Our own private beach

A delightful afternoon spent at a little beach close by where we took Malaika for some swimming

A delightful afternoon spent at a little beach close by where we took Malaika for some swimming

The water was so clear yesterday with sun reflections dancing and creating silvery patterns as we just played in the water. Malaika just loved being buoyant in the foot deep waters of the south side of Provo. She’s beginning to kick her legs and is totally unafraid of the water.

Malaika had such fun kicking her little feet and splashing in the water

Malaika had such fun kicking her little feet and splashing in the water

Look Mom............I can touch my toes!

Look Mom............I can touch my toes!

We took a little break and close to the shore where we were sitting in the water, we were joined by some tiny little fish. Malaika was delighted but stayed close to Mom.

Malaika spots little fish from the safety of Moms lap. You can just make the fish out to the left of Mom's feet.

Malaika spots little fish from the safety of Mom's lap. You can just make the fish out at the bottom of the photo below Mom's feet.

 

Here's a blow up of the little fish that were swimming around us as we sat in a few inches of water at the beach

Here's a blow up of the little fish that were swimming around us as we sat in a few inches of water at the beach

An idyllic afternoon spent just lounging in the water close by our villas at Harbour Club. Come on down to Providenciales and enjoy our stunning beaches and the clearest water you’ll ever see.

 

 

Marta

 

 

http://www.harbourclubvillas.com

Fool’s Regatta 2010

The Coast Guard put on a great rescue at sea demonstration for the huge crowd of spectators watching from the beach and water.

The Coast Guard put on a great rescue at sea demonstration for the huge crowd of spectators watching from the beach and water.

There were so many great entries in the annual Regatta Raft Race.
There were so many great entries in the annual Regatta Raft Race.
The raft races were exciting as every one paddled furiously to try and become the winner

The raft races were exciting as every one paddled furiously to try and become the winner

These guys were the winners in the adult raft races

These guys were the winners in the adult raft races

The start of the kid's raft race was noisy and colourful with teams jockeying for position

The start of the kid's raft race was noisy and colourful with teams jockeying for position

WIV4 interviewed the winning kid's team

WIV4 interviewed the winning kid's team

This team was pretty tired as they reached the shore

This team was pretty tired as they reached the shore

If you missed this year’s Fool’s Regatta, you missed the best one ever. Mark your calendar for next June as it really is worth coming down to the beach and enjoying all the activities.

See you next year!!!!

 

Marta

 

 

http://www.harbourclubvillas.com

Fools Regatta 2010

Fun day at this year's Regatta held on the beach at the Bight park

Fun day at this year's Regatta held on the beach at the Bight park

Tents, music, hotdogs and hamburgers, beer, rum and sodas, Hobie Cat races, Caicos Sloop races, raft races, tug o’ war events…….I’ve never seen as many people enjoying themselves as we did today. The annual Fool’s Regatta was a huge success and lots of fun.

Those Hobie Cats skimmed over the water at such a fast pace even though there was a brisk wind and white caps on the ocean

Those Hobie Cats skimmed over the water at such a fast pace even though there was a brisk wind and white caps on the ocean

The Caicos Sloops sailed past.........I was late getting down to the beach and didn't get to see them race.

The Caicos Sloops sailed past.........I was late getting down to the beach and didn't get to see them race.

These kids and their Dad had a blast doing the tug o' war

These kids and their Dad had a blast doing the tug o' war

There were adult teams and kid's teams as they tugged and pulled against each other often collapsing in a large heap on the sand

There were adult teams and kid's teams as they tugged and pulled against each other often collapsing in a large heap on the sand

The Turks and Caicos Islands flag flew proudly ontop of one of the rafts while a Caicos Sloop lay at anchor just off the shore

The Turks and Caicos Islands flag flew proudly ontop of one of the rafts while a Caicos Sloop lay at anchor just off the shore

The Fool’s Regatta used to be held on April Fool’s day and was a chance for everyone to get together, sail and have a good time at the beach. The highlight of the afternoon is always the Great Raft Race where hand made, unique watercraft powered only by paddles,  race and try to get across the finish line with craft intact and in one piece and with all crew on board. Tomorrow’s blog will show you some of these great imaginative rafts.

 

Marta

 

http://www.harbourclubvillas.com

Playtime at Taylor Bay Beach

Malaika was fascinated by the wavelets rippling along on the sandbar

Malaika was fascinated by the wavelets rippling along on the sandbar

she'd run up to them and then run back and try and get away from the waves

She'd run up to them and then run back and try and get away from the waves

Once again the sandbar at Taylor Bay beach made for a great afternoon of play, fun and even lunch time snacks.

Once again the sandbar at Taylor Bay beach made for a great afternoon of play, fun and even lunch time snacks.

Perfect timing to enjoy the sandbars at Taylor Bay beach. We anchored the boat in two feet of water for the afternoon and played in the clear warm water as Malaika tried her new SwimWays outfit with a built in inflatable ring.
Come on down to Taylor Bay which has the most perfect shallow and calm waters just made for your little ones.
We’re there almost every Sunday!
Marta

Potcakes and Conchin’

It was so hot this afternoon that even the local potcakes were sitting and cooling off in the water

It was so hot this afternoon that even the local potcakes were sitting and cooling off in the water

The guys wanted to watch World Cup soccer so the gals and lil’ munchkin headed down Turtle Tail to “My” beach. I don’t know the official name of this lovely little spot that’s tucked away but everyone locally calls it “Dog beach.” And YES there were two potcakes from a nearby house that showed up to play in the water.

These two potcakes had a great time splashing, romping and just sitting in the water.

These two potcakes had a great time splashing, romping and just sitting in the water.

The water right now is like a bathtub………unusual for this time of year for it to be already so warm. Looks like there’s going to be lots of hurricane activity this year. The beach was perfect as munchkin played in the sand and the water and some locals came by conchin’.  

Conkin' on the south side of Providenciales just down the road from Harbour Club Villas.

Conchin' on the south side of Providenciales just down the road from Harbour Club Villas.

I chatted with two locals who were spending the afternoon looking for conch. Used to be a time where you would find loads of conch in the waters off this little beach and further down past Bristol Hills. They had so far only found one and then another one that I took pictures of.

A "medium sized" conch he told me......I thought it looked pretty large.

A "medium sized" conch he told me......I thought it looked pretty large.

He cracked the conch, pulled out the meat and continued through the water looking for more.
He cracked the conch, pulled out the meat and continued through the water looking for more.

Sad to say, there weren’t many conch to be found in the waters………….not even escapees from the conch farm that would work their way down towards our villas.

Marta

Taylor Bay Beach and Sandbar playtime

How lucky can she be.......a whole sandbar playground to herself!!

How lucky can she be.......a whole sandbar playground to herself!!

Lucky little munchkin……….not many can say that they had a tropical sandbar playground to themselves for the whole afternoon. A magical afternoon as the tide drifted out and exposed the sandbars at Taylor Bay.  A gentle breeze ruffled the water and wavelets lapped around the edges of the sandbar.

Forget all those other toys....she wouldn't let go of the Joy detergent bottle

Forget all those other toys....she wouldn't let go of the Joy detergent bottle

It’s amazing how babes choose the simplest of things and play with it for hours. Lil’ munchkin loved the Joy bottle Mom had brought with her and had no interest in the bucket, spade or other water toys.

The best time to go to Taylor Bay is at low tide especially if you have little kids.

The best time to go to Taylor Bay is at low tide especially if you have little kids.

Hot work all this playing and time for a cold drink.

Hot work all this playing and time for a cold drink.

A sandbar kids’ playtime with inches of warm, gentle water sparkling as the sun sinks lower in the western sky. The sand ripples can be clearly seen through the water. It doesn’t get any more perfect than this. Head out to Taylor Bay with your kids and enjoy an afternoon of fun and sunshine.

 

Marta

 

http://www.harbourclubvillas.com

Leeward Beach

Late afternoon .... deck chairs made for two and a gentle, pastel ocean blue

Late afternoon .... deck chairs made for two and a gentle, pastel ocean blue

One of my favourite photos taken in the late afternoon one day out at Leeward Beach. Shooting through some wispy sea oats and grasses, two empty deck chairs sit overlooking a spectacular hazy turquoise ocean. Such gentle pastel colours mixed with a brooding cloudy sky set the tone for this photo.

 

Marta

 

 

http://www.harbourclubvillas.com

Rain clouds over the ocean

And finally the rains came..............over 5 inches recorded
And finally the rains came…………..over 5 inches recorded

Today, we woke up to overcast skies and RAIN. We’ve had no rain for so long that even the local bushes and shrubs had withered up leaves. Our large mahogany tree dropped all its leaves and had just started to produce new ones. First time this has happened ever since we’ve been here. We received over 5 inches of rain and unfortunately many places were flooded.

Marta

French Cay

A magnificent stretch of beach with the clearest turquoise water at French Cay

A magnificent stretch of beach with the clearest turquoise water at French Cay

French Cay is a small uninhabited island about 15 miles due south of Providenciales. It was once the hideout of a pirate called Nau L’Ollonais also known as Francois L’Ollonais in the 17th century. He would ambush and capture passing sailing vessels and was a ruthless and cruel buccaneer.

Floating in the water was the only way to cool off......it was so hot

Floating in the water was the only way to cool off......it was so hot

The boat's shadow is reflected in the water and note the starfish.

The boat's shadow is reflected in the water and note the starfish.

The day of our trip to French Cay was certainly one of the best ever for weather. All the way there and back we could see the ocean floor as clear as day. One of the highlights was seeing so many orange cushion stars strewn along the sandy bottom.

 

Marta

 

http://www.diving.tc

French Cay adventure

Stunning day and crystal clear water out at French Cay today

Stunning day and crystal clear water out at French Cay today. The white speck to the right of the photo is The Turks and Caicos Aggressor liveaboard dive boat.

Our first time out to French Cay and we couldn’t have picked a better day. The weather has been flat calm with no wind for the past few days. We decided it was time to head to French Cay as none of us had ever been there except Barry who went out with FiFi of Caicos Adventures a few years ago.

Approaching the beach at French Cay in about eight feet of water. We could see everything so clearly.

Approaching the beach at French Cay in about eight feet of water. We could see everything so clearly.

We moored just off the beach in about two feet of water and went ashore to explore and of course my camera was constantly taking photos. So many birds and in a future post, I will show you some of  the bird photos I took.

French Cay is an amazing dive area……..divers come to the Turks and Caicos Islands to experience the dive sites out at French Cay. Take a look at my website at www.diving.tc where you will find some photos and information on dive sites out at French Cay.

A sun bleached piece of coral washes up on shore with that turquoise blue ocean as a backdrop.

A sun bleached piece of coral washes up on shore with that turquoise blue ocean as a backdrop.

We loved being able to see and experience this spectacular little island and its abundant bird life and hope to return again soon for more photos.

 

Marta

 

http://www.diving.tc