This is a personal journal in a public space, kept by Jessica Moyer and Brett Matulis. We are not so vain as to believe that complete strangers are interested in our daily lives. Rather, this blog was created when we decided to move to the British West Indies. It is intended to serve as a way for us to share news, post photos, and eventually, revisit memories. It was created for us and for those of our friends and families that are interested in our lives on the remote island of South Caicos.
On our trip to Coast Guard with our Parisian guests, I resumed work on my raft. Weeks back, when the students were still here, I started collecting discarded objects on the beach necessary for its construction. You can find quite a lot of stuff washed up in remote places. On this trip, I had more time to assemble it and take it for a test run.
Construction
Finishing Touches
Proud of my creation.
I found that the bamboo I used, however, took on water rather quickly and so it rode low in the water. Next time I'll look for buoys and empty jugs to attach for extra flotation. I'll also need a sail.
We've just said "au revoir" to our guests from Paris. It was a fun and busy visit. I wondered at times if we were trying to do too much with them, and whether or not they'd prefer just relax and do nothing. We're pretty sure they enjoyed their time here though.
Here's a recap of some the things we did in photos:
Admirals Aquarium
Beach at East Bay François & JC Making Crêpes
Doubling the Batch
We also made Jessee's famous Carrot Cake (I get two birthdays this year) and Cinnamon Rolls (JC's favorite). All this special food made the rest of the SFS staff big fans of our guests, especially on the night we served the crêpes.
This is the second time they've visited us now (including once before in Bellingham), so now it's our turn to go to Paris to see them. We're not sure when that will happen, but we hope we'll be able to go soon.
As of Saturday, Suzie is back in TCI waters! After traveling more than 5900km (I over estimated a little last time), she's managed to find her way back to the place she started. She spent the last two weeks at the Inagua Islands. Right now she's in waters off of North Caicos, and it appears she'll be back to East Caicos, exactly where she started, soon.
Local Map of Suzie's Journey
It's amazing that turtles can navigate such distances and finally make their way back to an exact location. It's like setting off on foot across the country with no maps, road signs, or ability to ask for directions and then making it back to your house without help.
Suzie's Entire Journey
She's passing around the north end of the Caicos Bank so, unfortunately, she's not going to come in range of us. I really wanted to go looking for her with her GPS coordinates. Maybe she'll come by later on - her GPS tag is going to remain on.
The meetings have ended, and most of the guests have cleared out. Almost all of the staff have returned or arrived for the first time, and soon things will be getting back to usual. First, though, a couple friends of ours will be visiting from Paris - they arrive tomorrow afternoon. It's always a lot of fun to show people around the island, especially because they're easily impressed by the things we see (just a couple days ago, for example, we saw a school of 10 Eagle Rays (!) and I felt like I was the only one who thought it was something to make a fuss over).
This project has really taken over. I'm constantly thinking about it, pouring over numbers, and (most recently) taking hourly readings from our meter. The report that came from the contractor was less helpful than I expected, so now I'm gathering data and doing the research to design an optimal system. Don't read that this project has become a burden; I'm enjoying myself.
I've pretty much gotten the "go ahead" from everybody including the board. I just need to figure out what size array makes sense, how much it will cost, what the return is on the investment. That doesn't mean they'll accept anything I come up with, but it seems likely they'll be in favor of something reasonable. I'm starting to realize, however, that this is a longer term project than I initially accepted. I wanted to push things through and get something installed right away. Instead, I think there's going to be a couple month period of data collection where I get handle on our consumption.
What seems to make the most sense for the first stage of the project is to design a system with a peak output equivalent to our average daytime usage. This way we do not need to worry about wasted production, storage, or re-selling power into the grid. The savings that come from this initial investment can then be used to expand the array and install wind turbines to supply night-time power.
Something else I'm going to look into is the first "R" in the "Reduce, Reuse, Recycle" mantra. Our biggest use of power is certainly refrigeration, and we might be able to reduce consumption significanly simply by replacing our old deep freezers. I found a device that will log power consumption of appliances (see it here). I decided to with the one that logs data on an SD card rather than the more cleverly named "kill-a-watt" unit that does not. With the data I collect from it, I'll be able to figure out how much can be saved with a newer, more efficient replacement. The treasurer of the SFS board is going to purchase one for me to use.
Energy Monitor
I've been so wrapped up in this project I've barely been concerned by the fact that I haven't been able to dive almost at all since getting back here. With all the staff turnover and with the meetings going on, there's been nobody available to go diving with, except for one other person, Pepe (the husband of one of the new faculty). If either of us were allowed access to the boats, we'd probably be averaging two dives per day. At least I'm occupied enough to not feel so down about that.
Several of you have already been asking about the earthquake in Haiti last night. We didn't feel it here on South Caicos. We didn't even know it happened until almost two hours later. As soon as we heard, though, we went to check on tsunami warnings. There was one issued all the way through the Bahamas, but probability was low that anything significant would come. We learned this morning that a 12cm (yes, centimeter) wave was generated, and that tides and currents are expected to be a little unpredictable for a short period.
Rubble in Port-au-Prince
Canape-Vert
Our Dominican night watchman was quite worried about his family in Puerto Plata. They were far from the epicenter, so they should be okay, but he wasn't able to contact them. The pictures and videos coming from Haiti look quite bad. The presidential palace even collapsed.
After writing about alternative energy last week, I did some calculations based on November's and December's electricity bills. In those months we used about 6500 and 4700 kWh each (less in December because the students had left). A safe estimate is that the center uses 72 MWh annually (once I have access to all the statements from 2009, I'll be able to know more accurately). At 50 cents/kWh, you can get an idea of just how much money is going into power.
I did some research and found a solar and wind power company based in Anguilla (another British Overseas Territory). They do installations all over the Caribbean, and being that they are also a British Territory they'll likely know about any incentives that might apply. I contacted them and asked about a system that could power our center. Using solar alone, they told me, it would take a 35kW system. The 140 panels that would make up that system would cost $210,000 installed. Astonishingly, that is only 5 years and 10 months of electric bills (assuming the cost of electricity on the island remains fixed). The rate we pay, however, is likely to rise. I am waiting now for the company's professional "return on investment" analysis, which will address this matter.
The going rate for a solar power system of this size is $6/watt. In the alternative energy industry these rates are pretty much standard across the board no matter who is doing the installation (I've been told most residential installations will go for about $7/watt). So instead of trying to find another company that will beat their rate, I will research this company and make sure they are reputable. I've asked them for references of past customers already.
This particular company also installs wind power systems and has a hybrid wind/solar option. With the hybrid system we could have clean energy 24 hours per day without the use of batteries - an appealing route to go. Either way, I think I'd probably also opt to remain tied to the grid for those rare cloudy and windless days. I'm expecting that the local diesel power company is going to do everything they can to resist this move, so hopefully we won't run into many snags there.
Last night I pitched the idea to one of the SFS Vice Presidents (the TCI center is currently hosting the annual directors and affiliates meetings). I explained how much we were paying, how dirty the current power generation system is, and how quickly the center would see a return on the investment. He was very receptive to the idea. In fact, his reaction was more favorable than I could have expected. Based on the preliminary numbers I provided, he gave the impression that there was no reason SFS wouldn't invest in it. He asked for a more detailed analysis (which the solar company is currently preparing) and said we could sit down and decide on a course of action. More than likely, he said, we'd need to purchase the system in installments. For example, we'd initially invest in a smaller system that would provide a portion of our power, and with the savings that provides we could reinvest and expand, eventually going completely off the grid. Things are looking very optimistic at this point!
Well, it's now been five weeks since I cut my hand on the lid of that bleeping applesauce can. The laceration itself is healing really well, and the scar isn't anything even close to the hideous disfigurement I once feared it would be. I still don't have any sensation along one side of my pinky though, as I damaged the nerve that runs along the outer edge of the hand and out to the tip of the pinky.
From what I've read, nerves can take a long time to heal. As in, many months, or sometimes over a year. So I'm still hopeful (i.e. counting on the fact) that I'll get the feeling back, as I'm pretty attached to all of my fingers. I'm afraid I didn't appreciate that littlest one as much as I should have before, but then you never miss a good thing until it's gone. Or at least not speaking to you.
Although it's still tender, I'm able to do most everything that I need to with my pinky these days, like typing, scratching, carrying bags, shampooing, and even (gently) high-five'ing. Even so, it's odd to have a part of your body not feel like you, and not respond to your brain's signals the way it used to. Even if it's a little part. My numb finger allows objects to slip out of my hand on rare occasions, and delays my reaction time to remove the stir spoon from a hot soup pot by a split second, and (most discouraging of all) it just doesn't hit a piano key quite right.
I'm healing though, and the photos below track my progress. (We didn't actually get a photo right after the incident, as we were distracted trying to stop the bleeding and get to the clinic, etc.)
Same Day, after the first round of cleaning and bandages
I've mentioned before in the blog that the largest economic sector in the Turks and Caicos Islands is finance. And I've suggested that this is really just a pretty name pasted over an ugly practice: tax evasion. Just yesterday, however, I stumbled across a headline that suggested TCI was cleaning up it's act. Perhaps it's just my cynical character, but after reading it in full I was left with the impression that there was just enough compliance to keep their crooked dealings out of the spotlight.
The article reports on TCI's removal from the G20's "grey list" of countries that don't comply with international tax transparency standards. This would appear to be a huge step in the direction of cleaning up the country's reputation for corruption and shady dealings. And, indeed, a spokesperson for the Governor is quoted as saying just that. But it appears it took considerable arm twisting to get this far - according to the article, the recent actions leading to TCI's removal from the list came just weeks before threatened sanctions were scheduled to take effect.
What does it take to get off the G20 grey list, anyway? A listed country must sign a minimum of 12 Tax Information Exchange Agreements (TIEAs) to be removed. Is it any surprise that TCI has signed on to exactly that number, including ones with the likes of Greenland and the Faroe Islands (population 50,000)? I guess there might be some Inuit seal hunters or dogsled runners that are going to have to find somewhere else to hide their unbounding wealth. To be fair, the twelve agreements do include the UK, France, and the Scandanavian countries, and there are plans to sign agreements with several other wealthy countries. Notably, however, there is no agreement in place (and no indication is given of plans for one) with the United States, which according to the article loses "around $100 billion each year due to offshore tax evasion."
Evidence of this kind of dirty money passing though the Turks and Caicos is everywhere. I'd be willing to bet that much of the luxury tourism on Provo is a byproduct of such tax evasion. How so? Let's suppose you have a large amount of taxable assets in the United States. And even if you paid the most crafty accountants to find all loop holes in the tax code, you'd still owe the government 25% of it. So look to the Turks and Caicos for some place to hide your assets. An unscrupulous banker here in the Islands would gladly help you to find "investment" opportunities - a new luxury resort, for example. You move enough capital into a Turks and Caicos account to fund the development. On paper the development might cost $5 million. In reality maybe it only cost $2 million. The remaining $3 million can then be moved into secret accounts that the IRS can't track. If the tax evader then wants access to that money without it being linked to his or her devious activities, that money must be laundered. At this point it is simple, fudge the books a little and hide the money in the returns coming back on the tourism investment. That extra cash can then be used to buy something nice like a yacht.
When I start thinking about all this it makes me sick. When I'm in Provo I can't help but think everybody around me is a tax cheat, fraud, and the sort of person responsible for the recent economic collapse. Excess isn't enough for these people. They'll take everything they can get, and when it all comes crashing down, it's the honest laborer that suffers the most.
Our snorkel at Shark Alley today was a chilly but eventful one. There were five snorkelers in all: Eva and Annemarie, the two lecturers who just joined the SFS team, Annemarie's husband, Pepe, Brett, and me.
Patch Reef at Shark Alley
Just a few minutes after we got into the water, a porcupine fish swam past us. Usually they're really timid, but this one got fairly close to us and didn't seem skittish at all. A few minutes later we saw a reef shark that was about average length, but really wide around the middle. For a second, I questioned whether it was actually a bull shark, but we all talked about it when we got back onto the boat, and the consensus was that it was just a little chubby.
Chubby Reef Shark
You can tell that I was carrying the camera today instead of Brett, because when I have it we come away with very few photos. I just get so focused on looking at what's around me that I forget to actually take pictures. The above photo of the reef shark swimming away from us was actually taken by Brett when he realized that I was busy watching the shark and letting this awesome photo op slip away in the meantime, and took the camera back to get a shot at the last possible second.
Probably the most exciting part of the snorkel was the number of eagle rays we saw, and how close they were to us! One of them actually swam directly underneath me, about 4 feet down. (I did actually take the pictures below.)
Beautiful Eagle Ray
Brett checking out a cute little sting ray... can you find it?
Everybody was pretty sure Suzie was on the final leg of her journey, soon to return to TCI waters, but now she's in the Bahamas. She's traveled something in the range of 6000 km and visited many countries.
Suzie's Track
As she approached the southwest corner of Hispaniola in December, there was a lot of excitement that she might be home for Christmas (read about it in the news: http://www.tcweeklynews.com/link.asp?smenu=85&sdetail=1798&wpage=1). But she turned east instead of traveling between Haiti and Cuba directly to the Turks and Caicos. There was some fear for her safety in Haitian waters as the turtle fishery is quite large there. Social tensions bubbled to the surface as TCI Belongers warned of backlash towards Haitian expats living on South Caicos if she went missing in Haitian waters. We joked that it was going to incite an international incident and cause rioting on South. More than likely it was all talk, but it demonstrates the real interest local people have taken in her and the affection they have for her. I don't think anybody anticipated the level of awareness and local pride Suzie would generate, especially among people who routinely eat turtles.
The fisherman who caught Suzie (originally intending to make a meal out of her) is particularly proud, and he often jokes that if he had known that she'd become so famous, he would have demanded more money for her.
After heading east along the southern coast of Hispaniola, Suzie rounded the corner and picked up her pace. Keeping a close eye on her progress, we were pretty sure she had finally found her way and was headed directly back home. In fact, if she had continued that path and speed, she probably would have arrived today. She's currently off the coast of Great Inauga, Bahamas and, according the project webpage, the researchers are speculating that she might need to be down current of the TCI to detect them. Will she be home soon?
I went on my 100th South Caicos dive today. I'm pretty fortunate to get to dive as often as I do (even though I'd probably go three times as much if I could). It takes most people years to get over 100 logged dives.
This was our first dive since getting back from break. The water was a little bit murky, but otherwise it was a good one. We went to The Arch and saw, among other things, a Channel Crab, two Lobsters, two Spotted Drums, and a small Lionfish.
Something that has bothered me since arriving on this island is power generation. 100% of South Caicos energy comes from a diesel powered generator, a dirty and extraordinarily expensive form of power generation. When it's all said and done, the School for Field Studies and, I assume, the residents of the island pay something in the range of 50 cents/kwh. According to the US Department of Energy, the American commercial sector pays an average of 10.3 cents/kwh (view the figures here: http://www.eia.doe.gov/cneaf/electricity/epm/table5_6_b.html). So why does it cost so much to use such dirty energy here?
South Caicos Power Plant
I can only speculate. In general, you can expect things to cost more on an island, but the South Caicos rate is more than double Hawaii's (which averaged 21.1 cents/kwh in the commercial sector). It's expensive to import all the diesel used in the South Caicos power plant, so that translates into a higher cost of electricity. The bill actually lists a fuel surcharge to cover the cost of the diesel - it makes up about 40% of the total expense. More than that, however, I believe the high cost has a lot to do with the fact that only one power company operates here - it's a monopoly. I'd be willing to bet that somebody with an entrepreneurial spirit and investment capital greater than my own could do quite well here.
More importantly, however, this island has enormous potential when it comes to clean energy generation. The sun is reliably intense and wind is strong and consistent. The fact that nobody (especially the School for Field Studies) is currently taking advantage of this is pretty unbelievable. I've heard that it's been looked into before and that there was even some sort of resistance put up by the power company, but I plan to re-open the issue. At the very least, SFS should be generating a portion of its energy through clean alternatives.
If anybody out there reading this knows about setting up solar or wind generators, please get in contact with me, especially if you work for a company that does installations.
We made it, finally. Actually, we got here yesterday evening, 24 hours behind schedule. It wasn't supposed to take that long, but we got bumped off the first flight because of bad information. I can't even begin to explain how irritated we were with the lady who led us to believe we'd get on that plane. So we sat in the airport for the better part of the day hungry, thirsty, and uncomfortable, and with little confidence we'd get on the second (and final) flight of the day. We fully expected to have to stay a second night in the hotel. If there were any other option, I'd recommend never flying with Air TCI.
Arriving on South
The whole ordeal only increased my distaste of Provo. I'm sure there are nice things about it, but it caters to luxury tourists and has almost no budget options. Everything is so expensive there - two bagel sandwiches cost us more than $20. And when we finally got back here, we were quite dehydrated because a small bottle of water is $2.
It's uncharacteristically dreary today. Normally when we get rain, it passes through quickly and the intense sun dries everything up. But there must be a stationary low pressure system right over top of us now. If I'm right, it'll get very windy within the next couple days, and the sun will come back.
On the bright side, the poor weather made it easier to take care of the various chores we needed to do. The refrigerator has been severely neglected since we left. Half the stuff in there was rotten, especially the vegetables! So we spent about 3 hours cleaning it out this morning. Disgusting!
Construction
Finishing Touches
Proud of my creation.
At Sea
A successful maiden voyage.
Admirals Aquarium
Beach at East Bay
François & JC Making Crêpes
Doubling the Batch
JC is a really good tennis player.
A trip to Coast Guard
Volleyball at High Point
Volleyball
Deep Water
More Deep Water
Barbecue at East Bay
Sunset
Local Map of Suzie's Journey
Suzie's Entire Journey
My, that's a strange looking fish.
Cushion Sea Stars
Jessee and a Sea Star
It's too shallow for the boat to go to Sandy Point at low tide, so we shut off the engine and I pulled.
Giant Anemone
Energy Monitor
Rubble in Port-au-Prince
Canape-Vert
Presidential Palace
Same Day, after the first round of cleaning and bandages
3 Days Later
10 Days Later
1 Month Later
Patch Reef at Shark Alley
Chubby Reef Shark
Beautiful Eagle Ray
Brett checking out a cute little sting ray... can you find it?
Suzie's Track
Lionfish
Bar Jack and Jessee
On the Surface
South Caicos Power Plant
Barrels of what, I assume, is diesel fuel.
Arriving on South
This used to be salad.
This was cheddar cheese when we left.
Beans?
Into the Compost
Posts
