Caicos Classic 2009

Posted on June 12, 2009 by marta

We went down to Turtle Cove Marina today and watched the Caicos Cup Tournament boats pull in after a day's fishing.

The fish are still biting and this year’s Caicos Classic Tournament has eight boats entered and five of them are local boats. I’m not sure how many Marlin were caught and released but will add this information once the tournament is over. Art Pickering, tournament director was out and about as the boats returned to the dock.

Ossie and Scooter check the weight on a dorado caught by Chucke 11.

Release points are scored as follows: Blue Marlin 300 points; White Marlin 200 points; Sailfish 100 points. The scoreboard at Scooter Bob’s showed quite a few fish caught and released over the three days of the tournament. Tomorrow, the final day, will be a day of fierce competition.

Caicos Classic Scoreboard showin the fishing boats and numbers of billfish caught and released so far.

The boats fish from 8 am to 4:30 pm daily and each boat has an IGFA certified observer on board. For a release to qualify for points, the observer and a witness must identify the species of fish, the leader has to be brought within grasp of the mate and wind on leaders must have an identifying mark in place of a swivel.

Chad carves up a Dorado...........a great fish fry tonight for some lucky people.

Make sure you make a note of next year’s competition………… June 19 to 24, 2010. Hope that you’ll join us for our annual Caicos Classic Release Tournament.

Tight Lines!

Marta

http://www.bonefishing.tc

Chitons

Posted on June 9, 2009 by marta

Chitons are unusual creatures that cling to the rocks

Have you ever wandered through the water at low tide and checked out the rocks? For sure you’ll see these interesting looking things attached to the rocks. They are called Chitons, Coat of Mail shells or more locally by the colourful name of “suck rock”. Chitons are armoured, oval shaped creatures that live on the rocks around the tide line and basically are almost impossible to pry off the rocks.

A common resident of the Turks and Caicos Islands is the Fuzzy Chiton and this one had star barnacles living on its' plates

These animals or mollusks are characterised by eight armoured plates. The West Indian Fuzzy Chiton is medium sized and you don’t often notice them because their colour and texture is similar to the rocks on which they live and therefore they blend in. I thought the above photo was unusual because of the tiny star barnacles (also a mollusk) living on it’s back.

Here's a closeup of the West Indian Fuzzy Chiton showing the barnacles.

Apparently the Lucayan Tainos used to harvest the chitons by using tools made from conch shells. They were somehow able to get the meat inside without smashing the plates. The small strip of chiton meat is salty, rubbery and a little slimy.

This chiton shell was found by a guest of Harbour Club Villas and it has the most beautiful markings.

If you are out exploring any of Providenciales’ rocky shoreline, stop to take a look and see if you can find these interesting mollusks.

See you on the rocks!!

Marta

http://www.diving.tc

Rocky Shoreline

Posted on June 7, 2009 by marta

A close look at shells attached to the rocks along the rocky shoreline

Yesterday’s boat trip to South West Harbour Bluff at low tide gave me an opportunity to explore the rocky shore line close to the pirates cave and Osprey Rock. I took photos of these tiny shells clinging onto the rocks but it was difficult with the water flowing over.

Beautiful shells on the rocks revealed interesting critters that I discovered once I had put them up on my computer

Beautiful shells on the rocks revealed interesting critters (check out the blue colour) that I discovered once I had put them up on my computer.

Can you pick out the small three coloured hermit crabs peeking out from the shells? These tiny crabs called Clibanarius Tricolor are found in tidal pools and on intertidal and subtidal rocks. They have blue legs with red stripes and I didn’t even notice this when I was taking the photos. These shells were very pretty and in the close up you can see the blue striped legs coming out of two of the shells.

Tidal rocks had clusters of shells and to my surprise, small tricoloured blue hermit crabs in them.

Blue legs with red stripes of the very small TriColoured Hermit Crab

More neat and interesting things that I found along the undercut shore line at low tide will be posted in days to come. There are so many wonderful things to see here in the Turks and Caicos Islands…..every time you turn around there’s something new to photograph.

Marta

http://www.harbourclubvillas.com

Turks and Caicos Islands National Dress

Posted on June 4, 2009 by marta

Sweet smiling island girls in their national dress

I love this photo………the girls are soooo cute with such beautiful smiles and dressed in their national costume. Up until 2002, we did not have a national dress representative of all the islands of the Turks and Caicos Islands. Our island ancestors wore basic and practical clothing reflecting a simple and humble lifestyle. An idea was born and developed by David Bowen with tremendous help from a group of dedicated people.

These handsome young boys were eager to smile for the camera

Colours were selected for each island: Red for Grand Turk representing the red/pink fruit of the national plant, the Turks Head Cactus; White for Salt Cay and the colour of salt; Orange for South and East Caicos showing off the colours of the spiny lobster and fish as well as the fishing industry in South Caicos; Tan for Middle Caicos and the natural colour of the island’s thatch that covered most of the early homes and roofs and today the colour represents the crafts of basket weaving, straw hats and brooms; Green for North Caicos and Parrot Cay where fruit trees and others flourish in the fertile soil along with Wades Green Plantation where cotton grew and flourished in days gone by; Turquoise for Providenciales, Pine Cay and West Caicos where the turquoise water surrounds us and contributes to bringing us our newest resource of tourism.

These young people perform folk songs in their national dress of white cotton with coloured bands representing each island.

Six colours were chosen for the main islands of the Turks and Caicos and two more for symbols of our national pride. Pink for the conch shell and our flamingos and Yellow, the colour of the sun shining down on our beautiful islands and cays and also the sun is a major factor in bringing us all our tourist visitors.

These girls and boys performed in their national dress at the Carifta Games held in Provo in 2007.

Each person proudly displays and wears their individual island colour …..the girls wear scarves and sashes in their islands’ corresponding colour and the boys have hat bands in the colour of their island home .

I found this information so very interesting and I hope you enjoy this as much as I enjoyed looking everything up.

When you are here in Provo make sure to find out if there are any cultural events or performances taking place.

Marta

http://www.harbourclubvillas.com

Flamingos Part 2

Posted on June 2, 2009 by marta

Greater Flamingos in the salt ponds of Grand Turk

On an all too short visit to Grand Turk, a girl friend and I spent at least an hour getting these shots of the Flamingos in the town salina. They didn’t seem too worried about us and just went about their business of searching for food.

The West Indian Flamingo is part of the crest of the Turks and Caicos Islands and stand on either side of the shield.

The flamingo’s long legs and neck make them look quite awkward but it enables them to inhabit deeper water than other wading birds. Their specialized upside down beaks contain rows of bristles (lamellae) through which they strain the water for minute organisms which they can swallow without raising their heads.

There were quite a few flamingos wading the salt ponds on this particular day.

The Town Salina in Cockburn Town, Grand Turk, is surrounded by people, houses and roads. Still, this doesn’t disturb the flamingos which like to feed there. The flamingos are often joined by pelicans and herons.

Birdwatching is a favourite occupation here in our islands. If you are a bird watcher or birder, come see all the different varieties of birds found in the Turks and Caicos Islands

Marta

http://www.harbourclubvillas.com

Flamingos on Flamingo Lake

Posted on June 1, 2009 by marta

I glanced off our deck and spotted three specks in the lake and when I grabbed the binoculars.......sure enough there were three flamingos.

Today there were three West Indian or Greater Flamingos out in the lake and that’s something we don’t often see. Usually they are further down and more in Juba Salina. I grabbed my camera and ran down to take some photos. It was interesting watching the flamingos feed as they would do a little stomping dance and then put their heads in the water. Apparently they feed on small organisms which they strain out of the mud by filtering it through their unusual, upside-down beaks.

One flamingo was quite a bright pink and the other much paler.

North Caicos has a large flock of flamingos with as many as 1000 birds inhabiting Pumpkin Bluff Pond better known as Flamingo Pond.

The last time I took photos of Flamingos near our villas was just after Hurricane Ike

If you’re a bird watcher or birder, come and see the large variety of birds in the Turks and Caicos Islands. Hopefully you’ll catch a glimpse of these beautiful flamingos.

See you soon on Provo,

Marta

http://www.harbourclubvillas.com

Lake sunset

Posted on May 31, 2009 by marta

Sunset over the two lakes close to our villas....Flamingo Lake (foreground) and Turtle Lake in the background

Island Wedding

Posted on May 29, 2009 by marta

Shelley and Shandi outside their villa at Harbour Club before their beach wedding

Shelley was such a gorgeous bride in her stunning lime green, lace dress with green cymbidium orchids to match. Shandi didn’t seem too nervous as we headed off on the long drive to Malcolm Roads Beach for the wedding ceremony. This beach wedding in the Turks and Caicos Islands recently was one that I’ll always remember. It’s the first one that I’ve ever been to where both bride and groom went right into the water in celebration of their marriage.

As the sun set, bride and groom headed for the water and I got some great photos

Providenciales is a wonderful place to have your wedding and honeymoon. Shelley and Shandi stayed at Harbour Club villas for almost three weeks. The first week was spent organizing the details, Pastor Coleby, visiting various beaches in order to choose “their” perfect beach. They wanted a beautiful beach as well as a rocky shoreline to remind them of Nova Scotia, they selected flowers, photographers and other details. I helped them with flowers, a special wedding cake and took hundreds of photos. After the wedding they relaxed and enjoyed a terrific honeymoon at our villas.

Cutting the wedding cake at Harbour Club Villas.

If you’re thinking of a Turks and Caicos wedding, email me, check out our websites and I’ll help you in any way I can. We have six villas just perfect for smaller group weddings, family reunions or group gatherings. Plan your wedding in the Turks and Caicos Islands……we have simply the most spectacular beaches ever for that special wedding day.

See you in Provo.

Marta

http://www.cloudnine.tc

Mushroom

Posted on May 28, 2009 by marta

: I found this wonderful mushroom growing in our wild area at Harbour Club Villas.

After all that wonderful rain that we’ve had, this wild mushroom suddenly appeared just up behind one of our villas. I asked my favourite biologist and good friend Nicky whether he thought it was edible or not. He seemed to think it was but I wasn’t prepared to give it a try. Nicky’s the only one that seems to know so many things about the flora and fauna of the islands as well as being able to give me names and tell me what different things might be!!! Apparently out at Tucker’s Hill on Providenciales there used to be edible mushrooms growing there that he would harvest.

Mushroom on Providenciales Turks and Caicos Islands

It really looked good enough to eat!!!!!!!!

Cheers

Marta

http://www.harbourclubvillas.com

Lemon Cafe

Posted on May 26, 2009 by marta

We went to Lemon Cafe for lunch today and really enjoyed it.

Time to try something new (at least to us) on Provo. Some of Harbour Club Villas’ guests had mentioned dining at Lemon and had brought back some brochures with sample menus. Today was the day and we drove into The Village at Grace Bay to find this charming place that’s a little tucked away but well worth looking for.

I loved the breeze coming through the restaurant which is surrounded by lush vegetation

I loved the breeze flowing through the restaurant which is surrounded by lush vegetation

Lemon is a restaurant with a distinct Moroccan flare and flavour with a touch of Mediterranean influence. The owner, Mark showed us to our table and on the menu was a delicious assortment of soups, salads and sandwiches plus tapas, tagines and b’stilla. I know this has nothing to do with the food but I must say I just loved the rich looking Mexican tile floors that looked like burnished leather and also the breezy openess.

View from the outside looking in.....neat lanterns hanging from the trees.

We’ll definitely return especially for dinner the next time as I want to see what Lemon looks like at night and see the outdoor garden seating area with all the lamps lit up.

Check out Lemon soon and perhaps we’ll see you there!

Bon Appetit!

Marta

http://www.harbourclubvillas.com

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MyTurksAndCaicosBlog.com

Turks and Caicos Vacation, Travel, Fishing, and Diving

Author Archives: marta

Caicos Classic 2009

Chitons

Rocky Shoreline

Turks and Caicos Islands National Dress

Flamingos Part 2

Flamingos on Flamingo Lake

Lake sunset

Island Wedding

Mushroom

Lemon Cafe