Gotta Smile!: Provo To The Dominican Republic

February 4 - 9, 2014

15 - Turtle Cove Marina, Provo 16 - Sapodilla Bay, Provo 17 - South Caicos Cay 18 - Salt Cay, Turks
19 - Grand Turks 20 - Big Sand Cay, Turks

After a great deal of study Brian decided that the conditions were favorable to leave Turtle Cove and begin our trip through the Turks and Caicos. We had been in north central Provo. Our next location was on the south central side. To drive a car from the marina to the Sapodilla Bay anchorage would be a quick five miles. On the water it was forty. South Caicos Island was destination number two. The seas were rough both days with swells ranging from eight to ten foot. Thankfully they were about ten seconds apart. Both nights left the boat rolling and us awake almost every hour as we tossed and turned. Day three we took off for Big Sand Cay. Once again we were in the same conditions. Brian had read that the water would be almost flat next Sunday (two days away). Arriving at tiny Salt Cay, we floated for a while, found that it was protected from the driving winds and we could get wifi! The anchor was dropped. Here we could hang out for a few days before staging at Big Sand on Saturday. Well, hanging out was our intention. Friday morning we called customs to see if we could go onto Salt Cay for a couple of hours. (We had already checked out of the T& C's in Provo.) They said "Absolutely not and you need to come to Grand Turk and check out of the islands again!" It was only six miles back to Grand Turk, one of the cruise ship's favorite stops. We checked in with customs, anchored the boat, dropped the dingy (for the first time ever -- it began swinging wildly -- very scary), and went to shore. It was a little after four and all 3500 passengers were returning to the ship. Since everything on shore closes when the ship leaves, we had to make a quick decision about dinner….Jimmy Buffet's largest Margaritaville. When we returned to the dingy, it was totally on dry land. After a lot of heaving and hoeing, we got her to float and were on our way back to Gotta Smile. The best thing about our visit to Grand Turk was -- there was only one cruise ship there. On Saturday there were three! That means about 10,000 people getting sunburned and drinking as much alcohol as they can swallow. Saturday morning we pulled the anchor and left for Big Sand Cay, again. The weather reports still said Sunday was the day to cross over to the Dominican Republic. We left Sand Cay at 4 AM on Sunday. That was two hours before the sun came up! The water wasn't as flat as predicted. Waves were breaking over our upper deck! We did make it to Porta Plata before dark. Monday morning the customs officials came on board and we were officially in the Dominican Republic.

Leaving the protection of Turtle Cove Marina

One of our best purchases before we left Florida was our Rouge Wave wifi receiver and amplifier. It pulls in wifi signals up to five miles away. Most of them are locked, but frequently we find one that we can 'borrow' for a day or two. Once the Rouge is connected all of our computers, phones and iPads work off of it. Staying in touch with friends and FaceTime with our family has been a huge benefit.

Expensive homes line Sapodilla Bay.

We thought this huge rock would give us a quiet anchorage
at South Caicos. We were so wrong!

Meet Sassy Sam the local sea serpent that was
turned to stone. He guards the S Caicos entrance.

Forty islands and cays spread over 193 square miles make up the Turks and Caicos. Of that forty islands, only eight are inhabited: six in Caicos and two in Turks. The water surrounding the islands plunges to depths of 15,000 feet. On either side of the Turks Islands is a breeding ground for the Atlantic humpback whale. We are hoping to see some as they migrate to New England for the summer.

From 500 to 800 AD the islands were populated by the Taino and Lucayan Indians. When the Spaniards arrived they depleted the population by selling them as slaves in Hispaniola. Loyalists with their cotton plantations were the first settlers. Prior to the Loyalists, African slaves were brought to the islands to produce salt and pirates used the islands as a hangout. In 1841 192 African slaves made it to shore and were freed when the illegal slave ship, Trouvedore, sunk. By that time, the Turks and Caicos had been annexed by Great Britain and slavery was illegal. 90% of today's native (belongers) population are descendants of those slaves.