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RumPowered Research™ aboard the Turks & Caicos Explorer II
Explorer Ventures and the Turks and Caicos Explorer II crew joined forces with the Turks & Caicos Reef Fund (TCRF) for a truly unique expedition out to East Caicos in the Turks & Caicos Islands (TCI).
#TurksandCaicos, November 13, 2021 – On October 2nd, 2021, RumPowered Research™ became a reality when the yacht crew and TCRF volunteer divers departed for 6 days at sea conducting surveys across the reefs of the Atlantic/Caribbean’s largest uninhabited island and one of its largest anthropogenically unaffected reefs. During the week-long trip researchers and volunteers revisited reefs previously surveyed around East Caicos in 2018, serendipitously monitored shortly before the arrival of Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease (SCTLD) in the TCI. The opportunity presented here, having already collected this comprehensive baseline data, was to see what, if any, are
the differences in how SCTLD spreads across these unvisited, comparably healthy reefs. How impactful is the human element in the spread and veracity of this disease? This was a primary output of our expedition. We re-surveyed 10 of 16 sites from 2018, choosing the ones that had the densest coral cover to quantify the impacts of SCTLD on those reefs.
Alongside the re-visits, TCRF’s Alizee Zimmermann and TCI Government (TCIG) Fisheries’ Richard Archer trained and certified 7 new volunteers in Atlantic Gulf Rapid Reef Assessment (AGRRA) methodologies, increasing the nations capacity for conservation and monitoring. TCRF are ever thankful to TCIG Fisheries and Richard for working together for the greater good. Of course, without the volunteers willing to donate their time (and dime) to learning and helping the cause, none of this would be possible. A huge thank you and congratulations to our new AGRRA certified Fish and Benthic surveyors! Additionally, a huge, heartfelt thank you to the team at AGRRA. They operate on a platform of open-sourced information and education and continue to support our efforts in the TCI both through data analysis and training materials but also through consistent scientific advice
If that weren’t enough work for the week, TCRF chose to use the opportunity afforded by our Scientific Research Permit to treat large, reproductive colonies being afflicted by SCTLD. How could we come all the way out to the Wild, wild East and not try to save as many colonies and genotypes as possible? In between the data collection and training we were able to treat individual colonies and tag them for future monitoring.
In 6 days:
- 80+ reproductive, large, priority colonies were treated across 3 dive sites at Drum Point, East Caicos.
- 20+ SCTLD roving diver surveys conducted
- 18 dives across 6 key areas on the northern and eastern reefs of East Caicos
- 11 volunteer divers + 6 incredible crew worked together to protect, preserve, & learn
- 10 sites from 2018 research trip were re-visited for comparative analysis.
- 4 volunteer divers were trained in AGRRA Fish surveys
- 3 volunteer divers were trained in AGRRA Benthic surveys (one of which was a crew member who joined the classes last minute and balanced work & training to blast the exam out of the water with a high score!)
- 2 evening presentation sessions. 1 on coral disease and 1 on sargassum
- 1 incredible expedition, 1 team, 1 boat
- RumPowered Research™ filed as a trademarked name
- Explorer Ventures & TC Reef Fund begin discussions on future expeditions and the creation of ‘meaningful tourism’ itineraries.
All of this was made possible by the incredible sponsors and volunteers. 2021 marks the inaugural RumPowered Research™ trip and this year’s sponsors were; Woody Creek Distillers, Bambarra Rum, and Mount Gay Rum. We would also like to thank a local micro greens company called Fresh Products TCI for their sponsorship of one of our volunteer spots as well as to those who donated but wish to remain anonymous. Thanks to all of you this expedition was possible!
AGRRA and Ocean Alchemists ltd. Sponsored us through help with training and donation of treatment base as well as sponsoring one of our volunteer spots and data analyses capabilities.
Last but not least, Explorer Ventures, thank you. Thank you for believing in the project and sponsoring a large portion of this research trip. TCRF are looking forward to continuing to develop itineraries alongside them. “This was an exceptional opportunity to collect tangible quantitative data on the reefs of one of the regions most secluded and largest reef tracts. The T&C Explorer crew were phenomenal and we’re very excited about the idea of creating meaningful tourism itineraries that will be open to the general public” Said TCRF’s Executive Director, Alizee
Zimmermann
It was great to have Operations Manager Nelson Riollano join the expedition. “Explorer Ventures tries to always operate in a responsible manner when it comes to the environment while still providing a service and experience that is safe and enjoyable to our customers. That is why we are always looking to work with the TCI Reef fund to protect environment in the Turks and Caicos. The RumPowered Research™ charter created the opportunity to collectively discuss ways to work together on future projects. It also allowed our crew to learn more about the survey process and the efforts being made to protect the reefs. This valuable knowledge and experience will be shared with our guests week after week.”
About: Explorer Ventures Liveaboard Diving Fleet
The Explorer Ventures Liveaboard Diving Fleet offers 7 destinations including the Red Sea, Maldives, Northeastern Caribbean (Saba/St. Kitts), Turks & Caicos Islands, Galapagos Islands and Indonesia. The M/V Turks & Caicos Explorer II also spends 10 weeks in the winter/spring offering snorkelling with Humpback Whales on the Silver Bank, Dominican Republic, under charter to Aquatic Adventures. Explorer Ventures has committed to enhancing sustainable operations and encouraging conservation worldwide through an environmental management policy called Dive Green.
About Turks & Caicos Reef Fund
Founded in 2010, the Turks & Caicos Reef Fund is the only active environmental advocacy organization in the TCI. It is an all volunteer-run organization that provides funding for education, research and conservation programs to individuals, organizations and agencies that help to preserve and protect the environment of the Turks & Caicos Islands. Our goal is to have at least 85% of all funds raised through voluntary contributions from divers and snorkelers visiting the Turks & Caicos Islands directed to the Fund’s programs. Anyone wishing to donate or assist the TCRF in any way can contact them through their website, www.TCReef.org.
February is National Self- Check Month and family medicine physician at Cleveland Clinic, OH, John Hanicak, MD, highlights why at home self-checks are extremely important when it comes to not just early cancer detection but identifying other illnesses too and offers tips on what to look out for.
“Sometimes I look at them as sort of like your check engine light on the car, just like there would be a red flashing light that tells you that
there’s something wrong with a car and prompts you to bring that in and get serviced. Your body does the same thing. It gives you warning signs to look into that symptom a little bit further,” said Hanicak.
Dr. Hanicak said self-checks are going to be a little different for everyone.
However, in general, he recommends looking for anything that may seem abnormal, such as unexplained weight loss, blood in your urine, bumps and bruises that won’t heal, and changes in bowel habits.
For example, if you suddenly start going to the bathroom a lot more than you used to, that could be a sign of something more serious.
He also suggests doing regular skin checks and documenting any moles or spots that start to look different.
“Realize that you are your own person. There’s nobody else in the world exactly like you. You’ve got your own set of ideas, your own family history and your own genetics. Know what is normal for you, and when that changes, that’s the kind of thing that we would be interested in talking about,” said Dr. Hanicak.
Dr. Hanicak notes that self-checks are not meant to replace cancer screenings, as those are just as important to keep up with.
Press Release: Cleveland Clinic
PM: Project delivers on promise and invests in youth, sports and national development
GRAND BAHAMA, The Bahamas — Calling it the fulfillment of a major commitment to the island, Prime Minister Philip Davis led the official groundbreaking for the Grand Bahama Aquatic Centre, a facility the government says will transform sports development and create new opportunities for young athletes.
Speaking at the Grand Bahama Sports Complex on February 12, the Prime Minister said the project represents more than bricks and mortar
— it is an investment in people, national pride and long-term economic activity. The planned complex will feature a modern 50-metre competition pool, designed to meet international standards for training and regional and global swim meets. Davis said the facility will give Bahamian swimmers a home capable of producing world-class performance while also providing a space for community recreation, learn-to-swim programmes and water safety training.
He noted that Grand Bahama has long produced outstanding athletes despite limited infrastructure and said the new centre is intended to correct that imbalance, positioning the island as a hub for aquatic sports and sports tourism.
The Prime Minister also linked the development to the broader national recovery and revitalisation of Grand Bahama, describing the project as part of a strategy to expand opportunities for young people, create jobs during construction and stimulate activity for small businesses once operational.
The Aquatic Centre, he said, stands as proof that promises made to Grand Bahama are being delivered.
The project is expected to support athlete development, attract competitions, and provide a safe, modern environment for residents to access swimming and water-based programmes for generations to come.
Angle by Deandrea Hamilton. Built with ChatGPT (AI). Magnetic Media — CAPTURING LIFE.
The Bahamas, February 15, 2026 – For the better part of three years, Bahamians have been told that major Afreximbank financing would help transform access to capital, rebuild infrastructure and unlock economic growth across the islands. The headline figures are large. The signing ceremonies are high profile. The language is ambitious. What remains far harder to see is the measurable impact in the daily lives of the people those announcements are meant to serve.
The Government’s push to secure up to $100 million from Afreximbank for roughly 200 miles of Family Island roads dates back to 2025. In
its February 11 disclosure, the bank outlined a receivables-discounting facility — a structure that allows a contractor to be paid early once work is completed, certified and invoiced, with the Government settling the bill later. It is not cash placed into the economy upfront. It does not, by itself, build a single mile of road. Every dollar depends on work first being delivered and approved.
The wider framework has been described as support for “climate-resilient and trade-enhancing infrastructure,” a phrase that, in practical terms, should mean projects that lower the cost of doing business, move people and goods faster, and keep the economy functioning. But for communities, that promise becomes real only when the projects are named, the standards are defined and a clear timeline is given for when work will begin — and when it will be finished.
Bahamians have seen this moment before.
In 2023, a $30 million Afreximbank facility for the Bahamas Development Bank was hailed as a breakthrough that would expand access to financing for local enterprise. It worked in one immediate and measurable way: it encouraged businesses to apply. Established, revenue-generating Bahamian companies responded to the call, prepared plans, and entered a process they believed had been capitalised to support growth. The unanswered question is how much of that capital has reached the private sector in a form that allowed those businesses to expand, hire and generate new economic activity.
Because development is not measured in the size of announcements.
It is measured in loans disbursed, projects completed and businesses expanded.
The pattern is becoming difficult to ignore. In June 2024, when Afreximbank held its inaugural Caribbean Annual Meetings in Nassau,
Grand Bahama was presented as the future home of an Afro-Caribbean marketplace said to carry tens of millions of dollars in investment. What was confirmed at that stage was a $1.86 million project-preparation facility — funding for studies and planning to make the development bankable, not construction financing. The larger build-out remains dependent on additional approvals, land acquisition and further capital.
This distinction — between financing announced and financing that produces visible, measurable outcomes — is now at the centre of the national conversation.
Because while the numbers grow larger on paper, entrepreneurs still describe access to capital as out of reach, and communities across the Family Islands are still waiting to see where the work will start.
And in an economy where stalled growth translates into lost opportunity, rising frustration and real social consequences, the gap between promise and delivery is no longer a communications issue.
It is an inability to convert announcements into outcomes.
Angle by Deandrea Hamilton. Built with ChatGPT (AI). Magnetic Media — CAPTURING LIFE.
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