Times of the Islands Spring 2021

astrolabe newsletter of the Turks & Caicos National Museum
This historic photo shows the last sloop built by Hedley Forbes. Note the sharp point of the bow.
Before continuing we decided a to get a historical
perspective on the Caicos sloops by interviewing David
Douglas from the Turks & Caicos Sailing Association.
David is involved in the Caicos Sloop Heritage Project,
whose mission is revitalizing the building of Caicos
sloops through “One Design,” a method that allows
the boats to be built and raced on a regular basis. He
described how historically, the local sloops were the
lifeblood of the Islands. Small boats were used to fish,
and catch conch and other seafood, while larger vessels
were used to trade those products mostly with Hispaniola
(Haiti and the Dominican Republic). They were also used
to carry cargo around the Islands (similar to trucks today),
as ambulances to move the sick, and as “water taxis” to
move passengers from island to island.
David provided us with background on the differences
between the Caicos and Bahamian sloops. The
Caicos sloops were more weatherly, designed to travel
further distances than their counterparts in The Bahamas.
Also, the Caicos sloops were created as work vessels,
especially on Grand Turk and Salt Cay, to move salt from
the islands to the larger vessels anchored offshore.
Next, we went back to Middle Caicos to interview
Hedley Forbes, the last of the senior boat builders living
on Middle Caicos. Hedley is Brodie’s father. We met
Hedley at his home in Bambarra. (Of note, Hedley was
involved in the Caribbean Research Foundation’s project
to document traditional boat building in 1984 on Grand
Turk. More details of this project can be found on the
Turks & Caicos National Museum’s website.)
Although considered one of the foremost boat buildings
in the Turks & Caicos, Hedley does not identify as a
boat builder, but as a carpenter. Both skills he learnt from
his grandfather.
Hedley described how the skills he developed building
boats informed his carpentry skills and vice versa.
For example, he learnt that a sharp-hulled boat moves
through the wind and waves of the ocean easier than one
with a wider hull. He took this design element and incorporated
it in the construction of his roof, which he states
has received very little damage through the various hurricanes
that have impacted the country.
Our next stop was Blue Hills, Providenciales to meet
with the Deans, a prominent boat building family of
Bermudian descent. First, we interviewed James Dean Sr.,
the patriarch of the family. James notes that his grandfather,
father, uncles and brothers were all boat builders, a
skill that has been passed down to his sons and nephews.
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