Times of the Islands Summer 2024

dent visa. She contacted US Immigration authorities who
quickly accepted the eAPIS as sufficient proof of status
and authorized entry for all of them into the US without
documents. The lucky four flew to Provo where they
caught a plane home to Miami.
The aftermath
Later in January, while dropping off Katherine and Morgan
Luker on Great Sand Cay for a hawksbill turtle nesting
survey, Kell, accompanied by Anthony and Jervis, noticed
a hunk of white metal on the beach. On closer inspection,
he saw that it looked like an engine cover from a plane
and wondered if it might be from Ellington’s Cessna. He
lugged the engine cover over the beach and put it on his
boat. Back in Grand Turk, he called Ellington who asked
if he could see an “R” on the cowling. Kell did, which confirmed
that it was in fact from the ditched plane that had
washed up on the beach.
That summer, Ellington traveled to Grand Turk with his
wife and three children so they could meet the Islanders
who had saved his life and the lives of Ronny, Valecia,
and Lesroy. The quick actions by those in the tower at
the airport, the selfless courage and fortitude of those
who went out on the boats, and unhesitating kindness
of people on Grand Turk from high level officials to ordinary
folk touched Ellington deeply. He stated, “No words
can describe the love and affection I have for the people
of Grand Turk and Salt Cay who had risked and done so
much for us.” He had formed an unshakable bond with
the Islands, and his life would never be the same.
Wanting to give back, Ellington asked Captain Irvin
what they needed and was told more cameras and monitors
for the airport security. Knowing these products well
from his security and surveillance business, he ordered 16
of each and shipped them to Grand Turk. He also learned
that Grand Turk’s H.J. Robinson High School could use
computers. So he dug into his pocket and raised money
from his friends in Florida to buy 100 Microsoft Surfaces
and external keyboards for the school.
In November 2023, Lesroy received a surprising call
from the Cayman Islands at his Orlando home. It turns
out that the briefcase he had left behind in the plane had
been found on a beach in Grand Cayman. Inside were his
wallet with ID along with his passport that enabled offcials
to locate Lesroy in the U.S. and confirm his ownership.
Astoundingly, the briefcase had floated more than 500
miles southwest from the crash site, past Great Inagua
Island, through the Windward Passage between Cuba and
Haiti, and along the north coast of Jamaica before finally
washing up on a beach in Cayman.
The fast and decisive actions and steady demeanor
of all those involved in the response, as well as the care
afterwards, cannot be understated. On that day Kell,
Anthony, and Jervis, along with Tim, DJ, Zeus, Ranfurly,
and Walrico had done what they and other Turks Islander
mariners were born to do when the call came—save people
in trouble on the ocean. Finding Ellington, Valecia,
Ronny, and Lesroy—barely hanging on that chaotic
January afternoon—was no fluke.
Extraordinary seamanship, intuition, and courage
made it happen—along with uncanny help from a pod of
caring dolphins who have always had a kindred spirit with
the sailors of these magical Turks & Caicos Islands. a
Ben Stubenberg is a regular contributor to Times of
the Islands and has recently published a book entitled
The Jamaican Bobsled Captain: Dudley “Tal” Stokes and
the untold story of suffering, struggle and redemption
behind Cool Runnings.
Ben’s articles and commentary on TCI and Caribbean
history and current events can be found on his website
BenStubenberg.com.
Times of the Islands Summer 2024 53