Birthday Bash at Basil’s

A lovely day was spent on the island of Bequia. Once securely anchored beside Seabird in Friendship Bay, after lunch in the Bequia Beach Hotel, we hiked over the top, along the Princess Margaret trail to Admiralty Bay and the town of Port Elizabeth. The quaint port town features a narrow concrete boardwalk along the water’s edge from the harbour to Princess Margaret beach, lined with colorful fruit stalls, cafés, bars, the Plantation Hotel, clothing stands and local hang outs. We had a joyful reunion in the Frangipani bar, with Nigel and Sally Martin, who had been on Latobe at the beginning of the rally and become great friends over the SSB radio net. Next morning, at a leisurely pace, after a refreshing swim, we set sail for Mustique. Mustique a small, exclusive island, 8 miles to the southeast of us, is visible from our anchorage. Mustique was developed in the 1960’s by Colin Tennant, Lord Glenconner, an infamous British aristocrat, as a playground for the rich and famous. The late Princess Margaret, Queen Elizabeth’s sister, once owned a villa on the prestigious island. Tennant sold the island to the residents, who established the Mustique Company, which now runs the island, upholding its classy status. Happily, much of Mustique has been left to grow wild, tastefully peppered by luxurious villas, watching over the spectacular views of gentle waves lapping on the turquoise Caribbean Sea side of the island, and crashing white horses with isles of artistically shaped seaweed on the darker Atlantic side. Monique had booked a room in the Cotton House Hotel, the one hotel on the island, for her final night with us, so we were all able to use some of the colonial style hotel’s lavish facilities.

Basil’s Bar was founded in 1976 by Basil Charles. Basil Charles grew up on the island of St. Vincent, next to Mustique. He was injured in a motorbike accident when he was young that left him in rehabilitation for over a year.  When he recovered, he moved over to the newly developing island of Mustique to avail of the much talked about opportunities. Basil met Colin Tennant. Tennant gave Basil the job of barman in the Cotton House Hotel. Basil was a sensational success. Some years later, Tennant opened a stand-alone bar right on the ocean in Britannia Bay, where the 29-year-old Basil could work his magic. The bar was named in his honor and Basil’s Bar was born.  Basil served cocktails to the late Princess Margaret, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Mick Jagger, Kate Moss, and many more. He received one of the much-coveted invitations to Kate and William’s wedding in 2011. Basil still mixes drinks at Basil’s Bar daily, despite having sold the bar to The Mustique Company a few years ago. “You have to love what you do more than anything else to be a good host,” he muses. “When I handed over Basil’s I said, ‘For 40 years, I don’t remember a single day that I didn’t want to go to work. I’m the luckiest guy because I’m always home when I am there.”

It was in this iconic bar that Donna from Seabird, on the night of 15^th March, had her 60^th birthday party. We celebrated with her along with the crews of Irish Blessing, Black Lion and Latobe. It was a wild night of tasty cocktails, delicious food, followed by hours of dancing with friends and locals. Happy birthday Donna!