This year we decided to sail further South and a pit stop in Turk and Caicos made sense due to the strong prevailing easterly trade winds. Cruising through the Bahamas and trying to make your way down the Caribbean can be challenging and sometimes we need a little rest or somewhere to wait for the trade winds to die off just enough. We were trying to hop down to the Dominican Republic. Turks and Caicos Islands were not necessarily on our must visit island list. Many sailors had told us the geography was very similar to the Bahamas, which we were in for the last 5 seasons.  It wasn’t a highlight for some cruisers we had met. But we were forced to sail that way and spend a week, which turned out to be a blessing and a very pleasant stay. Sometimes it is better to sail somewhere with very low expectations. It can’t be any worse then.

West Caicos

After a painful 75 nautical miles upwind battle in 20 to 35 knots and 4 to 7 feet seas while struggling with new leaks all over our boat,  West Caicos was the best sight 16 hours later. There you can grab one of the many commercial diving mooring balls scattered along the western side. The only catch is that it has to be made available between 8am and 4pm. So we tied up in 40 feet of crystal clear water. It only was a quick overnight stop as we had to go check in Providenciales the following day.

Providenciales or “Provo”

What a drastic change from the family islands of the Bahamas. We anchored in Sapodilla Bay across from a touristy beach covered in chairs and umbrellas. Fancy villas in view, music and jet skis were definitely not what we had seen for the last few months of cruising. It was a quick 10 minute walk to check-in at the Port Authority with very friendly staff. Half an hour later and with a fee of $50 we were granted 7 days in the Turks and Caicos. We splurged and ate at Que Bolla Little Havana. The smoothies were amazing and so were the burgers and fries and beef tacos. Meals were about $20 which is very comparable to the Bahamas. What surprised me most was the grocery store. We heard it was expensive, which was far from true. Prices were the same as the USA which was so much cheaper than the overpriced Bahamas. Needless to say we loaded up on fresh produce, bagels and a really good $22 bottle of local rum. Despite the busy beach, silky soft sand was exactly what our 2 kids needed after a 2 weeks wait in Mayaguana with little beach access.

Grand Turk

Being the oldest island in Turks and Caicos it had a lot to offer and quickly became my favorite island. My only regret was spending just a couple of days after crossing the bank. Old colorful buildings from the 1800s add a great charm to Grand Turk. My two toddlers, Coral and Kai, loved seeing the wild donkeys who roamed the roads. We could even hear them while at anchor. They were brought to help carry the salt from the salt ponds and were then left to become wild animals. As you walk the waterfront you never lose sight of your sailboat, even if you decide to enjoy one of the cold local beers at Da Sand Bar.

 We even found a tasty little bakery which had $2 chicken and beef patties, a perfect lunch topped with custard cake and cinnamon rolls. We fed our whole family for $16. Cruise ships seem to often come to this island so the town can get busy during daytime. Here we did our check-out and paid another $50. The anchorage was calm and there were diving balls along the drop-off which goes from 40 feet to 7000 feet quickly. Strong 25-30 knot winds made it lumpy out there with poor visibility so we didn’t enjoy much of the underwater world.

Big Sand Island

This island looked as if it belonged on a postcard with neverending beaches. Our only attempt to go to shore was a good laugh. A steep beach with crashing waves and a strong undertow still didn’t deter us from a little beach time and getting acquainted with the locals, some extremely fast iguanas. Good thing our anchor is way over sized for our dinghy because there is a very strong outgoing current here and friends of ours almost lost their dinghy.  We only had a couple hours to explore so we didn’t walk all over the island. It was time to prepare the sailboat for our sail over to Luperon in the Dominican Republic.

Turks and Caicos Islands really surprised us with their beauty. Despite geographically seeming like they belong to the Bahamas, this British Colony is much more developed and we did feel like we were sailing through a new country. It was the end of June so we only spent a week but one could also get the 3 months cruising permit for $300. Don’t let the opinion of others deter you from visiting certain islands because you might just be surprised. Plus in the winter months you might even run into one of the giant whales that travel through these waters.

Anne Alexandra Fortin
Cory and Alex share their adventure with weekly videos on their YouTube channel “Wildly Intrepid Sailing”. Their dream is to travel the world and to live without any regrets.