Turks Overview | View a sample itinerary for this location

Just a hop, skip and a jump southeast of the Bahamas lay the incomparable Turks and Caicos. Comprised of eight islands and 40 small cays, there is a myriad of things to experience while on charter in this pristine area.

Charter yachts migrate from the Florida coast to the Caribbean in the fall and back again in the spring. You can either join a yacht for a full “repositioning cruise”, or just join up with a yacht for a week in the Turks and Caicos. Or, if you are on charter in the lower Exumas, why not head on down a little further?

The Bahamas are well known and widely cruised, as is the Caribbean. Yet we seem to neglect the Turks and Caicos. Well, let’s talk about them now so you can learn for yourself why it is high time to discover the beauty of the TCIs.

The Caicos Islands form a slight arc and are separated from the Turks by the Turks Island Passage. South of the arc formed by the Caicos is the very large and very beautiful Caicos Bank. Pale blue water shimmering over miles of white sand bottom makes for a spectacular sight, but there are only a couple of ways to cross it safely. However, the passage is worth the reward of watching the pale blue change abruptly into the cobalt blues of the deep water that surrounds this bit of heaven on earth.

A logical place to start this adventure is on Grand Turk. If you are flying in to meet your charter yacht as it makes its way up from the Caribbean, you might want to meet it in Grand Turk. Though the main point of entry for most visitors is Providenciales, both Grand Turk and South Caicos boast international airports. So, let’s start here on Grand Turk! First things first, though. And first of all, you will take a short tender ride out to your charter yacht, anchored off Cockburn Town. Once you have settled in and gotten comfortable, it’s back in the tender to explore the island. Grand Turk is perfect for a leisurely stroll down tree shaded lanes. The two main avenues: Duke and Front Street are lined with restored 18th and 19th century Bermudianstyle buildings that date back to the salt raking days. Woodville is said to be the oldest surviving house on Grand Turk. The best estimate is that it was built in 1795 and inhabited continuously until 2000.

The Brooker family inherited the property in 2006. Since then, they have been working at preserving the history and opening it to the public. The coffee shop should be open in October 2008, with the house itself open by late 2009. Until then, wander over and visit the Turks and Caicos Nation Museum, housed in the stone Guinep House. The history displayed is diverse: there is a collection dedicated to the Lucayan Indians (700-1520 A.D.) and another to John Glen’s and Scott Carpenter’s space expeditions that splashed down right off Grand Turk’s shore. There are many locals bars and restaurants that line the two main streets, with one of the favorite’s being Water’s Edge. As the name implies, it is just that: on the water’s edge. A great place to enjoy a nice cold drink and admire your yacht. On the other hand, if you are a diver, perhaps you will want to wait on the cold drink until you have gotten wet!

Your charter yacht might offer diving, if not, there are several well-qualified dive operations on Grand Turk. The dive sites are easy and close to get to, as there is a 7000’ drop-off within a few hundred feet of the beach. Diving here is superb any time, but never more so than in the spring months from February to April. Why? That is when the humpback whales are migrating. Even if you don’t see one, you will surely hear them. And the thrill of being in the water with the deep lower tones vibrating through your body as though you are inside a pipe organ is an experience that will make you smile for the rest of your life. But, even if you aren’t lucky enough to hear the whales, you will surely appreciate the masses of sea life that abounds in this area: corals of all types: lettuce, brain, staghorn, scroll and sheet coral, enough brightly colored fish to make you think your are in an aquarium not to mention red crabs hiding in their holes.

A quick day trip over to Salt Cay would be fun. Definitely a pedestrian-friendly island, you probably won’t need to “look both ways” before you wander across a street here, as there are only six cars on the entire island. The main point of interest are the large salt drying pans from the days when salt was the main export of these islands.

Next stop: South Caicos. You will be crossing the Turks Island Passage to reach South Caicos, so if you are there in the spring, keep a look out for the migrating Humpbacks. Cockburn Harbour (as opposed to Cockburn Town of Grand Turk) is the largest town on the island. The village is a photographer’s delight as there are old buildings, walls and gates, an old salt warehouse, colorful boats and salt ponds. Not to mention the glorious color of the water as it laps up to the beaches.

Fishing rules supreme here, both deep sea fishing, courtesy of the Turks Island Passage, and bone fishing in the shallows of Bell Sound Nature Reserve. Divers and snorkelers will love it here, too. There is plenty to see, even if you just snorkel off the beach. The big story here for the divers is The Wall. However, if you can tear yourself away from the adrenaline rush of wall diving, there is a plethora of other sites to explore: Eagle Nest, The Arch and the wreckage of a Conair 29A airplane. A word to the wise diver, though…don’t spend all you time looking down, look up and out, too. Because there are often pods of dolphins swimming past, not to mention sea turtles!

Now, remembering that the Caicos Islands are distributed in roughly the shape of an arc, or the sliver of the moon right before or after a new moon, the ends or the arc are anchored by South Caicos on the east side (it is south of East Caicos, hence “below” it) and West Caicos on the other side of the Caicos Bank. Leaving South Caicos behind, we now head for East Caicos, which is uninhabited. The north coast of this island has an astounding 17 mile beach. Sea turtles use this expanse to lay their eggs, so if you are visiting during the nesting period, you will surely see the flipper track of the female turtles has they head back out to sea. Even more exciting would to be there when the eggs hatch to watch the baby turtles head to the ocean.

At one time, cattle rearing and a large sisal plantation thrived on East Caicos. There is an abandoned railway causeway which leads to the four caves on East Caicos. The most impressive is Edison’s Cathedral Cave. The Caicos Caves Project and the TCI National Trust have been investigating these caves and feel that further survey work is needed on East Caicos, as other high level caves might be present. Caves in the Caicos…who would have imagined? If you want to explore caves, there are even more on Middle Caicos, which just happens to be our next island “hop”!

Middle Caicos is the TCI’s largest island, but with the fewest people…only 200 people live here. (No, East Caicos doesn’t count, since nobody lives there!) A mecca for ecotourism, Middle Caicos features two major places to visit. First, the Conch Bar Caves. The caves have lagoons, three species of bats and 38 Arawak Indian archaeological sites. Next, Vine Point and Ocean Hole nature reserves are located on the west coast of the island, providing the perfect habitat for frigate birds. There is also a marine sinkhole located there that is about 1200’ wide and over 200’ deep.

North Caicos lies at the very top of our Caicos “arc”. The most lushly vegetated of all of the islands, North Caicos is home to five national parks and nature reserves. The village of Whitby is home to one of TCI’s main natural wonders: hundreds of flamingoes at Flamingo Pond Natural Reserve. There are also flamingoes at Three Mary’s Cays Sanctuary. Cottage Pond is a perfectly circular “blue hole” of fresh water, a solution sinkhole formed from the collapse of the roof of an underground cave. Easily accessible, Cottage Pond is home to numerous bird species. Does your charter boat have kayaks onboard? Lucky you! Use them to explore North Caicos’ Bottle Creek, a shallow passage of shimmering aqua that connects the Atlantic Ocean to the Caicos Banks.

Providenciales, affectionately known as “Provo” is the most developed of all of the islands. Already home to many luxury resorts lining the beautiful Grace Bay Beach, a brand new eco-friendly marina catering to luxury yachts opens in April 2008. This might just be the perfect place to stay, while using the yacht’s tender to visit the nearby islands at your leisure. Provo covers 38 square miles which are home to eight national parks, preserves and historical sites. Superb reef and wreck diving can be found at the Princess Alexandra Marine Park.

The Chalk Sound National Park boasts a turquoise inland lake with hundreds of small cays and multiple varieties of bird species. Serene, secluded beaches abound, made more private by their inaccessibility to those mortals without access to tenders! The Caicos Conch Farm is on Provo, the only one of its kind in the world. Caribbean Queen Conchs are grown here for local cuisine and export. Decades ago, while many countries fished their conch population to near extinction, the TCIs started to collect data and imposed size and catch limits. They also started the Conch Farm in the 1970s to provide conch for generations to come.

Got to golf? Don’t worry, you can on Providenciales! There is an 18 hole championship course, as well as a miniature golf course. If you have too much money, no problem, there are two casinos to help separate you from it. There is also bicycling, horseback riding and soccer to keep you busy. Not to mention a variety of spa and body treatments. You might also want to visit The Bight, Five Cays and Blue Hills, which are Provo’s oldest settlements.

Last but not least, West Caicos waits for you. It has been uninhabited for years except for a brief period, but a new luxury hotel complex is set to open soon. In keeping with the TCI concept of sustainable development and environmentally-friendly policies, this new development will see West Caicos keeping 90% of its acreage protected. Lake Catherine nature reserve, on the west coast, is home to flamingoes, ospreys, ducks and waders. The wall that drops away from West Caicos is considered one of the best in the world for underwater photography. Brilliant purple tube sponges are found there in large concentrations. The more protected waters of the Caicos Bank on the eastern side of the island are more conducive to slow snorkeling sojourns.

The Turks and Caicos Islands, especially North and Middle Caicos, became a haven for banished American Loyalists after the Revolutionary War in the United States. Ruins of the plantations the loyalists created dot the landscapes of the islands, many of which are now owned by the National Trust and open to visitors. “Belongers” as TCI’s citizens are known as are mostly descended from African slaves. They enjoy an extremely stable government as a British Crown Colony presided by Her Majesty’s Governor. Since there is no income, capital gains nor property tax, TCI presents a fiscal welcome for investors that is as hospitable as their beautiful azure waters and warm weather.

Long a well kept secret, the Turks and Caicos are ready to take their place as a first class charter cruising destination. Whether you visit as part of a re-positioning cruise, or if you request a yacht in the TCIs…you won’t be disappointed. The only disappointment you will have is if you wait to long and realize you should have experienced this incredible area years before

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