Off the coast of Providenciales, in the Turks and Caicos Islands, a ship looms near the horizon. Curious, I hopped on a jet ski and headed out to see it up close. Then when I saw the decaying cargo net hanging off the side I figured I had to climb aboard.

Built in 1952 and originally named the Fort Shevchenko, this Polish ship was in Soviet service and supposedly witnessed the Cuban Missile Crisis firsthand. It was sold to an islander and renamed La Famille Express in the 90s before ultimately being wrecked on a shallow reef during a hurricane in 2004. Gutted of all usable windows and electronics, with stairs and ladders I really shouldn't have climbed, the ship sits in the sun inviting those who feel adventurous (and unafraid of tetanus).