Chad:
So I thought I turned the alarm off last night but, evidently just switched it from buzzer to radio. Luckily whatever radio station the clock/ radio was tuned in to only played a light white noise so it did not wake Marci. I shut of the noise and laid there contemplating, I really would enjoy just sleeping in until whenever, but then the silver flooded in. Up at 6:15am, I had visions of stalking the flats in my head. I can sleep when I get home.

I packed my things and whispered in my sweet wife’s ear that I was headed out to fish Flamingo Lake, Maybe Turtle Lake for a few hours, but I would not be long. She half opened her eyes and gave me a kiss.

I made my way from the Harbour Club Villas to where the lake just starts to narrow, a 2 minute drive. I opted to go by car because if the fishing was weak, I could move quickly. I pulled off the road and found a nice spot. It was windy again and found myself having to backcast to do anything; I really need to practice that more at home. Between gusts, I would launch the Christmas Island Special fly slightly upwind and strip back. I soon found my mark, a strong tug, and then a run right towards me, the telltale sign of a Jack. I smiled as I landed the silver bodied fish with a yellow tail, maybe the size of my hand… looked like a juvenile Crevalle. I made another cast and immediately hooked another jack, this one grey. Another few casts, and I landed a third Jack, this one lightly striped, another that I did not recognize. Three fish in 20 minutes seemed like a fine way to end my trip. None of them were very big, but I still enjoyed it.

There was not much action on the water, no tails, no nervous water. The wind was starting to pick up, but I wasn’t ready to leave. I made a few more casts, and then hooked up! The line in my hand slid through my fingers, just 15 or so feet… it did not feel like a jack, what was it? I played the fish by hand, and in in a few moments saw the most perfect fish in miniature. A juvenile bonefish, no more than 8 or 10 inches had actually taken a fly an 1/8^th his size and made a run on me. SMILE. I have caught the largest and the smallest bonefish I have ever hooked this trip.

Marci and I spent most of the rest of the day by the pool. We had our fair share of sun the day before  so we followed shadows from the pool to the deck, to the cabana and back. I edited pictures, video and blogged. We both spent the majority of the day reminiscing, and do you know what? That is when you know that you have had a good vacation.

Reality will soon set back in, work is changing, and there is much to do. But I can honestly say, after months of hard work studying, working… sacrificing, it is adventures like this past week, with the love of my life, which makes it all worth every second. I know that this place will fill my dreams, much as other fly fishing waters have. I thank my wonderful wife for her sacrifices the last few months, and for booking an incredible vacation for us both.

Marci:

Ah, a little sleep in time, I have a sneaking suspicion where Chad is padding off to this morning at the crack of dawn. Since my only goal of the day is to complete a book poolside, I think sleeping in will fill the ticket for the next few hours.

It is our last full day here in Turks and Caicos. I am sad that we have to leave, but I am also aware that our time here will be cherished and we will savor the memories, even as I am keenly aware that the corporate world comes back in focus on Monday morning. We had an amazing week here, Chad and I really needed the down time after a grueling pace back in Orlando. To be able to unplug has been GLORIOUS!

I finally rouse myself out of bed and start some coffee, Café Bustelo, strong and delicious. Well, when you cut it with half milk for an au lait, you can stand the strength! I got to spend the next few hours poolside with a summer novel, knowing Chad was happy and occupied with his fishy friends. Eventually, he decided to come home and I made ham and cheese omelet wraps – I love that we got to cook this week in the villa. Cooking has become a creative outlet for me since meeting Chad – I have watched him make some five star menus come to life in our kitchen back home, and so, I have become inspired to cook and serve meals that we can enjoy together.

After we ate and cleaned up, lounging was the order of the day. For hours, we settled into a quiet rhythm of enjoying the pool and doing our own thing. This is when you know you have arrived as a couple, when you can spend a consecutive week together and absolutely love every second of it, just a great ebb and flow of conversation, quiet time, activities together, and solo adventures. Chad and I are so comfortable in our own skin, but we love to spend time together as well – a great relationship, five years in the making!

For dinner, we ventured to the Turtle Cove Marina to a local spot called Tiki Hut. The atmosphere was a sea of soft citronella tiki torches, quiet couples and families enjoying the beautiful night, and a menu that screamed local and fresh. We settled on conch ceviche salad and conch fritters to start, accompanied by two rum runners. I had managed to pull myself together and wear a white cotton dress and Kino sandals, the most dressed up I had gotten in a week! For dinner, I had the curry chicken and Chad chose the West Indies chicken, both served with delicious rice. The meal was exceptional, the rum drinks were a perfect accompaniment to our final night on the island, this was a great send off from the Turks and Caicos.

We had a nice stroll back through the marina before we headed home to our villa. I will miss being here, it was a treat to get Chad all to myself for a whole week. He has worked so hard this year, and the trip was a great present for all his effort toward his certifications. We will go home relaxed and rejuvenated, but always ready to plan our next adventure…

Check out all of our pictures from the trip HERE

Today was probably my favorite of all the days here in Turks and Caicos. We ventured to Coral Gardens Reef, a spectacular self-guided reef area right off the shores of Turtle Cove on the north side of Provo. The wind was still whipping a bit this morning, but I silently cheered, as the stillness is what reminds you of the heat. With even a small breeze, the air moves across your skin and allows you to breathe easier and sweat less! We pulled of the marina road to a dead end roundabout, grabbed our snorkels and headed to the water. At the end of the path, the view opens on to a gorgeous cove with white sand and aquamarine water. Chad fired up the GoPro camera and we were off into the water. Coral Gardens Reef is surrounded by a circle of buoys that keep people on a sort of a track around the attraction. To swim the circle would take about 30 minutes, and you get a continuous view of the reef as you swim the track. As we entered the water, the sand on the bottom was a perfect white. As you get closer to the reef, the scenery bursts into view with various forms of coral and sea fans, the prevalent colors of purple and yellow. While the reef itself was amazing to take in, the fish had to be my favorite part of the snorkel. Parrot fish, varieties of tangs, yellow tail snapper, barracuda, wrasses, and tons of other types swam in formation along the reef. What made this experience so cool was the snorkeling started just a few yards off the shore and you were instantly transported to sea life wonderland! I enjoyed floating along, while Chad got a ton of cool shots with the camera and kept swimming to the bottom to get a closer view. We soon finished the lap and headed to the beach for some beers and people watching. We even saw a guy in a kilt! The sun was blaringly bright and we reapplied the sunscreen, knowing our white bodies would be blistered if we weren’t intentional about another round of SPF. With the sun higher in the sky, we knew the reef would be more colorful if we went another lap. We set off into the water, Chad getting even more amazing footage on this trip. The vibrant colors and close proximity of the sea life likened to watching a National Geographic video unfold in front of your eyes. We finally peeled ourselves from the water and realized it was already 1:30! We wanted to stay longer, but we knew the sun had already cooked us pretty well done. Right off the beach is a bar called Somewhere – great name for a bar. Barry had suggested we try it. We saddled up to the bar and I ordered a mojito, Chad a Presidente. The bartender was a comedian and we quickly caught the cool vibe of the bar with its jazzy tunes and tiki atmosphere. For lunch, we started with guacamole and chips – the guacamole was chunky and fresh. Chad had conch fajitas and I had fish tacos – we decided this was one of our favorite meals so far on the trip. The conch fajitas were spicy, the tortillas were lightly toasted and fried, the pico was fresh, the meal was exceptional. After lunch, we headed home to lounge. The pool was a welcome invite on this extremely hot day. We huddled together in the few inches of the pool that still had shade and hunkered down in the pool to cool off. Later, we attempted to make mojitos, but had forgotten simple syrup, so our drinks weren’t as exciting as Somewhere Bar, but nonetheless refreshing. For dinner we had pork chops on the grill and then turned in for the night. What an exceptional day – to view the most beautiful sights in such a wonderful place, we are so lucky to be here!

To view our video of Coral Gardens Reef, click below:

Squawk, squawk, squawk… the alarm blares at 6:00am, seems way too early for vacation. But it’s amazing what you will do for a little bit of silver. We booked a second day with Darin from D.B. Tours in advance for some bonefishing, and let’s face it, you can sleep when you are dead.

The wind had picked up yesterday, which made for an amazing day of relaxation. A 30 mph wind in the tropics is welcomed for the most part, defusing what felt like 100 degree weather with a blast of cooling natural air conditioning. But alas, what was a welcomed friend one day can become a mortal enemy the next. You see, we choose to go the hard route… we are not chucking lures at the end of an expensive medium action spinning rod, we are taking it back to basics and casting a fly.  Poetry in motion, every move of your arm transformed in to a beautiful loop, laying out a clear tippet to present a fly, tied by yours truly, to one of the most beautiful creatures on earth, the silver fish that they call the “Grey Ghost.” However, it is amazing what just the slightest bit of wind can do to that beautiful cast, and 30 mph… well that can just be a train wreck.

We met Darin at the Marina at 7:00am, and joined him on his skiff. Today Darin would take a different route, a long motor along some of the most pristine aqua-marine waters and white sand beaches I think I have ever seen. The scenery was broken with lime stone cliffs, lined with palm trees, rugged at one moment, and then gently melded in to empty beaches the next. The ride was bumpy, but the view was amazing.

After 15-20 minutes, Darin landed the skiff on an isolated sand bar surrounded by untouched flats. We had opted not to bring our wading boots today, as we had not needed them the last guided day. Darin, assured us that they were not needed as the sand was soft, but firm below, and that stingrays did not frequent the area. I quickly found Darin’s shoulder to be the place to be and did not fall too far behind as we stalked the flats. Be mindful not to get too caught up in hunting for tailing fish like I did or you too might step on a conch and realize that the spikes around their crown can cut without effort.

Being so caught up in the moment I had not realized that Marci had fallen behind, and when I did, I stopped abruptly to wait for her. She motioned for me to just go ahead and gave me a “thumbs-up” which re-assured me. Darin quickly spotted a pair of cruisers, but I had found that his skinny legs moved much more effortlessly through the water than my wider models. As I approached, the fish moved… I made an alright cast, even with the wind, but it’s hard to make a spooked bonefish eat. I looked back to find my wife, and found that she was maybe 30 yards behind… thumbs up, and I continued to follow the man with eyes that could see through bumpy water like x-rays.

We continued our trek across the flat for nearly an hour. I made a few feeble attempts to cast to fish I could not see, in wind that blew my seven-weight line around like a kite. Darin spotted fish after fish, and even I saw after the fact that I did indeed make a decent presentation on more than one occasion, but once again, it’s hard to make a spooked fish eat.

I looked back and found that Marci was close, but fairly uninterested in what Darin and I were doing. She waved us on, but I will be honest, I was starting to feel bad. “Three fish, close Chad.” I was back in the zone. This time my presentation was good, but no takers. This continued once or twice more before we made a full circle back to the sandbar where we left the boat.

Darin assured me it was time to try something else, and I waited for Marci to catch up. As she approached I apologized, for which she promptly asked “Why?” Being the sly bird that she was, she quickly recounted the fact that she had probably made more casts to fish than I had, and that for every group of fish that I had spooked, she was the falcon waiting. I could not help but smile. She hadn’t hooked up, but told me that she had fun in the process.

Darin made a long run through bumpy seas to a semi sheltered spot surrounded by mangrove. I was first on the casting deck as Darin silently poled the skiff right along the roots. “Bonefish 3:00, make a back cast.” Pfff… yea right, a back cast into 20 mph wind, off of the wrong shoulder. GONE!

Soon enough a real shot came, 2 cruising fish 30 feet out, I make the cast, the leading fish immediately hones in and before I know it, I am in to the backing. Man, these fish are strong! I was giving myself accolades about a truly impressive presentation when the fish that was nearly at the boat decided he had not quite had enough and made a run for glory… SNAP! Dang it, never gloat until the fish is in the boat.

Soon after, my second opportunity arrived, a small group of fish, but they looked big. A tough cast in to the wind, but my cast landed short. “Cast again,” Darin said. I water hauled and laid the fly down in to the zone and we clearly saw the bone eat, get hooked, shake his head ferociously, and then run to what felt like the horizon. This fish took me in to the backing twice before he came to the boat. We quickly snapped a pictured of this six pound prize, and sent him on his way.

I had landed my fish, so naturally it was Marci’s turn to come on deck. She decided with the windy conditions, she was quite content being the camera woman. Twist my arm, I was back on the casting platform and immediately saw two of the biggest bonefish I have seen, made a half decent cast with the cross wind and put the fly in the zone. “Strip, Strip, STRIP” Darin said, but like a rookie, I had shot the line and allowed the tail end to wrap around the butt of the rod. GONE.

The next attempt proved to be more fruitful and this fish was every bit of seven pounds Darin assured me. This beauty ran so hard and fast that I was not sure I had enough backing. Soon after the first run, the fish turned and swam right back at the boat and while I reeled as fast as I could, I saw a large shadow follow behind. “Is that a shark following?” “No I don’t think so,” Darin said. The bone made another run and turned right towards the boat again, this time more frantically. “That IS a shark following, Darin said.” I horsed in this beautiful fish right to the boat, plain to see… the biggest bonefish I have ever caught, grabbed the leader, and gave a solid yank. I would not pose with my trophy this time, I would willing fully pay for his face piercing to let him dart off in to the mangrove to safety and away from the man in the grey suit. I grabbed the leader, that is a caught fish… and I did the responsible thing.

The wind soon picked up to the point of just being ridiculous, and we decided to call it day. Darin had really opened up this day and was an incredibly friendly and entertaining guide. We snapped a few pictures together and it was soon time to part ways. Marci and I decided to go to the “F Lounge” for lunch, a very hip place with Nuevo wicker lounges, sofas and tables overlooking a marina full of high end boats, and a yacht or two. The fish and chips were HUGE and were well worth the trip.

We found our way back to our villa, had a dip in the pool, and then spent the better part of the afternoon napping in the cold master bedroom. Cocktail hour was soon upon us, and we enjoyed our drink special of the day by the pool as Marci finished the previous day’s blog. We were soon joined by Chris and Heather, the newlyweds and Barry and Marta soon followed. We talked in to the evening hours about life, politics, wealth-building, vacations, retirement, family, children, and all of the important things that new found friends share. Gemma and Iffy, the local marina Potcake Dogs, smelled the chops that Chris was cooking, and soon laid at our feet. Potcake dogs are domesticated turned wild, turned domesticated canine, named after the food that they were originally fed. In earlier times, meals were cooked communally in cauldrons, and the food on the bottom of the cauldron would inevitably burn in to a “cake.” This cake would then be served to the dogs. The potcake dogs are smart, quite charming, and we have been told… if you feed them they will come nightly, bark once, and if you choose not to feed them, they will head back home. They have sweet eyes, and if I lived here, I would surely have several.

Marci and I soon parted from our friends, man and dog, and decided it was finally time to cook dinner. Steaks and potatoes again tonight… at 9:00pm, it is vacation after all!

 

Check out some video from today…

We awoke a bit later today, all that bone fishing produced quite a need for rest. We decided to venture via car today and see the island. After a quick bite at the villa, we packed the car with beach chairs, umbrella, a cooler of beer, and hit the road. To leave Harbour Club Villas, you must travel a few miles on an unpaved road that we have come to enjoy – it is a true off road experience and Chad gets bolder with each attempt! After bumping our way along Venetian Road, we hit the main drag of the island, Leeward Highway. The road extends as the vein of the island, with many roundabouts along the way. Each roundabout is an adventure as well, so many tourists and locals mixing on these terrifying little turnstiles, it really gets the nerves racing as you approach each one, hoping for a smooth landing on the other side.

I was elected navigator, a job that I failed MISERABLY today! The map spread across my lap, you would think I could help Chad get somewhere – wrong answer. I was so discombobulated that I eventually just chucked the map and we decided to see what would happen. Providenciales is still a pretty undeveloped place – while there are basic staples such as a supermarket, power company, and of course a liquor store – there really isn’t much else. As we moved through the island, many locals were walking to work or waiting for rides. We saw school buses and small houses as we headed toward the beach. Our goal was to find a spit of beach that we could relax and snorkel. After a good car tour of the island and, of course, we scouted a place to eventually land for lunch, we made our way into the Grace Bay National Park and decided on its beautiful spread of beach. The sand was white and warm, the water was a perfect aquamarine with a clear view of the pristine bottom. We settled ourselves on the beach and immediately decided to snorkel. There wasn’t much in the way of exotic sites to see, but we were thankful for the cool water. The beach was pretty much empty, despite some adorable local boys frolicking in the surf. As we continued to snorkel, I noticed some older teenage boys moving down the beach and my instinct was to get closer to our belongings in case something looked exciting to take. Little did I know, my concern should not have been for those boys, it should have been for my own legs! As I looked back down in the water in front of me, a four foot barracuda swam, literally, a foot from me! He was a big sucker, and I just about lost it right there in the water. Chad was close to me and was startled as well at how close it had gotten. That is a lesson in being aware of your surroundings, while you may think you see something that needs attention far away, you really need to be aware of the things closer to you that may present more danger!

We enjoyed the water for a bit longer and more local families arrived to enjoy the park. Today was a national holiday for the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee. Since this is British territory, the island enjoyed a three day holiday. The families spoke different languages, some English, some others, but they all interacted just like any other family – it was neat to see local people enjoying their island. Beer-thirty was upon us and a cold Turk’s Head and some sun kept us busy for a few hours. We lounged and watched people up the beach parasailing, paddle boarding, and kayaking around their resort areas. We even spotted a HUGE yacht anchored out in our view and we speculated on who was visiting TCI on that monster of a boat. The heat eventually set in and we needed to seek shade and food.

We drove to Horse Eyed Jacks, a cool rounded tiki bar with blaring music and a cool vibe. Set right on the beach in Blue Hills, the beautiful conchs and bar atmosphere made this a great choice. Two Presidente beers started our experience, following by cracked conch, a panko battered conch served with a spicy sauce – crispy delicious! For lunch, I ordered the jerk chicken with peas and rice – a local version of beans and rice. Chad ordered jerk pork with peas and rice. The flavor on the meat was spicy and dark, a vibrant jerk flavor of the island. We shared our lunches so that both of us got to try the chicken and pork. After lunch, I found my way to a little table of jewelry that was manned by a local lady. I bought a beautiful carved ring as a keepsake of this experience.

It was clear the sun had sucked the life out of us, so we headed back to the pool at the villa.  At this point, our plan was to get out of the sun for the afternoon, reemerge in the evening, and head out for dinner. What is so great about days without an agenda is that sometimes, you just can’t be bothered. As sunset was upon us, we ventured back out to the pool. We made plans…. to do nothing and relax! No sunset on the beach, no dinner in town, no stroll to the marina, we just wanted to hang out poolside and have some drinks.

As we lounged, Barry came out to visit with us and we talked shop. The couple whom just arrived also came to the pool and grilled steaks. We had a pleasant conversation with them, learned they were honeymooners from Canada. We told them, marriage is awesome and it just keeps getting better. They were happy to be here, but were as taken back by the heat as we were on our first day. Having been here for multiple days now, we just take it in stride. We retired back to our villa and Chad cooked the most delicious cheeseburgers. I made a salad with large chunks of tomato, celery, cucumber, and carrot. We ate dinner on the porch outside the villa, next to the light of the hurricane lamp. It was an early night for us, as we had Darin awaiting us at 7AM for another day of bone fishing in the morning. Ah, this is the life! A full day of relaxation and enjoying each other, life is good!

Check out some video of our drive…

We started the day at 6:30 with the sun. After a quick breakfast of a bagel and a banana, we started the drive down to the Walk-In Marina where we would meet Darin Bain, our guide for the day from D.B. Tours. Darin is a man of few words, friendly but quiet. We made the quick run by skiff to his first destination and I was the first on the casting deck. It is funny how being on the casting deck feels like you are on stage and everyone is watching.

We quickly spotted our first bonefish of the day, I made the cast, and the line smacked the mirror-like water… bad presentation. My next attempt was to a couple of cruisers, and I dropped the fly right on their noses…. bad presentation. Soon after, Darin whispered “bone at 9:00, 30 feet, you see that mangrove?” I did, and I laid the fly down right in the sweet spot. The bonefish turned and followed the fly. Strip, strip, pause… strip, and he eats the fly and instantly tears off 15 feet of fly line as he ran in to the mangrove. POP! This bonefish swims away with a Pink Gotcha lip piercing, and as if to taunt me, swims in front of the boat within reach for about 5 minutes. The water was so clear that you could clearly see his fashion statement.

“You see the school, 11:00, no 11:30… 50 feet?” I see it, maybe 10 fish together rooting around looking for something tasty. I make the cast, 50 feet is a long cast for me, well if I want to do it delicately. The fly lands short, so I water haul, and get about 5 feet closer. “Cast again.” I water haul again and get maybe another 5 feet, but this time the fly lands in the zone. I feel the tug that I have missed since Belize, and then strip set the hook, before I know it, the fish has stripped the line at my feet through my hands… feel the burn, and then another 30 feet of fly line off of the reel. The running fish spooks the school which I had underestimated; there were maybe 30-40 fish there.

I play the fish conservatively, really savoring it. Right as I get him about 10 feet from the boat, he makes another run of about 50 feet.  This would repeat once more before finally landing the beautiful 5 or so pounder. Marci did a wonderful job of videoing the experience and got an amazing underwater shot of the fish swimming off.

Knowing that the school had spooked, Darin decided to motor to another spot. This time Marci, is on stage. Darin silently poles the boat close to another school of 10 or so fish. Marci spots them and makes the cast, falling just short of the target. She strips in some line and casts again. Strip, strip, strip… there are three fish following. Pause, the leading fish takes the fly and before Marci even realizes, 100 feet of fly line are off of the reel, taking her in to the backing. Another blistering run and another 50 feet of backing is gone. She played the fish beautifully, and landed her first Turks and Caicos bone, an impressive fish of at least 5 pounds.

The bonefishing in the Turks and Caicos is different than what we experienced in Belize. The fish are larger and the schools smaller. We spent a lot of time stalking, and when you did find a lone fish or a small school, you had to make a perfect presentation. I landed one more bonefish this day for a total of 2 fish out of maybe 10 attempts. We did see a small school of permit, and I made several good casts to them, but being the spaz of the sea, they could not be bothered. Tough fishing, but the rewards were larger fish.

We enjoyed a dip in the pool after the fishing trip and then had our afternoon siesta. I woke up and went down to fish the channel later in the day. I hooked up with what felt like a good sized jack, but lost him as he turned and ran towards me. Cocktail hour soon called, as did the cool pool. Marci and I enjoyed some quiet time alone at the Harbour Club Villas before the next guests arrived. For dinner, we purchased 2 whole local snapper from the market. We stuffed the snapper with couscous, butter, and citrus, wrapped it in a foil pouch, and I cooked it on the grill low and slow for about 30 minutes. Marci made wonderful plantains and we enjoyed a hurricane candlelight dinner at the table outside of our villa, enjoying our meal over a bottle of white wine. We were both feeling adventurous and even decided to try the eyes of the snapper. Amazingly, it actually tastes like muscles, sort of briny.

Marci and I enjoy a good adventure, and Providenciales, Turks and Caicos fits the bill. This place is rugged, not over developed yet, and still full of natural beauty.  The fishing was tough today, the relaxation, and fun together however, came quite naturally.

Check out the video of Marci and I’s first Turks and Caicos bonefish!