Seva Novgorodsev. "The island's disease"

Today, in all the newspapers message - Sir Richard Branson, head of the empire Virgin, announced that he was leaving the UK and moved to his island, part of Virginia Archipelago.
To the Virgin Islands for the first time I got in 1989. That summer we spent a week in a training yacht sailing and all the days of our instructor told us about the heavenly places where rich sail lovers gather for Christmas and New Year. Received diplomas, went to check.
After a week on the water, traveled by land. At the fork in the road did not know where to turn, asked the local lord nice hat. So an acquaintance with Clifford Martin, who, in the end, we sold a plot of land and became a close friend.
I knew from the newspapers that one of the small islands called Necker belongs to Sir Richard Branson. In 1979, Branson was not yet titled knighted bought an island off the English aristocrat for 270 thousand pounds.

The act was almost ad - head of the firm Virgin bought property in Virgin Islands. By the early nineties, Branson met with money and built on top, crowning the island, a large house 24 bedrooms.
Island architect then took care not to spoil the so-called "line of the sky", the silhouette of the island on the background of sky. Therefore, the top of the mountain was blown up, and in its place the master of Bali tropical palace built for eight and a half million.
House - a full-round visibility, on the island of two private beaches, get on it can only be a boat, pier private, and so on. Branson all island economy singled out as a separate company, earning over elite tourism ...

I remember that in 1995 the entire complex was worth 5,000 dollars a day. The price includes delicious food from their own chefs and unlimited champagne, plus two boats on the clock watch with the crew.

In '95 trip to the islands of us went to the friend, the makeup artist from the movie. Mel Gibson famous, no matter where he was shot, always insisted on her nomination. During long sessions grimirovochnyh when actors have to sit in silence, not moving, our friend told Gibson about exotic Necker.

Mel had a large family, a lot of fame and glory accompanying this money. In the next holiday with all the household, he went to the island individual profile, where he was guaranteed privacy.

At all visits to the island we stopped at Clifford, he gave us a room in the house of the Brazilian oak, fragrant wood is dark red in color.

As I said Clifford - what he did during the war. Clifford first did not understand what kind of war in question, but then when I explained, he exclaimed «Oh, Hitler war!»

It turned out that on the islands in the army did not call and Clifford war years selling cattle, drove one or two cows on a sailing boat 60 miles to Puerto Rico. There, the wind, the day been reached, but had to go back for three days, tacking tacks.

Imagine, on the Eastern Front - Kursk, Stalingrad, Leningrad blockade, and the young Clifford at this time on the motorless sailing sloop with squish luck cattle in the tropical sea.

By the way, Clifford said his dear aunt sold the island Necker English lord in 1948 only a thousand dollars. By 1979, the price rose to 270-thousand pounds, which is about 400 thousand dollars, much of the current price Necker there are only guessing.

By the way, luxurious tropical house on top of a mountain not long ago burned down in a fire. Certainly the building was insured, which allowed him to recover even better than before.

Here there and leaving Sir Richard and his family permanently. I envy him, of course, but not much. In the late 90s, I wrote a screenplay and went on Virginy for six weeks, so just waited so attracted to London.

Local "expats" call it "the island's disease."