18-23 February, 2014 – The Turks & Caicos

February 18 – St. Thomas to Providenciales, Turks & Caicos (430 NM)

The morning of our departure for the Turks and Caicos the crew attempted last minute provisioning prior to the shove-off time that Captain SAL had laid out: 12pm, sharp. However,  once the Captain  had completed his routine check-out with the Customs office (which had created quite a frustration all morning), we were not able to leave the harbor until 1pm. Anxious to get going, our crew of five had motored out of St. Thomas Harbor and sailed northwest without looking back. Only 430 nautical miles to go!

So long, St. Thomas!

A few threatening thunderheads chased us out of the USVIs. Kathie layered up in her foul weather gear and rain pants right away!  No clouds were fast enough to catch the mighty HoG and Jeff was at the helm for the first few hours, so we outran those storms. The last glimpse of the islands eventually faded,  and a group of diving gannets followed us for miles as we churned up the water for their fishy prey – it was entertainment at the very least.

It was agreed on by all that Carl and Jeff would take six hour shifts, rotating on and off; Kathie, Emylee and Canaan would be on a schedule of four hours on, eight hours off. This means that the those with more time on their hands were obliged to slave away for the more experienced Skippers (With the utmost enthusiasm, of course.)

Before Captain Carl headed below for his first sleep shift, we fired up the butane stove in the galley and the crew all shared a pan of premade lasagna for dinner….. perhaps not five-star dining, but an effort to bulk up before the next few days of sporadic meals and snacks.

In the middle of the night, two rainstorms decided to pass directly over us and we ( atleast whoever was on watch at the time) were forced to get out our foul weather gear to stay somewhat dry. Fortunately the lightning did not venture near and the night passed without much incident.

February 19 –   Day #2 of the Crossing to Providenciales

We continued our journey sailing north, waving to Puerto Rico and Hispaniola as we passed them in the distance. A full day of sailing equated to a full day of FISHING in these waters. It is always a good indication that larger fish are nearby when baitfish are plentiful, and there was no question about that. We had seen flying fish all of the previous afternoon, and woken up to find them all over the foredeck.  Poor guys had better check their landing gear.

Flying fish? Shirley you can’t be serious…

Lines were dropped in early morning, and lo and behold, the HoG trollers landed a 42” Dorado (mahi mahi) around 330pm. This of course makes perfect sense, as this is the time when school gets out and the fish are all swimming freely!

The entire crew was awake to help reel in the monster mahi – whose color turned from electric blue and gold, to emerald green , and eventually silver as the life faded from its beautiful scales. Once Filet Master Kathie had cleaned the 15+ lbs of meat from the bones, Jeff was quick to act: time for ceviche! He recruited Canaan as his sous chef to help slice cucumbers and avocados, juice a few limes, and chop cilantro before marinating the cuts of filet. An hour later the whole crew was enjoying a small piece of our catch of the day.

Dining fine on the high seas.

February 20 – Crossing Day #3… Over half way!

We were all thankful to have clear (and dry) skies the previous night of watch, and were finally getting into the swing of four or six hour shifts. Whenever on deck, the crew  passed  time by applying  sunscreen, checking the fishing lines, and keeping an eye out for “bogies–” other vessels that may conflict with our route. The AIS (automatic identification system) scans for potential divergences, but not all boats have an AIS signature – especially fishing boats! This being said, the HoG crew must keep a vigilant eye at ALL times.

Besides watching for bogies and tracking our progress in the boat logbook, it was essentially an uneventful day. But we were gaining ground on our destination of Providenciales- there was less than a quarter of the distance left to go, and it consisted of crossing the incredibly shallow Caicos Bank. Due to the uncertainty of this stretch of water, Captain Carl and Jeff discussed the options and concurred that it would be best to do this portion in daylight, rather than attempt on a night with no moon. All in agreement, we intended to drop anchor and rest for the night.

We crossed the Columbus Passage and pulled into Big Sand Cay. There was no moonlight to guide us in so Kathie and Jeff were on the bow using the HoG’s personal mega-beamer flashlight attempting to see any obstacles. They were scanning back and forth, trying to spot other boats or find the shore. And suddenly- Land…?! We had definitely arrived in the anchorage area, but without light to gauge the distance between Heart of Gold and the shore it was extremely difficult to know  how close we really were. A mile? Or was it three boat-lengths?! Uncertain, we dropped anchor in a panic.

As it turned out, there was still 2/10 of a mile between HoG and the shoreline. Though Carl had this on the GPS back at the helm the darkness can be deceiving and the somewhat- hectic anchor drop was a necessary precaution before we closed in on the vague land formation or water became too shallow. The anchor seemed to be secure  enough, but the crew took brief watch shifts to ensure that HoG was holding through the night…. just in case.

Don’t let ‘er drift!

February 21 – Day #4 of the Crossing and arrival in Providenciales – finally!

The crew rose before the sun to find that the shoreline was far more than three boat-lengths away (not quite the close call that was originally estimated) and we were safe.  HoG’s anchor hold had indeed held steady through night, much to the relief of Captain and crew. We are so glad to have that 60m of new chain!

Though the beach seemed far less foreboding now, there was no time to dawdle. We hoisted anchor as the sun rose at 7am and headed onward toward the Caicos Bank.

Often quoted by astronauts as being one of Earth’s most beautiful features, the shallow turquoise sea we had to cross is visible from space. Though it can be a bit disconcerting to sail through 35 NM of water that is 1-2 meters deep –thank you, Swing Keel!–  the crew never once complained about the view.

9 ft to the bottom!

Dark clouds behind us

Just dropping in to say hi!

It was late afternoon as our long voyage came to a close and we approached Southside Marina at Providenciales. The navigation books indicated multiple coral heads en route to the entrance, so Jeff took a position on the bow to steer us clear of any underwater hazards.  While most of the crew worried about the ‘mine field,’ Canaan was below deck on the VHF radio calling to receive docking instructions from the marina…. because Rule #6 on Captain SAL’s HoG: Never enter a harbor blindly! (*For a complete listing of mandates, please refer to the Captain.)

Binoculars – plus all hands on deck – helped to navigate past the buoy markers and into the channel. Once safely inside the harbor we were surprised -and relieved– to see our plentiful welcoming committee.  How many people work here? It seemed that the harbormaster Bob had  literally seen us coming from a mile away, as his local bar is perched atop the marina and overlooked the water – no wonder his instructions to Canaan were so specific!  He had rallied the troops (which comprised of a dozen seasoned boaters) to come down and perhaps catch a dock-line or two. We had a flawless docking – and once everything was secure the crowd dispersed to finish their beers.

Thankfully, our weary Captain was greeted on the dock by the Turks and Caicos Customs & Immigration Officer Though this process took over two hours it was a wonderful alternative than having to seek out a location to do it…. meanwhile, the rest of the HoG crew washed her down- so much salt!

The rest of the evening faded away into a haze of fatigue. Goodnight HoG, sleep well.

February  22 – Day of rest at Southside Marina

The entire HoG crew definitely needed to regain their  energy. The decision was made to spend some time at Providenciales before moving on, so we slept in and had a big breakfast….

…and awoke to the buzzing of flies. Besides being an unacceptable alarm clock, these nuisances soon became a  hindrance to boat going-ons. It wasn’t long before a competition was set forth. Weapons were evenly distributed throughout the cabin, rules were agreed upon (…by some), and a tally sheet was posted. Who among us would be America’s Next Top Swatter?!

The Official Tally Sheet

It had been a few days since we last saw  Miss Piggy – who had been stowed safely on deck for the crossing. We set an appointment to rendezvous with our loyal dinghy before taking care of the other errands, and brought her down to the dock for Carl to inflate while everyone else went off to restock HoG with foodstuffs. After all, we were out of Diet Coke!

Pigging out

Bob and his right-hand man Cam were kind enough to give us a ride in the RAV-4. The return ride was slightly crowded for Em and Canaan with all the grocery bags sharing the trunk space… but not a complaint was uttered! The crew came back with such such wonderful bounty that it was necessary to assemble a hammock to hold it all.

Ok, now what to eat first?

Jeff and Kathie made friends with an interesting group of geologists who were surveying the island and nearby areas – with drones! Apparently, the Turks and Caicos is one of two banks that broke away from Pangea and slowly drifted to form the continents that we know today, and remnants of this continental debris are buried under thousands of feet of limestone rock. The Caicos Bank that we crossed is built on pieces of the continental crust that broke away when North America separated from West Africa, and is basically an enormous underwater plateau covered by 1-4 meters of water.

Keeping this in mind, we took our newly reinflated dinghy –and stamina– on an afternoon tour of the nearby channel to see more of the ‘neighborhood’ and hopefully more natural limestone formations. The clear water in the shallow channel allowed us to see plenty of the regional geology- not to mention other local wonders.

One of many casualties in the “Boat Graveyard”

Back at the boat, the crew enjoyed a hearty dinner of homemade pesto pasta with half of a fresh rotisserie chicken -fresh from the trip to the market.  Another wonderful meal to send everyone off to sleep.

February  23 – Day of relaxation and exploring Providenciales 

The Turks and Caicos are known for having some of the world’s best dive and snorkel spots. It would have been a shame not to experience it for ourselves! After breakfast on our second day at Southside, Jeff and Canaan took the dinghy to explore. They didn’t have to go very far before coming upon a trove of ‘see-worthy’ things!

Worthy of Show’ n’ Tell

Soon after, Bob and Cam were kind enough to give us another ride to the other side of the island. Field trip for the HoG crew! Well, most of us anyway. Without a full boat to distract him,  Carl was able to wrap up all the routing for the next week and complete correspondence with upcoming ports. What a responsible captain! Meanwhile, Jeff, Kathie, Canaan, and Em spent a few hours at Coral Gardens on Grace Bay. Though the beach was a bit crowded, we enjoyed having a relaxing day on the white sand and snorkeling around the protected reef, which is just a few meters from the shoreline. Then it was time for lunch, somewhere. Ah, the Somewhere Cafe!

The entrance to Coral Gardens

Conch Ceviche at “The Somewhere Cafe”

The crew found their way back to the marina by way of a jitney taxi (its still unclear who flagged down who first), and the evening continued on with a series of minor boats tasks and major fly-swatting. Before long, we all wandered up to Bob’s Bar and found we were lucky enough to be the only patrons on the quiet Sunday night. We were entertained with island tales and quirky playlists from Cam ( the fill-in bartender) plus a round or two of bocce on the limestone court. With stomachs growling, we finally returned to HoG to see how many cooks we could fit in the galley…

We have described it to others so far as “funky rubbed around the edges,” to give the air of unexpected yet endearing oddity.  Southside Marina certainly made an impression on us all.