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I
t’s not every day that one is given
the opportunity to sail on a rum
runner in the Turks and Caicos
Islands. The mere thought of
hopping aboard a 77-foot
schooner in the heart of the
Caribbean’s’ bluest waters seems
like a scene right out of a Johnny
Depp movie. On a brilliant Sunday
afternoon in Providenciales, 12
adventurous souls did exactly that
when they took off on Dave Douglas’
Atabeyra for a four-hour tour.
When Douglas moved from the
Bahamas to Providenciales in 1992,
he began hauling rum, beer, and who
knows what else between Turks and
Caicos and the Dominican Republic.
After keeping a close eye on the
surging Providenciales tourist trade,
Douglas christened Sun Charters
tours in 1998 and he began
transporting wide-eyed tourists on
sailing excursions full-time.
For the well-traveled Douglas, the
Atabeyra is a boat and a business he
and his wife Jenny literally built
with their bare hands. The
schooner’s two towering masts came
from pine trees grown in the forest
just outside the Douglas’ former
New Orleans home.
Beyond Grace Bay
Today’s version of Douglas’ sailing
business is running full speed ahead.
On most days during the Turks and
Caicos high season of November
through June, the Atabeyra sails
twice per day. Douglas’ crew of Tibi
Gula and Junior Relis operate half
day snorkeling tours, sunset cruises,
and private charters. Twice a month
and three days after a full moon, Sun
Charters also offers an excursion
dubbed the Glow Worm Sunset that
features the phosphorescent mating
ritual of male and female worms
floating on the surface of the
Caribbean Sea.
Sun Charters is a diversion for
vacationers flocking to
Providenciales’ Grace Bay Beach, a
destination TripAdvisor ranks as the
most beautiful beach in the
Caribbean. When these
beachcombers get restless and wish
to see one of the other 37 islands
making up the Turks and Caicos
chain, that’s when they turn to
Douglas and his crew.
What many of these remote islands
lack in refinement, they make up for
in sheer beauty. Enter the words
“most beautiful private Caribbean
island” into a search engine and this
is what Atabeyra passengers see
during their snorkeling tour.
JoJo and Happy Juice
need Happy Juice to keep from
smiling after a relaxing day sailing, a
JoJo sighting, and a v