SEATTLE NEWS ARCHIVES & FEATURES
Craig McCaw selling his private island for $75 million
Jun 5, 2012, 8:55 AM | Updated: Mar 4, 2016, 5:55 am
Golf, anyone?
Craig McCaw is selling his magnificent private island in
the British Columbia Gulf Islands for $75 million,
complete with an 18-hole Jack Nicklaus Signature golf
course.
The 780-acre James Island is located 1.5 miles off
Vancouver Island near Sidney. It is the second largest
private island in the Gulf chain and was once used a
private hunting club for Victoria sportsmen. Later, it
became a dynamite plant where TNT was produced and
exported. The plant closed in 1972.
The property includes a 5,000 square-foot residence, six
guest cottages, private docks, airstrip, seaplane ramp,
pool house, manager’s residence, white sand beaches, and
“old west” village, according to Sotheby’s International
Real Estate.
McCaw, who made a fortune in the cellular phone industry,
reportedly paid $19 million for the island in 1994. It was
assessed for $76 million in 2009. There are strict
environmental and ecological guidelines, including no
insecticides or gasoline engines. Power lines are
underground. More than 150 acres are protected.