A $20 million, 711-acre private island has now come on the market in the Bahamas located in the Berry Islands. Whale Cay has a very storied history having been previously owned by the eccentric Marion ‘Joe’ Carstairs.
Born in London in 1900, Joe was the daughter of Standard Oil billionaire heiress Frances Bostwick and became well known in Hollywood as a cross-dressing, speedboat racing, doll-toting heiress. Her much-reported romance with actress Marlene Dietrich made her one of the most talked about people in the 1930’s.
She purchased Whale Cay in the mid-1930’s and quickly proclaimed herself the Queen of Whale Cay and became the demanding ruler of her own paradise island. She would often dress in naval uniform and presided over her “people” with an iron fist. She led a very colorful life as a cigar smoking, cross-dressing man with arms covered in tattoos.
Carstairs was an open lesbian and had numerous documented affairs including Oscar Wilde’s niece Dolly Wilde as well as actresses Greta Garbo, Tallulah Bankhead, and her true love Marlene Dietrich. Carstairs even offered her entire island to Dietrich as a token of her love. At one point the island of 200 people welcomed legendary movie stars as well as the Duke and Duchess of Windsor on multiple occasions.
Joe spent years racing powerboats and became a very successful racer and established herself as the fastest woman on water. She also became known for always carrying a one-foot doll by the name of Lord Tod Wadley, possibly the real true love of her life, even having clothes made for it in Saville Row. After selling Whale Cay in 1975 she moved to Florida until her death in 1993 at the age of 93. She was cremated along with her doll and left behind hours of audiotapes that will eventually be used in a documentary on her life. A previous biography on her life was written by Kate Summerscale entitled The Queen of Whale Cay.
The listing of the island offers existing structures such as; the Great House, guest cottage, music room, staff dormitory, storage buildings, museum, laundry room, maintenance buildings, seaplane hangar, and lighthouse.
The details of the listing include between 570 to 711 acres with 12 miles of shoreline and have been subdivided into multiple residential lots with a 2-phase plan. The island also highlights seven miles of white sandy beaches.
The offering includes 75 lots in Phase 1 (Southern part of the island including 105 oceanfront lots) and all lots in Phase 2. A recent owner of the island retains 80 of the developed lots. Phase 2 is the second subdivision and includes 60 lots in the northern section of the island.
Whale Cay is accessible by boat, seaplane or using the islands 4,000-foot paved airstrip. On the northern side of the island is a natural 2.5 long waterway that can be developed into a marina and anchorage.
The listing is from 7th Heaven Properties, one of the leading independent Caribbean property specialists. The company offers a portfolio spanning the entire region from the islands of the Caribbean Sea to the Central American countries bordering it.
