The Turks and Caicos Islands

Provodenciales, Caicos

January 22, 2003: We arrive Provos early, and must "heave to" outside the entrance to wait for daylight. We enter Sand Bore Channel through West Reef via a break in the reef just south of a visible wreck. Waiting for "over the shoulder" light means we'll be able to pick our way around the reefs. Sapodilla Bay is a fair anchorage, and we share it with several other boats, Khaliq, Wanda Jeane, Freelance, Tamare, and Legacy among others. We check in with Customs and Immigration and receive a 7-day cruising permit.

Happily for us, Khaliq has found a bakery just up the hill overlooking Sapodilla Bay, an easy jaunt from the dinghy dock. With hot fresh bread and delectable pastries, our only problem is getting to the bakery before all their baked goods are gone to local stores! The baker has somewhat erratic hours, so we take turns making the trek to his hilltop bakery. We have a potluck in a gazebo on shore. The view is lovely from this vantage point and at the top of the hill are the "Shipwreck Rocks", on which have been carved the names of sailors, their ship, or perhaps even a drawing of it, and a date. The date in this photo is May 10, 1767. As this area has quite a few coral reefs, there were a corresponding number of shipwrecks, and, in some cases, it was "providential" to have arrived here safely and not to have been drowned during the wreck, but we wonder how a shipwrecked sailor would have sustained himself on this arid and low-lying island.

In addition to the native "belongers," the Caicos Islands have a large population of British, Canadian and American ex-patriates, and we find well-stocked, albeit expensive, grocery stores. We also find many conveniences, such as a large laundromat and a computer store with Internet access. We do have to take a taxi into town and we end up using "Morris Bus" although some of us have also had luck hitching rides with the locals. Morris is a congenial guide as well, and even joins us for lunch at his cousin's outdoor grill. We partake of pork chops, ribs, fried chicken and curried goat, with peas'n'rice on the side. We also rent a car to explore the island of Provos and keep reminding Adrian (the designated driver) to stay on the LEFT!

All the people on the island have access to reverse-osmosis water; a golf course was built here several years ago, and, as part of the "fee" the developers built an RO plant to serve the island. Unfortunately, there is no place for us to tank up, and the resident "water barge" in Sapodilla Bay has run out of water, which was, in any case, of dubious quality. We don't plan on staying here long, to extend the cruising permit beyond 7 days would cost $50/person and this is really just a stop until we get good weather to cross the Caicos Banks, so we'll be sparing with our water. We do end up waiting out a cold front here, and the wind blows 25 to 30 knots for a day or so. The best diving - the "walls" - are on the fringe of the island and we're not eager to take Canto. For the most part, the down time is spent doing extra school, reading, or playing games, and we have to get creative in draping Paul's bunk so that he takes a nap. He pops out despite our efforts! We also meet David and Jane of "Wavy Line Publishing," whose charts of the Turks and Caicos and Hispaniola we would recommend, and we do a "movie night" on the "water barge" with a group of other cruisers.

January 30, 2003: We check out from Provos yesterday, and set out across the Caicos Banks just as the sun begins its rise. The wind is SE and about 10 knots. The day begins with scattered clouds, so visibility isn't ideal, but things happily improve. We need good light to cross the Banks, since they are scattered with coral heads. So, we keep a lookout and take turns looking for the dark spots, which are easy enough to spot. A sailboat that came through this area three weeks before had reported hitting a coral head, and they draw a little less than we do, so we're a bit anxious. It's a long day, but all is fine, and we anchor near Ambergris Cay. Adrian, Angie, and Luke, along with Bill and Mika off Khaliq snorkel to a nearby patch reef. Kristina has graciously agreed to stay aboard and watch Paul. It's the first time Angie has been in the water since the broken arm, and this reef is beautiful.

The next day, we leave the Caicos Banks and sail, on an ebbing tide, off the banks and into the deep Turks Passage. The wind is southeast and we motorsail hard against wind and current to make a LONG day of only 30 miles to Big Sand Cay, south of the island of Grand Turk. Big Sand will be our jumping off point for Hispaniola. Big Sand is a pleasant enough anchorage in the the prevailing easterly winds, but, at about 5am, the wind goes to the west. With the wind from the west, Big Sand becomes a completely unprotected and exposed lee shore, and all five boats here surge heavily, even burying their bows in the oncoming swells. Khaliq takes their dinghy to shore, and gives Luke and Angie a lift. We have to time our landing so that the waves don't roll us. The island is small and exposed, and we can see our boats hobbyhorsing, and we, and especially Splash, the canine off Khaliq, are glad for the shore leave. We have to time our departure in the dinghy between rollers. It's very exciting. . .

At 2pm, none of us can stand the pitching any longer. We decide to just leave and try to sail slowly so we can make a morning arrival in the Domincan Republic. Leaving Big Sand Cay, we see whales!