest
in the tangles, ignoring inconsequential me again, as a
woodstar should, forevermore. a
Times of the Islands Summer 2021 51
feature
The Turks & Caicos Islands are ready, willing and able to receive visitors again—and they are flocking to these beautiful shores!
Paradise Waiting
TCI’s reopening an unqualified success.
By Jayne Baker ~ Photos By Paradise Photography
It’s the morning of July 22, 2020. Just after noon, American Airlines is due to fly in the first visitors to our
shores since the borders closed four months prior.The mood on Providenciales is a muddled brew of optimism,
relief and caution. Aware of the dire need to re-open the Turks & Caicos Islands’ economic lifeline,
island businesses and tourism partners have worked tirelessly alongside local government to establish
protocols in the hope that visitors would feel safe visiting our shores again, all the while protecting the
health of the country, its residents and its valued visitors.
Times of the Islands Summer 2021 53
Questions hung in the air as the plane descended.
Would the Islands see an overwhelming surge of cases by
allowing the borders to open? Would tourists even come?
While the need to open was vital, this small island nation
didn’t want to be a cautionary tale of what could happen
by allowing a stream of visitors back too soon. Limited
hospital facilities meant that the health system could
quickly become overwhelmed. The PDM Government at
the time, led by Premier Sharlene Cartwright-Robinson,
alongside Governor Nigel Dakin, made it very clear:
Protocols could change quickly and they were ready to
take swift action to shut things down again should it be
necessary.
With the country somewhat holding its breath, AA
1279 touched down, complete with water-cannon fanfare,
and with that the Turks & Caicos Islands were open for
business.
Well, almost. A little more than a week after opening,
the TCI found itself in full-on preparation for a possible
visit by Hurricane Isaias. Thankfully the storm brushed by
to the south, but the irony of opening the airport only to
have Mother Nature close it down again a few days later
seemed apropos for 2020. As the tropical cyclone moved
off, the airport again re-opened and with it the economic
lifeline—tourist arrivals.
In recent years, visitor arrivals (by air) to Turks &
Caicos have been steadily increasing, growing from
416,000 in 2018 to 486,000 in 2019. 2020 had the makings
of a bumper crop. For the months of January and
February 2020, air arrivals totaled 95,810 versus 84,653
for the same period in 2019.
Then in March of 2020 the world stopped, and along
with it the only meaningful source of income for the Turks
& Caicos Islands Government and its residents. It was a
never-before-seen crisis, challenging for any nation, and
indeed the entire world, to navigate. Being a small island
country whose only industry is tourism, combined with
limited health care resources, the government had to
respond quickly but not rashly. As borders around the
world closed, the TCI Government came to the only sensible
decision at their disposal—the country shuttered for
business on March 23, 2020.
Initial lockdown restrictions for residents were strict
—beaches were closed, non-essential travel on the roads
was forbidden, exercise periods were specified, to name
a few. Over time, internal restrictions lifted somewhat,
allowing for local businesses to reopen with capacity limitations.
But without tourists, it was a mere drop in the
ocean (albeit a beautiful turquoise one). Entry protocols
for visitors were established in the hope that they were
stringent enough to mitigate risk, while not so prohibitive
they would discourage travelers.
Arrival numbers at first were predictably low.
According to arrival statistics published by the Turks &
Caicos Tourist Board, August 2020 saw 5,595 visitors
versus 36,550 in the same period of 2019, representing
about 15% of the previous year’s arrivals. As the months
passed, that percentage has consistently increased.The
months of September to November saw about 23% of
comparative 2019 arrivals. In December that number
jumped to 34%, seeing 17,241 visitors (versus 51,160 in
December 2019).
The cogs of the economy were slowly grinding back
to life as the page turned on a new year, welcoming in
2021. Not long into the new year however, following
trends in the neighboring US (where approximately 83%
of our tourists come from in a typical year), the Islands
saw a concerning surge in COVID-19 cases. It was a stark
reminder that although the Turks & Caicos had been
managing the crisis well, it was not time to let their guard
down. The virus still posed a threat to both the health of
the Islanders and the economy itself. The government
responded with fluctuating protocols, increasing restrictions
internally as needed to help curb local transmission
while still allowing tourists to come to our shores.
Amidst the surge, in February 2021, the Islands
went through a local election and change of government.
Changes in a ruling party can create an unsettled feeling
at the best of times and questions lingered: How
would this new government respond? Would restrictions
be tightened? Too much? Too little? One thing became
quickly evident—the new PNP Government, led by
Washington Misick, was as committed as its predecessor
in its efforts to balance the management of the virus
while still welcoming visitors.
The ready availability of vaccines was a large part of
what made it possible to keep the country open for business.
On January 7, 2021, courtesy of the UK Government,
a British Airways plane landed with precious cargo—9,750
doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.
The roll-out was immediate and impressively efficient.
While priority was initially given to those working
in health care and essential services, the vaccine quickly
became available to anyone wishing to receive it. Within
a short time, local clinics and pharmacies were offering
the vaccine with walk-in capabilities. Those receiving the
vaccine consistently reported being impressed with the
ease and professionalism of the process.
54 www.timespub.tc
February 24, 2021 saw the arrival of another 23,400
Pfizer-BioNTech doses via a special British Airways cargo
flight. That same plane carried CPAP machines and laboratory
supplies to support automation of the PCR testing
facility. A further 14,040 doses of Pfizer-BioNTech and
300 doses of AstraZeneca vaccines arrived March 31,
2021. The result was that frontline tourism partners
(resort, watersports, restaurant and spa staff) quickly
become fully vaccinated, allowing an added layer of comfort
and security to those visiting.
Combined with new data emerging daily regarding
vaccine efficacy, the potential of a more normal tourism
season seemed within reach. A recent Cleveland Clinic
study shows that between January 1 and April 13, 2021,
99.75 % of patients hospitalized with COVID-19 were not
fully vaccinated.
Statistics out of Bermuda in April 2021 also echo the
importance and efficacy of the vaccine. Facing a surge of
COVID-19 cases in late spring, the island nation reported
that 88% of those admitted to hospital were unvaccinated,
11% were partially vaccinated (one shot) and 1% had both
shots but had not yet reached the two week mark when
a person is considered fully protected. But perhaps the
most important statistic is that there were ZERO cases of
a fully vaccinated person being hospitalized.
Like most countries, the vaccination surge in Turks &
Caicos slowed as time went on and the TCI Government
put considerable time and resources into outreach to the
communities where vaccine hesitancy was most prevalent.
Educational campaigns as well as a community
mobile vaccine unit have helped to increase the numbers
of vaccinations amongst those that may have otherwise
continued to live in fear and misinformation. At time of
writing (May 2021) it’s estimated that approximately 56%
of the population is vaccinated.
If there is a silver lining to be found in navigating
the pandemic, it may be that local hospital facilities have
been improved throughout the crisis. Hospital bed capacity
has increased, a National Laboratory now exists, as
well as the capability to generate oxygen at both Grand
Turk and Providenciales hospitals (versus using filled cylinders
only), meaning they have no fear of running out
of oxygen. These improvements, alongside vaccinations
and continued protocols, means the tourist season ahead
looks hopeful.
Island businesses echo that optimism. A local hotelier
reports that bookings for the 2021/22 season are not
only “back to normal” but have the potential to be record
breaking. An important factor in making that happen was
Times of the Islands Summer 2021 55
that resorts and health care facilities quickly stepped up
to provide the required COVID-10 antigen tests for US
visitors returning home. The establishment of convenient
and inexpensive testing was another component in making
the destination a viable and safe choice for travelers.
Other small businesses such as restaurants, watersports
operators and spas report a similar promising
outlook, seeing pre-pandemic numbers or better for the
future. The local real estate sector is reporting record
sales.
With all of this hopeful news, it’s an important
note that the cruise ship industry worldwide has been
decimated through the pandemic. In 2019, Grand Turk
welcomed 359 cruise ships, bringing with them 1,111,818
visitors and the associated income for the island’s residents
through jobs and small business opportunities. The
year 2020 saw only 69 cruise ship arrivals—representing
a little over 200,000 visitors. 2021 to date has seen zero.
The current estimate is that the industry won’t resume
until October 2021. So, while the island of Providenciales
is rebounding, Grand Turk and some of the sister islands
are still facing struggles.
Through it all the Turks & Caicos Tourist Board has
been working tirelessly with a new public relations firm
to promote the destination in feeder markets. The portal
for visitors to receive their travel authorization, found
at (www.turksandcaicostourism.com) was rolled out
seamlessly and response time is generally quick and
easy to receive the necessary approval to travel. The TCI
Government, even through a change of administration,
has proven its ability to manage a never-before-encountered
pandemic scenario while keeping the health of
both the Islands and its economy paramount. Their focus
appears to have remained unchanged throughout the
year: Make good decisions with the best information at
hand, be ready to adapt, and tell the world that Turks &
Caicos is ready to welcome you.
And that message appears to have been received,
loud and clear. A look at popular social media sites for
Turks & Caicos backs this up, providing the best source of
testimonials to the Islands’ recovery—its visitors. Recent
tourists consistently remark how easy it is to travel here,
and how impressed they are with local adherence to
COVID-19 protocols. Every now and then, questions pop
up on the forums such as, “Is it safe to visit? Should I
worry about traveling?” They are inevitably met with a
chorus of island praises but perhaps one traveler said
it best recently: “I just returned from a week stay, and
the people were as welcoming as the gorgeous turquoise
waters and white sand beaches. I can’t wait to go back.
If you’re considering a trip, don’t hesitate for a moment.
Book it now.” Paradise is waiting. a
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56 www.timespub.tc
eal estate
Opposite page: TCI’s pristine, uncrowded beaches are but one reason that people with the means are seeking to purchase an island hideaway
here in record numbers.
Above: This Amanyara resort villa, tucked away on Providenciales’ northwestern shore, is an example of the lovely, exclusive properties
available.
PROVO PICTURES—COURTESY TURKS & CAICOS SOTHEBY’S INTERNATIONAL REALTY
Hot, Hot, Hot!
TCI’s real estate market is on fire.
By Kathy Borsuk
There’s no doubt summer has arrived in the Turks & Caicos Islands. The somewhat-cooler days, low
humidity and slanted sunshine of winter and spring have given way to bright, hot days bookended by
lusciously pastel early mornings and long, tawny evenings. It’s prime time for watersports in the warm
turquoise sea and basking on the beach with a cool drink.
Also hot? The TCI real estate market! Property sales at all price points are ablaze as world-weary buyers
seek safety and solace in this quiet island nation.
Times of the Islands Summer 2021 59
Besides the much-heralded natural beauty of the
Turks & Caicos Islands’ sparkling seas and sugary
beaches, the country has yet to be as densely populated
as many of her Caribbean sisters. Because serious development
of resorts and villas didn’t start until the turn of
the millennium, the TCI—and especially the out islands
—can still boast plenty of space for sprawling out. At the
same time, infrastructure from electricity to telecommunications,
airports to roads, is more than sufficient to
meet the needs of the 21st century.
As a British Overseas Territory, the TCI benefits from
a well-established land registry, stable political framework,
tax-free status, and more recently, the benefit of
receiving COVID-19 vaccines more quickly and in greater
number than many other warm-weather destinations. At
the same time, a cautious and thoughtful government
response to the pandemic (see “Paradise Waiting” in this
issue) has allowed the country to reopen safely when
many other vacation havens are still struggling.
The Turks & Caicos Real Estate Association (TCREA) is
a group of 15 independent real estate agencies who work
together under a managed Multiple Listing System (MLS)
accessed at www.tcrea.com. The industry compiles and
reports detailed statistics and the most recent are staggering.
At the close of the first quarter of 2021, the TCI
real estate market made history with nearly $128 million
in closed transactions—up 60% over the same period last
year, just prior to the pandemic and the country’s fourmonth
border closing in late March 2020. As reported by
TCREA in April 2021, there were also over $463 million
in pending and conditional transactions, not including
another potential $100 million in new development sales.
Whew! What is going on?
The first point is that ultra-luxury and luxury buyers
are flocking to TCI as a preferred destination. This is
evidenced in an average sale price (residential and commercial
market) of nearly $1.5 million in the first quarter
of 2021, a 63% increase! For single family homes, the
average price increased 38.5%, with a list to sell ratio of
92%. For condominiums, the average price jumped 31%
with a list to sell ratio of 93%. Residential and commercial
land average prices jumped 72%, as buyers searched
for vacant land—especially rare beachfront and waterfront—on
which to build. Currently, realtors report villa
price ranges from $2.5 million up to the $30 million level.
Condominium prices are also rising with luxury condos
approaching and surpassing $1,000 per square foot.
It’s clear that people with the means want to find a
safe, exclusive hideaway and TCI fits the bill. According
to Ivor Stanbrook, managing director of Windward
Development, the pandemic and successful reopening of
the country has introduced the market to a new group of
investors who may not have otherwise known about the
Turks & Caicos. They are finding a wider choice of properties
and better value here than in traditional Caribbean
markets like the Cayman Islands and the Bahamas, along
with a sense of space and proximity to nature. Also flourishing
is the villa rental market, as an increasing number
of families choose to vacation in a private home or villa,
rather than a resort property. At the same time, owners
are using their properties for longer periods of time, as
the ability to work and learn from home becomes easier
and more accepted. Both factors are clearly driving the
booming real estate market in TCI.
While undeveloped beachfront properties in
Providenciales are nearly non-existent, you can still find
oceanside vacant land on the out islands of North, South
and Middle Caicos, Grand Turk and Salt Cay. Inland on
Providenciales, the neighborhoods of Long Bay, Long Bay
Hills, Turtle Tail and Cooper Jack offer new villa construction
and land for a dream home. The longer-established
areas such as Chalk Sound, Turtle Cove, Thompson Cove,
Discovery Bay, The Bight and Leeward are already in the
phase of tearing down and rebuilding or renovating older
structures, with new construction tucked in between.
Amanyara (in the North West Point area of
Providenciales), Parrot Cay and Pine Cay, Ambergris Cay
and West Caicos are all exclusive areas somewhat separated
from the mainstream. They are punctuated with
celebrities, high-end villas and ultra-upscale amenities.
A recent interview by well-known US television personality
Star Jones with TCI Deputy Governor Anya Williams,
Minister of Tourism Josephine Connolly and local lawyer
Tremmaine Harvey, reinforced what many of the world’s
working women (and men) are declaring. They all enjoyed
the freedom and flexibility of working from home during
the pandemic! As this trend continues, TCI’s stable power
grid, maintained by Canadian-based Fortis TCI Ltd., and
excellent telecommunications service provided by Digicel
and FLOW, become tremendous advantages.
While commercial air service expands as the US and
global airlines loosen restrictions and travelers grow in
confidence, the TCI’s private airports have seen a massive
influx of private jets. This supports industry trends
noting a 50% increase in “new to private” travel since the
pandemic began. This reflects the desire to avoid exposure
to the virus and well as more schedule flexibility for
travelers.
60 www.timespub.tc
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According to Joe Zahm, president of Turks & Caicos
Sotheby’s International Realty, buyers are coming from
traditional hubs as well as the New York City tri-state area
and Ontario, Canada, along with a broader geographic
base including California, Texas, and the Midwest and
Southeast US. He says, “We’re also seeing ‘vacation relocation’
from harder to access places such as Hawaii,
Costa Rica and the southern Caribbean.”
Other advantages to a TCI lifestyle include 350 average
days of sunshine, modern hospitals and health care
practitioners, full service banks and temporary and permanent
residence status available to qualified investors.
There is a homeowner’s permit, valid for five years and
allowing recipients and their family members to come and
go as they wish (without the right to work). Purchasers
of any home or condominium valued over $300,000
can apply. With a real estate purchase over $1 million,
investors can apply for a Permanent Residence Certificate
(PRC), granting the applicant and spouse the right to
reside in TCI for life. Children can be endorsed until they
are 18 years old. The cost is a one-time government fee
of $25,000, plus $1,500 for spouse and $500 per child,
along with legal fees. PRC status can lead to TCI (British
Overseas Territory Citizenship) and, potentially, a British
passport. Note that foreigners also have the unrestricted
right to purchase property, and there are no real estate
taxes.
If you are planning to build or renovate, there are
many long established and well qualified local architects,
builders, contractors and tradesmen for any type of project
you can dream up. There is a quality skill pool from
which to draw and the work force comprises 50% of the
population.
Besides a record number of established homes, condominiums
and land transactions in progress, the TCI has
many new projects under development that will strongly
affect sales now and in the future. A quick read-through
of the expansive lists of features and amenities supports
the ever-growing demand for a second home or vacation
property in this country. Buyers will lack for nothing and
are sure to find a property to suit any taste and style.
Perhaps the most prominent, at 12 stories, is the
long-awaited Ritz-Carlton Residences due to open this
summer. This five-star property spans nearly 700 feet of
prime Grace Bay beachfront over 10.5 acres. According
to Walter Gardiner Jr., Director of Sales & Marketing for
the project, “It’s extremely gratifying to watch this dream
become a reality . . . The combination of having one of
the world’s best resort brands on the world’s best beach
62 www.timespub.tc
will solidify the position of the Turks & Caicos Islands
as the premier vacation and investment destination in
the Caribbean.” The resort features a luxury hotel, 60
residences, and world-class amenities managed by
renowned Ritz-Carlton, with service tailored to individual
desires—with “ladies and gentlemen serving ladies and
gentlemen.” Oceanview residences are over 90% sold.
South Bank is a new residential resort and marina
community on the south side of Providenciales. Each
neighborhood and lot offers a unique relationship with
the water, designed to court boating enthusiasts and
watersports lovers. Covering 31 acres with 230 feet of
stunning beachfront along Long Bay Beach and 2,000
feet of picturesque ironshore, South Bank has planned
90 units ranging from six-bedroom villas to one-bedroom
condominiums and townhouses with boat docks.
Surrounding the fully excavated lagoon, six Lagoon
Villas are progressing and showing different stages of
completion, with all 18 Lagoon Villas starting works. The
Boathouses have an impressive 42% sold or reserved status
with construction slated to start on August 1, 2021.
In the Ocean Estate area, two villas are well underway,
with over half a dozen in early construction phases. This
community is now over 60% sold or reserved.
The Beach Enclave brand was designed to combine
a home environment with the services and amenities of
a condominium. These dream vacation homes combined
low density and floor plans that seamlessly blend indoor
with outdoor living spaces, with modern décor and fun
amenities. Launched on Provo’s North Shore in 2014, the
brand now spans five phases of development in three
locations.
To appeal to a broader market of home buyers,
Beach Enclave developers introduced The Club at Beach
Enclave Long Bay now with eight private Beach Houses
and a boutique condominium with just 24 hotel rooms,
The Club Residences. At the heart of The Club will be
a rooftop Wellness Spa, featuring elevated views of the
ocean backdrop, sunrises and sunsets. By the pool and
beach, will be a chic lounge as well as a casual, barefoot
beach bar. Other amenities include lighted tennis courts,
a fitness center, a yoga center, a kids’ club and in-house
watersports. Construction is slated to begin in December
2021.
Developers have also cleared ground for Phase 2 of
Beach Enclave North Shore. It features 10 exclusive two
to four-bedroom luxury beach and oceanview houses.
Only one beach house and four oceanview houses remain
Times of the Islands Summer 2021 63
available. Along with a dramatic limestone design feature,
this project will include an elevated oceanfront club
lounge, decks with water and fire features, an upgraded
fitness center and yoga deck, a lighted tennis court, kids
club and a unique garden teeming with fruit trees.
The Strand is the TCI’s newest residential resort
community overlooking the sapphire waters of Cooper
Jack Bay. This property features dramatic vistas with an
array of custom oceanfront residences, all with access
to shared community amenities. Currently in the early
development phase, visitors can now explore the site via
paths and multiple viewing areas. Infrastructure works
are underway and construction is anticipated to soon
start. Interestingly, The Strand developers are looking to
partner with a leader in solar home integration; it could
be the first such community in the Caribbean.
The developers of Latitude 22 broke ground in late
May for Karaya Blue. This private residential development
features six luxury villas, each on a private half acre
estate bursting with tropical foliage and minutes from the
Long Bay beachfront. It will also include a fully integrated
solar electrical system to be at the forefront of sustainable
development in TCI.
Sailrock is an evolving development on the country’s
fishing capital of South Caicos. The project won
the “Caribbean’s Leading Luxury Island Resort” at the
2020 World Travel Awards. Sailrock Resort opened its
doors in January 2017 as the only five-star resort on
South Caicos, bringing a new level of luxury to the quiet
island, without disturbing its peaceful rhythms. Sailrock
includes 33 suites and villas spread over 52 hilltop and
oceanfront acres. Residences are supported by the Great
House, a central hub housing a lounge, oceanview deck
and upscale restaurant and bar. Investors looking for a
Caribbean home-away-from-home will find it in the Private
Peninsula Villas neighboring 770-acre enclave.
Recently resurrected for development is the Royal
Reef Resort at Sandy Point, North Caicos. This condominium/hotel
resort is located on 19 acres of beachfront
land with over 500 feet of beachfront, and will comprise
139 residential units and a 90-room hotel building and
spa on completion.
Realtors agree—NOW is the time to secure your safe
haven in paradise, as prices continue to rise and the
properties available become more scarce. They note that
many real estate offices offer the latest technology for virtual
showings. Looking to the future, the Turks & Caicos
Islands continue to strengthen and move to the next level
as a global luxury and tourism brand. a
64 www.timespub.tc
astrolabe
newsletter of the Turks & Caicos National Museum
Front Street, PO Box 188, Grand Turk, Turks & Caicos Islands, BWI TKCA 1ZZ
tel 649 247 2160/US incoming 786 220 1159 • email info@tcmuseum.org • web www.tcmuseum.org
MICHAEL PATEMAN
This collage is a compilation of some of Dr. Michael Pateman’s memories as director of the Turks & Caicos National Museum.
Saying Goodbye . . . For Now
I am sad to say that this will be my last issue as editor of Astrolabe. Since I took on the responsibility, we
have shared many stories, including a series on the TCI during the World Wars, various adventures and
archaeological and filming projects, efforts to preserve TCI heritage and more. My experiences in the
Turks & Caicos have been life-changing and I will cherish all of my memories and relationships forged.
While I am saying goodbye as editor, you will still be able to follow some of my research and adventures.
I will continue to contribute articles to Astrolabe and I have joined the team of Bill Keegan and
Betsy Carlson in reviving “Talking Taino”. Thank you to all the contributors who submitted articles over
the last several years. I hope our readers and supporters have enjoyed them as much as I have!
In this edition, Marjorie Sadler discusses a plan created by the TCI’s first president (Frederick Forth)
through a historic map of Grand Turk. This story and more are included in the newly revised book, Turks
Islands Landfall, available in the museum gift shop. Lisa Turnbow-Talbot discusses “different” ways to
contribute to the museum. Do you have an artistic, historic or cultural research question or article you
would like to submit to Astrolabe? Contact us at info@tcmuseum.org. a
Dr. Michael P. Pateman, Ph.D., former Director, Turks & Caicos National Museum
Times of the Islands Summer 2021 65
astrolabe newsletter of the Turks & Caicos National Museum
NATIONAL ARCHIVES OF THE UK, C0 700/TURKS ISLANDS S3/3
This is the map of Grand Turk presented by President Forth to the Governor of Jamaica in 1849 to supplement his proposal to develop North
Creek as a “Harbour of Refuge.”
If Maps Could Talk . . .
Visualizing the Grand Turk of yesteryear.
Story and Images Courtesy Marjorie Sadler
In the final pages of H.E. Sadler’s book, Turks Islands Landfall, the author (my father) gives some history
of North Creek in Grand Turk which President Forth (served 1848–1854) believed was a huge asset to
the island simply awaiting development. Forth was the Turks & Caicos Islands’ first President under the
newly organized and quasi-self-governing Presidency following the Islands’ separation from the Bahamas
in 1848. While Forth proved quite unpopular with the local bureaucracy because of his autocratic manner,
he did have some innovative ideas to profit the Islands, although some were quite contentious at the time.
66 www.timespub.tc
astrolabe newsletter of the Turks & Caicos National Museum
Foremost of these was his proposal to develop the
North Creek as a “Harbour of Refuge” to provide shelter
for small craft of the Islands, but also a safe harbour
for larger trading vessels, particularly salt cargoes. North
Creek is a large, beautiful and calm expanse of water
whose narrow entrance to the ocean was often blocked
by past storms.
Forth presented his ideas to the Governor of Jamaica,
Sir Charles Grey in November 1849, along with a Plan of
the Island, drawn up by Major E.C. Soden of the 2nd West
Indies Regiment, who had conducted a survey of Grand
Turk with particular reference to the site of the new lighthouse.
There was also a survey of the island’s reefs and
soundings taken by Captain Owen of the Royal Navy.
The Harbour of Refuge envisioned by the president
called for:
“A Civil Engineer of moderate ability . . . by a succession
of ‘Blasts’ properly directed and the subsequent
use of a diving bell, could in less than eighteen months .
. . with the assistance of 600 convicts 1 properly officered
lower the reef in front of the entrance into the Harbour
to a depth equal to the admission of the largest vessels
. . . Within the same period a sufficient channel could be
opened into the harbour . . .”
The resultant plan/map illustrating this project and
the rest of Grand Turk was found in the UK National
Archives and is shown here—first in its entirety, then in
four sections for easier viewing.
It is really a remarkable depiction of the island showing
in exquisite detail its elemental features. Forth’s
proposed harbour appears in the map section on the next
page. It illustrates that, once having opened up the channel,
a proper wharf could be constructed at the southern
end of the creek, and from that point a railway would link
it to the center of town across from the large Town Salina,
to its terminus at about where the old jail stood (Church
Folly and Lighthouse Road). Presumably, its proximity to
the largest salinas would facilitate the loading of salt cargoes
for outbound vessels from the new harbour.
It sounded like a grand, if ambitious project. Sadler
writes that “the Hydrographer of the Navy advised the
Crown against the proposed Harbour of Refuge as an
expensive and impractical scheme which ‘could not for
a moment be entertained.’” The plan was subsequently
rejected by the Colonial Office.
Ultimately, President Forth didn’t realize this dream.
But was it really so far-fetched? Traditionally, the loading
of salt onto vessels took place in the town’s open road-
1
Forth’s proposal to use convicts for this and other development schemes was due to the lack of sufficient labour in Grand Turk to carry out large
projects, but the controversial plan incurred the anger of many establishment figures and the general population who refused to countenance the
idea of imported criminals living amongst them.
MARINAS.COM
This aerial view shows North Creek’s large expanse of calm water, along with its narrow entrance to the ocean.
Times of the Islands Summer 2021 67
astrolabe newsletter of the Turks & Caicos National Museum
stead 2 , a circumstance not
without danger to vessels
in stormy weather. It was
extremely labour intensive
in offloading cargo
and loading salt, requiring
the use of multiple
small lighters and at times
taking several days to
complete a load. Against
this, Forth’s harbour and
rail line seems like it could
have saved an immense
amount of time, labour
and expense. Forth’s successor,
President Inglis,
also saw the wisdom of the
Harbour of Refuge and ten
years later in 1859, was
pushing a proposal from
an American investor:
“This project . . . is
proposed to be effected
by means of a ship canal,
entering into the creek to
be combined with marine
and other railways, for the
repairs of shipping and
conveyance of salt, would
prove the means of rendering
the Turks Islands,
from the central position
they occupy as regards the
West Indies . . . An important
commercial depot and
coaling station for steamers.
. . . Where a fleet could lie moored as in a dock,
which it is, of nature’s handiwork—containing sufficient
water for any class of merchant vessels and most men of
war . . .”
This section of the map shows the projected lighthouse and its location, the proposed channel into North
Creek and a wharf at the southern end of the creek. The inset depicts several of the shipwrecks found on
the Northeast Reef.
The project favoured by Inglis did not come to fruition
due to the American Civil War and the investor’s
inability to secure financing. But it had the potential of
making Grand Turk a hub for West Indies shipping and
who knows, may even have recaptured its status as the
Caribbean coaling station for steamers which was lost
to the island of St. Thomas after the fateful wreck of the
RM Medina in 1842. North Creek languished thereafter
until the 1980s when another project for its development
as a yachting haven for Caribbean cruising vessels was
begun but terminated after a few years due to differences
between the developers and the local government. The
corroding remains of that project’s machinery and elaborate
equipment remain part of the landscape at North
Creek even to this day.
NATIONAL ARCHIVES OF THE UK, C0 700/TURKS ISLANDS S3/3
2
The perils encountered by several vessels in the Roadstead are described in the book’s “Open Roadstead” section.
68 www.timespub.tc
astrolabe newsletter of the Turks & Caicos National Museum
Returning to President Forth and this remarkable
map—his other important objective in completing this
survey was to finally secure British approval and funding
for a modern, functional lighthouse for the northeast end
of Grand Turk. It’s no secret that many ships met their
demise on the island’s treacherous Northeast Reef, due
largely to the inefficiency of the antiquated lighthouse
then, described by Forth as “a miserable weather boarded
structure—30' high.” 3 He was quick to blame the disastrous
loss of the important mail steamer, RM Medina,
on the lack of a proper lighthouse. (Many of these shipwrecks
on the Northeast Reef are documented in the
Turks Islands Landfall chapter on shipwrecks.)
Happily, the president achieved that objective and
Sadler states that:
“President Forth must be given credit for securing the
erection of the first modern lighthouse at Grand Turk in
the year 1852 . . . This action saved the salt trade since,
because of the perils of navigation, vessels had been
refusing to call for salt cargoes.”
Detail in the map on the opposite page shows the
artist’s rendition of the proposed lighthouse, in the location
where it stands today. Just northeast of the proposed
structure is shown the location of several shipwrecks
which had been found by the Royal Navy’s Captain Owen
and his crew while surveying the reefs; these were some
of the most noteworthy wrecks in 1849 and earlier.
Looking closely, or using a magnifier, one can see: the RM
Medina (1842), Sturdy Oak (1849), Susan Currier (1849),
Columbus (1847), Schooner Banner (1849), General
Coffin (1842) and others un-named or indecipherable.
Owen would naturally have found only a smattering of the
wrecks which had transpired on that reef—those whose
remains were still visible at the time of the survey. But
these findings and local knowledge of many others were
sufficient to bolster President Forth’s case that the time
had come for a modern lighthouse.
What of the other areas on the island depicted in
Forth’s Plan? See the smart grid layout of Cockburn
Town on the following page. There one can see Queen
Square (as it was then called) running from Pond Street
to the Front Street Waterfront, with a building marked
—the original jail, which was destroyed in the 1866
hurricane, but rebuilt later in more or less the same location.
The Victoria Public Library was later to be placed
The Grand Turk Lighthouse of today is quite different from the “old
lantern mounted on a pole” described by President Forth.
at this Square in 1889, so is not shown on the plan. The
Customs House on the waterfront is noted, so is the town
wharf, the streets and buildings in the north, south and
east suburbs, the saltwater canals feeding the salina reservoirs
(which are all still there today) and the vast areas
of salt ponds.
You can see the large Town Salina, in the center of
which is the little island called the old Burial Ground,
where paupers, sick and the contagious were buried.
Crossing Church Folly led to St. Thomas’ Church, built
of Bermuda stone in 1822, the island’s oldest church,
still standing and in use; next is the Mathew Tank, built
around 1845–6 and named after Governor Mathew
of the Bahamas, who visited the Islands prior to their
divorce from the Bahamas and eventually sympathized
with the Islanders’ pleas for the political separation.
The tank remains the largest water catchment on the
island. Depicted also are the Baptist Church, the original
Methodist Chapel on Red Salina, and the Parade Ground
—all of which remain exactly where they are today.
SHUTTERSTOCK.COM
3
This was lit by 12 ordinary tallow candles without any reflectors. Before this structure there had only been an old lantern mounted on a pole.
Times of the Islands Summer 2021 69
astrolabe newsletter of the Turks & Caicos National Museum
Looking up towards the
southeastern side of Grand
Turk sits South Creek and at
its mouth Columbus Island—
directly facing Gibb’s Cay.
(See map at top of opposite
page.) At left is the high
ground at Matherson’s Point.
It was here, Sadler writes,
where Columbus approached
in his longboat after anchoring
the fleet in the nearby
sheltered harbour of Hawkes’
Nest. Little Columbus Island,
Gibb’s Cay, Matherson’s
Point and land beyond on
that high ridge overlooking
the eastern shore were part
of George Gibbs’ landholdings.
Gibbs was an important
figure in the island’s legislature.
He was also a noted
historian, and vocal proponent
of Columbus’s landfall
at Grand Turk.
This map pinpoints the
Gun Hill fortification built in
1791, when there was tension
over a feared French
invasion from Hispaniola.
Notice also the old plantation
near the Hawk’s Nest
Salina. The bottom map
on the opposite page (SW
Detail) shows the Hawes
Salina; also, the plantation of
James Misick and his house
“Waterloo” built around 1815
to commemorate the famous
battle. The property was later
acquired by the government
as the official residence for
the president and sits facing
the famous anchorage of
“Riding Ground,” location of
Governor’s Beach.
Above: This section of the map shows the southern half of Grand Turk, with inset details of the Town
Center and other notable landmarks of Cockburn Town.
Below: Built around 1845–6, Mathew Tank remains the largest water catchment on Grand Turk.
NATIONAL ARCHIVES OF THE UK, C0 700/TURKS ISLANDS S3/3
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astrolabe newsletter of the Turks & Caicos National Museum
Many more historic
landmarks and areas are
depicted here for those
who have the eyes and
patience to peruse. It’s a
marvelous work of art, of
utmost historic interest,
but more vitally, a unique
pictorial record of Grand
Turk as it was nearly
200 years ago. The modern-day
similarities are
fascinating. a
As a postcript, I am
indebted to the late Terry
Richardson, a friend
from Grand Turk and
Providenciales, retired
surveyor and avid follower
of Turks Islands
history, who discovered
this invaluable relic in
the UK National Archives
years ago, and kindly
brought it to my attention
while I was editing this latest
edition of my father’s
book. The UK National
Archives have granted
permission for its publication
in the book Turks
Islands Landfall.
Above: Side B, SE Detail shows South Creek, the little island at its mouth (Columbus Island), and Gibbs Cay,
with Matherson’s Point on the left peninsula and Gun Hill on the right with its fortifications. See, too, St.
Thomas’s Church and Mathew Tank off to the left.
Bottom: Side B, SW Detail shows the Riding Ground anchorage, across from Waterloo, which was later
acquired as the official Presidential Residence.
NATIONAL ARCHIVES OF THE UK, C0 700/TURKS ISLANDS S3/3
This beautiful sunset took place near the mouth of North Creek in Grand Turk.
JAMES ROY—PARADISE PHOTOGRAPHY
Times of the Islands Summer 2021 71
astrolabe newsletter of the Turks & Caicos National Museum
This collage is just a small sampling of the photos donated to the Turks & Caicos National Museum by Barbara Currie Dailey. They represent
festivals, events and the general lifestyle on Grand Turk, South Caicos and Salt Cay during the late 1970s.
What’s Hiding in
Your Closet?
Donations are the lifeblood of the National Museum.
Story & Photo Collages By Lisa Turnbow-Talbot
Everyone knows that non-profit organizations rely on monetary donations, but for the Turks & Caicos
National Museum that is not the only donation that matters. Gifts-in-kind of photographs, videotapes,
books, pamphlets, manuscripts, maps, historical objects, business records, organization records, government
records and oral histories are all important in documenting history and culture through the years.
72 www.timespub.tc
astrolabe newsletter of the Turks & Caicos National Museum
This collage is a sampling of images donated by Moira and Alan Bishop, who spent time on Grand Turk, South Caicos and Salt Cay during the
1960s and 1970s.
Photographs are perhaps the most common and
currently, the easiest way of documenting history. While
photos of prominent places and famous people are commonplace,
it is often those photos of everyday people in
their element that truly capture our cultural history. The
lifestyles of people working, socializing, celebrating and
spending time with their families are all part of a country’s
culture.
When you look at a photo, it brings that particular
time in history to life. Wall carvings and paintings
throughout the world are the photographs of their time.
A great deal of what we know about many ancient cultures
is derived from those etchings.
What’s hiding in your closet that may be of historical
value? Many of us may remember sorting through boxes
of photographs left by family members after they passed
or when cleaning out closets. Photos are now more likely
to be stored on a phone or online, but you may still find
older items stashed away in Grandma’s shoe box.
The culture and how people lived even between the
Islands in the Turks & Caicos varied widely. This article
focuses on photos from some of our collections and the
people who donated them. As there are too many to list
them all, this is just a small sample of those who have
contributed to recording the history of the Turks & Caicos
in photographs.
Barbara Currie Dailey donated a large collection
(over 1,000 photographs) taken in the late 1970s. Her
photos represent festivals, events and the general lifestyle
on Grand Turk, South Caicos and Providenciales. It
was difficult to choose which of her photos to highlight
as there are so many valuable images.
Moira and Alan Bishop spent time on Grand Turk,
South Caicos and Salt Cay during the 1960s and 1970s.
In addition to over 300 photos, they also donated a collection
of postcards.
We often have military persons who were based on
Grand Turk or South Caicos in the past return for visits
and donate various items from their time spent on
the island. One of our largest collections of photographs
was donated by Ted Philippona. He was stationed
on Grand Turk from 1954 to 1968. His collection contains
over 600 photos and several videos of Grand Turk,
Salt Cay and South Caicos. He captures “true life” from
the mid-1950s to the late 1960s—the faces of children
playing and people working and living everyday life. His
collection provided us with some of the only photographs
from John Glenn’s landing in 1964 and the Mercury
Friendship 7 being loaded from the dock and taken to
the airport on Grand Turk.
Times of the Islands Summer 2021 73
astrolabe newsletter of the Turks & Caicos National Museum
Ted Philippona was stationed on Grand Turk from 1954 to 1968. This collage is a sampling of his “true life” images.
Art St. John served as the commanding officer of
“Waldo II,” the temporary US Coast Guard LORAN station
set up in the old Navy Base at the north end of Grand
Turk. He lived in Guinep House, which is now the Turks &
Caicos National Museum. He donated 150 digital copies
of photos he took from 1957 to 1958.
There are many others who have provided us with
photos over the years, including Peter Bleackley, Charles
Bliley, Bengt Soderqvist, JR McCollum and Kim Ludington.
We encourage you to look through your own photos
taken in past visits to the Islands and share them with
the museum. Yet photographs are not the only items that
have been donated over the years. In our archives we
have pottery sherds, Lucayan stones and beads, newsletters
from the Navy bases, legislative records, church
records, postcards, paintings and more.
What special item from history do you have stored
away in a drawer or storage container? The museum has
interest in photos and objects that reflect any part or era
of our history. It does not matter if you have one or 1,000
items of interest—sometimes that one photo can reflect
an immeasurable part of history.
74 www.timespub.tc
astrolabe newsletter of the Turks & Caicos National Museum
Top: This Art St. John collage reflects the time he served as commanding officer of the US Coast Guard station on Grand Turk from 1957 to
1958. Bottom: This collage is a sampling of the photos from the many others—including Peter Bleackley, Charles Bliley, Bengt Soderqvist, JR
McCollum and Kim Ludington—who have provided photos to the museum over the years.
We are a small museum and we make it fairly simple
to donate. The biggest challenge is usually getting the
items here if they are not already in the Islands. This is
another advantage of photographs, as they can easily be
scanned or downloaded and submitted to us digitally.
There are a few things to know regarding your
donations:
• Not all items are included in an exhibit or put on display.
Items that are not on display are kept in our secure
and climate-controlled archives located in the Science
Building on Grand Turk. If not used right away, your
donation could be used in future exhibits, publication
articles, educational materials or by researchers.
• We are not able to appraise items.
• Once the donation is made, the items become the
property of the museum. You will receive a Deed of Gift
that legally transfers the ownership to the museum.
• If you request recognition, we can acknowledge you for
the donation if used in any way.
(CONTINUED ON BOTTOM OF NEXT PAGE)
Times of the Islands Summer 2021 75
astrolabe newsletter of the Turks & Caicos National Museum
Museum Matters
New opening hours
The Grand Turk Museum is now open every Tuesday
and Thursday from 10 AM to 3 PM. No appointment is
necessary for these days. Special arrangements can be
requested for large groups and we will try to accommodate
any request.
The Providenciales Museum reopened on May 1,
2021 after being closed in March 2020 to comply with
the COVID-19 shutdown. Thanks to the assistance of
several volunteers, we are able to be open from 10
AM to 2 PM on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and
Saturday. We were pleased to have HE Governor Nigel
Dakin and his wife attend the reopening, along with
several other hotel representatives and guests. We look
forward to continuing to improve and expand here.
Everyone is encouraged to visit the National Museum
at either location and learn about the history and culture
of the Turks & Caicos Islands. a
New items in the gift shop
The gift shop at both museum locations is proud to
offer the new edition of Turks Islands Landfall. This
new and expanded second edition preserves all of the
author’s original work published in the 1997 edition,
but contains much new research and material. Marjorie
Sadler, daughter of author H.E. Sadler, has released this
updated 434-page hardcover book with color and black
and white photographs and illustrations.
We’re also selling copies of Historic South Caicos.
This is a strikingly illustrated book with full-length,
full-color historical overviews,
anecdotes, illustrations and
archival photographs of the
island and its stunning surroundings.
The 430-page
hardcover is authored by Dr.
Christian J. Buys.
Other books we carry about
the history of the Turks &
Caicos Islands include Stories
from Around the Islands by
Candy Herwin; Coming in for
a Landing by Embry Rucker; and Looking Back in Salt
Cay by Patronella A. Been.
For children we can’t forget the lovable story, Where
is Simon, Sandy?. Written by author Donna Seim, this
book tells a folktale that had been passed down by word
of mouth for generations. It was recently released in a
Spanish version. All proceeds from the sale of this book
go to the Turks & Caicos National Museum Children’s
Club. This story, as well as Donna’s other books including
Hurricane Mia and Satchi and Little Star, bring to
life the charm of the Islands and their people.
These books make great gifts, coffee table books,
and additions to vacation rental villas and condominiums,
providing enjoyable reading that increases
knowledge of the Turks & Caicos Islands. a
Story & Photos By Lisa Turnbow-Talbot
(CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS PAGE)
• The more information you can provide about
the item helps us to evaluate how we can use and
document it. Information such as “who, what, when
and where” are essential for the educational and
research value of your donation.
If you have items that you wish to donate,
please email us at info@tcmuseum.org. a
All photos in this article are the property of the
Turks & Caicos National Museum and any duplication
or reproduction without the expressed written
permission of the Turks & Caicos National Museum
is prohibited.
76 www.timespub.tc
about the Islands
Map provided courtesy Wavey Line Publishing. Their navigation charts and decorative and historic maps of the Turks & Caicos Islands, The
Bahamas, and Hispaniola are available in shops throughout the Islands. Visit www.amnautical.com.
Where we are
The Turks & Caicos Islands lie some 575 miles southeast
of Miami — approximately 1 1/2 hours flying time —
with The Bahamas about 30 miles to the northwest and
the Dominican Republic some 100 miles to the southeast.
The country consists of two island groups separated
by the 22-mile wide Columbus Passage. To the west are
the Caicos Islands: West Caicos, Providenciales, North
Caicos, Middle Caicos, East Caicos, and South Caicos. To
the east are the Turks Islands: Grand Turk and Salt Cay.
The Turks & Caicos total 166 square miles of land
area on eight islands and 40 small cays. The country’s
population is approximately 43,000.
Getting here
There are international airports on Grand Turk,
Providenciales, and South Caicos, with domestic airports
on all of the islands except East Caicos.
The TCI is requiring a negative COVID-19 PCR
test result from a test taken within five days of travel.
(Children under the age of 10 are not required to be
tested.) Additionally, travellers must have medical/travel
insurance that covers medevac, a completed health
screening questionnaire, and certification that they have
read and agreed to the privacy policy document. These
requirements must be completed and uploaded to the
TCI Assured portal, which is available on the TCI Tourist
Board website (www.turksandcaicostourism.com), in
advance of their arrival.
Times of the Islands Summer 2021 77
The TCI has expanded COVID-19 testing capacity in
response to testing requirements implemented for travellers
entering the United States and Canada. Many resorts
offer on-site testing, along with numerous local health
practitioners.
Language
English.
Time zone
Eastern Standard Time (EST)/Daylight Savings Time
observed.
Currency
The United States dollar. The Treasury also issues a Turks
& Caicos crown and quarter. Travellers cheques in U.S.
dollars are widely accepted and other currency can be
changed at local banks. American Express, VISA, and
MasterCard are welcomed at many locations.
Climate
The average year-round temperature is 83ºF (28ºC). The
hottest months are September and October, when the
temperature can reach 90 to 95ºF (33 to 35ºC). However,
the consistent easterly trade winds temper the heat and
keep life comfortable.
Casual resort and leisure wear is accepted attire for
daytime; light sweaters or jackets may be necessary on
some breezy evenings. It’s wise to wear protective clothing
and a sunhat and use waterproof sunscreen when out
in the tropical sun.
Entry requirements
Passport. A valid onward or return ticket is also required.
Customs formalities
Visitors may bring in duty free for their own use one carton
of cigarettes or cigars, one bottle of liquor or wine,
and some perfume. The importation of all firearms including
those charged with compressed air without prior
approval in writing from the Commissioner of Police is
strictly forbidden. Spear guns, Hawaiian slings, controlled
drugs and pornography are also illegal.
Returning residents may bring in $400 worth of
merchandise per person duty free. A duty of 10% to
60% is charged on most imported goods along with a
7% customs processing fee and forms a major source of
government revenue.
Transportation
A valid driver’s license from home is suitable when renting
vehicles. A government tax of 12% is levied on all
rental contracts. (Insurance is extra.) Driving is on the
left-hand side of the road, with traffic flow controlled by
round-abouts at major junctions. Please don’t drink and
drive! Taxis and community cabs are abundant throughout
the Islands and many resorts offer shuttle service
between popular visitor areas. Scooter, motorcycle, and
bicycle rentals are also available.
Telecommunications
FLOW Ltd. provides land lines and superfast broadband
Internet service. Mobile service is on a LTE 4G network,
including pre- and post-paid cellular phones. Most resorts
78 www.timespub.tc
and some stores and restaurants offer wireless Internet
connection. Digicel operates mobile networks, with
a full suite of LTE 4G service. FLOW is the local carrier
for CDMA roaming on US networks such as Verizon and
Sprint. North American visitors with GSM cellular handsets
and wireless accounts with AT&T or Cingular can
arrange international roaming.
Electricity
FortisTCI supplies electricity at a frequency of 60HZ,
and either single phase or three phase at one of three
standard voltages for residential or commercial service.
FortisTCI continues to invest in a robust and resilient grid
to ensure the highest level of reliability to customers. The
company is integrating renewable energy into its grid and
provides options for customers to participate in two solar
energy programs.
Departure tax
US $60. It is typically included in your airline ticket cost.
Courier service
Delivery service is provided by FedEx, with offices on
Providenciales and Grand Turk, and DHL. UPS service is
limited to incoming delivery.
Postal service
The Post Office and Philatelic Bureau in Providenciales is
located downtown on Airport Road. In Grand Turk, the
Post Office and Philatelic Bureau are on Church Folly. The
Islands are known for their colorful stamp issues.
Media
Multi-channel satellite television is received from the U.S.
and Canada and transmitted via cable or over the air.
Local station WIV-TV broadcasts on Channel 4 and Island
EyeTV on Channel 5. People’s Television offers 75 digitally
transmitted television stations, along with local news
and talk shows on Channel 8. There are also a number of
local radio stations, magazines, and newspapers.
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
Food for Thought provides free daily
breakfast to government school students.
A donation of $300 will provide breakfast
to one child for a whole school year.
To donate or learn more please
email info@foodforthoughttci.com
or visit foodforthoughttci.com
Food for Thought Foundation Inc. (NP #102)
Times of the Islands Summer 2021 79
the country, and there is a recompression chamber, along
with a number of private pharmacies.
Immigration
A resident’s permit is required to live in the Islands. A
work permit and business license are also required to
work and/or establish a business. These are generally
granted to those offering skills, experience, and qualifications
not widely available on the Islands. Priority is given
to enterprises that will provide employment and training
for T&C Islanders.
Government/Legal system
TCI is a British Crown colony. There is a Queen-appointed
Governor, HE Nigel John Dakin. He presides over an executive
council formed by the elected local government.
Hon. Charles Washington Misick is the country’s new premier,
leading a majority Progressive National Party (PNP)
House of Assembly.
The legal system is based upon English Common
Law and administered by a resident Chief Justice, Chief
Magistrate, and Deputy Magistrates. Judges of the Court
of Appeal visit the Islands twice a year and there is a final
Right of Appeal to Her Majesty’s Privy Council in London.
Taxes
There are currently no direct taxes on either income
or capital for individuals or companies. There are no
exchange controls. Indirect taxation comprises customs
duties and fees, stamp duty, taxes on accommodations,
restaurants, vehicle rentals, other services and gasoline,
as well as business license fees and departure taxes.
Economy
Historically, TCI’s economy relied on the export of salt.
Currently, tourism, the offshore finance industry, and
fishing generate the most private sector income. The
Islands’ main exports are lobster and conch. Practically
all consumer goods and foodstuffs are imported.
The Turks & Caicos Islands are recognised as an
important offshore financial centre, offering services
such as company formation, offshore insurance, banking,
trusts, limited partnerships, and limited life companies.
The Financial Services Commission regulates the industry
and spearheads the development of offshore legislation.
People
Citizens of the Turks & Caicos Islands are termed
“Belongers” and are primarily descendants of African
slaves who were brought to the Islands to work in the
salt ponds and cotton plantations. The country’s large
expatriate population includes Canadians, Americans,
Brits and Europeans, along with Haitians, Jamaicans,
Dominicans, Bahamians, Indians, and Filipinos.
Churches
Churches are the center of community life and there
are many faiths represented in the Islands including:
Adventist, Anglican, Assembly of God, Baha’i, Baptist,
Catholic, Church of God, Episcopal, Jehovah’s Witnesses,
Methodist and Pentecostal. Visitors are always welcome.
Pets
Incoming pets must have an import permit, veterinary
health certificate, vaccination certificate, and lab test
results to be submitted at the port of entry to obtain
clearance from the TCI Department of Agriculture, Animal
Health Services.
National symbols
The National Bird is the Brown pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis).
The National Plant is Island heather (Limonium
bahamense) found nowhere else in the world. The
National Tree is the Caribbean pine (Pinus caribaea var.
bahamensis). The National Costume consists of white cotton
dresses tied at the waist for women and simple shirts
and loose pants for men, with straw hats. Colors representing
the various islands are displayed on the sleeves
and bases. The National Song is “This Land of Ours” by
the late Rev. E.C. Howell, PhD. Peas and Hominy (Grits)
with Dry Conch is revered as symbolic island fare.
Going green
TCI Waste Disposal Services currently offers recycling
services through weekly collection of recyclable aluminum,
glass, and plastic. Single-use plastic bags have been
banned country-wide as of May 1, 2019.
Recreation
Sporting activities are centered around the water. Visitors
can choose from deep-sea, reef, or bonefishing, sailing,
glass-bottom boat and semi-sub excursions, windsurfing,
waterskiing, parasailing, sea kayaking, snorkelling, scuba
diving, kiteboarding, stand up paddleboarding, and
beachcombing. Pristine reefs, abundant marine life, and
excellent visibility make TCI a world-class diving destination.
Tennis and golf—there is an 18 hole championship
course on Providenciales—are also popular.
80 www.timespub.tc
The Islands are an ecotourist’s paradise. Visitors can
enjoy unspoilt wilderness and native flora and fauna in 33
national parks, nature reserves, sanctuaries, and areas of
historical interest. The National Trust provides trail guides
to several hiking trails, as well as guided tours of major
historical sites. There is an excellent national museum on
Grand Turk, with an auxillary branch on Providenciales. A
scheduled ferry and a selection of tour operators make it
easy to take day trips to the outer islands.
Other land-based activities include bicycling, horseback
riding and football (soccer). Personal trainers are
available to motivate you, working out of several fitness
centres. You will also find a variety of spa and body treatment
services.
Nightlife includes local bands playing island music
at bars and restaurants and some nightclubs. There is
a casino on Providenciales, along with many electronic
gaming parlours. Stargazing is extraordinary!
Shoppers will find Caribbean paintings, T-shirts,
sports and beachwear, and locally made handicrafts,
including straw work and conch crafts. Duty free outlets
sell liquor, jewellery, watches, perfume, leather goods,
crystal, china, cameras, electronics, brand-name clothing
and accessories, along with Cuban cigars. a
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WE ARE LEADING THE CHANGE
FOR A NEW ENERGY FUTURE
Our executive team: (L-r) Senior Vice President of Operations Devon Cox; Vice President of Corporate
Services and CFO Aisha Laporte; President and CEO Ruth Forbes; Vice President of Grand Turk and
Sister Island Operations Allan Robinson; Vice President of Innovation, Technology and Strategic Planning
Rachell Roullet and Vice President of Engineering and Energy Production and Delivery Don Forsyth
The energy landscape is changing.
And at FortisTCI, we are leading the transition to cleaner energy with
innovative solutions, and the highest level of service to customers.
With sustainability as a guiding principle, we are strategically investing
in new technologies, people and processes to deliver least-cost, reliable,
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economy moving forward.
At FortisTCI, we are powered by a team of energy experts, who are proud
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