It was an ordinary day. Checking my emails and found a few interesting stories in the Caribbean Journal from October 11. The one story that interested me the most was one titled "A True Caribbean Legend." Story about a fellow Carol and I had the pleasure of meeting in 2009 during a trip to the island of Anguilla.
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Bankie Banks at his Dune Preserve
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Guy's name was Bankie Banx who is a few inches taller than I am as well as a few inches narrower that I am. We had just taken the morning ferry from St. Martin to Anguilla and rented a car so we could tour the island. After a stop at The Cuisinart Resort to visit the Hydroponic Farm they have on their site, we headed down the road to a place called The Dune Preserve that was the creation of Mr. Bankie Banx. His beach bar is amazing and is cobbled together from driftwood and lumber scraps that happened to be on the beach at the time of construction.  |
The Dune Preserve on the island of Anguilla
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He built The Dune Preserve over 25 years ago now and it has survived numerous storms and now a pandemic. Meeting Bankie that spring day in 2009 was amazing. He showed us around his beach bar and talked about the stage he constructed that has seen the likes of John Mayer to The Wailers to Jimmy Buffet. But, Bankie is much more than a good host at his beach bar.  |
The stage at The Dune Preserve
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He is a performer, singer and songwriter. And, he is now planning for the re-opening of his Dune Preserve which is home to the annual Moonsplash Festival which has become one of the premier music festivals in the Eastern Caribbean and is the longest running independent music festival in the region. The Dune Preserve has been under lockdown due to COVID-19 and is hoping to soon draw visitors as well as musicians to its stage once again. Throughout the pandemic, Bankie has hosted virtual concerts at the Dune, throwing a lifeline to local musicians deprived of their regular gigs and helping to keep the lights on at the bar through an online, Venmo-powered donation box.  |
Magazine article Bankie signed for us
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Bankie has missed his visitors, but has found time to enjoy the quiet as well as time to go fishing and having more time to show off his home on Rendezvous Beach. "Anguilla is mainly about people...we're a friendly people," he tells everyone. He is also quick to recommend all the funky beach bars on the island such as Nat's Palm Grove in Junk Hole, Jonno's in Sandy Ground, Elvis' Beach Bar in Sandy Ground and the Falcon Nest in Island Harbour. Carol and I have many memories from our 20 years of traveling to the Caribbean, but one of the most memorable was our time we spent with Bankie one day 11 years ago at his Dune Preserve. He even was nice enough to autograph an article that I had brought with me that was titled Dune Preserve. One great time that we will forever remember. It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy. |
Bankie with Carol and myself in 2009
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One of my favorite shirts from the Dune Preserve.
I purchased it in 2009 even though it is dated 2007.
This was a leftover from a concert by
Jimmy Buffett in 2007. |
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