From the lush green Samaná we set sail for an overnight passage to Turks and Caicos. We kept an eye on whales but couldn’t see any; surely there will be more opportunities ahead. Once we turned the corner out of the Samaná bay we hoisted the spinnaker and sailed with the wind in the back the whole night, 20 hours of uninterrupted spinnaker sailing, a personal record for Sunriser. It was a very fast, relaxed passage to the small island of Big sand Cay, a sort of hub for boats crossing back and forth between the Dominican Republic or Puerto Rico and Turks and Caicos. Though we loved the mangrove jungle in Samaná, it was really nice to see again turquoise blue water and white beach.
Turks and Caicos is made up of two archipelagos; we opted for avoiding the most populated and touristic areas of the Turks and clear in at the immigration and customs office of South Caicos, where we could anchor in shallow crystal clear water, a short (and bumpy) dinghy ride to the town of Cockburn Harbour. In 2017 the hurricane Irma devastated the islands and its effects are still clearly visible in the ruins scattered all over the town. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/sep/08/turks-and-caicos-islands-hit-by-hurricane-irma
Caicos is an indigenous word meaning ‘String of islands’. This island string, together with a coral reef forms a circle around a huge lagoon of very shallow water with spectacular colours and offers great snorkeling and diving opportunities. Eagle rays passing right next to the boat and lots of lobster!
We saw a spotted eagle ray twice and tested our underwater case for our phones (and learned about some basic underwater colour correction).
We learned the art of harvesting our food from the bottom of the sea from Vlad and Veronica (SV V and V) and put it to practice at Six Hill Cay and French Cay.
Step 1: gather conch shells from the bottom of the sea
Step 2: Remove the meat by drilling a hole on the shell at a specific place and wriggling the animal out
Step 3: tenderize the meat by pounding and marinating in lime juice
Step 4: Cook as desired, i.e. Bahamian stew with plantain and chayote
For a more detailed instruction of step 2:
Last couple of days in Turks and Caicos enjoying the peace and quiet of an empty anchorage in front of French Cay, when it seems that the sun sets for your eyes only.
We now set sail to the Bahama’s where we will spend the next months.
Leuke blog weer 👍 Veel plezier op de Bahama’s