The
year 1841, five o'clock in the morning, a mile
off the coast of East Caicos. The storm showed
no signs of decline. The Trouvadore, a Spanish
sailing ship used in the slave trade, struggled
to stay afloat and on course fighting the
pouring rain, dangerous winds, big waves, and
hazardous reefs.
High on the
mainmast the sentinel shivered with cold. Zero
visibility, but a gust of wind from the leeward coast
brought an ominous and unforgettable fragrance of land.
“Danger, Leeward coast ” shouted the lookout in a futile
attempt to alert the bridge. Too late. No time or room
to maneuver. The Trouvadore tore into the rocks. On
board were one hundred ninety-two African slave
prisoners. Usually slaves died in shipwrecks, chained in
the hold, with no hope of escape. But fate intervened
and dealt the prisoners four aces. First an axe to hack
away their chains appeared. Then their dungeon door
broke open when the ship tore against the rocks. A big
wave lifted them over the reef and deposited them in the
relative calm of a sandy lagoon. All but one survived
the wreck. The fourth ace was the best: The slaves were
stranded on a British Island where slavery had just been
abolished. They were safe and free. Or almost so. The
Island’s white planters seized the opportunity for cheap
labour and proposed freedom for the new arrivals and the
option of staying in Grand Turk to live as free men in
exchange for a year of labour. A document written in
1878 showed that these Trouvadore Africans and their
descendants became an essential part of the peoples of
these islands.
Turks
and Caicos, are geologically part of the Bahamas
and consist of about forty islands and several
coral cays, flat and covered by low vegetation,
extended over an area of 430 square kilometres.
Only six islands and three cays are inhabited.
The Turks include Grand Turk and Salt Cay, the
Caicos Islands are South Caicos, East Caicos,
Grand Caicos (or Middle Caicos), North Caicos
and Providenciales. Between the two groups,
there is a deep channel, the Columbus Passage,
22 miles wide, it sinks up to 2000 meters. The
capital is Cockburn Town on Grand Turk.
CLIMATE
The climate is mostly dry, with
sunny days and cool evenings, the
temperature ranges from 19 ° C to 35
° C. The rains are scarce, rainy
season is from September to October.
Sea water temperature is 23/26 ° C
during the winter, 28-29 ° C in
summer.
Government: Territory outside the United
Kingdom
Capital: Cockburn Town (Grand Turk)
Area:
430
sq km.
Population:
21.000
(total)
Language: English
Currency: U.S. Dollar
Time
zone: - 5 GMT - UTC
Documents: just a valid passport
International Dialing Code: +1.649
Health:
The health situation is discrete.
Electricity:
110 volts. American flat plug, Type A, B
(See image)
Do not miss:
In Providenciales, one bathroom
with dolphin Jojo, a close encounter
with the iguanas at Little Water Cay,
the natural whirlpool in the sea area
between Water Cay and Little Water Cay
