The Turks and Caicos
01 March 2015 | Cockburn Town Grand Turk
Andy / Sunny and Hot
After a great early morning sail from Mayaguana in the Bahamas we arrived at the cut for the Turks and Caicos. We entered the bank south of Providenciales (better known as Provo) and south of the west reef through the Funnel and Sandbourne Channel. From here it was another 90 minutes of sailing east to Sapodilla Bay. This is a great anchorage for anything other than a south to west wind. After setting the hook we contacted the Government Dock Dockmaster on VHF 16 and requested instructions on clearing in. He directed us to dinghy ashore around the point towards the dock and land on the furthest beach to the left. We did this and walked up through the container yard. He met us halfway and walked us over to security to get passes allowing us to walk around the yard. Customs and Immigration has an office right there and within 20 minutes both boats had cleared in for $50 each for 1 week cruising permits. Tired after a long day with an early start we opted for sundowners and an early night.
The following day the wind came up from the east and we decided to try and find a better anchorage. There is not much to choose from on the Caicos Bank but we managed to find the perfect spot. 2 miles east of where we were was the beginning of a new marina. The owners had run out of money and the result is a 360 degree protected hurricane hole with 9 feet of water throughout. It is called Cooper Jack Hill Marina but in fact is only an anchorage with room for about 6 boats. More if you use a stern anchor and don’t need swing room. We dinghied ashore and tied up to the dock and began walking out the road. We discovered that the downfall of this anchorage was that it was a fair distance away from everything. After walking out the road for about 25 minutes though, a SUV pulled up beside us and offered us a ride to the IGA. The kind gentleman introduced himself to us as Bob from South Side Marina. We recognized the name from all of the Active Captain reviews and he proved them all true. Bob is very cruiser friendly and gave us some pointers for getting around and things to see and do. The best tip was the canal system that was created to give all the houses in this subdivision waterfront access. So after loading up with groceries we took a cab back to the boats and decided to see the canal the next day.
Access to the canal is right beside the marina. On the way over we watched as a sailboat grounded coming out the narrow entrance from the marina. There is only 5 feet of water in some spots at low tide and many boats can only come and go at high tide. We went over to offer assistance and discovered the boats name was Shearwater. Well now we HAD to help. Using the same technique we did in the Chesapeake, we lashed both dinghies together and hooked on to a spare halyard, pulled him over, and he was able to power off. Good job. We then went into the marina to find the dinghy dock and talk to Bob. But as we approached someone called out that there was a dinghy adrift by the rocks and he was broken down. We turned around and headed back out to find him. The tender, 25 ft center console from a mega yacht, had engine problems so we tied one dinghy to each side and towed him into the marina with waves coming in over our bow. Now we were hot and soaked so the decision was made to have a cold beer at the bar. This turned into several as Bob and his friend Cam are both Canadian from BC. Cam comes down 3 months every year to help Bob during the busy season.
The next day we decided once again to try the canal. Using our iPad Navionics we were able to navigate all the way to the end were we only had a 20 minute walk to downtown. We got everything we needed in Provo but it was more of a city and lacked the charm we were expecting. That afternoon we weighed anchor and took the boats over to Bob’s for fuel and water. Cam took our propane tanks downtown for us and had them filled. Then back to the anchorage and get ready to sail the next day.
We had decided to head to Grand Turk to hide from some big easterlies in the forecast and we had a 2 day weather window to get there. We had to motor-sail across the bank headed for Long Island. We had a slight change of plan once we got across and decided to anchor behind Six Hills Cay which is part of the Wildlife Reserve. In the morning we completed the trip with a 4 hour sail to Grand Turk where we anchored in Cockburn Town. There is at least one cruise ship here every day of the week and sometimes three. As you can imagine, the town is geared to tourists and the people are very friendly. The old section has many original houses from the 1800’s and the entire beach is known as Landfall Park as this was where Christopher Columbus first set foot in the new world. The water is crystal clear and warm (31 C). The island rises up quickly from the ocean though. As a result, we are anchored in 13 feet of water. Right behind us the water drops to 40 feet and then you see the wall, where it drops to 830 feet.
With our cruising permit about to expire, we still did not have a weather window to move as the strong easterlies continued. We checked in with customs who told us not to worry about it. We asked about clearing out and he said “no need, just leave when you are ready”. This contradicted all we read about fees in TCI’s. We had read $100 for a one week permit. $50 when you came in and $50 to clear out. I guess that depends where you clear in and out.
So here we sit on another beautiful day but this time we are moving. We depart the Turks and Caicos Islands for the Dominican Republic at noon and sail overnight. Tomorrow morning we should be in the DR.