Thurman’s Place

Location: The Bight, Norman Island

As the days counted down, some of our final activities were coming up. We woke up and motored to Peter Island. Peter Island was once a developing fishing town. As opportunities became available off the island, people began leaving. Eventually, only two people were left, brother and sister, Rosie and Conrad. It’s a GoBeyond tradition to come every year to help around their property. Rosie passed away in the early 2000s, which left Conrad as the sole owner of most of the island. He leased some property to an exclusive resort on the island in exchange for a meal and drinks. He was a goofy and kind-hearted character who was always welcoming to others. Unfortunately, Conrad passed away in 2013. A few years prior his nephew, Thurman, had moved back to the island. He had been living in New York and had his own company in construction but had felt like something was missing. After Conrad passed away, Thurman lived on the island with his wife and kid. He wanted to keep the welcoming and kind spirit of the island alive. We cleaned up their property and listened to stories about them. It was interesting seeing the simplicity of Thurman’s home right next to one of the most exclusive resorts. We came back to the boat and started swimming. It was one of the most relaxing and easy going days I’ve had, and it was fun just to swim and talk in the water. We motored to another bay so the staff could make it to their staff meeting. We attempted to trade a block of cheese for brownie mix. Our attempts were unsuccessful. We ended the night by writing notes to each other to open when we get back home.