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Alan Baskin
Editorial note: This entry did not result from an interview with Alan Baskin. It came as a result of interviews and discussions that demonstrated the impact that Alan Baskin had had while in the Virgin Islands. In fact he only lived in the BVI for around thirteen years (dying of cancer at the relatively young age of 70) and thus does not fulfill all of the usual requirements to be included in this series. He is included here as a “Builder” because of his influence in the diving industry and because of his attempts to protect the marine environment of the Virgin Islands. These two articles were first published, soon after his death, in The Island Sun newspaper. A “living eulogy” to Alan Baskin can be found at www.alanbaskin.com/message_page2.htmlThe Island Sun
LOCAL NEWSAlan Baskin, Renowned Diver, Passes Away Alan Baskin, long-time resident of the British Virgin Islands and founder of the dive firm, Baskin in the Sun, died in Miami, Florida on October 8 at the age of 70. Funeral services attended by family members and friends were held in Miami on Friday.
A life-long diving enthusiast, Alan's first dive was at the age of 18 off Miami Beach, Florida. In the '50's, he filmed one of the first underwater movies, called Secrets of the Reef in the Bay Islands off Central America. A successful manufacturer of baby formula, Alan gave up the corporate world in 1969 to start a diving firm in Grenada. The first Baskin in the Sun was started by Alan and his wife Eva in the Dominican Republic in 1974 and later relocated to Haiti, where it was one of that country's earliest dive business and one of the longest lasting. Following the Haitian revolution in 1986, the couple brought the firm to the British Virgin Islands, basing the operation at Prospect Reef and later setting up a second office at Soper's Hole Marina in West End.
Soon after arriving in the B.V.I., Alan became president of the Dive Operator's Association and was instrumental in the establishment of the National Parks Trust Moorings System, a unique system which placed moorings into the sea bed with minimal environmental impact. The monumental effort involved people from throughout the dive industry and the community and is credited with greatly reducing damage to the local reefs from anchoring boats.
His efforts won Alan awards from the Caribbean Conservation Association, the BVI Hotel and Commerce Association; he was also named Rotary Man of the Year. The couple sold Basking in the Sun in 1993, retiring to their home in Little Bay on Tortola's East End, where Alan continued to be involved in community activities, including the National Parks Trust and the H.L. Stoutt Community College's Classics in the Atrium Series. One of his last accomplishments was setting up an endowment for the B.V.I. National Parks Trust. Further information on the fund can be found at its website: www.bvinationalparkstrust.org/alanbaskin
Alan always lived life to the fullest, even at the end. Diagnosed with cancer in July of this year, he made his passing a celebration of life. Friends set up a web site that became known as a "Living Eulogy". People from around the world, friends, relatives and complete strangers contributed to the site, www.alanbaskin.net. Among those posting messages were CBS anchor man Walter Cronkite, a frequent visitor to the B.V.I., and author George Plimpton. His daughter Roberta, a CBS News Correspondent, produced a piece on the website for CBS Morning News in late September. Features on the web site were also written up in USA Today and the Miami Herald.
Alan had five children; in addition to Roberta, he is survived by two sons, Michael and Christopher and daughters Lisa and Robin, as well as a sister Bonnie Liberman.
"He believed in living life to his fullest," said his wife Eva. "and considered knowing that he was going to die so much in advance a privilege. It gave him a chance to tie up loose ends and say good-by to family and friends from all over the world who came to visit during this period."
A memorial service for Alan Baskin [was] held in Tortola in the spring.
- Claudia Colli
Source: www.islandsun.com
Baskin in the Sun, a dive operation located at the Prospect Reef Resort, has added a new boat to its fleet and has named it in honour of the companyís founder, the late Alan Baskin. The new boat ìAlan Bî, was christened during a cocktail reception at base on Saturday December 9th.
The Island Sun
LOCAL NEWSThe ceremony was attended by many friends of the Baskins, clients and staff of Baskin in the Sun and other well wishers. "We were honouring Alan Baskin who founded this company about 31 years ago. He is a legend in the dive industry business, heís highly respected and loved by all and our new dive boat, we thought we wanted to dedicate to his memory," according to President and Chief Executive Officer of Baskin in the Sun, Norb Weller. "Baskin in the Sun is now owned by stockholders and its goal is to provide adventure sports and diving experiences in a very positive, safe way that is environmentally friendly," Mr. Weller explained. The company has operations at Prospect Reef and Soperís Hole on Tortola and on Peter Island. It has a fleet of four boats. The newest is the Alan B, a 42-foot custom-built dive boat. The beauty of this boat, because itís a catamaran it's a very stable dive platform when you're out on the water with a big swim platform making it easy to get in and out of the water two divers at a time. The other boats are a 38-foot Newton, a 36-foot Newton and an island hopper brand boat, all of which are custom built with state of the art equipment.
Deputy Governor Mr. Elton Georges attended the function, not in an official capacity, but as a friend of Alan Baskin. He said Alan was a special person and if his spirit goes with this boat, everyone who works on it and who uses it will be imbued with the joy and happiness that he spread wherever he went.
Widow Eva Baskin expressed gratitude to Don and Lisa Mitchell, Norb Weller, the staff of Baskin in the Sun and friends of Alan Baskin for honouring her late husband in this way. She said Alan had such a pioneering spirit and this all started with a dream in Miami where he wanted to come to the islands to live and dive. Originally, he wanted to come to Tortola, but circumstances led them to Santo Domingo where they set up the first full time dive operation and resort. He also proclaimed the first marine sanctuary there and gained the co-operation of the fishermen by treating them in his medical clinic during epidemics of the flu.
Moving on to Haiti a few years later, the Baskins established the first full service dive operation and initiated the development of the first marine park. The business folded in 1986 and the focus shifted again to Tortola. They bought Aquatic Centres from George Marler and pulled together the dive operators, and led a move to develop the moorings systems in the territory.
Mr. Baskin would also be remembered for bringing in the "Narcosis Too", a controversial move, in that some persons thought it was too big a boat for the kind of operation they had. However, it was found to be quite useful for large dive groups. ìIt lived its life and it moved on and now we have this wonderful boat that is a little different from most of the others and Alan would like it very much.The late Alan Baskin passed away October 5th, 1999.
Source:
www.islandsun.com/archives/
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