Sailing L
De
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
14
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 th