Music and Food For Your Soul
Yacht Basin Eatery Rocks!
STORY BY: AMI BROWN
Southport locals all know that the music scene thrives in this small community thanks in part to Yacht Basin Eatery. Jill Brown and her 86 year old father, Guiseppe (a.k.a. Joe) opened Yacht Basin Eatery (YBE) in 2010, and really livened up the place. Not only do they have great food and drinks, but offer the perfect scenic venue for local musicians.
Jill is a critical care nurse by trade and Joe a retired Operating Engineer and former Marine who served in the Korean Conflict. They knew they wanted to get out of New Jersey and they scouted out to find the perfect waterfront property on the East Coast.
The former shell shop had closed and the building had been sitting empty for two years. Jill took a huge leap of faith and bought it sight unseen. She remodeled it and created the concept of Yacht Basin Eatery. Jill also being a rock star, needed a venue to showcase her own musical venture, Jilli and the River Rat Band. (You can catch her band rocking other venue around the area too)
Jill really wanted to amp up the music scene and give the year round residence a fun place to go even in the winter. As you know lots of places shut down, so YBE offers wintertime food and fun activities, when they are so limited around town.
Don’t worry she really knows what she’s doing. With over 30 years of restaurant experience. She’s addicted and keeps coming back, but I think she’s finally found her home. (At least I hope so) And even though Joe is 86, he’s at YBE every day. You’ll see him there in his Marine hat, doing maintenance, errands and helping out around the place. He also enjoys the music, that’s obvious.
I must mention the friendly and helpful wait staff. They will bend over backwards to help you out and give you what you want. Every visit I am greeted by name, big smiles and warm hugs!
Twice a year YBE hosts the Great Oyster Roast Jamboree in the spring and fall. This all day event showcases five local bands and all you can eat oysters and shrimp. Look out for more info on their website, usually scheduled for the first weekend of November (www.ybenc.com or on Facebook)
YBE is proud to source local produce to support community growers and be part of the Brunswick Carolina Catch – fresh seafood movement. All their breads and pizza dough are homemade from scratch and their pizza is a true stand out signature dish. One thing that makes YBE unique is the variety and selection. They offer all the best fresh fish of course, but also perfection pastas, deli sandwiches and their crab cakes and fish tacos are also a specialty – dubbed the best in town.
I chatted with a couple of YBE patrons and they seem to love the friendly atmosphere, watching the sunsets and the cold tasty beer. What else could you want?
The eatery supports the community in many ways. From the locally sourced food, the budding musicians and did I mention fundraising activities? Well they are also a regular supporter of the CIS gala – which helps out the local schools each year.
I found it to be the perfect spot – when most of the other restaurants were closed on July Fourth – YBE was rocking with a band, a BBQ grill cooking some amazing food – and the waterfront view of the fire- works was just the icing on the YBE cake!
A little about the music: I have spent many warm evenings sitting by the water, feeling the breeze and listening to some great music. Open every day with a great variety of music lined up, at YBE you will be sure to find something you’ll fall in love with too. From Soul, Rock, to Country and Blues… The summer music scene is rocking at YBE.
Their August musical line up includes:
- August 5 – The Dennis Walton Band
- August 6 – The Privateers
- August 7 – Parker Lanier
- August 12 – Rev & Guy
- August 13 – Bonnie Allyn
- August 14 Christine Martinez Duo
- August 19 – Dos Eddies
- August 20 – SGT Rock
- August 21 – Southport Jonny and the Business Blues
- August 26 – Stoney Creek
- August 27 – Groove Pirates
- August 28 – Gene Gregory
When I asked Jill to tell me her favorite thing about Southport, she happily admits, ”It’s the people and Yacht Basin Eatery, of course!“
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By: Ami Brown
Ami is an artist, writer and all around creative person. She recently moved back to NC from a ten year stint in New Zealand, where she owned her own art gallery. She began her journalism career back in high school, but reconnected with her writing roots over the past few years. She is now a professional screenwriter and editor and loves watching great movies. She lives in Oak Island with her husband Norm, a boating enthusiast. Her two grown children stayed in New Zealand – her daughter Ashley is an artist and graphic designer and her son Trey makes movie magic at Weta Digital.
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