Nigel Farage has been spotted socialising once again on a Caribbean island while insisting he is on a business trip.
MailOnline revealed last week the former UKIP and Brexit Party leader had slipped away from coronavirus restrictions in the UK.
Exclusive pictures taken on April 10 showed him with an American businessman in the St Maarten Yacht Club Bar and Restaurant on the Dutch territory of St Maarten.
Mr Farage, 57, has been snapped again in the same bar, swigging craft beer and tucking into a Cajan chicken wrap with chips while puffing cigarettes and chatting to three British people.
Dressed casually in shorts, he was wearing the same pink-striped polo shirt which he had on when he was first spotted in the bar eight days earlier.
Nigel Farage has been pictured for a second time socialising at St Maarten Yacht Club Bar and Restaurant on the Dutch territory of St Maarten
The latest sighting of Mr Farage was by British yachtsman Carl Grice, 54, who photographed him at his table in the bar on Sunday lunchtime.
Former IT company boss Mr Grice from Dublin, who is currently on his 36ft yacht in the Caribbean, said: ‘He seemed very happy and was enjoying himself over a lazy lunch.
‘I saw him with an English man and a woman who seemed to be a couple aged in their 50s and a young guy in his early 20s.
‘They were talking English and generally socialising. I could see that he was drinking imported craft beer because it is darker than lager, and he was lighting up cigarettes.
Mr Farage, 57, was swigging craft beer and tucking into a Cajan chicken wrap with chips while puffing cigarettes and chatting to three British people
‘I was not close enough to hear what they were saying, but there was a group of five Dutch guys at the bar and one of them recognised Farage.
‘I saw him pointing over his shoulder, and saying: ”They are talking Brexit. That’s the Brexit guy”.
‘Farage was there when I arrived at around 11am and he and his friends were all picked up together and taken away in a silver 4×4 at around 1.30pm.’
Pubs in the UK were still closed due to coronavirus restrictions when Mr Farage was first seen in the bar enjoying the late afternoon sunshine on April 10.
He told MailOnline last week he knew it was illegal for British citizens to be on holiday, but he insisted he was on a lengthy business trip which is legal.
Mr Farage said: ‘I’m away for some time. There are all sorts of restrictions you have to go through at the moment like quarantine restrictions or whatever.
‘But most of the Caribbean islands at the minute are very, very low on Covid and are acceptable destinations to travel to from other countries. I am away for several weeks.’
When asked to elaborate on the type of business trip he was on, he added: ‘I’ve got one or two speaking engagements coming up, and all will be revealed.
‘It is a business trip, I’m here and I’m working. The hours are pretty antisocial, I can tell you. You have to start at four in the morning.
‘I’m here for a couple of weeks, I’m nearly done actually, and then I will be off doing some public speaking engagements which are yet to be announced.
‘I’m not going to say where right now, but it doesn’t take much working out.’
Mr Farage denied he had been staying on a superyacht, but refused to elaborate about where he was staying.
He was accompanied on April 10 by a grey-haired American businessman, his partner and her two young children who were playing on tablet screens as they sat under a Heineken parasol in the bar.
Mr Farage seemed in good humour, cracking jokes and talking loudly while soaking up the party atmosphere.
He declined to identify his companions in the bar other than saying he was with an American businessman who had his partner and her children with him.
The latest sighting of Mr Farage was by British yachtsman Carl Grice, 54, who photographed him at his table in the bar on Sunday lunchtime
The territory of St Maarten on the southern side of the island of St Martin has few British visitors and is a popular retreat for rich Americans and Russians who are often ferried to shore from their superyachts.
British yacht engineer Ray Godsall, 60, said: ‘It was quite a surprise to see Nigel Farage sitting there. He was talking quite loudly. He was not drunk, but he had clearly had a few drinks.
‘I recognised him and his voice immediately. He was certainly in a very good mood and was very jovial.’
Mr Godsall, who is originally from Arundel, West Sussex, said he arrived in the bar at 4pm when Mr Farage was already at his table with his dining companions.
He added: ‘He was with a man who appeared to be an American businessman. There was also an attractive woman who appeared to be the American’s wife or partner.
‘She was definitely Slavic or Russian. The bar served American type food and it is not too expensive with a beer costing about $4 US.
‘Nigel was dressed very casually and the American guy was a bit more dressed up. The Slavic woman was dressed to the nines as they usually are.
‘People usually get brought from the yachts by tender to have a drink or meal on shore. lot of business gets done on yachts
‘It is a very popular spot. There must currently be around 20 superyachts on the dock. It is a real millionaire’s playground.’
Mr Farage was pictured just after sunset in the same bar as he posed for selfie with a drinker from Birmingham.
Visitors who arrive in St Maarten after having been in the UK must show a negative PCR test result for coronavirus taken within the previous 72 hours.
But there is no requirement to quarantine, even though the authorities on St Maarten consider the UK to be a ‘high risk’ country for Covid-19.
Visitors from the UK are instead only required to self-monitor themselves for high temperatures and ‘possible flu like symptoms’ for 14 days while in the territory.
Mr Godsall added: ‘It is all very relaxed compared to other islands. There are no direct airline flights from the UK – but you can fly direct by private jet. The airport is full of private jets.’
