Arriving at the northern end of the island, and a further two hours to reach the commercial dock on the eastern side I drop anchor and go ashore in the tender.  As I arrive a cruise ship pulls out.  Looking for the immigration office i walk down the road and am told that I will have to go to the airport to clear in as it is Saturday and once that cruise ship left the officials are gone.  I continue walking and am offered a lift by a friendly local mechanic who drops me to the door of the airport.  Inside I ask for immigration but again they are gone as there are no more flights today either.  The airport bar is cool(a/c) and has a wifi connection so I spend an hour or so there and walk back to the boat.  Outside is an American space capsule.  I stop and take a photo and wonder if it is the real deal as it has what look like re-entre scoring on the bottom. Later this is confirmed by one of the locals and he explains that the astronaut who flew it came to Grand Turk to unveil it.  Seeing it renews my faith in Lady Shamrock, youâll understand why when you see the photo.

 

On Febuary 20th 1962 Colonel John Glenn became the first American to orbit earth aboard Friendship 7.  As part of the Project Mercury he orbited three times before re-entry and splashed down not far from Grand Turk where a tracking and telemetry station had been set up along with a small well staffed hospital. 

 

Everything seems  to be closed on in this part of the island so I hitch a lift to the main town a couple of miles away.  After looking in one or two shops, all of them, I decide to go back to the boat.  Having seen the Airport, the main town and both docks I decide that there is not a whole lot left to experience on Turks and Caicosâ second most populated island and that my night would be better spent bobbing on the ocean.

 

I never managed to clear in, or out, so officially I was never here.  Get ready for another 250nm to the Bahamas.