By Bill Keegan and Betsy Carlson

Mr. Christopher Columbus

Sailed the sea without a compass

Well, when his men began a rumpus

Up spoke Christopher Columbus

He said, “There is land somewhere

So until we get there we will not go wrong

If we sing a swing song

Since the world is round, we’ll be safe and sound

’Till our goal is found we’ll just keep the rhythm bound”

Fats Waller

Columbus' "toilet seat" was the bones of a large tortoise

We are writing this in October, a time when Caribbean archaeologists’ fancy turns to Columbus. But it’s not our fault. For some reason the press cannot get enough of him, even after more than 500 years. Columbus was resurrected in 1892 as a symbol of the American dream. A man of simple means, very religious, and of Italian birth who set out to overthrow the science of his day and who stumbled upon a New World. In those days, America (more correctly, the United States of America) was attempting to become the new world power. The legitimacy of this claim was embodied in the Columbian Exposition, the World’s Fair held in Chicago in 1893 (a great read is The Devil in the White City by Erik Larsen, Vintage Books, 2004).

The timing of the Exposition is important. It was the eve of the Spanish-American War (the USS Maine was sunk in Havana harbor on February 15, 1898). The selection of Columbus as a symbol has infuriated Native American communities, but he was chosen to serve very particular political purposes. At the time the U.S. was attempting to deny all Spanish claims to the Americas. Columbus was an Italian who was forced to sail with a crew of prisoners and mutineers. Therefore, Spain deserved no credit for the “discovery” of America.

We should probably add religion to the mix. In his Papal decree ratified in 1498 as the “Treaty of Tordesilla” (or Tordesilha, if you prefer Portuguese), Pope Alexander VI ceded all of the lands 370º west of the Cape Verde Islands (east coast of Africa) to Spain. This gave Spain a “legitimate” claim to virtually all of the Americas. The fact that Spain’s claims were justified by the Pope did not sit well with the Protestant Christians who controlled the U.S. government. In their minds the Pope held no authority, and Spain also had no authority because an Italian was the responsible party. Scholars would later formalize this rejection of Spain by renaming Spanish America, Ibero-America or Hispanic America to “Latin America.”

With the exception of annual Columbus Day parades in New York (fueled mostly by Italian pride), the fire died to embers until just prior to the Quincentenary. The National Geographic Society stoked the flames in 1986 by proclaiming to the world that they had “discovered” the true place where Columbus “discovered” America. It was not modern day San Salvador as Samuel Eliot Morison had decided, but rather an island to the south known as Samana Cay. Not everyone was convinced. And after several years of public debates among proponents for San Salvador (Watlings Island), Samana Cay (National Geographic) and Grand Turk, the final debate was the Turks Island Landfall Conference held on Grand Turk in 1989. The Grand Turk protagonists — Robert Power, Josiah Marvel and Bertie Sadler — were loaded for bear. Unfortunately, none of the other main debaters (Mauricio Obregon for Morison and Joseph Judge for National Geographic) wanted to continue the show (“scheduling conflicts”).

Bob Power and Josiah Marvel deserve a lot of credit for putting their money where their mouth is. The crucial problem for the Grand Turk proponents was that no Indian sites had been found on Grand Turk despite prior archaeological surveys. They engaged an archaeologist to survey the island during the conference, and two Indian sites were found. “Champagne for everyone!” Unfortunately, further research has shown that the main site was abandoned centuries before Columbus sailed, and the site was in the wrong place. Minor details, especially when a new Indian site was found on the north end of Grand Turk thanks to the diligence of Brian Riggs, now Curator of the National Environmental Centre.

These extinct tortoise bones were found during excavations at Grand Turk.

We were conducting test excavations at the new site of GT-3, located on the west side of North Creek, on the eve of the Columbus Quincentenary when Josiah Marvel arrived with a crew from a fledgling Provo cable television station. They were making a film to show that Grand Turk was Columbus’ first landfall, and wanted to include our archaeological investigations. Digging standard 50 by 50 cm shovel test pits we had just exposed a circular arrangement of bone from the carapace of a large tortoise. As the crew began filming, Keegan reminded them that in the past week John Noble Wilford, science editor for the New York Times, had written about excavations by Kathleen Deagan at La Isabela, Columbus’s first colony in the Dominican Republic. Dr. Deagan (of the Florida Museum of Natural History) had identified a portion of a ceramic vessel as a fragment of Columbus’ chamber pot. Pointing to the circular arrangement of tortoise shell bone that completely filled the excavation unit, Keegan jokingly proclaimed, “If Deagan found Columbus’ chamber pot, then we have found Columbus’ toilet seat!” The size and shape of the bone ring were evocative. “But, how can you be sure?” was the response. Brushing aside some loose sand, a turtle arm bone (humerus) was exposed to the outside of the bone ring. Keegan continued, “Because here is the flushing lever!” For some reason journalists seem to think that scientists have no sense of humor, but this is rarely true of archaeologists.

On the subject of wilderness toilets, some years later while working on a very tiny cay off the north coast of Haiti (Île à Rat) we constructed a latrine in a remote location and built a frame on which we attached a toilet seat; a real, honest to goodness, wooden toilet seat. The fishermen who visited the island daily thought that this was the funniest thing they had ever seen — a toilet seat in the bushes! Through the entire month of excavation the seat and frame remained intact; the only thing that disappeared was a toilet paper roll.

In our last essay for “Talking Taino,” we talked about sloths in the Caribbean islands, which disappeared soon after the pre-Taínos arrived about 5,000 years ago. Similarly, Columbus’ “toilet seat” was the bones of a large tortoise (think Galapagos-type tortoise) that disappeared from the Turks & Caicos Islands at least 400 years before the Spanish arrived, apparently driven to extinction by human predation. This leads us to a discussion of another large reptile that used to commonly inhabit the Bahamian archipelago — the crocodile (which the Taíno called caiman).

On the fourth Bahamian island that Columbus visited during his first voyage he encountered a strange creature that fled into a saltwater pond. He described it as five palmas in length (about six feet), and reported that the natives killed it with spears and collected the carcass for Columbus to carry back to Spain. This “lagarto de las aguas” (literally, water lizard) was something that Columbus had never seen before. Based on its size and behavior he seems to be describing a saltwater American crocodile (Crocodylus acutus). Crocodiles are today rarely found in The Bahamas, but they do still live in Cuba and Jamaica (take the “Black River Safari” when you are there, and bring chicken parts).

We do know that crocodiles lived in the Bahama Islands until fairly recently. Their bones have been found at Taíno (Lucayan) sites on Crooked Island and Acklins Island, and Daniel McKinnon reported in his 1804 travelogue that he was fed “alligator” meat at Lovely Bay, Acklins Island. The Caicos Bank would have been an ideal habitat for the crocodile, although no crocodile bones have yet been found in any archaeological sites in the Turks & Caicos Islands. Crocodile remains have even been recovered from remote Grand Cayman where there is no evidence that humans set foot there until Europeans arrived.

The remains of an extinct tortoise lie exposed in Sawmill Sink, Abaco.

Our knowledge of the past distributions of animals is changing as our ability to collect samples from previously inaccessible locations improves. One of the most informative new environments is blue holes because they frequently have submerged sediments that are not exposed to oxygen and thus facilitate the preservation of organic materials. Drs. David Steadman and Richard Franz (of the Florida Museum of Natural History) have been investigating the Sawmill Sink blue hole on Abaco Island in The Bahamas. In this underwater setting they recently recovered 18 crocodile skeletons, tortoises, birds, and other plants and animals that lived in the islands. These new discoveries will be highlighted in a forthcoming National Geographic television program on Bahamian blue holes. Blue holes were also important and sacred locations for the Taíno, where occasionally they buried their dead, and there is a sinkhole on Providenciales in which five Taíno burials were observed. According to the Spanish chroniclers, the Taíno word for sink hole or blue hole was xaguey.

It would be impossible for us to “talk Taíno” without the assistance of the Spanish. The Taínos had no written language, so only those animals that were observed by the Spanish in the presence of the Taíno have recorded Taíno names. The tortoise and many other species were extinct before the Spanish arrived. It is important to remember that written history has a funny way of tricking us into believing that we have all the answers about the past. However, often what we “know” was written by the victors and after centuries of unrecorded events. Some records even contain intentional misrepresentation, much like the story of Columbus and the tortoise shell toilet seat. The true stories (if we may be so bold) of history are complex, fascinating, and open to multiple interpretations. Fats Waller was right, “One never knows, do one?”

Dr. Bill Keegan is Curator of Caribbean Archaeology at the Florida Museum of Natural History, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida. Dr. Betsy Carlson is Senior Archaeologist with Southeastern Archaeological Research, Inc. (SEARCH) in Jonesville, Florida, and affiliate faculty at the Florida Museum of Natural History.

They are the authors of Talking Taino, published by The University of Alabama Press, Tuscaloosa, Alabama, ISBN – 13: 978-0-8173-5508-1.

Abundant “musket furniture” gave the Ft. George site a distinct military flavor.

Story, Photos & Illustrations By Dr. Donald Keith

The sheer variety of artifacts found during our work on Ft. George and in collections donated to the Museum is surprising: plain and fancy tableware, iron fasteners and hardware, brass and pewter buttons, glass bottles and drinking vessels, clay tiles and bricks, storage jars, scabbard tips, buckles, coins, smoking pipes, and fishing weights — you name it. Most of these can be found on any habitation site of the period, but it was the abundance of certain peculiar objects, collectively known as “musket furniture” that gave the site its strong military flavor.

Artifacts collected at Ft. George Cay

Muskets, in common use for almost 200 years until they were phased out at the end of the 1800s, were typically smooth-bore, muzzle-loading long guns manufactured with a bewildering variety of ignition systems, barrel lengths, and bore sizes. Environmental conditions on Ft. George are not conducive to the preservation of wood, so it is not surprising that all we found were the iron, lead, and brass components of muskets.  Still, there is a lot they can tell us if we listen closely.

Although the musket is no longer used, it lives on in everyday expressions such as “lock, stock, and barrel,” “a flash in the pan,” and “to go off half-cocked.” The familiar phrase “lock, stock, and barrel” describes the main parts of a musket, and has come to mean “everything.” Curiously, it omits a critical element without which the other parts have no purpose: ammunition. Although “flash in the pan” refers directly to the energetic burst of fire and smoke that occurs when a gunflint strikes sparks into the priming pan, the modern connotation is one of a misfire — an all-too-common occurrence with this type of firearm! “To go off half-cocked” is derived from the accidental discharge of a musket when set in the half-cock position — and the connotation is one of disastrous consequences.

By today’s standards, muskets look laughably primitive. The ridiculously long, heavy barrel gives the weapon an unwieldy total length of five feet. Then there is the crude-looking  firing system: pulling the trigger releases tension on a spring that causes an S-shaped arm (the “cock”), with a chunk of rock (the “flint”) thumb-screwed to it, to strike an iron plate (the “frizzen”) creating sparks that (usually) ignite powder in the “flash pan” and a moment later the powder in the barrel itself. Reloading was a multi-step process requiring the musketeer to ram a powder charge down the barrel, followed by a solid lead shot, followed by a wad to keep it all from falling out again — and don’t forget to slide the four-foot ramrod back into the tubes that carry it under the barrel! Then prime the flash pan, set the cock, aim, and fire. Range was impressive, but accuracy? How accurate can a long gun be without a rear sight?

But don’t be too quick to discount their usefulness. Unlike modern, breech-loading rifled firearms that use only one type of ammunition, smooth-bore muzzle-loading firearms can fire a variety of loads from tiny scattershot appropriate for hunting birds, to heavier scattershot for hunting game, to buckshot for hunting large animals, to a single ball for increased accuracy and penetration. Hence the different connotations for “birdshot” (multiple tiny pellets), “shot” (sized smaller than the bore maximum and fired several at a time), and “ball” (sized for a tight fit in the bore). Various historical accounts make it clear that loading several projectiles at once was quite common. In essence, a smooth-bore, muzzle-loading firearm can use any projectile that will fit down its bore, but its caliber is defined by the largest ball it can fire, sized for minimum windage (the difference between the diameter of the ball and the diameter of the bore) and therefore best range, accuracy and penetration.

Manufacturing tolerances were loose and the gunpowder available was not clean-burning. This caused residue to build up and significantly reduce bore diameter after only a few discharges. Under such conditions having access to a variety of ball sizes was essential. This may help to explain the wide range in shot sizes found scattered across Ft. George. While ammunition multiplicity was doubtlessly beneficial to the musketeer of two centuries ago, it is vexing for the present day archaeologist because it means we cannot use shot size to determine what types or calibers of weapons were present. In those days a musket was more likely categorized by its “gauge” than by its “caliber,” as firearms are today. A musket with a bore diameter of 0.6 inch — what we would call a .60 caliber — was called a 24 gauge piece because that’s how many spheres of lead of the same diameter as the bore it took to equal a pound. For some reason people thought that was a better way to conceptualize ammunition.

Ball and buckshot were cast in individual or “gang” molds that produced several shot at the same time.  Birdshot could be cast in molds, but their minute size made even gang mold manufacturing tedious, so clever alternatives were discovered. “Rupert shot” was made by pouring molten lead through a specially-designed colander, causing it to break up into small pellets of regular size that hardened after falling into a container of water. Some of the examples recovered from Ft. George seem to have been made using this technique.

Another method called the Watts patent of 1782 produced shot that was “solid throughout, perfectly globular in form and without the dimples, scratches, and imperfections which other shot, heretofore manufactured, usually have on their surface.” It required dropping molten lead from great heights into pools of water inside specially-built tall towers. Arsenic was added to help the lead flow more smoothly during manufacturing and to harden it. To this day there is no better way of manufacturing round lead shot in a wide variety of diameters.

Some of the shot we found had peculiar slits cut in them reminiscent of modern fishing weights that can be crimped onto a line. Shot may have had other uses as well.  The shot seen in the accompanying illustration bear what appear to be indentations caused by biting or chewing. Similar shot were recovered from other archaeological sites, and “biting the bullet” has often been advanced as the explanation. A commonly-held and widely accepted belief holds that lead has a sweet taste. If this is true, perhaps the indentations so frequently found on lead shot were made by hungry rats or other animals fooled into thinking they might be edible. Would people have done the same thing?

There is no doubt that the human jaw can produce the necessary pressure and that the teeth are up to the task; however, our ability to differentiate the impressions of human dentition from other types of marks on lead shot is questionable. Because we couldn’t find any volunteers to bite lead shot hard enough to leave indentations, we attempted to re-create the same patterns by biting frozen clay balls, but the resulting impressions did not match the archaeological specimens. In the past we sent photos of “bitten” shot and even the shot themselves to a forensic dentist and a forensic firearms examiner, but neither was able to state conclusively what caused the indentation patterns. Call me a sissy, but the idea of clenching a ball between the teeth to deal with intense pain strikes me as ludicrous. Common sense begs the question: Why would anyone risk fractured teeth or choking on a lead ball when clenching on wood or leather folds would seem more convenient and effective?

Gunflints were an essential component of every flintlock, and we found those, too. Flint is a type of chert having two properties that make it ideal for use as the ignition system for a musket. First, it can easily be “knapped” or split and shaped into thin, sharp blades that can be fixed to the cock of a flintlock. Second, it is hard enough to actually scrape minute particles off a steel surface, producing sparks. At the time when Ft. George was established, Great Britain had both large deposits of high-quality flint and skilled flint-knappers, some of whom could turn out between 7,000 and 8,000 gunflints a day — which gives you some idea of how great the demand was! Flints were secured between the jaws of the cock by a thumbscrew. One of the flints we found was still wrapped in the thin lead pad that improved the jaw’s grip on the flint.

One of the mysteries of Ft. George is why musket furniture and shot are so common and so widely spread across the island. We found shot in the shallows offshore, in and around every structure, in the middle of nowhere with no other artifacts around, and even in the lake that occupies the middle of the island. The musket furniture was slightly less widespread but was found nearly everywhere we looked. What could explain this? An explosion in the armory? Devastation by a hurricane? Simple vandalization after abandonment? These speculations lead naturally to an important unanswered question: when was Ft. George abandoned?

We know that it must have been built sometime after 1787 when the first Loyalists began to arrive. Documentary evidence suggests the Loyalists themselves may have established and manned the fort initially. Subsequently it was manned by a proper military garrison for a few years before being turned back over to the local militia. Then what? Could it have been damaged beyond repair during the great hurricane of 1813? History is silent on this point.

Our brief archaeological exploration reveals only the tip of the iceberg with respect to what Ft. George has to offer as one of the most important historical resources in the TCI, and musket furniture is but one of many artifact types we found. We sincerely hope our effort will not be seen as a “flash in the pan” with no need for continuation. To be sure, the forces of nature have taken their toll on the fort. Parts of it are eroding into the sea even as you read this. There is still time to save what is left and learn the rest of the story . . . but let’s not “go off half-cocked.” We must “bite the bullet,” consolidate our purpose, coordinate our efforts, and develop the political and social will to protect and preserve Ft. George as part of our national heritage.

Button artifacts provide clues to the tale of Ft. George Cay.

Story & Photos By Dr. Neal V. Hitch, Director, Turks & Caicos National Museum

Buttons. They are intriguing to me. There have been many buttons found on Ft. George Cay. Many of these are now in the collection of the National Museum. Some are still in private collections.

Buttons found on Ft. George Cay

I find myself drawn to the buttons. As an artifact category, they are a fairly high percentage of the Ft. George collection. They are more than artifacts. They are a human scale artifact that connects the human condition through history. We all still button our shirt, no differently than some soldier at Ft. St. George over 200 years ago.

Something as simple as a button represents an actual person in the story of Ft. George. The biggest part of the word “history,” after all, is “story.” Something as simple as a button should remind us that the history of Ft. George is the “story” of the individual people who served there. The buttons are also one of the the key clues to determining who served at the fort.

Buttons as artifacts

As artifacts, the buttons also offer clues to who actually manned the fort at Ft. St. George. This owes to the fact that the Royal Regiments of Foot, the military units of the British army, often wore buttons on their uniforms that were specific to their individual regiments. The buttons found on Ft. George Cay, then, should aid in determining the Royal military regiments that served at the fort.

The uniforms worn by British soldiers were strictly regulated by a series of official warrants. Regulations such as the Royal Warrant of 1768 and the 1802 Uniform Regulations specified the official form, color, pattern, and dimension. In other words, these regulations provided uniformity to the uniform each solider wore.

During the American Revolution and the Napoleonic wars, the rough period when Ft. George was occupied,  the British Regiments wore the “redcoat” uniform. This basically consisted of a long wool coat dyed red. The cuffs, lapels, and collar were faced with a color distinct to each regiment. Soldiers wore the coat open revealing a buttoned waistcoat (vest) and breeches (pants). What is important here is that the 1768 Warrant specified that the labels and cuffs of the jacket were to be fastened with pewter buttons cast with the regimental number.

“Gaiters,” a black woolen cloth that wrapped the lower leg around the shoe and up to the knee (in pictures they look like boots) were also worn. These were held on by regimental buttons sewn onto the breeches above the knee. The gaiter also had small plain buttons set on equal distances.

Buttons found on Ft. George Cay

Buttons in the museum collection can be separated into two groups, buttons with no markings and regimental buttons. Plain buttons were worn on gaiters, breeches, shirts, and the waistcoat. These buttons were often small. Some were gilt plated, being gold in color. By official ordinance, back markings on these buttons are marked “GILT.” Several of these buttons have been found.

Plain buttons are very hard to date, but most of the plain buttons found certainly can be attributed as uniform buttons, and most were found in proximity to regimental buttons.

One button found during the survey in November, 2009 has the back marking “C Jennens London” and includes the small stamp of the Prince of Wales Plume. The Jennens company manufactured military buttons, but they only used the the plume stamp after 1860. This certainly is a puzzle.

The regimental buttons known to have come from Ft. George also present a mystery. Archival documents have been found indicating at least three regiments on Ft. George. These include the 67th of Foot, the 63rd of Foot, and the 47th of Foot. One of the objectives of the archaeological survey was to find uniform buttons that would confirm archival evidence. In fact, no buttons have been found for these regiments. Buttons that have been uncovered suggest additional regiments that are not mentioned in historical records found to this point.

Regiments at Ft. St. George

Royal Artillery

Three Royal Artillery buttons are in the Ft. George collection. These copper alloy buttons have a shield with three cannon balls above three field cannons. This type of button was only used on the uniform of a member of a Royal Artillery detachment.

By 1771, the Royal Regiment of Artillery had expanded to 32 companies. Often, when regiments of foot were on garrison duty or in the field, they were augmented by individual members of Royal Artillery. For instance, 10 gunners from the Royal Artillery were stationed in the batteries on Bermuda while the 99th of Foot was on garrison there.

In 1803, Thomas Brown wrote that a contingent of the “63rd and Royal Artillery” arrived at Ft. George in 1797. There were batteries on Ft. George. The buttons show that the cannons on these batteries were manned by members of the Royal Artillery.

47th Regiment of Foot, Lancashire Regiment

In 1801, Lt. Col. Paulus Aemilius Irving wrote a letter seeking a land grant in the Caicos Islands owing to his six years of service there with the 47th of Foot. Irving, the son of the deputy governor of Quebec, had served with the 47th during the American Revolution at the battle of Lexington, at the Battle of Bunker Hill, and had been captured and interned for the duration of the war with most of the 47th at Saratoga.

In 1790 the regiment was dispatched to the West Indies for garrison duty on several islands throughout the Caribbean. Beginning in 1793, detachments of the 47th Regiment of Foot manned the forts in Bermuda. A history of the Royal Military in Bermuda suggests that when they were ordered back to England in 1802, they returned with other members in the Turks Islands and Nassau.

No buttons for this regiment have been found at Ft. St. George. The connection of the 47th to Bermuda and the Bahamas, however, might be important. The 7th Royal Fusiliers replace the 47th after their departure. Five companies of the 7th Royal Fusiliers, the London Company, were on garrison from 1802 to 1806 and a 7th Royal Fusilier button has been found on Ft. George.

7th Royal Fusiliers, City of London Company

One 7th Royal Fusiliers button has been found on Ft. George and is currently in a private collection.

There is some indication that companies may have been on station in the Bahamas in 1802 and 1803. One of the puzzles with the Ft. George buttons is that there is a 7th Royal Fusilier button in a private collection. Is it possible that garrison duties at Ft. George were tied into the garrison duties in Bermuda?

99th Regiment of Foot

Three buttons have been found on Ft. George from the 99th. One is in the collection of the National Museum. Though all of the buttons are very deteriorated, under magnification the “99” on the button is  clear.

In 1807, the 99th Regiment of Foot replaced the 7th  Royal Fusiliers in Bermuda and may have been in Bermuda until 1815. The 99th had possibly already been serving in the Bahamas. It is very difficult to accurately track this regiment as six different regiments operated under the number. The 99th of Foot, Jamaica Regiment, was raised in the 1780s and disbanded in 1784. A second 99th of Foot was raised in 1804 and served until 1816, when it was renumbered.

18th Regiment of Foot, Royal Irish

Four buttons in the collection of the National Museum seam to be associated with the Royal Irish regiment.

The 18th of Foot was the Royal Irish Regiment. During the 1790s, the regiment was fighting in Corsica and Gibraltar. In 1805, however, the regiment was dispatched to Jamaica, where it served until being recalled in 1817, after having last 50 officers and 3,000 men to sickness.

2nd West India Regiment

Two buttons in the collection of the National Museum have been identified as the 2nd West India Regiment. Both of these buttons have back marks indicating they were manufactured by Nutting and Son, which means they were produced after 1802.

The 2nd West India regiment was raised in Jamaica in 1795. The regiment had British officers, but recruits were slaves or free blacks. British losses in the Caribbean eventually resulted in the establishment of 12 regiments, owing to the thought that seasoned local troops would last longer than English soldiers.  There is some indication that by 1807 all outposts in the Bahamas were manned by troops raised in the West Indies.

Conclusion

What all of the above suggests is that we have just scratched the surface of the story of Ft. St. George. The story may be much more detailed than first thought. The button evidence to this point suggests that perhaps many regiments of the British army served garrison duty on Ft. George. Perhaps the fort is garrisoned for a much, much longer period of time than previously understood. One thing is for sure. The buttons of several regiments have been found. This means that there were many different uniforms on Ft. George. More than likely there were soldiers in these uniforms, and more than likely these soldiers were part of a garrison regiment and not a random event, such as someone in the wrong uniform. More research will be necessary to flush out the story of who served on Ft. George, but the buttons are a good place to start.

Although recent field work revealed more Ft. George history, will time run out?

By Dr. Donald Keith, Trustee, Turks & Caicos National Museum & President, Ships of Discovery

November 7, 2009 marked the end of our two weeks of field work on Ft. George Cay. It was a little sad to backfill the test excavations, take down our base camp, and shuttle everything back to Pine Cay. We didn’t accomplish as much as I hoped, but there’s nothing new about that. I’ve always been suspicious that meeting all your goals may mean that they weren’t set high enough to start with.

The remains of Fort George Cay are rapidly eroding into the sea.

There is still a lot of Ft. George Cay to explore. We did not set foot on every square meter of land or comb the shallows offshore as thoroughly as I intended. Clumps of really dense bush discouraged us from testing many promising areas. But we managed to accurately map the locations where we found evidence of habitation and put them on geo-registered high-resolution digital aerial photos of Ft. George Cay using a program called Ozieexplorer. This is important because the part of the cay currently protected by legislation is only one acre. The maps now irrefutably demonstrate that structures and artifacts belonging to the fort cover at least eight acres and probably much more.

That same night we gave a brief presentation at the Meridian Club. For us it was an honor and a privilege because many of the people who pioneered the exploration of Ft. George decades ago were in the audience. We owe them a lot. They have been the custodians of the fort for more than 30 years. They are the ones who brought Ft. George and its history to our attention, the ones who first voiced alarm at how rapidly it is eroding into the sea, and the ones who made this expedition possible. They initiated research in Great Britain and elsewhere to pick up the wispy historical threads that reveal who built the fort, when it was constructed, and why. One Pine Cay couple has already donated their collection of documents, maps, and artifacts to the Museum and another collection is pledged. A very accurate and highly detailed map of the principal ruins that they made in 1998, when compared with ours, furnishes incontrovertible evidence of the rate of erosion experienced by the part of the fort closest to shore. At least 40 feet of it has fallen into the sea in the last 11 years!

Researchers on Ft. George Cay screen soil from the test excavation site.

Although the field work portion of our archaeological exploration of Ft. George is finished, the project is far from over. We have artifacts and samples to clean, conserve, and analyze, articles and reports to write, and exhibits to prepare. This issue of the Astrolabe features the first research efforts on the artifacts in the Ft. George collection. They are brief, but the articles represent information that has been put together in just the last four weeks. This represents a very good beginning.

We hope that our efforts will engender a greater awareness of the historical importance of Ft. George, how rapidly shore erosion is destroying parts of it, and how time for efforts to protect and preserve it is running out.

Seed banking protects native plants from future perils.

By B. Naqqi Manco, Senior Conservation Officer, Turks & Caicos National Trust

Deep inside an underground fortification, with thick concrete walls, little light, and frigid temperatures, something sleeps. The slumbering one lies with others of its kind, waiting . . . and they may wait for a year, or ten, or hundreds. Theoretically, they may sleep for several thousand years. Most ideally, they will never have to be awakened, but if they are, their work will be vital to the survival of their kind.

The sleepers are the amazing distance and time travellers of the plant world — they are seeds. The deep fortress that defends their sleep is the Millennium Seed Bank in West Sussex, England. Founded by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, at their Wakehurst Place site, the Millennium Seed Bank was developed with the aim of long term conservation of 10% of the world’s plant species by the year 2010. Comprising laboratories and offices on the ground level and seed vaults below ground, the facility receives seeds from all over the world and cleans, tests, and stores them for the future protection of thousands of plant species.

Cockspur tree

The Seed Bank has sent several representatives to the Turks & Caicos Islands over the years that the Turks & Caicos National Trust has worked with the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew on collaborative projects. In 2008, with a grant from the Millennium Seed Bank, the Turks & Caicos National Trust embarked on a six month seed collection project aiming to collect and bank 75 species of plants native to the Turks & Caicos Islands — less than 20% of our native plant species, but still ambitious.

Humans have been collecting and storing seeds for millennia. Seasonal crops are stored between growing times as seeds. Seeds are kept as medicines, talismans, jewellery, and even toys. Seeds that we eat as staples, which we call grains, must be protected from insect pests, water, light, mould, and other damage. Modern agriculture has adapted to the fragility of seeds, and agribusiness now makes sure that seeds are kept in     vacuum-sealed light-proof pouches, treated with fungicide, and distributed at the proper growing times. The survival of our food plants is ensured, long-term, by our very own need to survive.

But humans have not yet unlocked the helpful potential of most plant species. Many, due to our own ignorance, are considered useless. While about 80% of our modern medicines are plant derivatives, we find it easier to produce them in laboratories and manufacture them into capsule form than to grow, harvest, and process the raw plants. Before the Industrial Revolution, most of our colouring agents were plant-sourced, but modern chemical dyes have made many plant-sourced dyes fall from popularity. And even though scientists ever discover new, and potentially life-saving, alkaloids in plants, we often ignore the plants under our feet without thinking that they may have a use far beyond our scope of understanding.

One such plant whose uses have largely evaded global culture thus far is the National Flower of the Turks & Caicos Islands, the Turks & Caicos heather Limonium bahamense. Small, tough, and understated, this plant displays a subtle, stoic beauty to anyone who looks close enough. It stands out in its habitat only because it grows where other plants cannot — on rocky, salt-encrusted mud along the salinas and salt marshes of several islands in the Turks & Caicos. These few spots, many threatened by development of the constant dredging and filling of swamps for human use, comprise the entire worldwide range of this species. It exists nowhere else on Earth. Populations are known on Grand Turk, South Caicos, and Big Ambergris Cay; more recently it has been found on Middle Caicos as well. Salt Cay is certainly its centre of distribution, where it takes advantage of both the salina walls and low, salt-sprayed rocky hills of the island — habitats that stunt and kill most other plants. Turks & Caicos heather lives where it lives because it can tolerate salt, drought, and low nutrient levels; it also lives where it lives because it cannot compete with larger plants in other habitats. It also cannot compete with human development, which is rapidly reducing its available habitat.

Many plants, like the Turks & Caicos heather, face threats from human activity. People over-harvest trees for charcoal, burn vegetation for agriculture, introduce exotic pests and diseases that kill native plants, and bulldoze or bury plants that are simply in the way. Plants cannot relocate themselves — the price they pay for the ability to derive energy directly from sunlight is their locomotion.

Endemic Caicos Orchid is found nowhere else on earth

Individual plants have no ability to run away from danger, but they do have a way to move. Most plants produce seeds as their progeny. Seeds are typically small, well-protected, and contain everything needed to make a new plant. Seeds come in all shapes and sizes. The smallest seeds belong to orchids, and consist of very little besides a genetic code in a papery husk — they can float on the slightest air current to travel thousands of miles (the common monk orchid Oeceocades maculata, originated in Madagascar but travelled, on its own, to the Caribbean — including the Turks & Caicos Islands — on hurricane winds through the past century). The largest seeds belong to the palms, and while they cannot fly, they can float on sea currents for thousands of miles. Seeds have wings, parachutes, floats, sticky barbs and spines, hooked hairs, droplets of gluey resin, and other adaptations that help them travel to new locations by wind, water, and animal power. Some plants produce seeds in fruits that are explosive or ballistic — the Mediterranean squirting cucumber can blast its seeds in a jet of juice several metres away.

Many seeds not only travel physically, but also have the ability to travel temporally. If conditions are not suitable for the seed to grow, it simply lies dormant and waits until the right conditions occur. But in today’s world, seeds are almost as likely to land on a paved road and get washed into a drain to their demise as to end up somewhere ideal to grow. Wild habitats are shrinking as humans consume more land for development. Pests and diseases from far-off lands, accidentally imported by human activity and against which native plants may have no defence, threaten a sprouting seed. Drawing on an idea as old as agriculture, scientists around the world began working collaboratively several decades ago to create seed banks — repositories for seeds that would hedge against the extinction of plant species should disaster befall the growing plants.

Storage can be done with any seed that can dry out and be triggered back to life by the right conditions. Such seeds, which comprise most plant species, are called orthodox seeds. Orthodox seeds can be put through the necessary processes for seed banking, and survive in the seed bank conditions — some have estimated dormant lifespans of thousands of years. Orthodoxy is one of the first determinations that must be made before seeds are collected, a process that begins in the native range of plant species.

Collecting seeds from the Turk's Head Cactus

To start the collection process, botanists from the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and the Turks & Caicos National Trust teamed up to create a target list of species to collect. Using the master plant list of the Turks & Caicos Islands, the team first removed species of plants which are known not to produce orthodox seeds. The Agave century plants, Zephyranthes rain lilies, and most palms bear seeds that are recalcitrant, meaning they must be planted while still fresh and moist, and so were not included as targets. The team then focused on priority plants — most notably, plants endemic only to the Turks & Caicos Islands and southern Bahamas. These were classed as high priority collection targets, as were ecologically important native plants. Some native plants were made a lower priority simply because the numbers needed to bank seeds — 10,000 seeds is the ideal — would just not be available due to some plant species’ determined lack of fecundity or their rarity in the Islands.

The collection process begins with locating an appropriately sizeable population of plants producing seed (or fruit containing seed). The seeds are examined by hand for ripeness (to make sure they’re mature enough to collect), damage (to make sure they’re not filled with beetle grubs or mouldy inside), and fertility (to be sure they’ll actually grow). This is usually done by slicing a few seeds open and checking for healthy food reserves and plant embryos; this also gives the collector a chance to estimate how many seeds are in each fruit and thus how many fruits must be collected for the target amount. Unripe seeds are noted for later collection. This can be a tricky proposition, as some fruits ripen by bursting open, scattering the seeds hither and yon, impractical to harvest. In other cases, a plant may ripen its fruits perfectly, but the team may return to discover that the entire harvest has already been made by birds and lizards!

When the right conditions for collection are found, seed collector Melanie Visaya and team members first collect an herbarium specimen of the mother plant. This pressed, dried plant acts as a voucher for the team’s identification in the future. The location of the population is logged by GPS, and its size is estimated. Seeds are then collected into bags, but the team will strive to remove no more than 20% of the available seed from the plants. This ensures that plenty of seed is left behind to interact with the ecosystem’s food web as intended by nature.

Seed collection itself is simple. One team member likened it to the primeval practice of the “gathering” aspect of hunter-gatherer peoples. The practice is very natural-feeling and after several minutes becomes almost soothing and mesmerising. I’d choose fruit-picking over throwing a flint spear at a woolly mammoth any day.

When bags of fruit or seed are collected, they are transferred to the Middle Caicos Conservation Centre, where the herbarium specimens are dried and the fruit is laid out in cardboard trays to dry it as well. Fleshy berries, which go mouldy quickly, are sometimes cleaned by hand by squashing and washing in water. Fruit capsules that dry and pop open are covered with newspaper to prevent the all-too-familiar “ping” of seeds flinging forth from ballistic capsules, rattling across the laboratory floor. Some fruits, such as those of the southern Bahamas and TCI endemic Britton’s Hibiscus Hibiscus brittonianus, are covered with highly irritant hairs and are cleaned outdoors with protective clothing. Other fruit, due to its irresistible flavour to insects or rodents, must be dried inside the lab to prevent predation. A few offer pleasant surprises — the TCI and Bahamas endemic “stinky bush” Eupatorium lucayanum fills a room with a deliciously gentle minty-lavender scent as its fruiting heads dry. Others, such as the sea lavender Argusia gnaphallodes, created such a stench of rotten fish that they had to be exiled to an outdoor patio.

When the seeds are fully dry, they are packaged for shipment to the United Kingdom. After TCI export permits, UK import permits, and other paperwork is in hand, the seeds are shipped by courier, with their respective herbarium specimens and collection data, to the Millennium Seed Bank. There, technicians will clean the seed professionally in laboratories. Many fruit juices inhibit germination (the plant doesn’t usually want its seed growing while still inside the fruit) so they are cleaned thoroughly of juices and fleshy parts. Husks and capsules are removed, and parts are fully dried in special dry rooms so that all that remains is clean, dry seed.

The seeds then go through a quality control process that literally weeds out the unfit. Some are cut open to re-check fertility and pest damage. Groups are X-ray scanned to reveal hidden flaws or pests. A selection will be sterilised and planted on sterile agar in a clean room to test their germination rates and ratios. Meanwhile, the herbarium specimens are reviewed by plant family experts to verify the identifications. Most amazingly, while all of this work is happening, it is being observed by Wakehurst Place garden visitors. The entire Millennium Seed Bank workspace is bisected by a large exhibit hall with glass walls, so that all parts of the seed banking process are fully visible to school groups and garden visitors.

When a batch of seed passes this series of examinations, it will be sorted into containers, labelled, and taken down to the Millennium Seed Bank’s lower level. There, it will be filed into one of the many cold storage facilities which are held at a constantly low humidity and below-freezing temperatures. Here, the seed sleeps. It is only awoken if its country of origin needs it. The Millennium Seed Bank does not sell, trade, or gift seed without the expressed permission of the country of origin.

There, as of November 2009, collections from over 100 native Turks & Caicos Islands plants are held in conservation storage. The Seed Bank has been compared to Noah’s Ark; a time-travel ship with a hold of precious reproductive cargo intended to safeguard species against extinction. The seed bank now holds collections of all known island populations of Turks & Caicos heather, as well as several other endemic plants such as Britton’s buttonbush Borreria brittonii. Another national symbol, the Turk’s Head cactus, is protected there. In a dizzying regret of hindsight, the project began after the attack of the pine scale insect on the Caicos pine, and pine seeds have not yet been banked. This is exactly the sort of future threat, though, against which numerous native plant species are now protected due to their seed having been banked.

Not all seeds can be banked. Some seeds must be planted while they are still fresh and moist. A coconut is a seed, but try planting one that has lost its water reserves or has been frozen, and you would be wasting your time. Many palms and other plants are similar — their seeds cannot grow once their insides have dried through. These non-bankable seeds, which are referred to as recalcitrant seeds, pose a special conservation challenge that seed banking cannot meet. They remind us that while conservation storage of seeds is an excellent safeguard against extinction of some species, it is the wild habitats that must be preserved to prevent extinctions on the long term scale. Noah’s Ark is a good analogy for seed banking, but we must assure that there is somewhere for the ark to come ashore for its sleeping splendour to grow, thrive, and bloom for the future.

The Caicos Pride seafood plant takes proactive steps to stay competitive.

By Tara Malcolm, Quality Assurance Manager, Caicos Pride Ltd.

The spiny lobster (Panulirus argus) is an important resource for the Turks & Caicos Islands and even more so for South Caicos. The “Big South,” as the island is affectionately known, is known as the fishing capital of the country, with approximately 75% of its working population in some way connected to the fishing industry.

Fishing for the spiny lobster has seen a downturn since the passage of Hurricane Ike in 2008. While current scientific analysis on the status of the lobster industry is still pending, the experienced fishermen have concluded that finding lobster is now more difficult than it was before.

While suggesting a number of reasons for the downturn in the industry, the fisher folks are positive that lobster fishing now takes more effort, but results in diminishing return. The use of more gas and oil (at a higher price!) to travel further distances out to sea and the necessity of more time spent harvesting the lobster should result in more money for the landed product. Unfortunately, economics does not always strictly dictate market price.

Seafood plants in the TCI and elsewhere purchase lobster from the fishermen at a price that is dictated by the selling price of the product in its primary market. The United States is the main purchaser of lobsters from the Turks & Caicos Islands. With the recession hitting the US hard, there is less demand and falling prices for lobsters. In fact, the 2009 lobster season started off shakily with poor prices and little demand. Seafood processing plants like Caicos Pride Products Ltd. buy and process lobsters only with faith that there will be a future market.

Caicos Pride seafood plant in South Caicos.

Caicos Pride Products Ltd. is a locally owned seafood processing plant located on South Caicos. It processes lobster, conch, and scale fish. The company started operation in 1999 under the leadership of Jimmy Baker. After eight years of working in the seafood industry, first as a fisherman and later as plant manager for one of the processing plants in South Caicos, Jimmy became the general manager of Caicos Pride. With an eye for detail and a commitment to quality, Jimmy knew from the start that he wanted to take seafood processing to another level in the Turks & Caicos Islands. Under Jimmy’s command, Caicos Pride has evolved to become the leading seafood processing plant in the country.

Caicos Pride is a modern facility with a product flow that ensures food safety and quality. Products are processed by highly skilled, educated and diligent staff.  The majority of Caicos Pride’s workers have been with the company for over three years and some have even been with the plant since inception. The Caicos Pride management team has over 60 years combined experience in seafood processing and a staff member who is the recipient of the “Longest Serving Seafood Worker Award” presented by the TCI’s Department of Environment and Coastal Resources.

Jimmy Baker is committed to ensuring the sustainability of the seafood industry but is buffeted by many challenges. The price of lobster in the marketplace has decreased but the processing overhead has increased. The price for electricity, water and demands from suppliers have significantly reduced the profitability of the processing sector. However, Caicos Pride has been proactive and keeps positioning itself to meet the needs of its local and international customers. In 2008, Caicos Pride marked another milestone when it became the first local seafood plant to employ a quality control manager in its drive to maintain the provision of quality seafood for its customers. According to Jimmy, in difficult times such as the current recession, it is critical that Caicos Pride maintains the quality of its products to ensure that customers get the best for their hard-earned money.

Caicos Pride’s desire to protect their valued customers and the seafood industry led them to implement the Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) system. HACCP is the premier food safety system that was first developed by the Pillsbury Company for NASA in the 1960s, in an effort to prevent astronauts from getting foodborne illness while in space. It was adapted in the US by the food industry in 1973 in response to a number of botulism outbreaks associated with canned products. In the mid-1980s, the National Academy of Sciences recommended that the HACCP approach be adopted by all regulatory agencies and that it is mandatory for all food processors.

Caicos Pride Products is the only HACCP certified seafood plant in the Turks & Caicos Islands. HACCP is an internationally acceptable technique for ensuring food safety. The HACCP system allows food operators to assess hazards to food safety throughout the food flow and to put measures in place to assure the safety of the end product. An establishment that is HACCP certified signifies that the company is taking all reasonable steps to provide product of the highest standard. It enhances a company’s image, boost customers’ confidence and conforms to regulatory requirements.

Caicos Pride sees its employees as its most important asset and they, too, are also faced with challenges during this recession. In order to keep workers motivated and to help them through this difficult time, Caicos Pride has implemented a number of staff incentive programs, one of which is the Staff Member of the Quarter Award. Each quarter, one worker is selected for their contribution to the company and is given a cash award and other memorabilia.

Caicos Pride also believes in lending a helping hand to the community. Over the years, Caicos Pride has constantly supported educational and social programs in South Caicos and has been involved in philanthropic activities. They recognize the need to give back to the community as an important role of the company.

What’s next?

Caicos Pride packs local lobster tails for international distribution.

Caicos Pride wants to expand its base in the scale fish industry and be able to satisfy the demand in the local market. In addition, Caicos Pride wants to be able to provide employment for workers during the closed seasons.  Lobster season runs from August 1 to March 31 and conch season from October 15 to July 15. In addition to the closed season, conch also has a quota and in some instances (such as the 2008 season), the quota was exhausted as early as March resulting in the plant being closed for four months. During the closed season, processing and exporting of these products are prohibited and therefore many persons are out of work.

According to a 1990 report, the TCI fin-fish fishery is believed to be underutilized, and is therefore considered to be robust with a potential yield of 70–140 kg/km off the shelf perimeter of the Turks & Caicos Islands. Sustainable fishing in this area will therefore allow for the expansion of the economic base of South Caicos. Caicos Pride is working to take advantage of this opportunity,  which will allow restaurants to provide visitors with authentic local cuisine and provide an opportunity for locals to get jobs during the closed season, thereby, contributing to the country’s Gross Domestic Product.

Caicos Pride has also diversified its marketing strategy. Cleaned, packaged, frozen Gold conch, tenderized conch and conch trimmings, along with lobster tails in a variety of sizes can now be ordered on-line at www.caicoslobsterandconch.com for shipping worldwide.

According to Jimmy Baker, “surviving this recession requires you to diversify, be innovative and see the opportunity in every situation, while at the same time, having a vision of where you want to go.” There’s no doubt that Caicos Pride, “King of Quality Seafood,” plans to provide quality seafood to the people of the Turks & Caicos Islands and the world far into the future.

For more information on Caicos Pride, visit www.caicoslobsterandconch.com.

What impact does the Australian pine have on the local plant community?

Story & Photos By Chloe Hardman

This dense mat of Casuarina needles can prevent other plants from growing.

Tall trees waving in the winds are a common sight along the beautiful beaches of the Turks & Caicos. Locally known as the cedar, these trees offer pleasant shade. But have you ever stopped to wonder where these trees came from?

History

Very few people alive today will remember a time when there were no cedar trees on the Islands. Historical records tell us the cedar trees were introduced to Florida in the late 1800s from Australia. They probably reached the Turks & Caicos around a similar time. This origin gives rise to another name for the tree: the Australian pine.

Although they look like pines, these trees are not true pines. The scientific name for these cedar trees is Casuarina equisetifolia. Having leaves reduced to tiny scales around thin branchlets gives the appearance of needles. What look like cones are the fruiting heads which are dispersed by birds, wind and water. One pound of these fruiting heads can contain up to 300,000 seeds. This is just one feature that makes the cedar tree spread so rapidly.

Spreading fast

Have you noticed an increase in the number of cedar trees on the Islands? Many people have. Bambarra and Whitby Beaches on Middle and North Caicos, respectively, are areas along which you may have noticed the trees spreading over the years. You may have also seen them along roads or wherever land has been cleared.

Why do these trees grow so well along beaches and roads? Colonising bare sandy soil is not easy for many plants. It is a dry, salty environment with few nutrients. Casuarina trees have a partnership with microbes, helping them to fix nitrogen from the air into the soil. Being salt tolerant and fast growing also helps.

Impact on other species

Being such fast growers gives Casuarina trees a competitive advantage over some other plants. There is concern that they displace native vegetation. In Florida the tree is considered a serious pest and is thought to interfere with turtle and alligator nesting. When a species spreads rapidly and causes harm it is classed as invasive. I am interested to find out what impact the Casuarina is having on the native plant community in TCI.

To investigate this I have been recording the plants growing under the Casuarina and comparing this to the plants growing outside of it. Many people told me “nothing grows under the Casuarina,” so I was surprised when I found a range of species growing under it. However the abundance of plants does appear to be lower under Casuarina, especially in areas that have been recently cleared.

Combination of threats

Casuarina is a plant that likes to grow where humans have disturbed the environment. It is often the first plant to grow back in a cleared area and puts down a carpet of needles and shade making it harder for other plants to grow. There is no doubt the dune communities would look very different without it. The further into the bush humans take bulldozers, the more Casuarina will grow and change the landscape.

Values and choices

The Turks & Caicos Islands are home to some truly unique natural habitats. Nine species of plants are found no where else on earth except these Islands. In contrast Casuarina trees are found on hundreds of islands across the world and form monocultures in areas which once were diverse.

What type of landscape do you value? On one hand, the Islands could end up looking like many other places in the world. On the other hand, leaving important areas of unique natural habitats whilst sensitively developing other areas could help preserve natural heritage. The choices the people of Turks & Caicos Islands make in developing the landscapes will determine which route is taken.

My research into the invasive plants on Turks & Caicos is part of my MSc degree in Conservation Science at Imperial College London, UK. I would like to thank the Turks & Caicos National Trust for working with me, particularly B. Naqqi Manco, Ethlyn Gibbs-Williams, Melanie Visaya, Bob McMeekin and Miranda Jones. The trip would not have been possible without the fantastic support of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, UK, especially Martin Hamilton and Marcella Corcoran. Also, to the many people who have talked to me about the local plants, thank you for your time and insight.

Historic restoration plays a part in preserving the Islands’ rich heritage.

By Kathy Borsuk ~ Photos Courtesy Lee & Astwood Architects

Bermuda chimney salvaged from Roberts House restoration in Grand Turk

Anyone who is familiar with the Turks & Caicos Islands knows that this tiny archipelago holds a rich history. Most apparent when you visit the “Salt Islands” of Grand Turk, Salt Cay and South Caicos is the impact of the Bermudian salt raking industry and British Colonial government on the architecture of the historic buildings that remain.

Although sturdily built, as time, corroding sea air, hurricanes, development and, in some cases, indifference or lack of funding take their toll, these remnants of TCI history are crumbling before our eyes. Will we lose this valuable and rare link to the past?

Looking back

In the days before refrigeration, salt was an important preservative, and the shallow seawater ponds of Grand Turk, Salt Cay and South Caicos were rich in naturally forming crystals. From 1678, Bermudian salt rakers were dispatched to harvest this “white gold.” They built salina systems to control water flow through windmill-powered sluices and create sea salt through the evaporation.

Slaves were brought in to rake and bag the salt, which was carried by donkey cart to dockside storage sheds. Small “lighters” ferried the salt across the shallow bays to larger ships anchored in deep water. The industry provided the basis for thriving communities, with homes, churches, schools, commercial buildings, salt warehouses and docking facilities. Remains of the salinas, windmills, salt houses and other buildings still exist, although they are deteriorating rapidly.

During this early history, ownership of the Turks Islands was claimed variously by Bermuda, the Bahamas, Spain and France, until they were ultimately restored to Britain in the mid-1700s. As the nation’s capital, Grand Turk’s architecture also encompasses historical government-related structures, such as the Government House at Waterloo, the Treasury building, House of Assembly, post office and prison.

Wherever you travel in Grand Turk, South Caicos’ Cockburn Town or Salt Cay’s Balfour Town, you’ll see historic buildings, most unfortunately in various states of disrepair and decay. Some still hold their own along main streets; others are tucked away behind more modern structures or surrounded by bush.

Turks Island vernacular

For those with an eye for architecture, however, a number of common elements help define a distinctive “Turks Island” vernacular, although it varies subtly by island. These can include such features as a separated stone kitchen shed or building, stepped roofs of shingles or corrugated iron with large overhangs to create shade, wooden shutters, stone fence posts and wooden gates.

Duke Street, Grand Turk home only appears to be a restoration

In Grand Turk and Salt Cay, for example, the local vernacular includes hip roofs, while in South Caicos gable end roof structures are more the norm. Roof cladding varies widely, with Grand Turk style having switched over the years from the Bermuda roof and wood shingles to the current trend to metal roofing. The ubiquitous covered porch is seen throughout the Islands in varying styles, with the oldest buildings, particularly in Salt Cay, retaining the exterior walk-around louvered porch.

The need for protection

As the Islands took a pro-active stance towards preserving their unique and pristine natural environment through the establishment in 1992 of a comprehensive national parks ordinance, the need to preserve built history was recognized. The National Trust was created to safeguard the cultural, historical and natural heritage of the Turks & Caicos Islands and given authority to create and maintain a Heritage Register of areas, sites, buildings, structures or objects of cultural, historical or natural significance. Unfortunately, some bona fide historical buildings were demolished prior to the ordinance taking effect. The elements, especially the destruction wrought by Hurricane Ike in 2008, are taking their toll on those still standing.

Dr. Neal Hitch, director of the Turks & Caicos National Museum, has for years trumpeted the importance of properly restoring the country’s one-of-a-kind treasures. In early 2008 he commented, “I have seen many historic places, but Grand Turk is special. Its historic core is as intact with its original character as anywhere I have been in the world. It is, however, on a very thin line where it can easily be lost.” By late 2008, Hurricane Ike had proved the point, destroying a number of the historical structures including Woodville, a beautiful restoration that had been in process prior to the hurricane.

Dr. Hitch notes, “Historic places have a sense of place that people enjoy. This can attract visitors who typically stay longer and spend more money than those going to a new vacation destination.” He adds that the investment to restore an existing structure is typically less than constructing the same building new. The investment lasts longer, as the quality of space in a historic area does not come and go like the trends of the typical leisure destination. Dr. Hitch believes that either restoring or losing 10% of a historic district can make or break its sense of place, and urges the ongoing protection and preservation of Grand Turk and other such areas in TCI as the keys to a sustainable tourism product.

Well-schooled in the field of historical architecture, Dr. Hitch differentiates between restoration, renovation and preservation. He says, “No one really wants to live in a strictly ‘restored’ house, as it is not conducive to modern living. A renovation allows modern life to happen. A preservation is keeping enough of the original structure of the home so you could, if you wished, take it back to the original nature. It involves selective decisions on keeping appropriate older aspects. In doing restoration work, there is a fine line between making something in which you can be comfortable and preserving the original character.”

Putting policy into practice

One of the country’s most well-known historical renovations was that of Guinep Lodge, home of the Turks & Caicos National Museum. Built about 1850, it is among the oldest private residences on Grand Turk. When the graceful, but somewhat time-worn lodge was acquired in 1990 to house the museum, an extensive rehabilitation program began. To accommodate the weight of the museum exhibits (including a one-ton cannon!), the entire ground floor was taken up, revealing that the first piece of Guinep Lodge was a ship’s mast.

Because dismastings and wrecks were common in the days of the great sailing ships, it would be natural for local builders, such as shipwright Jonathan Glass, who built several structures on Grand Turk in the 1800s, to make use of these free materials. In fact, many of the lodge’s rafters were found to be ship’s timbers, while ship’s “knees” were used to support the roof. Museum officials decided to share this unique style with visitors via a “window” in the floor through which these unusual building materials can be displayed.

The Government House “Waterloo” in Grand Turk was restored in 1993. Built in 1815 and named after the famous battle that took place that year, it was originally the home of a wealthy Bermudian salt merchant and his family. At that time, it consisted of just one modest wing with an open air kitchen. Since then, the house had undergone many modifications, modernizations and additions according to the needs of its succeeding residents.

The well-established local architectural practice of John Redmond Associates served as project architects, with the goal of restoring, as far as possible, the original features of the residence. With termites being a major structural problem, the original wooden structure was supported by new works in concrete and masonry, with the use of timber restricted to claddings, floors, trim and roof. As much as possible of the original fittings and fixtures were retained, and where new ones were required, they were chosen to match their original counterparts. The existing back windows were re-used and the unusual guttering was restored.

Where original details were lost, new ones were based on similar examples found in other Grand Turk houses of the same vintage, as it is quite likely they were all made by the same craftsmen. The end result was a comfortable residence for each succeeding governor, conservation of an important part of the island’s heritage and a building that still stands today.

Making renovation a specialty

I recently met with Jeff Lee and Ian Astwood, principals of the architectural firm Lee & Astwood Architects Ltd. Both have a keen interest in historic renovation, have completed much of the historical renovation and refurbishment done in Grand Turk and Salt Cay, and have acquired an expertise and reputation for the craft. Jeff Lee is a TCI citizen, and has lived and worked in the country for 25 years. Since his early years as partner in the Turks & Caicos branch of OBM Ltd. he reflects his deep respect and admiration of the country’s heritage on the drawing board by incorporating key architectural elements in most of his designs.

I recall interviewing him in 1994 about a boutique hotel he had designed for Governor’s Beach in Grand Turk. The preliminary sketch spoke strongly to the past with its corrugated tin roof, shaded verandas and wrought iron balconies. It was graceful, scaled to the island’s size and appropriate to a sense of place. Unfortunately, the project never came to fruition.

Jeff’s first historical renovation was rather unusual. He was commissioned to design a residence for a Canadian couple on a small 1/3 acre beachfront lot on Duke Street. The goal was to design a residence that, when complete, had the appearance of a renovated 150 year old structure. In fact, of what had existed prior, only the cistern remained!  By studying old photographs, existing buildings and descriptions of the structure by the owner, the firm managed to design and build a brand-new house that looked 150 years old! The proof lies in the published articles that refer to the house as a “recently renovated old Duke Street house.”

Ian Astwood grew up surrounded by history. He spent the first dozen years of his career in the TCI government public works department in Grand Turk. He says that while his team worked to repair various government buildings  — including the post office, legislative council and treasury — to keep them functional, they were not proper nor accurate historical restorations. Ian left TCI to study Historical Preservation in college, earned a Master’s Degree in Architecture and wrote his thesis on “Preservation and Restoration: The Essence of Place in Architecture.”

In 2004, the newly formed Lee & Astwood’s first historical renovation was the Methodist Manse in Grand Turk. Originally built in the 1860s, this spacious, historic, oceanfront home on Front Street typifies the character of the stately British West Indies architectural style. It now operates as the Grand Turk Inn, a popular guesthouse.

The firm’s next project was the renovation and preservation of the Brown House (originally named Sunnyside) in Salt Cay. Built in the early 1800s, the home was later purchased by the Harriott brothers of salt proprietor renown. It was resold upon their death and successively served as a private home and guest house and restaurant. By 2003, the house was in danger of collapse. It was purchased by Helen Krieble, a professional art historian and Salt Cay preservation devotee, who commissioned the extensive renovation.

According to Jeff and Ian, the most important part of the project was the complete rebuilding of the basement and core structure of the house. Jeff comments, “We discovered that the beams in the basement were old ship’s masts and we needed to import large timber replacements to support the house’s structure, with new cement footings to support the posts. Much of the upper living level plank floor was replaced and extensive work was completed on the simply operating porch wooden shutter system.”

Upstairs, the house is surrounded on three sides by a veranda, with  wooden jalousie windows to let in light and breezes. Bedrooms, now with modern baths, line the hall and a refurbished, modern kitchen and dining area enjoys the western exposure. Lemon cypress pocket doors still work and have been restored to give many more years of service.

It was the Roberts House on Duke Street in Grand Turk, however, that posed Lee & Astwood’s biggest challenge. Because of termite and ant damage, the home was literally falling down. The firm petitioned the Planning Department to proceed with an ingenious proposition: survey and measure the building, knock down everything with the exception of the Bermuda kitchen structure and chimney, and build it back with a modern reinforced concrete structure, clad with wood to return the house to its original appearance. The work was time-consuming, with the Lee & Astwood team meticulously measuring every dimension of the house inside and out, translating this into drawings with section details which could be refined into construction documents.

The restoration of Government House on Salt Cay is a work in progress. Situated in the South District of Salt Cay, the house was built in the early to mid-1800s and served as the center of social, governmental and business life on Salt Cay. The two-story home, which served as the primary residence of the government officer, was built entirely of wood, with a separate, stone Bermuda kitchen off the back of the house. The front displays large cement and stone Bermuda posts and wooden gates.

The home has stood empty since its last official function — a wedding reception in 1976. In 2008, TCI National Trust Executive Director Ethlyn Gibbs-Williams and Helen Krieble formed the Turks & Caicos National Preservation Trust, both to raise funds for the renovation and to help the trust secure a 99 year lease on the property.

Although severely affected by Hurricane Ike, the original center part of the house has been refurbished, along with the distinctive front porch. The roof has been completed, closing in the structure, and the exterior wall cladding is now in place, further strengthening the structure. When completed, plans are for the property to serve as a visitor’s center, featuring displays of Salt Cay artifacts and photos and cultural demonstrations including how to cook in the working Bermuda kitchen. Upstairs, the building will be made available for meetings, receptions and other gatherings.

A labor of love

Although Lee & Astwood’s renovations are a labor of love and satisfying in themselves (especially to Ian, who enjoys the delight of older Grand Turk folk when they see restored a building they remember from childhood), they are not without challenges. Jeff says, “The hardest thing about this sort of work is that there are so many unknowns. You don’t know what’s behind the wall or under the floorboards until you’re well underway. That makes it hard to establish a budget or define a timeline for the owners and builders.”

In this type of project, an architect’s job is to draw plans and detail the building, specify the materials, create a project manual and manage the construction, ensuring that the work is done properly and on time. Ian explains that sourcing materials to match existing items is like a scavenger hunt, “We have to research, hunt for and find these materials, then get them to the island! This may mean searching an old barnyard in the US or a dealer specializing in antique hardware to find hinges and knobs for doors.”

Plans for the future may include working with Salt Cay Devco Ltd. on a Salt Cay Historical Preservation Plan encompassing their vision of restoring and renovating the tiny island’s tattered historical center. Jeff and Ian would also like to see restoration expanded to include buildings in South Caicos, such as the venerable District Commissioner’s house, and on the Caicos chain, whose architecture dates back to the Loyalist cotton plantation era. They concur, “There’s so much work to be done and the time window in which these buildings can be saved is steadily shrinking. Without visible reminders of heritage, a country loses sight of itself.”

For more information about TCI historic restoration, contact Jeff Lee and Ian Astwood at Lee & Astwood Architects at 649 946 5210 or  visit www.leeastwoodarch.com.

A sampling of Providenciales’ sybartic – and healthful – spa pleasures.

By Kathy Borsuk & Claire Parrish ~ Photos By Claire Parrish

When Claire and I decided to visit many of the spas in Providenciales for this feature, I inwardly cringed. I’m a wash ‘n’ ready, no-frills gal who was brought up to believe that hard work and deprivation build character and self-indulgence is morally wrong! (I also don’t like strangers invading my personal space.)

Ironically, my sister is a successful massage therapist and esthetician. Her views on the subject started to change my opinion of the virtues of spa therapies, as did Claire’s obvious enthusiasm for the project. But it was this fall’s tour of Provo spas — and their rejuvenating effect on my exhausted body, blotchy complexion and stressed-out mind — that turned me into an advocate, especially as to their long-term benefits for health.

Massage at Thalasso Spa beachfront treatment room

As an upscale resort destination, the Turks & Caicos Islands boast a large number of exceptional spas. We focused our attention on spa services available on Providenciales, where most tourists visit and most residents live. The locations are as varied as the list of treatments available, ranging from seaside palapas tucked behind a private dune to a large wellness center with personal treatment rooms that seem to float upon a reflective pond. You can visit luxurious sanctuaries filled with aromatic essence and the sound of a waterfall or take your treatment by the beach, in a garden or on a sun-drenched patio overlooking the sea.

What we found to be universal were a commitment to excellence and professionalism; a sincere enjoyment in pleasing clients by spa management and staff; and spotlessly clean treatment rooms with decor that invited us to take a deep breath, relax and enter a world of peace and tranquility.

But what about the recession? Is there a place for pampering during these hard times? One spa manager I talked to put it best, “When you’re working hard to manage your business or do your job, taking care of your family, and probably worrying about the economy on top of it all, you need to remember to set aside time to keep your body and mind healthy. Stress takes its toll in more ways than you can imagine, starting with high blood pressure and heart disease and ranging to insomnia, headaches and skin problems. And when you’re continually rushed and anxious, you’re more likely to argue with family and friends or fall into depression. When you consider that a massage, facial or other spa treatment can help alleviate a great deal of stress, I would say it’s well worth the money.”

Spa managers also agreed that tourists expect pampering to be an important part of what may be their only vacation of the year. Many make spa visits a daily part of their resort stay, taking advantage of spa packages. An oft-noted trend is the increase in couples coming to the spa together, especially among honeymooners, and men taking advantage of spa services more than ever.

A number of the spas we visited had recently offered discounts and promotional specials, especially during the slower months of the year. Also available were resident’s discounts. It’s worth asking if any promotions are available when you make your reservation, or check out the spa’s website ahead of time.

As we visited the various spas, Claire and I (who work out of separate offices) kept in touch via email. What follows includes extracts of our “spa chat.”

Exhale® at the Gansevoort Turks + Caicos

Hi Claire: I went for my first spa treatment today at your favorite place for core fusion classes: Exhale® Spa at the Gansevoort. The resort is so chic and trendy — there always seems to be a “buzz” about the poolside and I know you’ve spotted several celebrities there. I was a little intimidated, but felt right at home as soon as I met Tami Norris, the spa manager, and my esthetician, Tamika Thompson. Both were so friendly and down to earth!

They welcomed me into the beautiful reception area — I loved the clean, minimalist lines and combination of dark wood and dusky gray and have you noticed that amazing sand art piece on the front of the desk? We sipped some water and tea while a lot of people — several couples — came in and out to make reservations. But as soon as we entered the treatment room, it was like being in another world: quiet, soothing, scented with a refreshing botanical and just the right temperature. I snuggled into the comfy spa gown and braced myself for the verdict as Tamika analyzed my skin in preparation for a 60 minute ”true” facial.

Age, sun damage, dryness and an annoying predilection for acne led to Tamika’s diagnosis of mature, combination skin and she expertly selected the appropriate lotions and formulas. The first step was a warm and wonderful steaming, followed by a cleanser and a tingly, exfoliating Z-peel. Then came the torture — a.k.a. “extraction.” This involved Tamika squeezing the life out of my every whitehead, blackhead and anything else on my face that didn’t belong. It hurt! But I endured, all in the name of beauty! Tamika explained that this was the proper way to “pop a pimple” and that childhood admonishments against this were because dirty fingernails can cause infection. Yuch!

I was more than ready for the soothing facial massage that followed, along with a rejuvenating mask made of Oriental mushrooms, with a serum applied to my eye “squints.” The final steps were application of moisturizer and a sunscreen that actually treats and protects at the same time. What I especially enjoyed were Tamika’s luxuriant hand and foot massages while the peel and mask did their work.

Tami had told me that Exhale® chooses their product line because “you can see results right away,” and she was right. Although my face was slightly irritated from the extractions, by the next day it was noticeably smoother and less “bumpy” and it did seem that a few wrinkles had vanished. Of course, regular treatment is the key to long-lasting results.

Exhale's outdoor couples shower

Exhale® is an extension of the popular “mindbody” spas that started in New York City in 2003; over 20 in the line are expected to open internationally. Exhale® is the only Condé Nast Johansen recommended spa in Providenciales. Spa manager Tami Norris notes that the most popular services here are massages, especially the fusion massage which make use of aromatherapy for relaxation and healing. Afterwards, many clients enjoy the outdoor garden shower, under which you can rinse in your own private paradise of sunlight and tradewinds.

Besides a variety of facial treatments, including the popular g.r.n. product version, clients can enjoy grn manicures and pedicures in the Islands’ only pedicure chairs! Budding brides and honeymooners often partake in the brow and body waxing services.

For the ultimate in luxury, Tami suggests an “escape” spa package, which combines a deep flow massage, true facial, glow body scrub and unlimited mind body classes during your stay at the resort. (In fact, their trademark Core Fusion® classes, which fuse the disciplines of core conditioning, Pilates and yoga and are transformational in themselves, are very popular among residents and guests.)

Exhale® uses several results-oriented exclusive product lines, including their own grn products, Actifirm, 302, jimm harrison and IS clinical, which is of dermatologist quality. A variety of these products, along with spa wear, can be purchased in the reception area.

This winter, Tami says you can expect several brand-new offerings, including special sunburn body wrap and de-tox therapies. The “de-tox” will encompass exfoliation, a purifying mud masque and scalp massage, all designed to relieve the effects of holiday excess.

Visit www.exhalespa.com or call 649 941 7555.

Thalasso Spa at Point Grace Resort

Hi Kathy: I have just visited tranquility near the beach! I think I’d like to live there!

I have been surrounded by flowers, grasses, sea breezes, a view of the ocean and pretty white-washed buildings full of eclectic keepsakes. There is Asian music in the air and I already feel relaxed. Having arrived at Point Grace Thalasso Spa, Merna Alcandsado from the Philippines showed me a wide ranging menu of all the treatments offered. I could have taken all day choosing! She knew me a little already and I being a sporty working mum of two she was quick to suggest her signature massage, the Fusion. It brings together Swedish and Thai massage techniques to strengthen the body’s energy.

I inhaled a bracing peppermint aroma while my therapist set to work to improve my flexibility, promote my circulation and stimulate the release of toxins. Using a mixture of olive oil and peppermint, she eased every possible muscle or joint tension . . . every toe, every finger, no joint was left out. She was gentle yet firm and added more massage pressure as requested. The added pleasure with this massage was the soothing extensions and flexions of joints. I have often drifted off to sleep during other massages, coming to with a feeling of, “What have I missed?” This massage was just right for me as it made me listen to my body as Merna enhanced my flexibility . . . I only snoozed a little! I blame that on the luxuriant effects of the beautiful natural scenery around me — I think I was dreaming about how I could set up home in this spa.

Point Grace has a special location on the point of world-renowned, 12 mile Grace Bay Beach. It has won for four consecutive years the World Travel Award’s “Caribbean’s Leading Boutique Hotel” designation.

Whether in the hotel or the spa you get a sense of being untouched by modern time. This authentic Caribbean spa so close to nature specialises in preparing facial and body wrap mixes using fresh Neem leaves from trees on the grounds or aloe grown in their gardens. Luxury here comes in the form of marble sinks paired with open-roofed showers, and of course the feeling of freedom when de-robing while looking out to sand dunes and the turquoise sea!

Appropriate to its location, the spa also highlights Thalassotherapy — using the properties of sea water as well as applications of sea mud and select seaweed by specialists trained in these European techniques. These treatments contribute to naturally restore vital energy.

And everyone can benefit — I loved the fact that the comprehensive spa menu includes options not just for men and women, but also for kids. They have “kids at the spa” selections for children between 5 to 12 years old, including a mini massage, mini cooling wrap and mini manicure/mini pedicure. In fact, I shall be giving my six year old (who likes the finer things in life as much as any of us) a special treat for Christmas — a mini-massage at Thalasso Spa.

Visit www.pointgrace.com or call 649 941 7743.

The Regent Spa at The Regent Palms Resort

Good morning Claire: I decided to send Gary for a men’s facial at The Regent Spa. Spa Development Manager Sara Codner says more men are coming in for treatments these days and they even have an old-fashioned barber’s chair for traditional shaves.

At 28,000 sq. ft. and with 17 treatment rooms, The Regent Spa is the island’s largest. It’s a separate facility well away from the resort, and as soon as walk up the path to the spa, shoulders relax and calming music urges you to enter a private sanctuary dedicated to pleasure. The first thing you see is a calming reflecting pool, very oriental in appearance, surrounded by pillars and bamboo plants. Everything is white, with wrought iron accents and a touch of colorful flowers.

We checked in at the beautiful, high-ceilinged reception area, which doubles as a boutique from which to purchase custom apparel, unique organic jewelry, and products from the spa’s various lines. Elder, Gary’s personal spa attendant, led him to the men’s dressing room to change into a robe and slippers.

Besides housing separate men’s and women’s dressing areas, this “outer chamber” also includes a high tech fitness center and a dedicated manicure/pedicure room. I passed through the yoga pavilion to check out the spa’s main treatment area. Here, eight private, stand-alone rooms line the palm-flanked signature pool — each seems to float above the water in its own tranquil aura. There is a quiet area with padded loungers on which to relax before or after treatment and a garden on the opposite end, with a waterfall flowing down the bordering rock wall. Its quiet murmur, along with the bubbling of fountains, served to further separate this elegant oasis from the surrounding world.

Janice Thompson was Gary’s esthetician. After helping him get comfortable on the padded table, she diagnosed discoloration, skin damage and dryness, and set to work with the 80 minute Signature Red Carpet Facial. I left and came back when it was done.

Amazingly, his skin looked fresh and smooth and I could tell he was pleased. Of course, men tend to space out the details, but Janice explained the customized steps she followed for the Sonya Dakar “Fitness Facial.” She began with a Mud Eucalyptus Wash, using actual mud from the Dead Sea to throughly cleanse his skin, while eucalyptus and lemon extracts did more deep cleaning. The next step was an organic scrub to decongest and exfoliate, then a toner to prepare his skin for the next step — seaweed lipsome gel, a “power shake” packed with anti-oxidants and vitamins. One reason he looked so much younger afterwards was probably due to the enzyme peeling cream, which used pumpkin and cardamom extracts to gently remove dead skin, and the lightening mask, combining wheat grass and lactic acid. The final applications were an eye cream to reduce wrinkles, hydrosoft lotion to rebalance his skin’s pH level, and Sport SPF 30 sunscreen (which she urged him to apply daily). I was envious! He had obviously had top-notch care from a “skin expert” and I’m thinking of checking myself in next.

The Regent Spa private treatment rooms encircle a tranquil pond.

Although The Regent Spa exudes an aura of casual five-star elegance, it’s the result of lots of hard work over the last four years by its talented manager Sara Codner and her staff of 28. With a strong background in managing upscale spas (she started-up The Spa at Pennyhill Park in Surrey, England), Sara has used her expertise to refine The Regent Spa to sheer perfection. She says, “We create our own trends and take pride in our authenticity. For instance, since we offer Thai massage on the menu, we make sure it’s done by an experienced masseuse from Thailand. We have a Balinese therapist who begins her traditional meditative massage with a terrific coconut body scrub and incorporates fragrant oils. For our signature Zareeba herbal steam detoxifying ritual, we have a woman in Jamaica who handpicks and mixes our therapeutic herbal blend. We also offer a Mother of Pearl body exfoliation that uses a blend of hand-crushed local queen conch shells to polish your skin to perfection.”

On the other hand, their product line reflects sheer sophistication. Sara explains, “Sonia Dakar is a Beverly Hills favorite, the Somme Institute products are popular among New York City’s elite and this is the only place outside of the US where you can get The Art of Shaving line.”

As a qualified massage therapist and esthetician herself, Sara knows what to look for when selecting staff. She explains, “Of course I look for credentials and experience, but I also personally try out each applicant and I can tell almost immediately if they have that special touch and healing energy the makes for a good spa therapist.”

Massages make up about 70% of The Regent Spa’s business, and their menu includes many varieties, ranging from aromatherapy and deep tissue to Swedish and Shiatsu, with an interesting sea massage which takes place on a warm flotation bed.

Other salon services include make-up application by professional artists, luxury manicures and pedicures, hair cuts and styling for men and women and depilatory services using Lycon wax treatments.

This summer offered were fabulous $1 per minute massages and 50% off facials. Residents always receive a 20% discount and other specials are available throughout the year.

Visit www.regenthotels.com/thepalms or call 649 946 8666.

Beauty & the Beach: Maxime salon & day spa at Caicos Café Plaza

Hey Kathy: Countless friends make regular visits to Mercy (Mercy Garcia, massage therapist at Beauty & the Beach) and now I can say I’ve had the Mercy experience!

Mercy’s choice for me was Swedish massage with, as she put it, added movements of arms, legs, feet, back and neck to aid flexibility. Whew! With relaxing Enya music in the background, I soon felt very much at home listening to my body again. After some warming up massage, Mercy put her whole body behind the movements, whether massage or flexing joints. This included considerable weight on specific areas of my back – enough to make me exhale involuntarily! She comfortably went beyond the elongations I had previously experienced, one example being legs firmly held to one side and head to the other, giving a great back stretch, and somehow Mercy found a way of adding to that stretch with pressure on my back too. How many hands has she got? This experience was all about energising and stress relieving. Again every joint area was targeted and of course my head too.

Both of my massage visits have made me realise that regular massage gives health benefits to the whole body and I need to rethink the way I have viewed massage. Whether it’s easing cramps and muscle tension, stimulation of circulation or lymph systems or a feeling of well being – the health benefits could come into play far more often than just my birthday or Mother’s Day treat. I used to view a spa visit as simply relaxing time away from work or children, when really it’s a more serious health benefit that accumulates the more you do it.

Beauty & the Beach day spa has been operating for nearly 12 years and is hugely popular with residents who also frequent Maxime’s hair salon on site. In the heart of Grace Bay at Caicos Café Plaza, access is easy and the small team here is extremely approachable and friendly. Walking into Maxime’s/Beauty & the Beach feels like walking into a true neighbourhood shop — there are always people you know having a cut or treatment! And yet there is complete confidentiality within the two beauty rooms —the site may be small but the layout works perfectly.

Ann Clift Northcote, an esthetician and owner/manager, continues to keep herself updated on cutting edge ingredients and techniques to provide the services people would like. She says her partnership with Sothys Skincare Paris located in Miami keeps her on her toes, whether it’s eyelash perming to reflexology, or stone massage to glycolic peelings, to name a few. Over the past few years the wedding market has taken off and Ann has worked hard with hair stylist Geraldine Burtschi to create a great name for themselves amongst clients, wedding planners and photographers.

Call 649 946 5093.

Anani Spa at Grace Bay Club

Hi Claire:

I just returned from one of my most relaxing massages yet, at the Anani Spa at Grace Bay Club. Sonia Heastle, spa manager, says Anani is one of the best-kept secrets on the island. Although open since April 2006, a lot of residents aren’t aware that it is tucked into an enclave on the resort grounds. In fact, I loved its warm, intimate aura; I felt embraced in care and comfort as soon as I walked through the doors. The walls are honey-toned, with golden oak floors, warm wicker furniture draped with Balinese sarongs and the fragrance of lemon grass fills the air. Anani is an ancient Lucayan name for “water flower,” and the theme is carried out in the decor, with fresh flowers everywhere — even under my face cradle! Both Sonia and my massage therapist, Sharon Myburgh, clearly take a genuine interest in each client. They explained that many of the staff are veterans of the former Serenity Spa (one of the island’s originals) and take the “healing power of touch” quite seriously.

Sharon gave me a 75 minute Elemis Well-Being Massage. Anani specializes in Elemis treatments and products, and this is one of their specially “choreographed” massages (although Sharon says their client-customized massages are also popular, where the therapists’ creativity can really shine). I inhaled four essential oils and chose the “Muscle Melt” blend of warming Rosemary, Juniper, Thyme, Birch and Chamomile, designed to ease tired, aching muscles. This massage incorporates ten cultural touches from around the world in a smooth, flowing rhythm from start to finish. It started with a Thai foot ritual with warm lime mitts, which stretched the muscles of my feet and legs, and a brisk body brushing to exfoliate and improve circulation. Then, I started my journey into bliss. Using a variety of sure, long strokes, interspersed with pauses at pressure points and to flex joints, Sharon massaged the warm, fragrant oil into my ever-so-willing body, from one side to another, top to bottom.

When I was putty in her hands, she gave me a mini facial, including a cleansing followed by lavender compresses and face massage with Moringa oil, one of Elemis’ “miracle” products, a strong anti-oxidant designed to repair my aging skin. Her final touch was a blissful scalp massage; it felt like my every worry of the week flowed out through her fingers. The tincture bell sounded the end of the treatment all too soon. I re-donned my robe and slippers and padded into the dressing room to shower, dress and prepare to face the world again. Next time, I plan to spend time relaxing in the cozy lounge area, sipping tea or water, to ease my transition into reality.

The Anani Spa encompasses six treatment rooms, including a large couples suite with private double shower and a dedicated manicure/pedicure area. Each room opens to an outdoor treatment area with shower, and on into a private, enclosed garden. Massages on the beach under a tent are another option.

Five experienced, trained therapists offer a variety of treatments using all-natural Elemis products and techniques, a highly successful line, Sonia says, which is extremely results-driven and backed by extensive clinical and scientific studies. (In fact, Elemis sends representatives to the spa each year to introduce their ever-expanding product line and train therapists in new techniques.)

Massages also include deep tissue, aroma stone therapy and a nurturing pregnancy massage. Facials can be specialized to any skin type or problem, and always include luxurious neck, shoulder, hand, arm and foot massage and de-stressing scalp therapy. Body scrubs and wraps are an exotic option, utilizing natural ingredients  such as seaweed to detoxify and deep cleanse inside and out. Spa packages combine treatments for a day of luxury, especially popular among wedding parties.

Sonia and Sharon explained that at Anani, time moves slowly and they are never in a rush to hurry clients in and out. Elemis is a lifestyle brand, offering specialized treatment series. A popular program among Anani’s strong resident following is the weekly body sculpting treatment, combined with Elemis body enhancement supplements. They also say that residents love their pedicures, a.k.a. “facials of the feet,” which can transform a foot in one treatment! In 2010, Anani Spa will release a new “resident’s spa menu” to complement their 10% resident discount.

Sonia calls spa therapy “luxury with a purpose.” She says, “Treatment helps remove stress, aches and pains and improve your quality of life. In fact, we notice that many of our clients are making spa treatments a lifestyle choice. It’s like giving yourself the gift of health.” Sharon concurs, explaining, “Anani is much more than just a resort spa. We’re dedicated to people. We listen to each person and deliver results. We want each client to leave as a better person, and know that they’ve made a new friend.” That’s exactly how I felt when I left.

Visit www.gracebayclub.com or call 649 946 5050x 1045.

Faces & Fingers

Hi Kathy:  Another day, another treatment . . . this is fun! Today I went to Faces & Fingers and it lived up to all I was led to believe. My face feels tight and sparkling clean – I daren’t touch it for the rest of the day!

Very quickly I found myself experiencing the extreme professionalism I had expected in decisive suggestion of treatment for my skin, organisation of treatment room, the no-fuss process of applications with simple, gentle advice throughout, yet still with a clear message that I was here to relax. I totally felt that “an expert” was in charge and it was nice to know that I had to do absolutely nothing whilst much was being done around me. Even my bed had a means of raising my head as needed — I didn’t need to move a muscle.

For my Scientific Facial, I enjoyed the sensations of cool, smooth, warm and cool again while my face was being cleansed, creamed, steamed, viewed, gently extracted, and toned. It was while the toning mask was on and I was being treated to hand, foot, head, neck and shoulder massages that my attention strayed to the outer waiting/open treatment area. It wasn’t that voices were intrusive, they were fun to hear. There was a very nice older man catching up with some of the staff. I could tell he was here for a regular treatment and I thought “good for him – a treatment and a chance to catch up with some sweet younger ladies!” Soon there was a gentle hum of more regulars telling their latest tales, yet in the privacy of my own booth I could still drift off to the sound of Asian music and the smell of lavender.

Faces & Fingers used to be found on Airport Road, but has now taken an upfront location in the new Courtyard Plaza on Leeward Highway. It has long been well known for its loyal clientele, based on its professionalism and excellence in service.

Eyebrow waxing at Faces & Fingers

Owner/director Georgia Wint started out with her shop in Jamaica 20 years ago and brought its sister shop to TCI 4 1/2 years ago. Patrice Elliott-Wint manages the shop here. Faces & Fingers provide a full treatment menu for men and women, very much specialising in scientific skin care, but also offering treatments such as laser hair removal (popular with the men), permanent makeup and nail artistry. The shop is definitely a Caribbean/European experience!

Call 941 4411.

The Spa at Seven Stars

Well, Claire, I made it through with flying colors – my first massage by a male therapist! You know how apprehensive I am about massages in general; but when Jennifer McLennon, spa manager of The Spa at Seven Stars told me my “Island Dream” treatment would be done by a man, I stood in dread all weekend.

Craig turned out to be her husband, they run the spa together, and both are very experienced professionals. Originally licensed and certified in Canada, they not only were employed in massage and physiotherapy clinics there, but have also worked in several upscale locations in the Caribbean, including Peter Island in the British Virgin Islands and The Four Seasons Spa in Nevis. What I’m trying to say is that it was clear from the beginning that I was in good hands.

Both the reception area and treatment rooms are in a building separate from the large Seven Stars resort. Both aura and aroma were clean and calming, emphasizing light earth tones in the decor with bamboo floorboards, lemon grass wallcovering and unique wave fans. Each of the four treatment rooms has a private shower and opens in the back to an outdoor patio.

Although I was pretty nervous at the beginning, Craig’s comfortable manner and strong, sure strokes soon emptied my mind of embarrassment and turned it to relaxation and pleasure. As requested in our consultation beforehand, he focused on my always-aching back, shoulders and neck, besides spending plenty of time on legs, calves and arms. Using a combination of Swedish and deep tissue techniques and a lovely rosemary massage oil, Craig managed to loosen each muscle and amazingly, make vanish a hard knot that often hurts in my upper back. I could feel it disappear! I also noticed that his movements worked to encourage lymphatic drainage towards the center of my body, a fact he confirmed afterwards by encouraging me to drink lots of water to wash away released toxins. He also seemed to stop at various pressure points and bend my joints to and fro, both designed to ease muscle tension.

All too soon the massage was over and the mini-facial treatment began. And yes, men do know how to give good facials! It began with a cream cleansing with a milk-based product, followed by toner and a clay purifying mask with a firming eye treatment. Even waiting time was pleasurable, as Craig massaged my feet (ah, sheer indulgence!) and hands while the mask was drying. A touch of moisturizer for my face and hot towel compresses for my feet were the finishing touch.

Treatment rooms at The Spa at Seven Stars

Afterwards, I had a chance to chat with Jennifer and Craig, a lovely, friendly couple who are obviously enthusiastic about their recently opened spa, and set very high standards. Jennifer explained that besides offering a good selection of massages, facials, body treatments, manicures and pedicures at very reasonable prices, the Seven Stars Spa is eager to customize treatment for clients. This means you can pick and choose among your favorite treatments and body parts, so, as Jennifer says, “You will enjoy every single second. After all, it’s all about you!” In-room, beachside and couples massages are also available.

Body treatments, including scrubs and wraps, and facials make use of Yon Ka products, a high-end line of all-natural ingredients imported from Paris. One interesting specialty was a “How To” massage, in which couples can learn how to give each other a full body relaxation massage. (Or is that too much work when spas are available???)

The Spa at Seven Stars offers a 15% local discount and a free treatment after you have five. They also have lots of fun specials planned for the holidays, include a Peppermint Body Polish for Christmas, which includes fresh peppermint leaves macerated with sea salt for a body scrub, peppermint oil for a massage and a cup of peppermint tea to follow.

Visit www.sevenstarsgracebay.com or call 649 333 7777 x 7740.

Spa Sanay

Hi Kathy: I got a bit carried away looking through the full spa menu at Spa Sanay, but was led in the right direction – my face is consolidating its education in “tingling!”

Just as with massage, it’s a learning curve to put into practice taking a regular facial and carrying on the good work at home to keep your skin healthy and glowing. I’m really pleased I had a facial suited to my age and skin type. Doing so compounded the reasons to keep the practice up!

This facial was called a Resurgence Renewal with Eye Renewal Mask. It followed all the steps I was now becoming accustomed to. My esthetician, Verona Mellis, explained to me what she was doing step by step and also told me about some of the things I could use at home if my skin care supplies were running low, like honey for toning and tightening as well as healing the skin. Honey kills bacteria and is a great remedy for skin blemishes. Avocado triggers the production of collagens, toughening and toning the skin. Her advice led me to look for more information on the Internet and there’s a lot to learn about natural remedies.

My problem areas were targeted with their own mask and then a cooling, calming, all-over mask of papaya and pineapple was pasted on. After the eye treatment I was ready for a most relaxing massage to my arms, hands, lower legs, feet, head and neck. Just as I am learning to expect, the foot massage was amazing! My mind was overcome by the reward of knowing that my face was getting extreme nourishment while my whole body was being further eased, all to the sound of calming music.

I was very pleased to leave the spa with a sizable purchase of products targeted to my needs, feeling I owed it to my skin to maintain a good simple routine. For the whole of that day my skin did feel tightened and tingling fresh, and I think it still does today, give or take the odd late night out!

Spa Sanay was started by owner/managers Sandy and Fay Lightbourne in 2003 in the Grace Bay Court Plaza opposite Sunshine Nursery, and they now also have a small spa at The Alexandra Resort which caters to both visitors and residents. As Fay tells me, Sandy, a banker by trade, likes to keep a close eye on his spa and is highly involved, doing all the purchasing of products, for example. Amongst his staff Georgette Dallas is key, overseeing things in his absence.

As their menu suggests, the range of treatments is all-encompassing including a full selection of hair services. Because these well known locals are devoted to their spa and their staff they have a great following, as I witnessed when two visiting gentlemen arrived with recommendations to take a Spa Sanay massage.

Email spasanay@hotmail.com or call 649 946 8212.

Spa Tropique

Hi Claire: I thought I’d forward you the report from my friend Charmaine Thomas. She visited Spa Tropique’s outlet at West Bay Club and received much more than she expected!

Hi Kathy:

I must say that I feel flattered to have been chosen as one to enjoy a Spa Tropique treatment. Located in the quiet tranquility of West Bay Club resort, the seaside spa is surrounded by luscious greenery which further emphasizes its serenity.

After describing my skin type, my therapist, Olive Fletcher, suggested that I receive a Papaya Pineapple Scrub followed by a body massage.

The body scrub was in a class of its own. Formulated with papaya and pineapple enzymes, it smells heavenly and both exfoliates and moisturizes, leaving my skin glowing and smooth.

My massage therapist was very knowledgeable in her job and I felt quite confident when observing her skills and caring spirit. The room was filled with soft music which mellowed my mind, placing me in a relaxing mood. Warm therapeutic oils were graciously and generously rubbed onto my body from neck down to my heels, and by the end of the massage, all my tight muscles seemed to have unwound.

I enjoyed every minute I spent in this spa and can’t wait for my next visit!

Spa Tropique is made up of a friendly, caring, professional group of therapists who work from many of Providenciales’ upscale resorts . . . and just about anywhere else you’d like a spa treatment! It reflects the customer-service oriented outlook of its owner/manager Meryl Cooper, who grew up in a family business and has it bred into her genes to please her clients. She explains, “Our goal is to be a wonderful part of the vacation experience. We want to make every customer feel like they are part of our family. We want everyone to leave happy.”

It would be nearly impossible not to be, with Spa Tropique’s extensive and creative list of spa services, whimsically described on their new menu. Ranging from Knotty but Nice classic Swedish massage to the Blemish Buster facial, Magical Mud Pie mud wrap, and Tootsies and Footsies foot and hand treatments, each selection seems an adventure into fun and relaxation.

Meryl says the most popular treatments are those that symbolize Caribbean flair, including the Margarita Body Glow scrub using Turks Island sea salt, and Caribbean Wrapsody, a papaya-pineapple créme fraiche body wrap, “the most delicious in history.”

Besides their home base Ports of Call location, Spa Tropique runs spas in a number of popular resorts, including both Ocean Clubs, The Sands, West Bay Club, Windsong and Reef Residences. They also handle out-call services for The Somerset, Coral Gardens and Royal West Indies. As a result, Meryl maintains a large, flexible staff that can be quickly mobilized to handle large parties (such as weddings and reunions) and corporate gatherings, as well as visit private residences or hotels. Meryl recalls among the most unusual “gigs” being when her staff dressed as pirates for a 50th anniversary party or when they set up their massage tables on the deck of a yacht — right next to the helicopter!

Meryl’s warm, outgoing personality makes her a natural for this people-pleasing business. Born and raised in New York City, Meryl began her career in retail and is a born actress, voiceover talent and stand-up comic, as well! She met the spa’s former owner during a trip to Little Cayman several years ago and shortly afterwards was living in Provo, running Spa Tropique and, along with her talented staff, on a mission to spoil you rotten.

Totally hands-on 24-7, Meryl hand-picks her staff from the many resumés that come her way. It currently includes certified, experienced therapists from the US, the Philippines and Jamaica — each one, like Meryl, thoroughly convinced that they’re doing “something good in the world through the power of touch.”

Spa Tropique also makes and packages a number of retail products, including salt scrubs and foot scrubs using indigenous ingredients. They are sold in the spa’s various outlets.

Visit www.spatropique.com or call 649 331 2040.

Teona Spa

Claire:  I just came back from my massage at Teona Spa and I was almost too relaxed to climb the stairs to my office. Edmonde Sidibe-Jones is the spa director (as well as its heart and soul) and I was glad to be in such capable hands. Last week, I had moved nearly seven tons of magazines around the island and into the storage locker and every muscle in my body was tight and sore. Edmonde treated me to one of her signature massages, in which she used a special blend of herbs, plants and fruits, including turmeric, lemon grass, ginger and mango, steamed together in fist-size bundles. Throughout the massage, she would take one of the hot bags and press and rub it over various meridian points on my body, an interesting sensation that was wonderfully warm and relaxing. As soon as I turned on my back, I could smell its spicy scent in the air.

Edmonde is a person who exudes beauty, warmth and love even when she is simply booking a treatment over the phone. During a massage, it positively flows from her spirit. She utilized a top grade olive oil, and plenty of it. She also used her elbows and forearms along with her strong hands and fingers to give the most personal, loving massage I have ever experienced. With a combination of long, smooth strokes, rocking, joint rotation and pressure, she slowly worked her way over my knotted back and shoulders, legs, feet, arms and neck, introducing each new area with the hot plant rub. Then I turned over and she started on the other side, including a stomach massage and ending with a scalp rub that included a tug or two on my hair.

As I slowly relaxed to the quiet music playing in the background, I could hear pops and clicks as my knots unknotted and my tensions unreeled. All too soon, the massage came to a close with two warm balls of the steamed blend tucked on either side of my neck, releasing for my deep inhalations their purifying scent. I will take Edmonde’s advice when she says I need to do this more often!

Teona Spa is tucked away in a shady grove in a building just south of Villa Renaissance. It serves as the resort’s dedicated spa, as well as for its sister property The Regent Grand. Its name “teona” means “a spirit of peace” and from the time you step into the African-themed waiting area and breathe in the rich scent of patchouli, tranquility begins to flow. Edmonde was born in Senegal; her father was African and her mother French. As a result, her spa bring to the Turks & Caicos an exotic blend of cultures that well suits the Caribbean. Her extensive training was primarily done in France, and this European influence can be felt in both her professional approach and sophisticated techniques (as well as her lovely French accent). She explains, “In Europe and throughout the Old World, spas have a rich heritage and a deep philosophy. It is not just somewhere you go for pampering, but a process of holistic healing. It involves body and mind, and can be spiritual as well.”

Open since November 2007, Teona welcomes all TCI visitors and has a strong resident clientele, many of whom believe in the value of long-term spa treatments on their health. (They also seem to enjoy her slimming therapy and de-tox programs, which, like most of Edmonde’s treatments, deliver results.) Teona’s extensive menu includes an array of facials, body wraps and scrubs and a wide variety of massages gleaning rituals from around the world. Signature treatments were created to utilize Edmonde’s 25 years of experience, and Master’s level knowledge of spa techniques. What looked especially appealing to me for next Valentine’s Day was “Two Hot to Handle,” a couple’s treatment involving a Boreh mask, a spiced bath and a Mediterranean hot oil massage. Edmonde says many of the treatments can done in your hotel room (or balcony), villa or home, including the ultimate four-hand massage in which two therapists work simultaneously. Teona also offers complete manicure, pedicure, depilatory and make-up services.

Edmonde’s product line includes Thalgo marine-based cosmetology (especially appropriate to our sea-surrounded island), as well as Phytobiodermic and Rhonda Allison products.

For 2010, Edmonde is anticipating a total remodel of the existing building. The interior space will be tripled, with the reception separated from the quiet treatment room area. There will also be a large outdoor facility encompassing a garden, waterfall, outdoor shower and relaxation area with two bungalows tucked in the dunes overlooking the beach. She plans to introduce several new technologies, including light therapy, corrective baths, a sauna and Turkish bath and a hair salon.

Visit www.www.villarenaissance.com/Teona_Spa or call 649 941 5051.

Searching for the TCI’s National Flower.

Story & Photos By Sophie Williams

This species of the Heather plant is found only in the Turks & Caicos Islands.

As a botany student in the UK, I regularly see the beautiful purple heathers covering the hillsides and dominating the landscape. When I was offered the opportunity to study the Turks & Caicos heather, I was excited and eager to see an endemic species of heather, occurring nowhere else in the world. I have now learnt that this heather, the national flower of the Turks & Caicos Islands, is a rather elusive and mysterious plant.

One of the aims of my research in the Turks & Caicos is to map the distribution of the heather and three other endemic plants. This requires finding the plants and taking GPS co-ordinates on a handheld computer. From this information I will then be able to draw maps that explain where the plants are found. This will allow the conservation status of the plants to be assessed and we will be able to see just how rare they are. The hardest part of this research is initially finding the plants. With only eight weeks to locate as many as possible, this was going to be quite a challenge — especially for a heather that is only known from a few locations!

Description

Botanically speaking, the heather is called Limonium bahamense. There are many species of heather in the Caribbean that are related to L. bahamense but this species is endemic to the Turks & Caicos and it may be restricted to just a few of the islands. Past botany expeditions undertaken by the Turks & Caicos National Trust and the Royal Botanic Garden, Kew had elucidated that the heather likes to grow around the edges of salinas. A few photographs taken from these trips show that it is a small herbaceous plant, up to 30 centimetres tall. It has tiny purple flowers, surrounded by a white sheath clustered together around the end of red stem. The mature plant lacks true leaves but has a green stem that it uses for photosynthesis. It is likely that this adaptation is to reduce the surface area of the plant and so reduce water loss. Interestingly, when the plant is a juvenile, it forms a small rosette of spoon-shaped leaves that are subsequently lost as the plant develops.

Plant hunting

After weeks of searching throughout Middle and North Caicos, a team of National Trust staff, Kew scientists and students (me included) set off towards Big Pond on Middle Caicos in hunt of the elusive heather. The rain had been heavy for the previous few days making the trek more interesting as the trail was flooded. Within the first minutes of what was going to be a long day’s hike we all had wet feet from wading through the flooded swampy lands. At some points during the day we were up to our stomachs in water — all so we could get a glimpse of the heather!

It was well worth the difficult walk as on arrival to the Big Pond salina a colony of heathers was spotted. This was my first sighting of the beautiful plant and I was not disappointed. Around 20 heathers were flowering, grouped together in a patch of salina only a few metres square. It seems that this clustering of plants in a small area is a habit of the heather and it is not known why, when there is suitable habitat all around, they do not colonise bigger areas. This mystery is one of the aims of my research; to ascertain what are the key environmental factors that control the distribution of the species.

Expedition to the Turks Islands and Cays

A week-long expedition, travelling to Big Ambergris Cay, Little Ambergris Cay, South Caicos, Grand Turk and Salt Cay, was planned for our team. My aim for this trip was to find more heather populations. Our first stop, Big Ambergris Cay, resulted in the discovery of a small meadow bursting with heather. This area was previously part of a large salina that has been modified by development, leaving just a small area suitable for the heather.

The visit to Salt Cay was by far the highlight of the trip for me as we found the heather growing in exuberant abundance. The old salina walls, left un-worked for so many years, has provided the ideal habitat for the heather to colonise. It is clear from my travels around the different islands that the single meadow at Big Ambergris Cay and the whole island of Salt Cay are the two most important sites for the heather. These areas are the world’s stronghold for this species and so need urgent protection.

Conservation

An initiative lead by the organisation Plantlife International aims to identify areas across the world that are important for plant diversity. Areas that hold a significant number of endangered or endemic species are identified and then recognised globally as “Important Plant Areas.” The Turks & Caicos could join the global community in this initiative and specify the few locations of heather as Important Plant Areas. The protection of these sites would ensure the long-term persistence of this species. The isolated populations of heather are extremely vulnerable to changes in their habitat. Destruction of just one population would have a significant impact on the survival of the entire species.

Conclusion

My short trip to the Turks & Caicos has been a fantastic adventure and I feel very privileged to have visited so many of the diverse islands. The challenge of locating the heather across the Islands has shown me that this plant is a very rare species. The sites on Big Ambergris Cay and Salt Cay would certainly qualify as globally Important Plant Areas. It is up to the people of the Turks & Caicos to decide whether they feel the national flower is a worthwhile candidate for conservation action.

The author is researching the endemic plants of the Turks & Caicos as part of her MSc in Conservation Science. She would like to thank the Turks & Caicos National Trust, Royal Botanic Garden, Kew and Imperial College London for making this trip possible.