Provo

Providenciales, or Provo, as it is known locally, is the most populated and popular island in the Caicos part of Turks and Caicos and certainly the most navigable part which is why we choose to drop in from the north as we exited the Bahamas.  A little research pointed us to Blue Haven, a newly built resort and marina (2013) that was damaged by hurricane Irma but reported to be up and running so we took a chance hoping for a little luxury for ourselves following the challenging three day passage to get there and a place to give our india a good washdown and scrubbing and some TLC.  They also extended piloting service through the reef infested entrance channel and on premises customs and immigration clearance upon arrival and we were able to secure online reservations, something we had not been able to accomplish in the Bahamas, you might remember.  The channel turned out to be fairly straight forward but a ripping three knot current and brisk wind made for some exciting docking maneuvers.  Following our entrance formalities and a quick tour of the resort amenities, we gave india a fresh water rinse down, had an arrival cocktail and took a well deserved siesta in full Air Conditioning!  Nice!

Blue Haven Resort and Marina is beautifully located in a sandy channel-wide cut that flows from the extreme depths of the northern waters to the shallow passages in the southern banks.  There are still remnants of hurricane damage.  Some quite evident, like the outer sections of marina dock completely severed from any connecting walkways to land, and some more subtle, in leaning trees and landscapes.  One can see the renovation work in progress which is hopeful but it’s unclear if the apparent low occupancy is due to those reasons or that May is an off season month.  There were very few yachts and even fewer guests at the resort but the restaurants and pool bar had some patrons and the spa (hooray!) was open.  There was a small coffee and gourmet shop for the fun stuff (like beer, wine and chocolate and decent croissants) which we frequented and the Wifi enabled us to update the IOS on our phones (finally) so we were in good hands and really enjoyed ourselves after tending to our faithful catamaran that delivered us safely.  She was salt free and blinding white in no time with a polish to her brightwork as well.  Her owners were able to stroll to dinner on the premises in the evenings and spend a glorious afternoon in the pool.  It was so nice.

To get south from there we needed to backtrack westward to get around to the southern banks.  We found a little anchorage on our charts that was only a few hours away and set off.  As we approached the shoreline we could see the dive moorings dotting the drop off zone where the depths plunge into abyss like dimensions.  I can only imagine how incredible it would be to SCUBA here.  It’s on our revisit list!  We anchored outside of a well designed resort that looked pretty fancy even from a distance on the water.  Turned out to be the secluded ultra-luxury five star Amanyara Resort with stylish bungalows each with its own black infinity pool and private access to the sea available for a mere 1800 USD per night!  Well, not so private anymore once we anchored in front of them with our binoculars and took advantage of their sunset views!  We shamelessly stayed two nights and played in their clear turquoise waters enjoying our own fabulous sunset cocktails on the boat for significantly less money!  Just one of the perks of a cruising sailboat!

In search of customs clearance outbound and the very necessary documents for entry into our next port of call in the Dominican Republic, we steadily made our way in good sunlight through the southern banks and anchored near a small island called Bay Cay.  It was like having our own little island for the night and was in direct line of sight to a small privately owned Marina called South Side.  David called ahead and made arrangements with the owner for our clearance appointment in the morning and found an interesting beach restaurant called Bugaloo for our last TCI meal.  We anchored tuk-tuk in the shallows and waded in to our table.  It was a good fish and chips meal but the Margaritas were the star!  Fresh squeezed limes, good Tequila and Grand Marnier.  It was a classic and expertly concocted and only $18 a pop.  Since I had three of them, it was half the dinner bill!  David was drinking the local lager called AIN GA LIE.  Clearance went smoothly the next morning and Bob, the marina owner was kind enough to drive us to a well stocked supermarket and pick us back up an hour later.  We took full advantage of that kind service and stocked up our fresh provisions.  If we ever make it back to Provo, we’ll definitely stay there!

Our last afternoon was spent sailing the beautiful Caicos banks to French Cay, a national park and perfect staging point where we could drop off the south end into blue water depths for our transit to the Dominican Republic.  It turned out to be one of our favorite sails; a gentle beam reach through our last big swimming pool as the sun dipped lower on the horizon.  We were able to enjoy the sunset and happy hour knowing that our next day would be restful.  We snorkeled around the reef the following morning and spotted a couple of rays and colorful fish before we stumbled upon a sleeping shark in the shallows.  It was over six feet long so we didn’t stick around to identify it for fear of provoking the giant from his slumber in case he was a morning gourmand.  The rest of the day was spent making water, doing laundry and last minute check and preparations for departure.

Although similar to the Bahamas, Turks and Caicos had its own style and was certainly more upscale in my opinion.  The people we met were very friendly and helpful and we enjoyed our short visit.  It wouldn't be fair to comment other than on our own very limited experiences and hopefully we'll get a chance to come back.  I would personally like to stay at Amanyara and SCUBA for a week, that would be grand!

Really great coffee and croissants!

The marina in the channel.  The sloop across from us is moored to a dock that is completely detached!

All clean and de-salted

Pool bar!!!! 

Infinity pool to the beach

Fun with my handsome man

Amanyara restaurant

Bugaboo's Beach Restaurant

Dingy Parking for Bugaboo's

Best Marquerita ever!

Cay Bay in south Provo

Look at this water!!!!!