When Mike visited ‘basketcase island’ it had no power. It’s now a $6m ‘party island’

Mike Conner was feeling the restlessness of his age when a friend sent over a listing for a property on the coast of south Wales. 

The listing was for a rocky island, with a crumbling Victorian fort built to defend Britain in the case of a Napoleonic invasion. 

For Conner, a British tech entrepreneur and founder of Appsbroker, it was love at first sight. 

“I’m middle aged, and there’s a sort of restlessness. Everything’s a bit samely,” Conner told Mansion Global 

“A friend of mine sent me a listing: ‘Basketcase island looking for basketcase owner.’ And I thought, that’s the one.”

Conner bought Thorne Island  in 2017 for £500,000 ($1 million). The island is located off the coast of Pembrokeshire in Wales. The closest town is Milford Haven.

The purchase would trigger the start of a mammoth eight-year renovation project that would cost the businessman about $4 million. 

When Conner first landed on the island, there was no electricity, running water or flushing toilets. 

He invested over $600,000 into a massive renewable energy system that would enable the island to be completely off-grid.

Due to the island’s isolation, all building materials needed to be flown in by helicopter. 

It took Conner’s construction team 380 helicopter flights to bring all the materials onto the island. The builders lived on site for four years during the renovation process.

Since completing the build earlier this year, Conner and his family have thrown large parties on the island. 

However, he has now decided to sell the island to pursue his next project.

Thorne Island is on the market with an asking price of £3 million ($6.2 million). 

“The current owners have completed an extensive and carefully planned restoration project on the Island,” the listing by Strutt & Parker reads. 

Along with five bedrooms and bathrooms, there is an open-plan kitchen, glass-encased office, rooftop bar, games room, private jetty and, of course, a helipad. 

A 10-metre hydraulic crane helps lift boats and supplies onto the island.