Times of the Islands Summer 2024
Presents the "soul of the Turks & Caicos Islands" with in-depth features about local people, culture, history, environment, real estate, businesses, resorts, restaurants and activities. Presents the "soul of the Turks & Caicos Islands" with in-depth features about local people, culture, history, environment, real estate, businesses, resorts, restaurants and activities.
ANTHONY FORBES—TRIPLE A EVENT PHOTOGRAPHY Experienced boatmen (from left) Anthony Forbes, Kell Talbot, and Jervis Simmons return to Grand Turk in Kell’s boat I Comin’ Now following the heroic and miraculous rescue. 1:24 PM Almost 45 minutes later a black US Customs and Border Patrol helicopter came into view and flew a big circle. Once again, they waved their arms in hopes the crew would see them, but they didn’t and flew off. 2:30 PM After more than three hours in the water, a US Coast Guard helicopter appeared. By now they had swallowed so much seawater and sensed their arms and legs going numb. Still, they were hopeful, especially as the helicopter passed near them. This time they were too exhausted to wave. After 45 minutes, the US Coast Guard chopper flew away too and despair returned. Life was closing out. Suddenly, Ellington told Ronny and Valecia that he heard an engine noise, but they didn’t believe him. The rescue 1:30 PM / Southeast of Grand Turk It took Kell more than an hour to reach the location based on the coordinates provided by Captain Irvin and Gordon. Motoring against the current in rough seas forced Kell to reduce speed, so the trip took longer than it might have on a calm day. When his aptly named vessel, I Comin’ Now, finally arrived, the US Coast Guard fixed-wing plane and the first helicopter were still in the air circling over the area and communicating off and on with Danial at the Grand Turk Tower. Tim arrived on the scene a few minutes later and spotted Kell’s boat a couple of miles off as well as the two aircraft. But shortly after the boats arrived, both aircraft left the scene. Captains Kell and Tim decided to let the boats drift with the current, as it might take them to where any survivors might be since they had also likely drifted from where the plane had ditched —that is if anyone had survived the crash. Ranfury and Walrico also approached the scene but conducted their search a couple of miles south. All three boats spent two long hours meticulously looking for survivors while holding on tight as the swells washed over the bows. But they saw no sign of the people or the plane. 50 www.timespub.tc
2:30 PM Out of the blue, a US Coast Guard helicopter showed up and circled around. At one point, it appeared to drop low and hover just a couple of hundred feet above the waves. Kell and Tim thought for a moment that the chopper may have spotted someone. Tim radioed the helicopter several times to find out but received no response. After about 45 minutes, it too departed, unable to find anyone, even with sophisticated sensor equipment onboard. 3:15 PM As daylight was running out, Kell noticed mist spraying into the air just ahead. At first he thought it might be a humpback whale that had arrived early in the season. But the spray turned out to be from a dolphin. Soon, two other dolphins appeared off the starboard side of the boat moving in the same northerly direction. On a whim and out of curiosity, Kell decided to follow them and gently nudged the throttle forward out of neutral. After a couple of minutes, the dolphins suddenly veered right and that’s when Kell, Anthony, and Jervis heard a woman scream, “Help, help!” In the water just in front of them, they saw Valecia and then Ellington and Ronny huddled together. Anthony and Jervis threw out a life ring attached to a rope, pulled them toward the boat and helped them all onboard. Kell hit his GPS to mark the location at N 21°13.644 / W071° 15.509. That put them 17.5 miles southeast of Grand Turk which showed they had drifted about a mile and a half northwest from their crash site. After the rescue pilot Ellington Osborne and Valecia Osborne were shivering with cold but only suffered minor cuts from the crash. The three survivors on board were shivering and had suffered some cuts from the crash. Jervis brought them towels and blankets while Anthony opened a medical kit to treat them for cuts. But Ellington waived them off and said, “My brother Lesroy is missing. He got loose from us and drifted off. We have to find him.” Kell looked around from the flybridge and again saw dolphins just ahead. This time he knew they were telling him something, and he steered the boat in their direction. After following the dolphins for a quarter of a mile, Kell spotted Lesroy in his life jacket, right where the animals had taken him. Anthony and Jervis pulled Lesroy on board too where he received big hugs from Ellington, Valecia, and Ronny. Suffering from hypothermia after nearly four hours in the water, all four survivors were in a daze and needed to warm up. For Kell, Anthony, and Jervis, the miraculous moment began to sink in. They knew that no one should have survived the crash and nor should any of them have been found in the rough, chilly sea. Yet here they were, face to face with four souls who had somehow defied the long odds. They felt a deep sense of satisfaction and were keenly aware of the role played by friendly dolphins. Indeed, according to the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society, recorded stories of dolphins protecting humans date back to ancient Greece. In recent decades, there have been several accounts of dolphins protecting swimmers and surfers from sharks as well as nudging a drowning child back to the safety of a boat. ANTHONY FORBES—TRIPLE A EVENT PHOTOGRAPHY Times of the Islands Summer 2024 51
- Page 1 and 2: TIMES SAMPLING THE SOUL OF THE TURK
- Page 3 and 4: Building Your Vision, Delivering Ex
- Page 5 and 6: Crafted for the fl ow of life. Form
- Page 7: Arc By Piero Lissoni Elevated Beach
- Page 10 and 11: The sky is the limit. The world’s
- Page 12: Exclusively available within The Tu
- Page 18: UNDERSTATED LUXURY AT THE WATER’S
- Page 21 and 22: looking back From September 12-18,
- Page 23 and 24: of the tidal wave was somewhere in
- Page 25 and 26: Bengt Soderqvist and his son Lars p
- Page 27 and 28: creature feature Opposite page: The
- Page 29 and 30: This close-up shows how a flounder
- Page 31 and 32: Flounder are mainly solitary creatu
- Page 33 and 34: green pages newsletter of the depar
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- Page 40 and 41: The beginnings—Bamboo Gallery On
- Page 42 and 43: quite petite.” Later that day whe
- Page 44 and 45: SHUTTERSTOCK
- Page 46 and 47: ELLINGTON OSBORNE The response This
- Page 48 and 49: of Salt Cay sailors and had carried
- Page 52 and 53: The return 3:45 PM Kell called his
- Page 54 and 55: DR. DONALD H. KEITH 54 www.timespub
- Page 56 and 57: The mysterious inscription The insc
- Page 58 and 59: GIDEON JACQUES DENNY This oil paint
- Page 60 and 61: Who inscribed the epitaph? On Septe
- Page 63 and 64: esort report Opposite page: The 20
- Page 65 and 66: front desk; Aiesha Sealy and Romane
- Page 67 and 68: Grown on North Caicos Ocean Breeze
- Page 69 and 70: Donkeys possess several traits that
- Page 71 and 72: astrolabe newsletter of the Turks &
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- Page 75 and 76: astrolabe newsletter of the Turks &
- Page 77 and 78: about the Islands Map provided cour
- Page 79 and 80: and either single phase or three ph
- Page 81 and 82: (Grits) with Dry Conch is revered a
- Page 84: Nothing compares to that perfect pl
ANTHONY FORBES—TRIPLE A EVENT PHOTOGRAPHY<br />
Experienced boatmen (from left) Anthony Forbes, Kell Talbot, and Jervis Simmons return to Grand Turk in Kell’s boat I Comin’ Now following<br />
<strong>the</strong> heroic and miraculous rescue.<br />
1:24 PM<br />
Almost 45 minutes later a black US Customs and Border<br />
Patrol helicopter came into view and flew a big circle.<br />
Once again, <strong>the</strong>y waved <strong>the</strong>ir arms in hopes <strong>the</strong> crew<br />
would see <strong>the</strong>m, but <strong>the</strong>y didn’t and flew <strong>of</strong>f.<br />
2:30 PM<br />
After more than three hours in <strong>the</strong> water, a US Coast<br />
Guard helicopter appeared. By now <strong>the</strong>y had swallowed<br />
so much seawater and sensed <strong>the</strong>ir arms and legs going<br />
numb. Still, <strong>the</strong>y were hopeful, especially as <strong>the</strong> helicopter<br />
passed near <strong>the</strong>m. This time <strong>the</strong>y were too exhausted<br />
to wave. After 45 minutes, <strong>the</strong> US Coast Guard chopper<br />
flew away too and despair returned. Life was closing out.<br />
Suddenly, Ellington told Ronny and Valecia that he<br />
heard an engine noise, but <strong>the</strong>y didn’t believe him.<br />
The rescue<br />
1:30 PM / Sou<strong>the</strong>ast <strong>of</strong> Grand Turk<br />
It took Kell more than an hour to reach <strong>the</strong> location based<br />
on <strong>the</strong> coordinates provided by Captain Irvin and Gordon.<br />
Motoring against <strong>the</strong> current in rough seas forced Kell to<br />
reduce speed, so <strong>the</strong> trip took longer than it might have<br />
on a calm day. When his aptly named vessel, I Comin’<br />
Now, finally arrived, <strong>the</strong> US Coast Guard fixed-wing plane<br />
and <strong>the</strong> first helicopter were still in <strong>the</strong> air circling over<br />
<strong>the</strong> area and communicating <strong>of</strong>f and on with Danial at<br />
<strong>the</strong> Grand Turk Tower. Tim arrived on <strong>the</strong> scene a few<br />
minutes later and spotted Kell’s boat a couple <strong>of</strong> miles<br />
<strong>of</strong>f as well as <strong>the</strong> two aircraft. But shortly after <strong>the</strong> boats<br />
arrived, both aircraft left <strong>the</strong> scene.<br />
Captains Kell and Tim decided to let <strong>the</strong> boats drift<br />
with <strong>the</strong> current, as it might take <strong>the</strong>m to where any survivors<br />
might be since <strong>the</strong>y had also likely drifted from<br />
where <strong>the</strong> plane had ditched —that is if anyone had survived<br />
<strong>the</strong> crash. Ranfury and Walrico also approached <strong>the</strong><br />
scene but conducted <strong>the</strong>ir search a couple <strong>of</strong> miles south.<br />
All three boats spent two long hours meticulously looking<br />
for survivors while holding on tight as <strong>the</strong> swells washed<br />
over <strong>the</strong> bows. But <strong>the</strong>y saw no sign <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> people or <strong>the</strong><br />
plane.<br />
50 www.timespub.tc
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