September 15th, 2008

After a full day of seeking out the effects of Hannah and Ike on Ambergris Cay, today I have a partner in crime, Steve Passmore, our photographer. Steve was the first one outside of the company to contact me during the hurricanes; I was on vacation in Ambergris Caye, Belize glued to the closest TV watching every minute I could of Ike hitting my beloved Ambergris Cay…when a worried text message arrived from Mr. Provo Picts wondering how our island did against the roaring winds and torrential rains of this half century’s worst storms. Today, Steve and I discover for ourselves how this mother ship continues to right herself.

Upon meeting, I described to Steve what I had found yesterday: a dock that had quickly been fixed by expert hands, a marina that had been filled by Mother Nature, increased frontage at Columbus Beach and the new Harold Charles International Airport Beach (inauguration event TBD.) Today our survey was much more in depth, looking at each cottage, lot, tent, facilities building and misplaced morsel of landscaping.

We drove our buggy starting along the same path as yesterday, heading north. The dock was completely fixed yesterday and today, our attention is turned to The Melody, the canvas top ferry that travels daily to and from South Caicos with day-workers, this perhaps being one of our most poignant moments of the day. South Caicos was one of the hardest hit islands along with Grand Turk during last weekend’s Category 4. The Melody has been grounded since then with loss of canvas covering and some damage to her hull. This damage being nothing important compared to the lives and livelihoods of our Ambergris Cay family. Several staff members brought their families to Ambergris Cay for safe-harbor last weekend and then were shuttled back to their home islands via the Club Planes post Ike. All week, Turks & Caicos Sporting Club has been sending flights filled with relief supplies to these other islands; donations have included generators, food stuffs, water, ice and coolers. Again, we focus on the fact that not one life was lost in all of the Turks & Caicos Islands, a fact that attests to the strength of a nation and of its people.




Remembering how lucky we all are, Steve and I continue on with our mission, heading along to Tarpon Point, the main evidence we found was oddly swapped conch shells marking lots 8 and 9 as 10 and 6, the swap almost looking like it had been done on purpose by a salesperson playing a trick on the new guy. Unanchored conch lot markers were shuffled with the wind while a grove of stunning Turks Head Cacti thrive.

We then headed to check out the eastern shore and Le Grand Cottages; Columbus Beach has doubled in size, leaving more square footage of paradise for members and their families to enjoy. Looking closer to the cottages, housekeeping and landscaping crews work efficiently, refreshing each of the homes one by one; the only evidence of last few days being the landscaping.



We spoke with the cleaning crews about how it was on the island during the storms, and an incredible sense of pride came through smiles, bright pearly white grins. “We all worked together, we knew what we had to do and we did it, we beat Ike. Today is just another day of taking care of Ambergris Cay.” Said one of the gentlemen refilling Bonnie Vistica’s pool.

Steve and I were amazed, was it really the case that the staff of Ambergris Cay felt it was business as usual just 4 short days after a major Category 4 hurricane, the biggest hit in over 50 years, according to The Primer?




Our day continued with visits to Landfall Park, 200 year old Loyalist Ruins that withstood the storms and the wooden yoga platform of Jags sitting slightly askew, plans to redesign are already in the works. Jags Beach ended up similar to Columbus, double the amount of sand!

Steve and I looked at each other in complete amazement of how we honestly couldn’t find any serious damage, the leaves of the Gumbo Limbo trees have blown away, which made the island look a little bit more like autumn, a season this idyllic climate usually skips. The combination of warmth and constant sun promises the trees will be budding again shortly and our Caribbean spring is imminent.

Steve and I met Andy Stubbs down by the beloved Safari Tents, holding back an inappropriate giggle, I couldn’t contain myself at the site of 5 minimally damaged platforms all crowned with a jewel of a toilet, the only thing not removed before the storms. New tents have been ordered, their arrival, we estimate should take just a few weeks.



Our last stop of our busy day was a review of the Harold Charles International Airport with Al Barnett, TCSC’s Airport Consultant. Al, an incredibly experienced man who has worked with airports around the globe, know everything. He drove with Steve and I up and down the runway showing us just how sound the construction is, no tarmac damage, no remaining debris, there is signage and lights that will be replaced over the next few days, but with the addition of a beach, one would say we got off easy!

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