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Turks and Caicos - South Caicos A necessary stop to clear customs May 12, 2006

Sailboat | Voyages | Log

A rough outpost but a necessary stop to clear customs While diving to check depth and anchor I found this propeller I had hoped it was brass, but no luck Customs was closed because the customs lady Had a broken truck Welcome to Groove City South Caicos A dusty dirty village with a gas station And a general store The ice lady lived here - the only available She froze blocks of ice in her freezer Which she kept in her living room You've heard of free range chickens They have free range pigs in South Caicos This guy crossed the road in front of us From the beauty of Sand Cay to THIS! Whenever you enter a new country you are required to report to customs and immigration within 24 hours. This is not always convenient in the island countries because the countries are made up of many islands, sometimes dozens, or in the case of the Turks and Caicos nearly 100 islands. And most of these islands do not have customs offices so it is often necessary to go to an island you do not want to just to clear customs. That was the case with South Caicos. We hand wanted to go to Grand Turk, the Capital of T&C, but as we were approaching, we were out run by a Carnival Cruise Line ship. We knew the place would be overrun with cruise ship passengers, and we didn't want to compete with 1000's of tourists in Bermuda shorts and cameras. We changed course and headed for South Caicos. Subsequently, we learned that it was the grand opening of Jimmy Buffet's newest Margarita Ville restaurant and bar. He was performing in person and three cruise ships were scheduled to arrive. Could have been interesting, but way to crowded for us. Unfortunately, South Caicos was our only alternative. The water was smelly; the town was dusty; and the stores were barren. The customs officer was not in the office because her truck was broken. She finally met us at 1700 on the water front. She carried all her paperwork and official rubber stamps with her; she was mobile. I must say everyone was very friendly and as helpful as they could be. The immigration lady actually drove me to the customs office and came back and picked me up when I determined that the customs lady was home with a broken truck. May 13 was a full moon, which meant, not Dracula, but the highest of high and the lowest of low tides, so we discovered. The chart showed 6 feet of water; we found ourselves anchored in 4.9 feet. Since Full Circle draws five feet three inches, we were more than concerned. It turns out the fathometer calibrattion is a few inches off in the safe direction. I dove down and saw the keel below the grass, but when I put my hand under it, there was a roomy three inches, at least on the crest of the waves. Since we were at low tide, things could only get better, and they did. It rose all the way to 6.6 feet, not a large safety factor. The open garbage and free roaming pigs definitely added to the charm of South Caicos. I would probably try to avoid this paradise island in the future. Previous | Next