We have already been in the northernmost island of Turks and Caicos, Providenciales, for a week. Or as everyone here calls it, Provo.
Boat Work
We needed some work done, as you may have heard, so we docked Sava at a marina to have easier land access. We spent 6 nights on the boat at Turtle Cove Marina. It was a good location to get our errands done and explore the island.
If I am sleeping on the boat, I prefer sleeping at sea. Being docked we felt the oppressive heat, no wind, and fought a lot of bugs. We need a few days at sea to get rid of all the bug bites! But, as many people have said, if that’s our biggest problem, we can’t complain.
I like Provo. The locals are friendly and it’s a very international crowd. We met people from England, South Africa, Switzerland and Puerto Rico who call Turks and Caicos home.
Eating Out
When we arrived in Provo, we were almost out of produce, protein, snacks, we did a job on our stores. We had been cooking up a storm on board, and had to stock up at the grocery store. But first, we were going to eat out and save the provisioning until right before we started sailing again. We tried all the restaurants near Turtle Cove and a few more.
March Break means we came to Turks and Caicos at the same time as a lot of families. And Provo seems to be the main island for tourists. We hit up the weekly Fish Fry which promised local food and music. It was packed with other tourists but we had some local beer and enjoyed the music and the beach. Hot tip: the prices at the fish fry are no better than the restaurants. If you want to get into a popular restaurant in Provo, do it on a Thursday night. They’re all empty because everyone is at the fish fry.
Another tourist spot, but a very fun time, is at Da Conch Shack. It was a longish drive, but a nice beach spot with good drinks and conch chowder.
Turtle Cove has three good restaurants and we tried them all. On our first day, after being cleared by customs and immigration, we went to Shark Bites for a beer. The locals were so friendly that we stayed there all night. It’s a good bar with wings and grouper sandwiches – we went back a couple times.
We also had pizza at Baci and seafood at Mango Reef. We hadn’t had pizza in two months! Now it’s back to cooking for ourselves.
Getting Around
We rented a car for $49/day from Scooter Bob’s, conveniently located just outside the marina. They also rent scooters and bikes, and I took a bike one day to get my hair cut. It had been almost 2 months since I rode, so it felt good! And Scooter Bob is Canadian and names every car. It worked for us.
Provisioning
We needed food and drink, sure, but we also needed supplies and repairs. Fortunately, just up the street from the marina is a wonderful fabric place where they fixed BOTH of our sails in RECORD TIME. I may not have mentioned, but the backup sail developed a few tears on the trip down from the Bahamas. Problem fixed by the embroidery team in Provo. Our new jib sail is better than ever!
The IGA in Provo is excellent. A box of English Muffins is over $7, but many other items were way more reasonable than the Bahamas. I found yogurt for less than $5! Score! We stocked up, spending over $500, including meats, cheeses, wine and local beer. The local beer, Turks Head, is very good, there are choices and it’s way better priced than in Bahamas. Heaven!
getting ready for the next leg
We should be set for our next leg – Puerto Rico baby!
In addition to groceries, we stocked up on some more marine supplies., including jerry cans for diesel, so we don’t always have to dock to get fuel. We found a box for our growing fishing supplies and a gaff for when we catch a fish – we’re getting closer!
Now we are anchored on the South shore of Provo. This is a better position to take on the next leg: Puerto Rico. We decided to call in some help. A captain we met in Florida is coming in a couple of days to help us make the 200 mile trip to Puerto Rico. We haven’t done any night sailing, and with all the things still wrong with the boat, we feel more confident having someone who knows what they’re doing accompany us. We plan to soak up all the knowledge we can get. Until then, we’ll swim and snorkel and fish and cook for ourselves. Domino will like it better. She didn’t get a lot of attention from us while we were in the marina. A week in Provo went fast, but I am happy to be back on the water.
See where we are now by clicking below.
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