A LOCAL man who now lives in a Caribbean paradise hit by Hurricane Irma has told how he narrowly escaped its wrath — after heading back home for a golf tournament.

Retired Ken MacLeod and his wife Sandra were safely many miles away in Inverclyde as winds of up to 165mph hurtled towards their home in the Turks and Caicos Islands.

The storm devastated parts of the hotel they previously managed, which sits on the world famous Grace Bay Beach.
Hotelier Ken was on a trip home from the British overseas territory to organise his annual golf tournament at Skelmorlie Golf Club, which has raised thousands for charity over the years.

Ken, 77, who managed the Sibonne Hotel on Grace Bay Beach, said: “Three buildings in the hotel were hit.

“We ran it until we retired this year.

“But what is amazing about the Turks and Caicos is everyone pulls together. 

“All the local people help out and they are already repairing the damage.

“It is a wonderful place.

“I think we have been lucky though when you look at what happened elsewhere in the Dominican Republic.”

On the island of around 40,000 people there were flooded streets and blackouts as the strongest hurricane on record passed through, leaving a trail of destruction in its path.

Ken and Sandra faced an anxious wait to find out what had happened after the hurricane struck.

He added: “I have lived through many hurricanes and it is very hard to describe what it is like.

“There is a calm when the eye of the storm hits.

“You can’t hear anything, even a bird singing.

“You look out the window and everything goes a purple colour.

“Then the winds come and all you can do is hunker down and hope for the best.

“It is a horrific experience.

“The worst one I remember was Hurricane David.”

Hurricane David hit the Caribbean in 1979, four years after Ken arrived there.

The couple went out to the Caribbean paradise to manage hotels in 1975 and have stayed ever since.

Since then they have lived a luxury lifestyle mixing with the rich and famous and flying over to Miami for shopping trips.

They latterly ran the $350-a-night Sibonne and are now looking forward to travelling the world.

Ken worked in Turnberry and atsome of Glasgow’s top hotels before moving down south and eventually heading for exotic climates.

He said: “The hotel sits on a beach which is one of the top six beaches in the world.

“We brought tourists from all over the world to the island before we retired this year.”

Over the years Ken and Sandra have made friends with some famous guests on the islands.

He counts prolific songwriter Graham Lyle as a friend and the star even wrote a song for keen singer Ken to record.

Ken has decided to put his contacts book to good use by giving something back to the local golf club which he has been a member of for 40 years.

For the last 18 years he has organised the Ken MacLeod tournament at Skelmorlie, offering top prizes including holidays and full sets of clubs.

This year’s event was played on Saturday, with £10,000 up for grabs for a hole in one.

Ken, who is pictured with nephew Kenny Stewart, a former Skelmorlie Golf Club vice captain, has managed to secure a whole host of big names in Scottish football like Ally McCoist and Ian Durrant to help his cause.

The money he has raised over the years has helped Ardgowan Hospice and he recently pledged cash to help refurbish the clubhouse.

Ken said: “It is the greatest pleasure of my life to help Skelmorlie.

“I grew up in the village in Innes Park Road and used to watch the golfers up here.”