Monday, January 16, 2012

01/15/2012 A LITTLE TCI BACKGROUND

01/15/2012 PROVIDENCIALES


SUNDAY

0 NM

DOCKED AT TURTLE COVE MARINA IN PROVIDENCIALES

SUNRISE AT PROVIDENCIALES: 6: 30 AM

SUNSET AT PROVIDENCIALES: 5:27 PM

Today saw ½ day of work with Dan sanding while I worked on the delinquent blog postings and tedious bookkeeping. Thankfully Sandi and John come by and rescued us from ourselves. We joined them by the pool at their nearby hotel and spent the afternoon chatting about everything under the sun then cleaned up for dinner at the Tiki Hut. The winds are picking up and the temperatures have cooled a bit. Sure happy to be tied up securely for the storm.

Turks and caicos flag 300Image via Wikipedia
TURKS AND CAICOS FLAG

Now for a little TCI (Turks and Caicos Islands) background. These islands were first inhabited by the Lucayan Indians who were abducted and forced into slavery by the early Spanish explorers. Uninhabited for years, the French buccaneers used the island shelter as a hideout. The 1600s saw the beginning of a thriving salt business that lasted until the min 20th Century. After the Declaration of Independence some British loyalist packed up their families and left the Americas to take advantage of British land grants in the Turks and Caicos. They prospered there until their crops were destroyed by the boil weevil, poor land management and the devastating hurricane of 1813. The islands were federated with the Bahamas from 1799 to 1848 when they separated for their own local government. This expensive venture came to an end in 1878 when they were annex to Jamaica until 1976 when they were granted a new constitution that allowed them to elect officials to serve under the Queen appointed governor.

Today the TCI serves as an oasis for tourists with an international airport, first-class accommodations, an 18-hole championship golf course, fabulous fishing grounds, the world’s third largest barrier reef for diving and some mighty fine beaches for snorkeling.


Enhanced by Zemanta

No comments:

Post a Comment