We left Provodenciales (or Provo), the main Caicos island, to explore some of the lesser known bays and bights in the island chain. We bypassed West, North, Middle, and East Caicos to reach our first stop: South Caicos. This isle is home to Cockburn Harbor, a dry, rocky outpost. We tucked into a shallow anchorage in the bay, in the lee of the prevailing ocean easterlies. Limestone cliffs provided protection from the ocean swells and a habitat for sea birds.
A group of white birds with long, graceful, swallow-like tails serenaded us with their chirping as we breakfasted in the saloon the next morning. The birds appeared to have pale green underbellies, the result of the sun reflecting off the aqua waters of the bay and onto their tummies. Pretty! We launched the Love Me Tender and prepared for a day in town. From our anchorage we can see a colorful array of small buildings along the shoreline, ripe for exploration.
So we set out in the LMT across the reef studded bay to find adventure. We are almost immediately approached and circled by a local boat with two occupants. Their vessel is peeling, painted wood, with an open cockpit, and a pretty heavy-duty engine. They come alongside to welcome us and introduce themselves. Captain Spice greets us from the helm of the 'Black Pearl' and introduces his mate in the bow. They offer us lobster, conch or fish! Our choice, and they will go catch it right now for our dining pleasure. We think this guy has a lot of potential. He has the personality, the marketing skills and the snappy patter. All he lacks are buyers. There is only one other pleasure boat in the harbor. We agree to purchase two small lobsters and head on into town.
The Sea View Marina is touted in all the guide books and charts as 'the' place on South Caicos. You can tie up for free! So, right now, empty your mind of any previously held visuals that the word "marina" evokes. Okay? Blank slate? There are no docks in this marina. It is a rectangular concrete pond in which local fishing boats tie up to PVC posts embedded in the four foot high wall to off load their catches of lobster and conch. There are an unfortunate number of boats that are no longer seaworthy and probably haven't been for many years. Their lines float lifelessly in the still water, accumulating algae and barnacles. There is a distinct fishy smell, of course, and sadly, quite a lot of floating trash despite signage to "stow it." We tie up, scramble up the wall and set out for a walk about town.
First stop is small mom and pop variety store where we score a set of dominos for a whopping $15. They are, naturally, made in China and come in their very own nifty blue vinyl carrying case. Next we amble up a small hill to catch an ocean view and are rewarded with a lovely, old fashioned Anglican church. The church was built in 1795 and is still active. The rector came by while we were admiring the altar and briefed us on the history. A retired Canadian priest, he and his wife spend the winters in this tiny, remote outpost. He told us that the people here have gentle souls and are quite religious, if not much in the way of regular attendees. A Sunday congregation of 40 (half of them children) makes him a happy man. In parting, he blessed us, our boat and our travels. Thank you, Father Otterley. And peace be with you.
We continued on through the narrow streets, marveling at the breadth of devastation that past hurricanes have left behind. Many, many houses were simply left open to the elements, weathered and vacant and sad. Scruffy, underfed dogs prowled the streets quietly or lazed in shadowy corners. People were friendly, but it was evident from the lack of pleasure boats in the large harbor that they see very few outsiders, and therefore, very few dollars. Once it may have been different. There is a large, deserted hotel on the ocean side of the island that was abandoned by its Norwegian developers in the 1980's.
We decided that lunch at the dockside restaurant looked a little dicey, so we climbed back into the LMT and set out for the comfort of Let's Dance. As we were leaving the "marina" our friends aboard the 'Black Pearl' came alongside with our dinner in hand. Bill couldn't resist a quick photo op with the lucky winners.
So, another evening of Bahamian-style gin, another home-cooked dinner -- lobster! -- another beautiful sunset. Life is so hard!
We're up early the next morning for the 22 mile trip to Grand Turk Island -- another new experience awaits us, but first we must endure Mother Nature's marine roller coaster. Waves splash over the bow as we dip into the troughs then soar up again before plummeting again.....eight to ten foot swells with an 8 second interval -- it could be worse! Upon our safe crossing of the Turks Island Passage, Captain Bill proudly announces, "Thank you for flying Air Let's Dance!"
Let's Dance......Carol and Bill
