Resort Report

The importance of having urchins. By Alizee Zimmermann, Turks & Caicos Reef Fund With flickers of iridescent blue, elegant spines of obsidian black, five self-sharpening teeth (yes, you did read that right), and an ample appetite, the long-spined sea urchin (Diadema antillarum) might just be the most interesting creature you didn’t know would fascinate you. A deep dive ...

The Flamingo tongue snail:  Predator and parasite By Corinne Pita (University of Michigan) and Julia de los Reyes (Yale University), The School for Field Studies Center for Marine Resource Studies, South Caicos ~ Photos By Dr. C.E. O’Brien It’s easy to conjure images of predation: a lion pouncing on its prey, an owl hunting for mice, a spider entwining ...

DECR debuts two exciting new projects. By B Naqqi Manco,  Assistant Director of Research and Development, DECR When you love something, there’s always a fear. Parents fret about their children, homeowners worry about their fortresses, and collectors obsess over the security of their hoards. For those of us who love our work, that concern translates into anxiety ...

Human versus weather app – which is more accurate in the TCI? By Paul Wilkerson I have been forecasting the weather for the Turks & Caicos Islands for the better part of eight years now. The number one comment/question I get? “My app shows it raining the entire time I am there, will it really be a ...

The “tail” of the hutia. By Bill Keegan and Betsy Carlson We were sitting under a scrubby tree at the long-abandoned North Base at US Naval Station Guantanamo Bay (GTMO). The Cubans were blaring a speech by Fidel Castro from their observation posts across the perimeter fence. It’s not clear whether any of the young Marines in ...

Local artist Richard McGhie By Kathy Borsuk ~ Illustrations By Richard McGhie Regular readers of Times of the Islands may recall the intriguing paintings of a 1798 pirate battle off the coast of West Caicos (Fall 2021) and the treasure-laden Spanish galleon Concepción before it sank in stormy seas (Spring 2022). Both images were realistic, detailed, accurate ...

Captain Edward Lightbourn Story & Images Courtesy Antoinette Lightbourn Butz Captain Edward Lightbourn was my great-great-great uncle. I researched this article through many documents found on Bermuda and the Turks & Caicos Islands, particularly from a letterbook in my possession and a set purchased by the Bermuda Archives in 2018. Background Edward Lightbourn was born in the Heron Bay ...

The origins of Junkanoo — Part 2 By Christopher Davis, Alex Kwofie, Angelique McKay and Michael P. Pateman In the Summer 2022 issue of the Astrolabe, the authors detailed various legends of the origins of Junkanoo from European influences and mimicry to the Ahanta General, Jan Kwaw from Pokesu (today’s Princess Town) in Southwestern Ghana. However, the ...

South Bank’s new “suspended private villa” experience. By Kathy Borsuk ~ Images Courtesy Windward Life in the Turks & Caicos Islands is meant to be savored with each of your senses. Overarching is the vast expanse of ocean blue, with as many different expressions as the face of a beloved friend. Beams of golden sunshine are occasionally ...

Is a “Silicon Island” in the making? By Ben Stubenberg Can a small island nation renowned as a premier vacation destination for its spectacular beaches and turquoise water also become a world class hub for tech innovation—a “Silicon Island?” At first glance that seems improbable. After all, high end tourism drives TCI’s vibrant economy, not high tech. ...

Preserving island culture in the 21st century. By Abigail Parnell If you have ever attended the Turks & Caicos’ Island Fish Fry (now held in The Bight on Thursday evenings) or post-Christmas Maskanoo event, you’ve probably reveled in the irresistible rhythm of the drums, whistles, horns, and cow bells of Junkanoo. This festival of intoxicating sound and ...

The effects of Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease on TCI reefs. By Heidi Hertler, John Debuysser, Autumn Zwiernik, Katie Tanner, Alyssa Landi, Hayley Newman and Morgan Rose, The School for Field Studies Center for Marine Resource Studies, South Caicos Coral reefs are one of the most biologically diverse and ecologically productive ecosystems on the planet. They are aesthetically ...

Gene bank pilot nursery started. By Don Stark and Alizee Zimmermann, Turks & Caicos Reef Fund Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease (SCTLD) arrived in the Turks & Caicos Islands in 2019. This Caribbean and Tropical Atlantic-wide disease has devasted reefs throughout the region. It has affected over 30 species of stony corals — the big reef building ...

The fabric of our lives. By Bill Keegan and Betsy Carlson Competition had grown fierce. A burgeoning fitness industry in the 1980s had embraced man-made fabrics to the point where DuPont Corporation could not meet demand for its trademarked product — Spandex. In response, Cotton Incorporated recognized the need to remind consumers that cotton products are soft, ...

Looking back at life on the Islands “back in the day.” By Shelagh Barrington Shelagh Barrington is Kathi Barrington’s older sister. Kathi was editor of Times of the Islands from 1990 to 1993. On a recent visit to Providenciales, she had occasion to reminisce on those early golden days in the sun.  Today . . . It’s time for ...