Providenciales, Turks & Caicos

by Andrea and Ian Treleaven on 22 Mar 2009 Andrea and Ian Treleaven continue with their tales of sailing in the Caribbean in their yacht Finnisterre.

With only a day to spare to rendezvous with Mike and Di Quaife in Grand Turk, we are given permission to leave Luperon in the Dominican Republic. What a lot of bureaucratic nonsense! One would have to think twice about going in there again.

Our sail overnight under full moon is fast and comfortable. We arrive at 5am in darkness as the moon disappears behind a cloud, the autopilot goes down and there's no lighthouse working. Edging

ever so slowly towards the beach we anchor, sleep and wait till daybreak.

Big Sand Cay, the southern most of the Turk group of islands, is uninhabited, with white cliffs, a blown-over lighthouse and stunning clear water to greet us when we wake. From sea depths of over 4000m to this small island in the middle of nowhere, it’s no wonder it has claimed so many mariners.

Pulling in beside us is the Lagoon ‘Why Not’ which we passed during the night. Onboard is Terry Bufton who manages to fix the hydraulics…what a stroke of luck. Terry is an aero nautical engineer who helps deliver

yachts in his retirement.

We have actually deviated off our planned route of sailing west to Cuba and the West Caribbean Countries of Mexico, Belize and Guatemala to visit the Turks and Caicos Islands. They are neither the Bahamas nor the Caribbean but very similar to all the Bahamian Islands (only 40nm away) with low lying sand cays and large areas of shallow reefs.

Previously a British Crown Colony, it appears it is about to come back under British rule due to government corruption. Corruption has been on going for years but the final straw was the disappearance of the five

million pounds received from the British for damage caused by the hurricanes Ike and Hanna September last year. On Grand Turk, corrugated iron lies everywhere and houses remain roofless. The custom office was still in darkness as not all electricity has been restored.

Grand Turk claims to be the landing spot for Columbus on his voyage of discovery in 1492 (but this is also claimed by two other Bahamian Islands just west of here).

John Glenn also set foot back on earth here after his famous space flight in 1962. It is a British possession due to the number of British pirates who based themselves

here whilst operating under Elizabeth 1’s cover to plunder more Spanish galleons.

Although the main population is on Providenciales (Provo), the capital is on Grand Turk where only a few hundred live. The whole group now relies on tourism, as it’s so dry nothing is being produced.

Our friends Mike and Di join us and it’s great to have company to sail these islands with stunning seas. Always a highlight in crossings is reeling in a Dorado and they seem to be getting bigger and bigger the further we go. We seem to always hook them as we approach land as the shelf

rises up from the depths. Apparently the currents push fish into this area making it an ideal feeding ground for the bigger fish. More often than not it is either just after sun rise or just before sunset.

Cockburn Harbour on South Caicos is the safest anchorage in the T&C but the main reason for stopping is the lobster factory. Over the next two days, we are to cross the Caicos Bank in very shallow water. It's mostly sand but there are some bommies (coral heads).

At its widest point this area is 60nm but well charted with various routes to take depending on your draft. We

take the Pearl Highway that allows a draft to 7 feet but since we draw 6.6, it’s pretty scary and could never be negotiated at night.

The clarity and colour as far as the eye can see is amazing; aquamarine sea, blue skies, some white clouds tinged with the sea's reflection. This is the perfect sail and the only thing we have to do is watch for bommies. You can see them in the distance as long as the sun is behind you. Then you just steer around them, even if they only turn out to be the shadow of a cloud.

We decide to anchor midway and enjoy the simple fact that in the middle of the ocean

with no sign of land, you can enjoy this not to be missed experience.

Eight lobster tails on the BBQ (sorry, staple diet here), Moet Champagne, a compulsory swim in the morning and we move on; there is nothing else here. The lobster is the best we have tasted in the Caribbean. It’s small, very sweet and tender.

Provo, the glamour resort island is next but suddenly en route all our electrics go down. Under engine we get into a marina and as fate would have it no electrician can come for a week - but Terry is here and once again comes to our rescue. A simple fuse is all it takes. We

are learning fast!

The north coast of Provo is where all the glamour is and can only be entered in good weather, as you have to pass through a reef. The weather looks good so we sail around into Grace Bay and anchor off Turtle Cove Marina.

These marinas are entered via cut out coral channels and can only be passed at high tide. Returning after a dinner ashore we are approached by a dolphin that puts his nose up on the dinghy as if to say 'hello'.

Instantly I recognize him as JoJo the famous wild dolphin I had been reading about. All he wants to do is swim with you but you can’t touch him as he is known to bite. It is a very large bay he lives in and he is getting old so it’s special if he comes to visit.

Lounging around a resort sounds like a nice change, so we are off to Nikki Beach Bar and Resort for brunch to farewell Mick and Di. The pool and beach are scattered with white squatted cushions and cabanas, turquoise towels to match the sea, a sunken bar, palm trees and a new marina to complete the setting with 200ft private yachts.

We will now prepare for our passage next week to the south side of Cuba.