Salamat Pagi from Indoensia
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June 4, 2016 Lazy Bones Update: Turks and Caicos Islands and the Bahamas On June 4th, at 8:00 AM, eleven years and almost four months after we began our circumnavigation, we crossed our outbound longitude while underway from Gun Cay in the Bahamas to Ft Lauderdale, Florida. We have now circled the globe having traveled more than 40,000 miles, all at an average of 6 miles per hour. It’s definitely a slow way to see the world, but a very interesting and highly rewarding way. Our last update left off with us setting sail on April 26th from Puerto Real, Puerto Rico, for the 325 mile sail to the Turks and Caicos Islands via the legendary and sometimes treacherous Mona Passage. The “Mona” is a 90 mile wide area between Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic, long known for its strong and shifting currents as the turbulent exchange of waters takes place between the Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea. Contributing to this dangerous area is the Puerto Rican trench, the deepest hole in the Atlantic Ocean. The passage has regular and often impactful seismic activity, and fast forming storm cells. We experienced constant rain squalls our first day out, and a big swell made for a jerky, uncomfortable ride. Three other boats near us decided to turn around and head back that afternoon. We stuck it out with our friends Mark and Jennifer aboard their Nordhavn, Starlet. After about twelve hours, the weather and seas calmed down and the ride was much smoother. We caught a nice mahi-mahi the next day, which restored our faith in fishing. The Turks and Caicos Islands is an archipelago of eight main islands and more than three hundred smaller islets southeast of the Bahamas. They consist primarily of low, flat limestone islands and islets with extensive marshes and salt ponds that are home to over 170 species of birds. The name Turks is derived from the indigenous Turk’s Head red “fez” cactus and the name Caicos is a Lucayan term “cayo hico”, meaning string of islands. You won’t find any mountains, waterfalls, or jungles on these islands, but you will be delighted to find about 230 miles of white sand pristine beaches, crystal-clear warm waters full of marine life, and friendly locals, who refer to themselves as “belongers”, who welcome expats and visitors alike to their beautiful islands. The Turks and Caicos are truly one of the hidden gems of the Caribbean. They are a tropical getaway far removed from the hustle and bustle of modern life. The total resident population of this British overseas territory is under 50,000, with about half of them living on the island of Providenciales, commonly called Provo. This island is home to beautiful Grace Bay Beach, with luxury resorts, shops, and restaurants. The rest of the islands are sparsely populated, very laid-back, and are a paradise for relaxing and getting away from tourism and development. Grand Turk Island, with a population of less than 5,000, is home to sleepy Cockburn Town, the capital of the Turks and Caicos since 1766. Buildings date back to colonial times, and wild donkeys roam the streets at times. North Caicos is the island with the lushest vegetation and was formerly covered with cotton plantations, but is now home to large flocks of pink flamingoes. Middle Caicos is the largest island, with extensive swampland attracting a myriad of wildlife, yet with a population of less than 200. South Caicos is the fishing and scuba diving capital of the islands. East and West Caicos are uninhabited, though we heard rumors that a resort is in the planning stages for West Caicos. We arrived at 9:00 AM on April 28th at Cockburn Harbor on South Caicos Island, the closest place to check in coming from Puerto Rico, along with Mark and Jennifer aboard Starlet. Jeff and Mark went ashore to see customs and to pay the $50 cruising fee for one week. We all went back in around noontime to buy SIM cards and enjoy a lunch of grouper and conch. After lunch we moved Lazy Bones to Long Cay where we anchored in ten feet of absolutely clear water for the night so we could get an early start in the morning across the banks. The banks of the Turks and Caicos are an extensive shallow area, averaging about eight feet deep. They are approximately forty miles long from east to west, and sixty miles long from north to south. The water is crystal clear with a white sand bottom, so it is absolutely amazing, like being in an endless swimming pool. The banks are surrounded by the exceptionally deep water of up to 12,000 feet of the Atlantic Ocean, so you can imagine the dramatic walls that are part of this unique ocean phenomenon. At 9:30 AM we motored west across the banks with Starlet for 36 miles to French Cay. We traveled with as little as two feet of water under our keel, requiring a constant lookout for the occasional dark area that indicated coral, which could possibly need dodging, but we found the depth was fairly consistent, even over the dark spots. It takes some getting used to traveling in such shallow waters, but this is what we would face through most of the Bahamas, too, so it was good practice. We kept watch on the water visually and with the depth sounder, enjoying mile after mile of pristine aqua water all to ourselves. We anchored in fourteen feet of water next to French Cay, a small island on the edge of the banks, designated as a bird sanctuary. Our charts indicated a drop-off of 6,000 feet and then 12,000 feet not far from us. Mark and Jennifer came over for happy hour and to discuss plans. They are avid divers, and Mark is a professional underwater photographer, so they would be off the next morning to take advantage of the incredible marine life along the walls and reefs beyond the banks. The Turks and Caicos provide some of the most spectacular diving on the planet. They have one of the longest coral reefs in the world and some of the most impressive walls of coral in the Caribbean. Divers are rewarded by the abundance of turtles, rays, schools of colorful fish, humpback whales, and the occasional shark for some excitement, which, as you can see from their photo, Jennifer and Mark are keen on sighting and photographing. We headed up on the inside of the banks to Molasses Reef for a lunch stop, then on to Sapodilla Bay on the main island of Provo, where we anchored in eight feet of water. We heard that this bay was a popular place to check into the Turks and Caicos, but there were no other boats, no dock, and no sign of anyone on shore, so we were glad we had checked in at South Caicos. We decided to stay aboard, relax, and enjoy the peace and solitude of this pretty bay. We wanted to explore Provo by car, so we headed six miles east, dodging large coral heads along the way, and anchored outside of South Side Marina in seven feet of water. It was quite windy and choppy due to a large cold front in the Bahamas northwest of us. After lunch we decided to go on into the protection of the tiny marina, where we knew we could leave Lazy Bones safely while we explored the island the next day. The marina staff helped us squeeze in and side-tie to the fuel dock after which we walked up to the “cruiser bar” for happy hour drinks, but it was deserted. We decided it must be a bit late in the season (May 1st) for most boaters in the Turks and Caicos. Enterprise brought us a car the next morning and we drove around Provo, with our first stop at the Caicos Conch Farm, the world’s only conch farm, with over sixty acres of conchs in different stages of development. They raise the conchs, which are basically giant sea snails, from inception, managing each stage of their development. The farm produces three million conchs a year. None of the conchs they raise are sold locally, so that the local fishermen can make a living finding and selling conch. Instead, about 500,000 conchs from the farm are exported to Florida. Others are repopulated into the local waters. Unlike the low survival rate of conch in the wild of only ten percent, the farm has achieved a ninety percent success rate. All phases of the process are done in an eco-friendly environment. The grand finale of the tour was the opportunity to meet and hold Sally and Jerry, the friendly resident conchs who extend themselves almost all of the way out of their shells to take a look at all the tourists. Continuing our tour around the island, we drove along the northern coast where all the big name resorts line beautiful Grace Bay Beach. We stopped at the Regent Village to visit some art galleries and have a nice lunch. We drove on to the Blue Hills, where we visited “Da Conch Shack” on the beach. The cooks wade into the water to get fresh conch and prepare it however you like it--cracked conch (battered and fried), grilled conch, conch salad, conch fritters, conch burgers, conch tacos, conch chowder, etc. It reminded us of the scene in Forrest Gump where he recites all the many ways you can serve shrimp.