The Day I Met Sir Richard Branson

By Nancy Read

I was sitting early one morning in the cockpit of my sailboat at Admiral Marina in Soper’s Hole, Tortola, sipping a cup of tea when I saw a line of cyclists go past on the road. One of them had the silhouette of Sir Richard Branson.

I remember literally jogging from the boat, an activity I don’t often do, and saw what appeared to be an event for cyclists convening at Omar’s Coffee House.  As luck would have it, not only did I then meet Sir Richard on his way to freshen up after the ride, but I had also put on my “Be Like Branson – Be Kind” shirt that morning, quite by coincidence!  This was the moment I had been waiting for, for thirty-five years…to meet Richard Branson in person.

My first words to him were, “Are you Sir Richard Branson?” to which he replied “Yes!” although I was so taken by the moment, I don’t recall his precise words. I turned around to show him the back of my shirt with the “Be Like Branson – Be Kind” sticker, and launched into my story beginning 35 years ago. He replied most graciously, “Won’t you join us at the coffee shop for breakfast?”  I was overwhelmed by this offer and agreed.  I then ran back to the boat to get my phone and some stickers, like the one on the back of my shirt. I quickly texted my daughter, ”Mya, I just met Sir Richard Branson, and he’s invited me to join him for breakfast!”

You see, I knew of Sir Richard Branson, because my husband Gordon and I had visited Necker Island soon after Branson’s purchase of the island, in 1979. Our friends, Shaun and Beverly Mathews, were the caretakers/managers on the island and had invited us out on occasion.  Branson has since poured millions into its development and Necker is now among the finest retreats in the world, known for hosting the rich and famous. Nearby is Moskito Island, his newest private island destination.   

At the time Richard Branson bought Necker, he was a young thirty-year-old, who had various successes like “Student” magazine (in which he borrowed one hundred GBP from his Mum to get his start). From the music industry “Virgin” mail order record business of 50 years ago to the space tourism venture Virgin Galactic, it is evident that his success as an entrepreneur was dominated by his love for a challenge and adventure.

Aside from being founder of The Virgin Group, Branson was knighted in 1999 for “services to entrepreneurship for his work in retail, music, transport, taste for adventure and humanitarian work.” The morning I met him, he was taking part in Strive BVI, a multi-discipline challenge fundraising event in the BVI, using only human and sail power.

The funds were being raised for Big Change, the education charity founded by Branson’s children, Holly and Sam. They were on Day 2; the first day being a combination of sailing, kayaking, and paddle boarding around Anegada. Today was the day the team tackled the massive hills of Tortola, a 60-kilometre bike ride, with an extra 10 km option for the more adventurous. Sir Richard was among that group, and would leave soon after breakfast.

I met with Sir Richard before his departure, and explained my connection to Necker Island. How my husband and I had been caretaking Necker, with our 3-year-old, Melissa, because the managing couple had taken a six-week holiday back to England. It was early summer, 1986, and I was eight months pregnant.  Our job was to oversee the gardening and cleaning staff and to keep plant and machinery operational. Of course, two dogs, Mango and Chutney, the resident Rhodesian Ridgebacks, had to be fed and watered. We had carte blanche at Road Town Wholesale on Tortola and would drive the launch in weekly for provisions. What a time we had!  Until…

Our son decided to arrive two weeks early!  Actually, my water broke at around 10 pm on the first of June, 1986, in one of the beautifully decorated Balinese guest rooms, and we had to do an emergency run on the launch, I believe called “Virgin Record,” to Nurse Christmas’s care in the Clinic in the Valley, Virgin Gorda. We stayed there overnight, and made our way to the ferry early the next morning, and walked to Peebles Hospital.

The baby was born that night, and he didn’t have a name for a couple of days. Gordon, being British, and me being American, had some difficulty agreeing on a name. We finally agreed on Branson, in honor of the man behind the name, the story of the birth and the beautiful memories of our time at Necker.

 I heard that my son was privileged to meet Sir Richard Branson once or twice, during his precious time living and working in the BVI. Unfortunately, his life in paradise ended in April 2019, in a tragic boating accident, at the age of 32, but, his spirit lives on, both in the work of Sir Richard Branson and in his widespread memory in the BVI. Lots of people knew him and loved him.  He was a kind and caring young man, just like his namesake, and my Branson too, lived for challenge and adventure.  

I did manage to slip Sir Richard a “Be Like Branson – Be Kind” sticker before his departure on his bicycle that morning, which he graciously put in his pocket, before having our photo taken together. Everything about that morning was amazing. Number one was meeting Sir Richard Branson, but also talking with his crew, and discovering the reason for the event, and all of the other events which Sir Richard oversees.

So yes, I was privileged that morning. I found out afterwards that our star cyclist faced an unfortunate situation that morning on the additional 10 km event. According to reports, “It was either drop off the cliff, hit the oncoming car, or run into Felix,” a cycling partner. Branson crashed, then they both crashed…but it could have been worse. An oncoming car had an accident with another car, right where the two men had been laying. But, fortunately the two men were rescued just before that. Both live to tell the story, and hopefully, there will be more stories to tell. Once again, my life had unexpectedly intersected with Sir Richard Branson.