By Dr. Bill Keegan and Dr. Betsy Carlson

Whenever we visit the Turks & Caicos we try to get together with our old friend, Chuck Hesse (Caicos Conch Farm). And every time we see Chuck he promotes his belief that Africans were living in the Islands prior to the arrival of the Spanish.

The case for Atlantic crossings by Africans was first proposed on the basis of superficial resemblances between the physical appearance of black Africans and artifacts of the Olmec culture of Gulf-coast Mexico. According to Rutgers Professor Ivan Van Sertima, the Olmec’s colossal stone heads, terracotta sculptures, skeletal remains, and pyramids, along with ancient European maps, all point to contacts between Africans and Central Americans between 800 and 600 B.C. Van Sertima’s conclusions are not widely accepted, and little effort has been expended in searching for possible connections between the Tainos and Africa. Undeterred, Hesse is wont to point out that Taino ceremonial seats are very similar to African birthing chairs.

The Tainos believed that their rulers were semi-divine and therefore could not soil themselves by sitting directly on the ground. Instead they sat on low wooden seats called duhos (one is on display at the Turks & Caicos National Museum) that do bear a striking resemblance to the low and sloping stools used in parts of West Africa during childbirth. Whether these resemblances are coincidental, derive from direct contact, or are the result of indirect contact remains to be demonstrated. The later possibility is at least partially supported by a wooden sculpture with Dahomey (West Africa) features that Keegan found washed up on a beach in Mayaguana.

While the jury is still out regarding possible pre-Columbian contacts between Africa and the Americas, there is increasing evidence that Tainos and other native peoples did interact with the enslaved Africans who were brought to the islands by Europeans beginning in the 16th century. These interactions had a profound effect on cultural beliefs and behaviors that continue to the present.

We know that escaped Africans were adopted by Island Caribs in the Lesser Antilles and through miscegenation became the Black Caribs (Garifuna) who the British rounded up, massacred, and then shipped the few survivors to Belize at the end of the 17th century. A recent study conducted on Montserrat indicates that knowledge of some of the medicinal plants used by the Island Caribs was passed on to Africans and continues in use today.

The question of Taino/African interactions is more difficult to specify because it has long been assumed that Taino culture was extinguished by the mid-16th century. More recent studies suggest that at least some Tainos managed to survive in remote areas. It is in this regard that two particular phenomena are worth reconsidering.

Let us start with a big tree. Columbus in 1492 and Oviedo in 1526 were both impressed by the size of the canoes (canoa) that the circum-Caribbean Indians made from the Ceiba (pronounced “sayba”). Ceiba (also called kapok or silk cotton) trees grow to more than 100 feet tall and can measure 10 feet in diameter above their buttress. The buttress can extend more than 25 feet from the base of the trunk. Taino canoes were hollowed out of tree trunks all in one piece. Some were 10 to 12 spans wide (a “span” measures 9 inches or 1/8th of a fathom), and could carry more than 100 men. The wood is exceedingly lightweight and easily worked. Dugout canoes are still made today from Ceiba trees in Jamaica.

The Tainos also believed that the forest was inhabited by opias. Opias were the spirits of the dead, and one could identify them because they lack a navel. They were supposed to come out of the forest at night and feast on guayaba fruit. In fact, it is tropical bats that eat guavas at night, thus the Taino association of opias with bats. Opias also are associated with the deities who ruled the world of the dead. According to Ramon Pane: “They say a certain cemi, Opiyelguobiran, had four feet like a dog and is [made] of wood, and often he comes out of the house at night and enters the forests. They go there to seek him and bring him back to the house. They bind him with cords, but he returns to the forests.” The classic example of this cemi reportedly came from a cave in the Turks & Caicos.

Various beliefs in supernatural spirits were brought to the West Indies from Africa by enslaved peoples. It is likely that these beliefs were influenced by the last remaining native peoples. One of the modern words for spirits of the dead — Obeah — may originally have come from the Taino word — opia. Anthropologist Zora Neale Hurston studied Obeah in Jamaica for six months in 1936. She reported that “duppies” (spirits of the dead) live mostly in Ceiba and almond trees, and that neither tree should be planted too close to the house because the duppies will “throw heat” on the people as they come and go. Duppies are responsible for various kinds of mischief and can hurt a living person such that medicinal cures (including “balm baths”) must be sought from local healers who serve as both “doctor and priest.” Hurston’s observations during a “nine night” ceremony (so named because it lasted nine nights after a person dies) are instructive:
“It all stems from the firm belief in survival after death. Or rather that there is no death. Activities are merely changed from one condition to the other. One old man smoking jackass rope tobacco said to me in explanation: ‘One day you see a man walking the road, the next day you come to his yard and find him dead. Him don’t walk, him don’t talk again. He is still and silent and does none of the things that he used to do. But you look upon him and you see that he has all the parts that the living have. Why is it that he cannot do what the living do? It is because the thing that gave power to these parts is no longer there. That is the duppy, and that is the most powerful part of any man. Everybody has evil in them, and when a man is alive, the heart and the brain controls him and he will not abandon himself to many evil things. But when the duppy leaves the body, it no longer has anything to restrain it and it will do more terrible things than any man ever dreamed of. It is not good for a duppy to stay among living folk. The duppy is much too powerful and is apt to hurt people all the time. So we make nine night to force the duppy to stay in his grave.”

Another connection can be found in the practice of Vodoun (or Voodoo), specifically with regard to the creation of zombies. The word zombi probably comes from the Kongo word nzambi, which glosses as “spirit of a dead person.” In Haiti a zombi is someone who has annoyed his or her family and community to the degree that they can no longer stand to live with this person. They respond by hiring a Bokor, a Vodoun priest who practices black magic and sorcery. Through the application of a coup poudre (magic powder) the victim appears to die. They are then buried and within a few days are exhumed. Though still living, they remain under the Bokor’s power until the Bokor dies.

In 1982, noted ethnobiologist E. Wade Davis went to Haiti following reports that two people who were supposed to be dead had recently returned to their villages. Both the victims and their relatives attested to the fact that these two had been turned into zombies. Fortunately for Dr. Davis one of the victims was able to describe the symptoms that followed his poisoning. Davis succeeded in learning the recipe for poudre zombi, and was present to witness its preparation. In the process, he recognized that the main ingredients included fou-fou which we know as the porcupinefish (Diodon hystrix), and the crapaud de mer, sea toad or pufferfish (Sphoeroides testudineus). These fishes contain a deadly nerve toxin, called tetrodotoxin.

But where did the use of pufferfish as a poison come from? It is not present in African versions of Vodoun and must therefore have been added after Africans reached the Americas. The answer seems to be that Africans learned how to use this toxin from the Tainos. Indeed, there are substantial numbers of porcupinefish bones in the archaeological sites. Initially we assumed that the Tainos had simply found ways to prepare the fish to avoid being poisoned. After all, their staple crop was manioc (Manihot esculenta), a root whose “bitter” varieties contain toxic levels of cyanogenic glucosides (cyanide). The poison must be removed by grating the tubers and squeezing out the juice before the flour can be eaten. If they had learned to remove one poison, they certainly could have learned to remove others.

We then made two discoveries that suggested these fish were not just food. First, the huge upper jaw of a porcupinefish was identified in a faunal sample from MC-32 on Middle Caicos. This jaw was from a fish that would have been over 2 feet long, which is about their maximum size. The jaw was put on display in the original small exhibit of Taino artifacts in the Turks & Caicos National Museum. By chance it was juxtaposed to a display of pottery from archaeological sites in the Islands. One of the larger pieces was recovered from the bead-making workshop on Grand Turk. The bowl was shaped like an animal, and we originally thought that it represented a frog because frogs figure prominently in Taino mythology. However, on closer inspection and comparison to published photographs of pufferfish, we became convinced that the bowl was shaped to look like a puffer. This bowl was brought to Grand Turk from Haiti around AD 1200. It was found in association with a variety of ritual paraphernalia in a place where they were making disc-shaped beads. These beads were woven into belts to record alliances between caciques (chiefs), and their value derived from their brilliant red color and their origin across the sea.

Compare the photographs of the fish and the bowl. Notice how both have a bulbous body, both have raised eyes, both have an elongated mouth, and both have nose holes — though the holes in the pot have been relocated to above the eyes where they served to accommodate strings by which the pot was suspended. It is striking how alike the two images appear. Given the historical context in which this pufferfish effigy bowl was recovered one is left wondering whether the Tainos used the tetrodotoxins in these fishes as a means to communicate with the spirits (as they did with cohoba and tobacco), and to heighten the authority of the behique (shaman) who could seemingly die and then days later appear to rise from the dead. Were there zombies before there was Vodoun?

It has long been assumed that the Taino peoples were driven to extinction prior to the arrival of enslaved peoples from Africa. However, new evidence suggests that there were interactions and that some of the Tainos’ knowledge, beliefs and practices have survived to the present. And maybe, just maybe, these interactions began centuries before the arrival of the Spanish.

Dr. Bill Keegan is Curator of Caribbean Archaeology, Florida Museum of Natural History, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida. Dr. Betsy Carlson is an archaeologist with SEARCH, Inc. Gainesville, Florida.

Cell phones are forbidden; shoes are optional. The bar is always open. Check your worries at the door. This is the Windmills Plantation on Salt Cay.

Salt Cay is a laid back, out-of-the-loop-of-life, island in the sun. The Windmills Plantation takes you even further from the frenetic pace of everyday life and makes you unwind. And, if you must, you can leave the Plantation for a few minutes and venture out into the environs of Salt Cay to consider using that cell phone, fax or Internet connection. But, most likely, you won’t care and you won’t miss it.

Windmills Plantation, Salt Cay

Sharon and Jim Shafer used to take their busman’s holiday at Windmills when they were resident island managers of the Meridian Club on Pine Cay. From their first visit, the Shafer’s dream was to have their own place on Salt Cay and turn it into the most special place in the Islands. In 2000, when Guy Lovelace, the resort’s first owner and developer, was ready to retire, the Shafers were ready to take the plunge. They never looked back.

Guy Lovelace was inspired by the concept of the plantation, much as it existed in the Turks & Caicos Islands at one time. (Ruins of Loyalist cotton plantations can be found on Providenciales and the other Caicos Islands.) His project started in 1982; it took an entire decade to finish the original buildings. It was a difficult and arduous building process, as Salt Cay had no infrastructure in the North Beach area. Islanders carried supplies from the Salt Cay dock on their heads and by foot. There was no road, only a path.

Now that path is a gravel lane through the cactus, brush and sand. A lone telephone pole houses an Osprey nest at the turn in the road. And on off-the-beaten-path Salt Cay, Windmills Plantation is similarly remote, standing by itself on beautiful North Beach, a 2 1/2-mile stretch of pristine white sand.

The buildings’ Plantation style is inspired by the fact that a planter could not get the same materials, paint, builder or workers from one good year to the next. If the crop was a success, you added on to your home with whatever was available. Paint was any color you could get at the time, thus the Windmills’ multi-colored roofs and shutters.

Windmills Plantation, Salt Cay

The Windmills Plantation originally consisted of the Boat House, Tea House and Great House. Now, additions are in the works. During summer 2005, ground was broken for The Cottages at the Windmills Plantation. Eight, one-bedroom cottages are being built just west of the main house, using the same theme and style. Each will be privately owned and available for rent as part of the Windmills property. (Some rooms in the main house will be retired to retain the hotel’s quaint nature. No more than 16 guests are allowed at Windmills at any one time.) Each cottage will have footpath access to the main house and swimming pools. The Shafers’ goal is to keep impact on the vegetation minimal and preserve North Beach’s natural sand dunes. The couple is also working towards the preservation of Salt Cay in general, with restoration of at least one windmill and a working salina planned.

Existing rooms at Windmills Plantation have mahogany, antique reproduction, plantation-style furnishings, including four-poster beds with deep, comfortable bedding. Several rooms have private courtyards, outdoor showers and personal plunge pools. All feature cool stone floors, open verandas to the beach and local artwork. Guests literally step out their door to the North Beach.

Not one room has a phone, television, satellite or other alphabet device. There is no intrusion from the outside world and that is what visitors here are seeking. (For the record, most adapt quite well and do not want to return to reality.)

The proprietors
Jim & Sharon Shafer

Sharon and Jim Shafer discovered the Islands “way back when.” Sharon took a dive trip to Providenciales in 1976 and never went home. She found work in real estate, property management and at a boutique. Jim’s parents were early homeowners on Providenciales. He came to visit, went home, spent a couple of years deciding that suits and shoes were no longer a meaningful part of his life and returned for good. The two met in Providenciales in the late 1970s when there were only 500 people, everyone knew everyone else, and the island had one phone booth and no electricity.

The couple wore lots of hats in those early days to make a living. They had a glass company, then managed Turtle Cove’s hotel, restaurant and bar. This experience led to their positions as Meridian Club’s resident managers for 14 years. In 1991, they took a sabbatical from Pine Cay to help build and open a hotel in Tahiti, returning to Pine Cay in 1993.

When Jim and Sharon needed a “holiday” from Pine Cay they stayed on Salt Cay and planned what they would do to make the perfect island hideaway. Since 2000, they’ve made those dreams come true.
Sharon prepares gourmet meals and extraordinary desserts. (She even offers cooking lessons for the guests.) She maintains a boutique of unique clothing and collectibles. Sharon is the perfect hostess who makes you feel as if you are visiting a home and not a hotel.

Jim is bartender extraordinaire and “Mr. Fix It.” As on Provo in the early days, one has to be able to “do it all” on Salt Cay now, whether it is fixing the washing machine, flying a plane, repairing a golf cart, captaining a whale watching adventure or regaling guests with true (and not so true) pirate stories and adventures.

Both know how to make every guest feel special and together they make a heck of a team. It is this combination of talent and atmosphere that has guests returning year after year.

Jim and Sharon are complemented by an excellent, dedicated and beloved staff, described by Sharon as “the most wonderful in the world!” Edwin Lightbourne has been at Windmills since its first stones were hauled. He knows every nook, cranny and inner working of the labyrinth of buildings and stays busy keeping the paint fresh and the grounds ship-shape. Gervais Simmons helped Edwin with the construction and basically grew up at Windmills. He is now Chef Gervais, working with Sharon in the kitchen and helping in every aspect of running the resort. Guests love his easy, slow-speaking sense of humor. Kathleen Simmons heads up housekeeping, ensuring that all guests’ needs are met. Kathleen is a real Salt Cay “gal” who loves to tell guests about her island. Together with Gervais, they run the dining areas and make sure every course is served to perfection.

The Windmills Plantation guest philosophy is simple: personalized service, cater to each guest, know what guests want to eat, drink and do during their stay. Encouraged are: basking in the sun, sipping cool drinks and letting go. As a result, the most common guest complaint is that they have to go home!

Windmills Plantation Beach, Salt Cay

Keeping busy?

The uninitiated might wonder what there is to do on a tiny, isolated island. In fact, the Plantation’s “things to do” list is voluminous. Off North Beach, there is snorkeling on your own schedule, your own way, over beautiful coral heads and among bustling marine life. Scuba diving on some of the world’s finest walls is available through Salt Cay Divers, a full service PADI dive shop. Most popular is a dive on the HMS Endymion, a 17th century warship sunk on an open water coral head.

When you want to boat, there are kayaks, a sculling rowboat, canoes and picnics to the uninhabited islands of Great Sand Cay, Cotton Cay and Gibb’s Cay, where you can swim with and feed the stingrays. Guests often travel to nearby Grand Turk to tour the island, do some shopping and visit the Turks & Caicos National Museum.

On Salt Cay, guests explore the island on foot or by golf cart or bicycle. Jim and Sharon offer guided island tours, detailing the history of Salt Cay and the Turks Islands.

There is guided deep-sea fishing and bonefishing with Uncle Lionel Talbot. You can whale-watch, bird- watch and take nature walks. Beach glass collectors and beachcombers will delight at the treasures that wash up on Salt Cay’s eastern shores. Rocky rollers and all forms of flotsam and jetsam can be found on easy shorewalks.

Back at the Plantation there is a library, two pools, hammocks, a gazebo, and a bar that never closes with a view that never gets old: the expanse across the pools and sea pines to the azure blue waters of the Columbus Passage.

Plantation cuisine
Despite Salt Cay’s isolation, Sharon procures the best in fruits, vegetables and other fine foods. (Nothing except your Bloody Mary juice comes from a can.)

Dinners are traditionally a four-course affair, highlighted by “pend-on.” Pend-on simply means “depends on what the fisherman brings in.” This can be conch, wahoo, tuna, snapper, grouper or lobster. All are accompanied by fresh greens, vegetables and traditional island-style peas ‘n’ rice.

Meals are catered to guests’ requests and served poolside or in the boathouse, gazebo or pavilion. Dinners are served by candlelight, with fine china, crystal and silver, although attire is casual and no shoes are required! Guests can choose a romantic dinner for two or join new friends.

The wine list is extraordinary and overseen by Jim to include some of the world’s finest wines. If the bar doesn’t have your favorite beverage in stock, Jim will get it before you arrive. How? Because that’s an important question asked when you make your reservations!

Desserts are legendary, with a new offering added daily. There may be Pina Colada Cream Brulee, Spiced Rum Cake or Warm Banana Tartin and always, homemade sorbets and ice creams in cooling tropical flavors.

But, some days, no one feels like cooking. Then it’s time for a road trip to Salt Cay’s beach bars and bistros for an all-new dining experience. Guests meet the Islanders, generous and easy-going people, most born and raised on Salt Cay.

Windmills Plantation, Salt Cay

The facts

Visiting the Windmills Plantation is the opportunity to visit a sleepy island where donkeys have the right-of-way on sandy roads and ruins of the past offer the opportunity to see what Salt Cay looked like over a century ago.

Room rate include all meals, welcome rum punch, twice daily maid service, fresh fruit in your room every day and turn-down service each night with homemade cookies, candies, bottled water and bougainvillea petals on the bed.

Salt Cay’s airstrip is a 3,300 foot sand-sealed, stone runway. At press time, lights are installed for emergency use only. The airport is serviced by Air Turks & Caicos and Global Airways, with flights from Providenciales and Grand Turk.

Visit the Windmills Plantation’s website at www.windmillsplantation.com for information, special offers and packages. Sign up to receive e-mail specials, for a spur of the moment trip. For more information, contact Jim and Sharon Shafer at windmillsplantation@tciway.tc.

When Phillip Misick was brainstorming for a name for North Caicos’ first condominium resort development, it was his father Charles that came to mind. “My dad was a founding member of the Turks & Caicos Islands Progressive National Party (PNP), served for over 15 years in the Legislative Council and was committed to our family,” he recalls. “This was the best way I could think of to honor him.” And so the upmarket project currently being erected on one of North Caicos’ loveliest beaches became the St. Charles.

North Caicos, located 12 miles northeast of Providenciales, bears little resemblance to its bustling neighbor. Life on the lush “Garden Isle” is still slow-paced and gentle, its peaceful silence broken only by the voice of nature . . . a splash of wave on a deserted beach, the wind’s whisper through a pine, the throaty gobble of a Cuban crow. Freshwater ponds dot the landscape and flamingos and other rare birds make their nests in the protected wetlands. The 1,400 or so residents live simply in the style of their ancestors, dining well on the harvest of the sea, vegetables from field plots and tropical fruits plucked from trees growing in their yards. To first-time visitors, this step back into the joy of natural beauty and tranquility is a potent attraction. To Turks & Caicos aficionados, it’s a reminder of the days when Provo was still young.

Horsestable Beach, North CaicosThe St. Charles enjoys 500 feet of uninterrupted frontage on Horsestable Beach, centrally located along the island’s north shore and ankle-deep in pristine white sand. Each of the resort’s 90 one, two and three bedroom condominiums enjoys the spectacular sea view, with generous balconies poised to position “the perfect hue of blue” as a major feature of the decor.

Principal developer Phillip Misick has for many years wanted to bring such a project to his home island. When his first opportunity came about 12 years ago, it was simply too soon. Now, with most of the prime beachfront on Providenciales sold and/or under development and real estate prices there in the stratosphere, North Caicos has become a reasonable alternative. When approached to sell the Horsestable Beach property in his role as managing director of Prestigious Properties, Misick decided to assemble a group of investors and develop the fabulous 8.5 acre site himself.

An admirer of the style and layout of the distinctive Turks & Caicos Club in Providenciales, Misick asked its architect Anthony Walkin, president of the local firm Conservative Architects, to join his development team. The St. Charles design, Walkin says, “reinterprets classic island style in contemporary materials and construction techniques” and includes many functional elements, such as hurricane-resistant glass and ceiling fans in every room, that come from intimate knowledge of the Islands. The Johnston Group are building the St. Charles, bringing to the table nearly 25 years of construction experience in the Turks & Caicos and successful work on Misick’s last project, the Alexandra Resort & Spa.

Residences at the St. Charles will be in six, four story buildings, strategically positioned for the best ocean views and maximum exposure to the refreshing tradewinds. Floor plans are designed for an easy, open traffic flow that suits a laid-back Caribbean lifestyle. Whether one, two, three bedroom or penthouse, each unit has one or more private terraces fronting the living/dining areas and, in corner units, the master bedrooms. Three bedroom suites can be divided into self-contained studios and two bedroom groupings to expand rental options.

Although North Caicos is beloved for its rustic charm, Phillip Misick says the St. Charles owners and guests will have the best of both worlds, with unrivaled luxury and convenience. Residences are fully furnished with the owners’ choice of fine furniture collections and appointed in every detail, from china and silverware to bed and bath linens, with central air conditioning, Bose sound systems, large-screen Sony televisions and built-in Internet connections. Upscale design features include Travertine marble floors throughout, granite kitchen countertops and marble in the bathrooms, stainless steel G.E. and KitchenAid appliances and Kohler and Moen fixtures. The carefree life includes everything from 24 hour security to housekeeping and maintenance.

With most St. Charles owners expected to include their condominiums in the resort rental pool, the property’s amenities rival those of Providenciales’ finest offerings. Buildings encircle a huge freeform beachfront swimming pool, complete with a center island oasis of sunning areas and a hot tub, a separate kid’s pool and a swim-up bar and grill. Elevated observation decks let beachgoers enjoy the sweeping view up and down the coast, while tiki huts offer a shaded respite from the sun. Nestled among the property’s acres of fragrant gardens are a restaurant/bar, tennis courts and croquet lawn, full spa and fitness center, dive shop, grocery store and laundromat. Guests are greeted by bellmen under the porte-cochere at the reception center, where a full time concierge can help fill guests’ “to do” lists.

Not that there is a lack of activities on North Caicos (besides a favored pastime of “chilling out.”) Water enthusiasts will thrill to snorkeling and scuba diving on unexplored reefs and sailing or kayaking in the azure seas. Fishing for tarpon and bonefish in nearby ponds and flats is superb, with deep sea and reef fishing another option. Many visitors scooter or bicycle along the island’s paved roads, exploring the haunting colonial cotton plantation ruins at Wade’s Green or exotic flamingo flocks at Flamingo Pond. Small restaurants and bars tucked away in each settlement offer a chance to socialize with friendly North Caicos natives and the celebrity hideaway of Parrot Cay is nearby for a day’s outing among the rich and famous.

Construction of the first buildings started in January 2005, under the ongoing logistical challenge of getting materials and equipment to the site. Currently, all imported items arrive at Provo’s South Dock, are transported the length of the island to Heaving Down Rock, sailed by barge to Bellefield Landing in North Caicos and trucked to the site east of Whitby! Tides affect the process, Misick explains, and the barge can be delayed by untimely low tides. Fortunately, the planned deep water port will make the project’s last phases somewhat easier.

Nevertheless, Misick is pleased to report that the project is on schedule to complete the first phase (one oceanfront building, the pool and service areas) for occupancy in Spring 2006. Phase two, which includes buildings two and three and the reception area, main restaurant and spa and fitness center, will begin construction in early 2006, with completion in about one year.

Ironically, it’s already fairly hard to buy into the project. Phase one is nearly sold out, with offerings of the second phase not scheduled to be released until March 2006. Of the initial purchasers, Misick says some are first-time visitors from the US and Europe who are attracted by North Caicos’ peaceful charms; others are TCI residents or long-time visitors who especially appreciate the seclusion and privacy now lacking on Provo and look forward to being “ahead of the curve” of investment appreciation. In fact, pre-construction buyers have already netted a substantial return, as prices for the remaining units have increased dramatically. With quality and amenities comparable to many of Grace Bay’s beachfront condominium developments, prices are still about 40% lower than on Provo.

Misick says he expects values to continue to climb, as future plans for North Caicos come to fruition. Besides the port, road and airport improvements, he alludes to a possible direct Ft. Lauderdale air link and on-island customs and immigration clearance for visitors. He adds, “As the St. Charles and other resort projects open, services on North Caicos will continue to expand, especially shopping and dining options.” That, in turn, will spur construction of luxury residential homes on the many privately held sites within the next five to ten years. He suspects that real estate prices will reflect the scarcity of available land for sale already being experienced.

Phillip Misick is proud to bring development of the scale of the $70 million St. Charles project to his community. He explains, “This type of project is long overdue. It will give the North Caicos population jobs ‘at home,’ so they don’t have to travel to Parrot Cay or Provo for work. It will also expand the base of goods and services here and attract visitors who may not have planned to stay on North Caicos due to a lack of lodging, including local government officials and businesspersons. It opens up a wealth of opportunities for small businesses to cater to resort guests, too. All of these elements can only benefit the local economy. Everyone I know is eager for the St. Charles to open.”

North Caicos is currently accessed via inter-island aircraft or boat from Providenciales. The airstrip is paved and open to private planes.

For more information on St. Charles condominiums, call Prestigious Properties at (649) 946-4379 or visit www.stcharlestci.com.

Story & Photos By Michele Belanger-McNair

My husband has packing nightmares before we leave on our annual two month trip to Salt Cay. I thought, “Why not add to those nightmares by taking the dog?” Fortunately, taking Marley to Salt Cay, a small, somewhat isolated part of the Turks Islands, was not a nightmare. Having him with us has brought more joy to our trips and allows us to stay for months at a time.

It was not always this way. Our late dog, Boomer, was not a happy traveller. We hated leaving him behind and kept our trips short. When Boomer passed on, I knew our next Golden Retriever pup was going to be chosen with travel in mind, and trained to do it well. He had to have a Caribbean name, as well, and Marley seemed to suit him.

Research yourself and your pet
Fortunately, much of my training and trip preparation information was available online through pet travel, airline and government web sites.

Crate training was the first must-do. Not only did it make housebreaking a snap, but Marley considered his crate a protective den. (That isn’t to say he doesn’t want out after 12 hours in the crate, but he does not mind being in the crate during stressful times. The crate has never been a place for punishment. Being told to go “in” is just another instruction.)

The crate stays in storage between trips now. When we bring home the crate, as soon as Marley sees it and his travel bag he knows he will be making a journey soon and relaxes.

But training alone does not make a good traveler, whether human or animal. Just as some people are not good travelers, so are some pets. Our pets are not looking at travel brochures or dreaming of azure blue waters. You are.

Evaluate your pet’s ability to travel by asking yourself some serious questions:

*Is your pet nervous and high strung at the best of times?
*Does your pet bark at anything or most of the time?
*Can you trust your pet alone?
*Can you trust your pet not to run off if stressed?
*Does stress make your pet ill?

Is your pet a dog or a cat? Although we have friends who take their cats for long trips, that is not a consideration for us. Our cats make the five-minute drive to the vet’s office a test of wills and endurance. As well, Salt Cay is not conducive to outdoor cats as there are feral cats and birds of prey that will hunt small animals, including cats and dogs.

Lastly, evaluate your own nature. Are you capable of dealing with your own travel problems and your pet’s as well?

If you hate to fly, will your pet pick up on that? If you worry your luggage will be lost, then remember your pet is going to be luggage. Can you handle the stress?

What will your pet do while you are scuba diving, snorkeling, sightseeing or dining out and they have nothing but time on their paws? If your pet cannot be with you the majority of the time, is it worth the risk?

How long do you plan to be gone and how long is the travel time? For us, a two week trip from California to the Islands is not worth the risk/reward.

If you think you and your pet are up to the task, then there are some basic issues you need to research and address.

Who needs sedation?
Many people think their pet has to be sedated to travel. The question is really who needs the sedation when all is said and done. You? Or the pet?

Marley is never sedated, as he deals quite well with reality and the people who are handling him. As a result, he normally gets let out of his crate by airline handlers to walk, water and play a little. We also tend to travel at night so his sleep pattern isn’t affected and he is typically drowsy.

Other travelers we know do sedate their pets, especially cats brought into the cabin as “carry-on” luggage. (Most people don’t appreciate hearing a cat’s yowling and crying during a flight of any duration!)

We considered sedation and talked to Marley’s veterinarian. She advised us that there is a fine line between relieving your pet’s anxieties with sedation and putting them so deeply asleep they cannot fend for themselves. No veterinarian can predict exactly how a tranquilizer will affect your pet at altitude. Pets need to be able to brace themselves when the crate is moved, deal with heat or cold, and drink water as needed.

Airlines do not require sedation. Some airlines do want to know if the pet is sedated and require that a vet’s letter setting forth the drug and dosage be affixed to the crate. Other airlines do not ask. No airline will administer a sedative to your pet for you.

Talk to your vet about sedation and ask questions that concern you. You will need to see your vet before the trip, so be prepared to find out the facts.

Your pet’s going on vacation. Now what?

The Turks & Caicos Islands, as well as the airlines providing pet carrier service, all have restrictions. Research each and every airline you will be traveling on, print out the website information regarding pet travel policy and bring that information with you.

There is no quarantine period for your dog or cat when entering the TCI. However, you must present a signed veterinary certificate, dated within one month of travel, indicating the animal is in good health, free of contagious or infectious diseases and vaccinated against rabies and distemper.

Bring your pet’s current rabies vaccination certificate. If traveling from the US, be sure to have the FDA’s required certificate. (All vets will have this pink form. Consider it your pet’s passport. Make several copies to take with you.) Your pet and their documents will be inspected at Customs upon entry into the Turks & Caicos Islands.

If your dog is of a fighting breed, or a highly specialized breed, you will want to research whether your pet will be allowed on the airline as well as into the country. If you attempt to bring a Pit Bull, for instance, into the TCI, you and your pet will be denied entry.

Airlines will refuse any animal exhibiting aggressive behavior. Some specify breeds they will not take. Again, check the websites for specifics. Puppies and kittens must be eight weeks old to travel on the airlines.

Almost all airlines put embargoes on pet travel between May 15 and September 15 due to heat. But do not take for granted they can travel on any other dates. A certificate of acclimation may be required for cold or hot weather at your destination. Also, if your pet is pug-nosed, breathing can be difficult in moderately hot weather and the airlines may refuse to take your pet.

If your pet is denied boarding, you may not be leaving either. Be sure to have alternate plans as you will be solely responsible for a pet that is not boarded.

Airlines charge you for pet travel, even if the pet is in a carry-on bag. Airlines also count that carry-on you paid for against your carry-on allowance. And, if you have the opportunity to fly First Class but there is no under-seat space, then your pet cannot be in that cabin.

A word of advice about carry-on pets. Do not try to sneak your Teacup Terrier onto the plane in a regular carry-on bag. Not only is your pet at risk, your trip is at risk. Your pet has to clear security, including having a paid boarding pass. The pet has to come out of the bag, literally. Between security and the airline, you and your pet will be denied the right to board if you attempt to smuggle the pet aboard.

Crates and carriers
Your pet needs an airline-approved crate for cargo or carrier for the cabin. Research the proper size for your pet. Also make sure you have the travel kit with stickers, bowls and padding for your pet.

Marley’s crate has his name, itinerary, feeding information and phone numbers en route and on island. He has a bag with his leash, food, cookies and some treats for the handlers. We have also decorated his crate with reflective tape so it can be seen at night anywhere at an airport or in a darkened hold.

Since your pet is going to be in this crate for many hours, be sure to get them a decent bed. Put a favorite soft toy in there if you trust them. Avoid squeaker toys, rawhides or anything they could chew up or choke on while alone.

Lastly, ensure the crate will not come apart by securing the attachment points with electrical ties. Have a bungee cord on the crate’s door to prevent it from springing open.

Welcome to the Turks & Caicos Islands
You and your pet have arrived! Vacation time. Collect your pet and luggage and head for your next island or your accommodations on Providenciales. (A word of advice on letting your pet out of the carrier. Do not let them out in the luggage area. Clear Customs and then let them out in a controlled manner on their leash.)

Did you make sure your hotel, house or cottage allows pets? Did you clear it with the owner and property manager? Few rental properties allow pets and restaurants will not allow them to join you at dinner.

What do you bring for your pet? Consider your pet to have their own luggage or a good part of yours. Bring enough food for a couple of days in your carry-on. If your pet has special food needs: bring it. Pet food in the TCI is hit or miss for brands and supply. On the outer islands, there may be no pet food at all.

Dog meets cow on Salt CayBring some treats, all medications and a first aid book for dogs. Except on Providenciales, there will be no vet to take your pet to if there is an emergency. On Salt Cay, I have seen dogs bitten by donkeys, kicked by cows, hit by cars or carts and watched my own dog fall out of the golf cart on his back. There are cacti everywhere to get into and plenty of sand burrs. Bring flea and tick products and a brush or shedding rake. Mosquitoes can carry heartworm in the Islands as well as most places in the world today. Be sure your dog is on heartworm medication.

Bring two leashes — one to put on the crate and another in your carry-on with a carabineer or other way to easily attach your pet to a post, pole or yourself. We make sure Marley has two collars, both sturdy. Each has full identification with a local number and our cell phone numbers. We also have some photos in case he goes missing.

If your pet is not used to heat, be very aware of heat stroke and how to care for it immediately. Dogs need lots of water on island and cool places to lay. If walking with your dog, take several bottles of water for him. Consider getting a hydration supplement such as K9 Quencher or K9 Blue Lite Electrolyte. Dogs expel heat through their paws and tongue. They are low to the sand and will be much hotter than you are.

We take Marley snorkeling with us most every day. He loves it. For long swims, he wears a life vest with a rope. We taught him to heel in the water so he couldn’t claw us to shreds. This is great exercise for him and he looks forward to beach time every day.

Pet reservations
Be sure to make your pet’s reservation on all airlines you will be traveling on. If flying your pet in the cabin, call well in advance as a limited number of pets are allowed in each cabin.

In cargo, airlines will only allow so many crates for a given flight or type of plane. Be sure your reservation indicates you will be bringing a crate. It’s a good idea to check in as early as possible with the crate. But take your animal with you and return when the airline indicates they are ready to board your pet.

Don’t worry about conditions in the hold. Many pilots have advised us that the holds are softly lit and the temperature is the same as you have in the cabin.

Have fun!
We truly enjoy having Marley with us on our long trips. We don’t worry about him being home and lonely. Tourists enjoy petting him as they miss their pets. Sometimes they ask if they can dog-sit for Marley if we are going diving or off island to shop.

One thing is for sure. You and your pet will be welcome in the Turks & Caicos Islands. And just like most visitors, after one trip here, your pet will never want to be left behind again.

Michele Belanger-McNair is an attorney in California who is trying to retire to pursue writing, photography and travel. She’s been visiting Salt Cay since 1998 and purchased a home on the island in 2000. Michele maintains a web site with stories and photos detailing her trips to Salt Cay at www.saltcaynews.blogspot.com.

When Lisa Wandres, who lives in Grand Turk, took her dog Scooter down to South Creek for a walk on Saturday morning, April 23, she expected to see the usual things you can see there: birds, bonefish, crabs and mosquitoes. It’s a quiet spot, the South Creek, and quite a few Grand Turk folks regularly make the short trip there to walk the small beach, watch the herons and egrets that live there and generally just get away from the hustle and bustle of the nation’s capitol.

What Lisa saw in the water, though, was definitely not a bonefish. There, in a shallow ditch left over from an abandoned dredging project, was a big, gray lump of a creature that she had to look at a few times to recognize as a manatee. After watching him for awhile, she realized that he was actually trapped in the ditch, for the tide was out and the little body of water was completely surrounded by exposed sand. The big marine mammal didn’t have much room to move around and the water in the pond was getting very warm.

Soon Lisa was joined by a few more Grand Turk residents out for a walk, Roger and Michelle Bellers (and their dog Spot), who were also quite surprised at the sight of the rare creature. After some phone calls they were joined by Captain Everette Freites and “Bockum” Simmons from the Oasis Dive Shop, Caleb (“Grumps”) Simmons and Joanna Perez from SeaEye Diving, Fernando Perez of the DECR, and Kel Talbot and Sage Dalton from the new Bohio Dive Resort on Guanahani Beach.

After watching the manatee in the shallows for a while, they determined that with a little effort, they could free the 500 to 600 pound animal from the little ditch and lift him over the sandy bank into South Creek itself. They recovered a section of abandoned cargo net from Governor’s Beach and managed to lift the weighty Sirenian. In just a few minutes, they had carried him into the deeper South Creek Channel and from there, the manatee swam into the Sound, the large, mangrove-bordered pond that is the terminus of the channel.

The next day, several of the crew visited the Sound in kayaks to see the manatee closer, but after several hours of searching, he was not to be found. A few days later, though, he was spotted by several visitors and Grand Turk folks slowly making his way from the new South Dock dredging area all the way up the western coast to the area of the Oasis Dive Shop on Duke Street. Over the next few days the manatee was spotted in a number of locations: North Creek entrance channel, South Point and back at the South Dock. For several days in a row, Andrew Marshall, who was working on the barge at the cruise ship terminal project, was able to monitor the manatee as he lazed near South Dock munching on the green algae that grows on the concrete walls there. Andrew was able to get several very good photos, which he shared with other folks on Grand Turk.

But then, after a stay of almost three weeks, the manatee was gone. For several days, everybody scanned the shorelines and the shallow waters around Grand Turk, but the slow-moving creature was not seen again.

This was not the first time that Grand Turk had been visited by manatees. About ten years ago, two were seen over a three-day period at Governor’s Beach and inside the North Creek. But nobody took any pictures and no official notification was made to the Department of Environment or any of the international marine mammal organizations.

Manatees are creatures of calm, shallow waters. They live in tidal estuaries and sheltered bays that usually don’t have much of a current or wave action. Though there are reports of manatees being spotted near reefs occasionally, they generally don’t go into water that’s more than about 20 feet deep. Their main food sources — manatee grass and turtle grass — don’t grow in water any deeper than that. In their sheltered lagoons they have also been seen to reach out of the water and nibble the leaves from low hanging mangroves. Manatees eat between 6 and 9% of their body weight every day, so the Grand Turk manatee would probably have needed about 30 to 40 pounds of fodder daily. Turtle grass is abundant on the Turks Bank, though, and the areas where he had been seen abounded in it, so we weren’t too worried about food.

But it is thought that manatees also need access to fresh water. In river mouths in Florida and the Greater Antilles they can drink from the river’s outflow or run-off from the land during rainfall. None of our Islands have any freshwater rivers or streams, and that was kind of worrying. There was concern that our manatee might be suffering from the lack of water. But after three weeks, he seemed to be doing well. It’s possible that he was able to find the thin flow of fresh water that seeps out of the beach at the tide line after a heavy rain, and there had been a few strong showers.

Most of us have seen manatees on the Discovery Channel or at Sea World in Florida and we also know that manatees don’t normally live in the Turks & Caicos Islands. But historical records and archeological work indicate that manatees (and the likely extinct Caribbean Monk Seals) were resident throughout the Bahamian archipelago 500 to 1,000 years ago. Unfortunately, these slow-moving sea mammals were hunted almost to the point of extinction by the earliest colonial settlers. Today, there are still small, remnant populations of Antillean manatees in Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, Cuba and Belize. All manatees are listed as endangered species and protected in their home countries, but habitat loss, boat collisions and entanglements with fishing gear take a heavy toll every year.

Grand Turk’s manatee appeared after several days of strong southerly winds, and it’s quite possible that he was originally part of the Dominican group. The Antillean manatees are a distinct subspecies of the better known Florida manatees. They are typically a little smaller and a little slimmer than their North American cousins. And where there are somewhere between 3,000 and 3,500 Florida manatees left in the wild, where Antillean manatees are found their local populations are smaller. A 1994 aerial survey in Puerto Rico could only find 86, though their total population could be twice that. It’s not likely that numbers for Hispaniola are much more than that. Belize, with its extensive mangrove habitats, probably has the largest population, though no definitive census has been made.

After the Grand Turk manatee’s disappearance, there was a lot of speculation about what had happened to him. Many thought that he might have tried to swim home, but in truth, manatees are not particularly fast swimmers. They average about 3 to 5 miles per hour, walking speed. Chances of getting back to Hispaniola against both wind and current would have been pretty slim. And then, as we have seen, manatees are not particularly fond of deep water. Imagining our slow-moving, gentle visitor drifting out into the deep Turks Island Passage (where all the big tooth critters are) was not a very appealing thought.

But then, just when Grand Turk folks were resigned to not seeing the big critter again, he turned up in South Caicos, 22 miles away across the Turks Island Passage, and of all times, on Regatta Day the 28th of May. Scores of folks saw him hanging around one of the East Harbour docks. But apparently, with all the excitement of the boat races and the partying, nobody took any pictures.

We were happy to hear that our manatee had made it to the shelter of the Caicos Bank, for from South Caicos he had easy access to the hundreds of square miles of mangrove creeks and shallow lagoons that make up the North, Middle and East Caicos Nature Reserve, our international Ramsar site.* In those protected waters he would be as safe as he could possibly be. The only drawback was that he might be the only manatee on the Caicos Bank, though there was always the outside chance that another manatee or two might also have made the long trip from the south.

So keep your eyes peeled on that short flight from Providenciales to South Caicos or Grand Turk. If the pilot flies close enough to the coastal shallows or tidal creeks that make up the vast Ramsar site on the south side of the Caicos Islands, you just may spot a big grey hulk with white spots (those are the barnacles that cover his back) lolling in the calm, warm waters.

Many thanks to James Reid and his colleagues from the Sirenia Project/USGS for their invaluable advice and help.

*Named after the city in Iran where the treaty document was signed, Ramsar sites are considered “wetland sites of international importance” and 146 countries have agreed to protect and conserve designated sites. For more information on wetlands around the world, see www.ramsar.org.

There are no places left on earth that are not altered by man and his activities. As time ebbs and flows, a tide of change has swept across the planet. Gone are the days when man battled against nature only to maintain a fragile foothold on existence. We are no longer separated from a truly savage natural world only by the campfires burning protectively at the edges of our settlements. It is now the savage beasts that are threatened by us, and while most people (including this author) would rather not return to prehistoric days, it would be unbearable to think of a world in which the most majestic of the creatures of the land, air and sea no longer existed.

Fortunately, the Turks & Caicos Islands are a nation among the enlightened that understand the importance of protecting and preserving nature in all of its magnificence. Under the National Parks Order of 1992, four Sanctuaries were created. Under this law, these four areas are awarded the highest order of environmental protection. They are places where nature can find a refuge above and beyond the selfish desires of mankind. Nature rules in a Sanctuary, and humans are only allowed to visit with a specially-issued permit.

Having managed to procure a permit to enter the French Cay Sanctuary, I set out early one July morning poised for adventure. My appointed task for the day is to survey the island’s flora and fauna.
Poised on the very precipice of the Caicos Banks, boating out to this cay is no small task. Heading due south from Providenciales, it takes about an hour to get there by motor boat. Fortunately, the elements were accommodating on this particular day and the usual chop on the Banks was at a minimum. But it has not always been this way.

The waters surrounding the island of French Cay have a dubious past. French Cay is named for a French pirate that once lived there. Rumor has it that Jean David Nau, a.k.a. L’Ollonais, took refuge on the tiny island and ransacked unsuspecting ships as they neared the treacherous fringing reefs of the Caicos Banks. To add insult to injury, folklore states that the famed pirate practiced cannibalism on his victims. By perfecting a skilled technique, he was able to rip out a victim’s heart and eat it while the condemned watched. In an ironic twist of fate (or an extreme case of what goes around, comes around), L’Ollonais’ life was cut short by a tribe of Carib Indians who reportedly ate him.

Fortunately, there is no threat of a pirate attack now. As Providenciales disappears over the horizon, the tiny cay to the south comes gradually into view. At first, there is only the promise of dry land, as the seabirds who rule this domain send out scouts to check out intruders. As the cay grows closer, a raucous cacophony sounds in the distance. It is this sound that foreshadows the unimaginable swelling of avian life that inhabits this miniscule speck of land only barely reclaimed from the sea.

As I step onto the shoreline from my craft, I already feel like an intruder. This feeling is made all the more palpable by a flock of 30+ laughing gulls that feel it is their duty to inform all other life forms on the island of my presence. They scream out their laughing “kaa kaa kaa” followed abruptly by an angry barking-like vocalization. Around the back side of the island, the reason for their distress becomes apparent. There are numerous juveniles wandering aimlessly along the shoreline. They are too old to sit quietly in a nest and still too young to fly. I move quickly to avoid them, hoping my intrusion has not overly stressed them.

Once I’ve moved out of what is clearly laughing gull territory, I come across an area where several wrecked Haitian sloops are grounded along the coastline. While these relics of humanity are, in a purist sense, trash upon what should otherwise be an unspoiled shoreline, they are in reality serving a significant ecological function. Upon every square inch of the ruined masts and rotting bows sits a brown noddy. To these sea birds, man’s trash is their treasure in the form of valuable roosting space.

For sea birds that spend a majority of their lives at sea, these flotsam and jetsam perches are a welcome resting place. Unlike the laughing gulls, the brown noddies are practically oblivious to my presence. They too have numerous nearly-fledged juveniles among their numbers, but perhaps as birds that rarely encounter humans, they don’t recognize the potential threat I pose. Rather, they stand all in a line with their faces pointing to the wind like troops of soldiers. They number easily in the hundreds. I suspect they ignore my presence rather than losing their prime roosting spot to another by flying away.

Space is certainly a consideration. In addition to the noddies and gulls, there are others here as well. Perhaps as many as 100 sooty terns are also grappling for nesting and roosting places. A group of brown pelicans crowd the bowsprit of one boat carcass, and an osprey sits proudly at the highest possible perch on the same craft. A small group of ruddy turnstones scatter along the beach trying to make a decent living while avoiding the crowds everywhere else. For a tiny cay of only a few acres, it is really quite a spectacle.

Birds aren’t the only creatures that find sanctuary here. Every summer, nurse sharks make their way to the shallow water off the cay to mate and spawn. During this period of time, the nearshore waters are a frenzy of activity. I am lucky on this visit to catch a glimpse of the first wave of activity in early July. Approximately 20 nurse sharks swirl around in couples engaged in what seems like a passionate although frightening embrace (if one can imagine shark copulation as passionate). They too seem oblivious to my presence, which is not surprising, given they have more interesting things to attend to. Over the course of the summer, hundreds of sharks will come to these waters and engage in this ancient ritual that has probably taken place since long before man ever set foot or eyes upon this shoreline.

With all of this activity, it’s hard to believe that the vast majority of French Cay was, until recently, not extensively used by wildlife. Shark and bird activities take place for the most part in the coastal areas, leaving the inland areas largely fauna-free. But this scenario is now changing. For the past few years, Dr. Glenn Gerber and his team of scientists from the San Diego Zoo have been working to establish a viable rock iguana population here. Removed from other islands slated for development, these Critically Endangered reptiles have been successfully relocated to this sanctuary, where by all reports, they are thriving. Come wintertime, the sharks will return to their haunts along the reef and in the uncharted depths of the deep blue beyond, the majority of the seabirds will be back out at sea, and the iguanas will have the island largely to themselves, save the odd ghost crab.

I, too, shall leave this place to the iguanas, crabs, sharks and birds, and this is as it should be. In a world that is increasingly bowing to humanity’s will, it is a real privilege to be a guest of nature for the day. It is heartening to know that there are still some places on earth where people are allowed to enter only with a special permit. Even if we never see these places ourselves, it is enough to know that they exist. This is the true meaning of sanctuary.