Resort Report

Visiting South Caicos and Salt Cay post-hurricanes. By John Galleymore In the ten years of being a resident of Providenciales, we had seen storms form off the west coast of Africa and either dissipate, move away or grow no larger than a tropical storm. The one exception was the 2008 “double” of Hurricanes Ike and Hannah, tearing ...

Facing the fury of Hurricanes Irma and Maria. By Ben Stubenberg For eyes reading these words today or 100 years from now, know this: When Hurricanes Irma and Maria tore across the Turks & Caicos Islands in September 2017, the people of these beautiful islands united as one. Well-off or struggling, they helped each other selflessly and ...

The delicate nature of coral reefs. By Dr. Aaron C. Henderson & Dr. Heidi Hertler, The School for Field Studies, Center for Marine Resource Studies, South Caicos ~ Photos By Dr. Heidi Hertler Coral reefs are perhaps the most visually stunning ecosystems in the marine environment. Often described as the “rainforests of the sea,” they abound with colourful ...

Saving Grand Turk’s precious coral after the hurricanes. Story & Photos By Don Stark, Chairman, Turks & Caicos Reef Fund In September 2017, back-to-back hurricanes severely damaged the island of Grand Turk (as well as other islands in the Turks & Caicos). But not all the damage was readily visible. At the southern tip of Grand Turk, ...

Paul Wilkerson’s interest in local weather proved essential this season. By Jody Rathgeb ~ Photos Courtesy Paul Wilkerson Lots of people come to the Turks & Caicos and fall in love with its turquoise waters. Paul Wilkerson went further. The American meteorologist extended his love to the TCI’s clouds, winds, rains, dry spells . . . and ...

How I became an Islander. By Dr. Charlene Kozy Editor’s note: Dr. Charlene Kozy has been contributing articles to Times of the Islands for nearly a decade. They range from a survey of the various flags and emblems used by the country, to detailed histories of the life and times of the Caicos Islands’ Loyalist plantation ...

“Streamlined Pioneers” seek utopia on East Caicos. By Jeffrey Dodge Newspapers all over America called them “Utopians,” “Streamlined Pioneers,” “Modern Crusoes,” “New Life Seekers” and “Colonists.” These were just a few of the monikers given to a group of 19 Californians seeking “to get away from civilization as it now operates for the lesser-privileged.” Group leader Richard ...

A look at insurance in the face of disaster. By Craig Archibold, Account Executive, Property & Casualty, NW Hamilton Insurance Services Ltd. As I reflect on the events of the unprecedented 2017 hurricane season, I found myself in deep consideration of an old saying my mother would always say to us as children, “Better to have and ...

By Peter Kerrigan, Director, Engineering Design Services As a young boy, my mother took me and my siblings to see the musical “Fiddler on the Roof.” My younger brother nearly had a heart attack when the graveyard scene was shown. Myself, well I was simply horrified at the condition of the roof and very concerned for ...

Qwan Ki Do Training goes beyond self-defense. By Kathy Borsuk ~ Photos Courtesy Graceway Sports Centre Blame it on my age, but I usually associate martial arts with finely honed Asians using remarkable fighting skills to decimate dozens of enemies, making high-pitched keening sounds in the process. I think it was all those Bruce Lee movies. In the ...

Harriott sisters participated in the 1900s “craze.” By Jeffrey Dodge Old picture postcards from the dawn of the postcard-collecting “craze” are often under-appreciated but valuable historical documents. Those that bear personal messages in addition to period photos are doubly important. The following story by deltiologist (one who collects and studies postcards) Jeffrey Dodge is a case in point. ...

Making the case for Grand Turk. By Ben Stubenberg Just where did Christopher Columbus make first landfall during his epic voyage across the Atlantic in 1492 to what we now call the Americas? As many as ten islands vie for that distinction in the Lucayan Archipelago that encompasses the Bahamas and Turks & Caicos Islands. The competing theories ...

Moringa abounds in the Turks & Caicos Islands. By Eric F. Salamanca, Ph.D., Assistant Director for Research & Development; Ethan Griesbach, MSc., Acting Director/Deputy Director; and Bryan Manco, Environmental Officer, Department of Environment & Coastal Resources ~ Photos By Dr. Eric F. Salamanca The Moringa tree can be found in the farms, residential backyards and landscaping of resorts ...

Rescued birds find a home on North Caicos. By Jody Rathgeb ~ Photos By Tom Rathgeb Calling someone a birdbrain usually isn’t very nice, but if you take the words literally—as in, someone who thinks about birds a lot—you have a pretty good description of Patti DesLauriers and Howie Bartels of North Caicos. When they moved to the ...

There is nothing like a library for making memories. By Pat Saxton, Director, Turks & Caicos National Museum My earliest memory of the neighborhood library was from grade school. Founded in 1875, Bayne Park Library was one of the oldest, scariest buildings in the borough of Belleview, Pennsylvania. Getting a library card was a rite of passage ...