A little wind must blow

Onto every experience a little rain must fall, except when working on the water it is usually a little wind that will blow. Today we were what is call blown out, meaning that the seas were too rough to take the boat out due to strong Northeast winds of 20 mph. So I thought I would tell you a little about the Turks and Caicos. Geologist believe the Turks and Caicos Banks, like the Bahamas, are remnants of continental crust from when North America separated from West Africa that then grew larger with the deposit of limestone rock. Of course this growth took millions of years and is in constant flux. The islands and underwater banks that support them are constantly, imperceptibly being built, eroded and reshaped by natural forces.



Not knowing anything about Turks and Caicos before coming here, it was interesting to learn that Turks and Caicos in named for two different underwater banks. There are eight major islands in all: Salt Cay, Grand Turk, South Caicos, East Caicos, Middle Caicos, North Caicos, Providenciales and West Caicos. The larger Caicos bank supports six islands, going left to right (or east to west): West Caicos (semi-private island), Providenciales (largest population and where you will fly into when visiting the Turk and Caicos), North Caicos (the farming island), Middle Caicos (the largest island and least populated Caicos island), East Caicos (uninhabited), and South Caicos (conch, lobster and scale fish exportation and bone fishing destination).



The Turks bank supports two main islands, going north to south: Grand Turk and Salt Cay. Grand Turk is the governmental capital of the Turks and Caicos and recently has turned into a cruse ship destination.



Salt Cay is where I am. Salt Cay was the center of the Bermudan salt industry, the mainstay of the Turks and Caicos economy from the late 1600's until the early 1960's. Declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, Salt cay is a time capsule from the days "when Salt was king." Being from New England, another interesting fact I learned was that most of the Turks Island Salt went to cod-fishing industries of New England and the Maritime Provinces of Canada.

Today the main industry on Salt Cay is tourism. People come here to fish, dive, whale watch, and rest and relax. Salt Cay is a great place to unplug, a place to get away from our information-overdrive society. Days are spent biking the island, visiting the different white sandy beaches all the while traveling among wild donkeys and cows. After experiencing the island for a few days now, I firmly believe that everyone should have donkeys.