Red Eyes & Red Drinks & Red Stripes!
Seattle to British Virgin Islands
February 7, 2026
Day 1, hate red eyes, travel day woes and an extra airplane, “a problem” sign hopefully not for telling of what’s in store, happy to see friends, great energy right off even sleep deprived, drinks just off the plane with the pros, bartender proud of his Miami Bloody Mary and rightfully so, lime makes it.
Finally on the boat and relaxing, unpacked and settled in just enough, knocking back pain killers and Red Stripes, zonked by 8:30, a long day (travel-day body = 87 years old). One head bonk. On and off deep sleep.
Day 1: survived.
Red eyes? Yes.
Extra airplane? Check.
One mysterious “problem” sign? Ignored.
Friends reunited? Absolutely.
Miami Bloody Mary? Elite.
Head bonks? Just one.
Bedtime? Embarrassingly early.
And just like that, the adventure officially began. 🌴✨
Cocktails & Crushing the Patriots
Tortola to Peter Island
February 8, 2026
*Andy has started the trip with an early morning Captains Blast text to the crew. This has become a tradition and every morning I reach for my phone and can’t wait to read it!
Captain’s Blast
Weather, rain in the morning, cloudy throughout the day. Wind 10-15 from the north
am walk for gamers to nearby bakery, provision, captains meeting, off the dock, anchorage, maybe a dip and snorkel, our first beach bar, Peter or Cooper Island, watch the game
Boat rules:
Presume it’s gonna be fine
Gratitude everyday
Put the toilet cover down
Don’t be heroic
Notes: up early after a good night of sleep, a nap at some point. Struck out at our early am bakery stop. Closed on Sundays. The team walked the sidewalk into town hoping to avoid being puddle drenched by the passing cars. Breakfast at Bamboo Rooms which included stellar conch chowder, a round of Red Stripes before 9am (because vacation math says that’s acceptable) and the smallest 3 egg omelet. Ran into a glob of Patriot’s fans that recoiled at the site of our Seahawks gear. We pre-ordered all of the heavy provisions (water, alcohol, basic kitchen supplies) but wanted to pick out the fresh stuff ourselves. Provisioning was figured out by Cindy, Carolyn and Matt (the muscle) while the captain/Andy was checked out on the boat. Quote of the day from the checkout guy was eye roll and “no more pirates” The water here on the dock is painfully slow. Showers were barely a spritz. Filling the water tank is taking hours at least so it seems. One of the dock Hands is our hero and turned off all the water elsewhere so we could get max flow. Cocktails helping to take the edge off. Off the dock and on our way for the easiest downwind cruise over to Peter Island. On a mooring buoy and the payment guy comes right out and says “girl” in the island vibe accent to collect mooring buoy payment. Cindy smashed it in Liar’s Dice. We barely dented the booze haul. Much work to be done here.
Boat décor is officially elite:
· Twinkle lights lining the safety rails
· Disco ball lighting up the cockpit
· UW and Oregon flags courtesy of Carolyn & Matt (so everyone knows exactly where we stand)
We are not subtle. Nor should we be.
A short nap snuck its way into our afternoon before dinner. 
Dinner at the Ocean 7 Yacht Club is ok with standout nachos and new high point for conch fritters. We’ve decided: fritter sampling is now a daily competitive event. Research must be conducted thoroughly.
Seahawks Super Bowl at the restaurant and we are front and center. TV is glitchy and it’s just us and another table watching the game through half. Bad Bunny half time show is unable to hold our attention.
Our ride across the bay in the dark is eerie and navigated successfully.
- 1 closed bakery
- 1 heroic dock hand
- 1 pirate ban
- 1 dominant Liar’s Dice champion
- 1 new fritter record
- 1 Seahawks Super Bowl win
- Several Red Stripes before 9 AM
Island life is suiting us just fine.
Big Hair, Brie & Brave (Questionable) Decisions
Peter Island to Norman Island
February 9, 2026
Day 3 Captain’s Blast
weather: sunny, windy and warm. big seas on the outside makes the smart play a short cruise over to Norman Island. 🏝️ Weather forecast has things dying down Wed onward. Optimistic for an Anegada push.
On the agenda, tuck into a calm cove, floaties, layout baby, some serious liars dice, celebrate Seahawks awesomeness, Willy Ts - clothed, possibly put the sails up. Day one of real vacation!
Spinner says drink of the day is a….?
Daily Notes: breakfast and underway to Norman Island, theme is 80s big hair, despondent and reliving our youths totally! Trying to use the word awesome and totally as much as possible. 
Motored and mellow we are at our destination quickly with no fuss. A few hours of floating and snorkeling gets us to our proper midday snack. Together we devour a large wedge of Brie. No judgement! Into the dingy to the Bite for Happy Hour.
A beautiful open-air bar/restaurant with loungers out front and a sand y beach. Painkillers were middle of the road and conch fritters a step up. But we remain convinced our fritter championship moment is still ahead of us. Ya mon. A limping local boat captain had too many shots last night and thrashed his foot into a ballooning mass. We helped him back to his boat and hopefully to hospital. It’s his birthday and the all girl passengers bought him a slice of cake and had them play happy birthday by busy signal. They were the most fun folks in the bar. Over to Willie T’s we feel like we’ve landed at spring break. After some hemming and hawing the boys make the leap. New quasi friend motivation speech “don’t be a puss” pales in comparison to Caroly’s life long threat of “if you buy a shirt you need to jump”! 
A lumpy dinghy ride and we are home. 80’s nights outfits, Andy had big rocker hair on for theme night and the right 80s soundtrack cued up and suddenly we are 19 again — but with better food and stronger cocktails. We enjoyed a great steak kabob dinner, a bottle of wine, Liar’s Dice and fun with friends. 
Day 3 highlights:
- 1 giant Brie casualty
- 1 birthday captain rescue
- 1 successful shirt-for-jump enforcement
- 1 spring break flashback
- 1 fully committed 80s theme night
Big hair. Big laughs. Zero regrets.
Wind, Nilla Killers & Lobsters We Didn’t Order
Norman Island to Jost Van Dyke
February 10, 2026
Day 4 Captain’s Blast
weather still windy, maybe more sun than yesterday. A sprinkle in the afternoon to be expected
Our day, maybe an early jump off Willie Ts with video documentation? Sails go up and crew shows their stuff! Drive by the Indians and possibly stop for a snorkel if there is a ball. Our destination Jost van Dyck home of the famous Foxy’s and Soggy Dollar beach bars. At sea for 2ish hrs tucking into Garner Bay. JVD offers provisioning options and restaurants favorites Hendos Hideout, Harris Place and Sydney’s. If seas prove to big plan b is Sopers Hole.
A great lunch at Hendos Hideaway (Cindy had one of her best ever cheeseburgers), a dip, stunning beaches and overly sweet drinks round out our afternoon. The beaches are undeniably beautiful.
Check out the nutmeg in that bowl! Day 4 tally:
- 1 humbling but successful sail
- 1 prop dive hero moment
- 3 iconic beach bars
- 2 surprise lobsters
- 4+ wind squalls
- 0 actual pirates (still honoring the rule)
Johnny Cakes, Dinghy Surfing & Sweet Drinks (Again)
Jost Van Dyke to Cooper Island
February 11, 2026
Day 5 Captain’s Blast
Weather, what could it be…less breezy? Morning chance of rain, sun the rest of the day. Seas trending downward in size.
Hope the crew slept better than the captain? Naps in our future. Showers too! Sails up again. A bit longer and easier journey. Crew takes turns at the wheel. Leave whenever the mood strikes us. Maybe a stop at Sandy Cay for our own Corona commercial. Cooper island buoy secured! Floating, snorkeling and lounging all possible. Sweet drinks for anyone who didn’t retain yesterday’s lesson. Transitioning to island time and pace. Waiting to hear on interior crew decision for Happy hour ashore and dinner aboard?
Reminders: underway close hatches, furl flags and da head. Mooring buoy lines over the dolphin striker.
Daily Notes: Breakfast mission, empanadas and Johnny cakes ordered the night before - we head to the dock for pickup. Island time being what it is… we wait.… a guy shows up on his sports bike and we do business. He has a blunt behind his ear indicating either his intentions for later in the day or they offer more than breakfast. Other than shape both pastries to be the same thing. We enjoy a hodgepodge of cheese, beef, chicken and lentil. Winds still stiffly blowing we venture out to sandy cay which we wrongly label the Corona Beer commercial island. Later we named it Red Stripe Island as we could see the actual Corona Beer Island in the near distance.
The crew continues to execute flawless mooring pickup, and we sit contemplating how to land on island with waves crashing on all sides. We opt for jumping out of the dinghy and swimming for it. For the dinghy it is swim in with the rope, time the waves, surf it up the beach and haul it up as far as we can. Getting it loaded launched remains to be solved. The island is ours, white sand, beautiful water we are in a magical spot. From the recent storms there are beautiful sea fans, corals and sponges washed ashore to inspect. Couples head off for walks on the luxuriously soft sand. From afar we look like influencers snapping away and setting up great shots. With girls in the tender on the beach we wait for our wave. Lifted just enough it’s down the beach, captain piles in the back, a hectic paddle past the surf line and we are afloat. Just about flawless. Matt swims it with Carolyn barking encouragement. Our only issue is a fair bit of water and sand in the tender which is easily remedied. Neighbors arrive and we no longer have it all to ourselves. Some morning entertainment watching them struggle with mooring ball pickup. A German boat includes dropping their boat hook in and retrieves it by having a crew member in which increases the number of things they must retrieve. We depart before they tackle the beach landing. Wonder how they made out?
Sails up more fluidly than day one we are getting better. More importantly with a reef in we aren’t over powered like yesterday. It’s a beautiful day of sailing. We tack, Matt drives, the boat sustains good speed and three hours later we fire up the motor for the last bit into Cooper Island 
Our dinner is an order of to go conch fritters which taste like meatballs. We are not supposed to eat them while seated although we do. The bartender tells us he doesn’t see anything. Liar’s Dice back aboard Ohana rounds out the day — now a nightly tradition.
Day 5 highlights:
- 1 sports bike pastry dealer
- 1 successful dinghy surf launch
- 1 almost flawless swim assist
- 1 redemption sail
- 1 batch of meatball-fritters
- Several sweet drinks we didn’t need
Billionaire Bay & Peak People Watching
Cooper Island to Virgin Gorda
February 12, 2026
Day 6 Captain’s Blast
Weather: Lighter winds and diminished seas, yay! Hopeful for some sun along the way. Forecasts are improved from what was promised yesterday. Midafternoon float could be the thing!
Leaving early this morning with breakfast underway. Virgin Gorda North Sound is our destination. 12miles and about 2hr mooring to mooring. Sails down and under power we go. All crew taking a turn at the wheel at least for a photo. Optimistic for the Baths and a float. Hog Heaven might be the place for lunch. Around the harbor Saba rock and the Bitter end yacht club offer something for our evening. Alternatively, we can push the baths to tomorrow morning. Some say early morning ahead of the cruise ships are best. Interior crew promises chicken will defrost in time for dinner. Hoping that the elusive Mai tai will make an appearance. Risk to life and limb today is low.
We miss out on getting a mooring ball on Boaty Ball. They all tick from available to reserved in a minute. Taking our chances for first come first serve. The trip goes well to Virgin Gorda and we grab a ball in front of Bitter End. Many available and no need for the effort. We are grungy and it’s beautiful. Showers feel incredible and we lounge most of our day away. Conch fritters at Bitter End are excellent, Rum Runner cocktail delivery is very fun.
T
The boats and properties are immense. Something about it being billionaire bay. Richard Branson was by that morning for breakfast and we missed because we weren’t watching. Samuel Jackson and Magic Johnson the week before. Dinner of BBQ chicken and our energy is low. Playing on phones before bed.Day 6 highlights:
- 1 BoatyBall heartbreak
- 1 stress-free mooring win
- 1 life-changing shower
- 1 excellent fritter upgrade
- 1 Billionaire Bay people-watching session
- 0 celebrity sightings (timing is everything)
- Grungy to glam in a single afternoon
Boulders, Best Fritters & Driving on the “Wrong” Side
Virgin Gorda to Virgin Gorda (Different Bay)
February 13, 2026
Day 7 Captain’s Blast
Weather: scattered showers with sun coming through after noon.
Everybody say Johnny cake! Early morning we have a super short cruise across the bay and fingers crossed for an open mooring buoy. With car and driving on the wrong side we beat crowds to the Baths and head to explore the island. Groceries, more conch, and anything else that strikes our fancy in store. Back to boat in the afternoon for a float and counting on our bartender for a Painkiller. The BBQ and festivities at Leverick rounding out our day. Bonus of another shower in there!
Don’t forget dry bags and our parks admission pass. At least a photo.
Day 7 Daily Notes
Up early we move across the bay to Leverick Bay. A cute resort and marina. We rent a car which is waiting with keys in it. Official paper and payment is handled when we reach town. Pushing pace we head to the baths driving on the wrong side of road. It’s steep and windy with incredible views. We arrive at the Baths and seem to be ahead of the crowds. The walk down is pretty and before we know it we are in the massive stone boulders of the baths. We crawl, scramble and climb along the boulders, sand and water. We feel like Indians Jones adventures.
The water is electric blue. Lots of pictures later we emerge onto a lovely beach with many sailboats parked out front and their occupants swimming into the beach. The walk up as easy and it’s a trip high point. Mad Dog for conch fritters lives up to its world famous billing and takes the top spot for favorite. The owner is extraordinarily pleasant. Back to town we square up on the car in 5 minutes. Leave it where we grabbed with keys tucked away are our instructions. We hit Savannah Beach which is perfect white sand and gin clear water, we dip. Into town for jerk chicken provisioning. We sneak a peak at the upscale high restaurant Cocomaya. It’s inviting and we would like to stay for a drink, but really want to get back for a float. We instead stick a stop at a jerk chicken spot. Food is excellent but we hold back for our next stop. We do a quick grocery stop and maybe enough ice for the remainder of the trip. Then it’s onward for ribs and conch at Hog Heaven for lunch. Ribs were more about the sauce than smoke and the conch drenched in butter obscured the delicate flavor. So full. Check the box on floating and Matt made a nicer round of cocktails.
Into the resort for early evening showers and to see the Friday night buffet. Glad we skipped the food but stuck around for some dancing to the band. Back to the boat we play Liar’s Dice and catch the occasional shooting star. Bragging rights continue to shuffle.
Day 7 highlights:
- 1 successful left-side driving adventure
- 1 Indiana Jones boulder expedition
- 1 crowned fritter champion – for now
- 1 perfectly clear beach dip
- 1 sauce-heavy rib critique
- Multiple shooting stars
High adventure. High calories. High satisfaction.
And just like that… another island day in the books.
Valentine's Day, Mokes, Pink Sand, White Party & Lobster Lessons on Anegada
Virgin Gorda to Anegada
February 14, 2026
Day 8 Captain’s Blast
Weather: winds light and comfortable seas. Both building as the day progresses. Should be a comfortable crossing and evening with enough wind to cool the boat.
Anegada or bust. Hopefully with sails up but light winds have me worried. Our destination promises pink sand beaches, stellar snorkeling, flamingos and lobster. We will have to navigate a tricky coral passage to get to our hopefully secured boat all. Taxi or rental vehicle will be the mode of travel. Working down our provisions, booze and juice are the tasks of the day.
Theme tonight: White Party!
Don’t forget to drop the rental car key. Give the stink eye to the terrible dog people. And what’s a freshening breeze
Daily Notes
It's Valentine's Day! Time to start with mimosas and fun!
We tag teamed Boatyball and Matt secured our ball at Anegada. Underway by 7:30am under power with light winds. A perfect crossing and we’re tucked in by 10am.
The island is long narrow and barely 10’ above sea level at its highest. Ringed by reefs close attention needed to maneuver into the anchorage.
Into our Moke to tour the islands. The Moke is like a dune buggy, bright orange and not much more than seats and wheels. Super low to the ground with no doors it’s harder to get into than expected. Think Flintstone style – yaba daba doo!
One road to navigate we head to Loblolly beach. Pink sands, beautiful water and very quiet. Just a single restaurant and beach chairs the colors of watermelon. Lunch is a miss and the drinks are help yourself. Your bill is tracked by bottle caps. Snorkeling is something to fill the time. A nap on the hard backed chairs before we head to Cow Wreck beach. More happening here, beach is similar. We snorkel, chat and wander. Tipsy’s up the beach send to be the heart of the action and better food. We laze away the rest of the afternoon enjoying the sun and beach and of course a round of conch fritters. Back to the boat for a minute, we dip, shower and dress in all WHITE in minutes.
Day 8 highlights:
- 1 BoatyBall victory
- 1 flawless crossing
- 1 bright orange Moke adventure
- 2 postcard beaches
- 3 giant lobsters
- 1 Ziplock of leftovers
- Countless shades of blue
Anegada feels different. Slower. Wider. Saltier.
Fast Sails, Sugary Drinks & The Great Lobster Finale
Anegada to Bitter End/Virgin Gorda
February 15, 2026
Day 9 Captain’s Blast
Weather: winds strengthening and seas building. Depending on which forecast you like it’s either on and off showers in the am or all day.
With good wind from the right direction sails are up. Our day involves heading in the direction of Road Town Tortola. Options for the night, include Marina Caye, Bitter End, or Blunder Bay. After our two big days of shore excursion a mellow day on the boat seems in order. Snorkel, shower, cocktails and a pile of lobster are the activities. And our Sunday food highlight potatoes!
Daily Notes
Our best breakfast yet consists of grilled potatoes, bacon and eggs. Kite boarders give us something to watch. Our mission is to kill the alcohol and eat down the provisions. Not optimistic on either count. 
Underway we head back to Bitter End. We smoke the crossing under sail hitting speeds up to 9 knots and sustaining over 7kts. The perfect reaching sail. Chatting, dice and a float fill our afternoon. Another round of sugary drinks from Rum Runners makes us smile. Time flies by. We shower ashore, shop and enjoy a pizza. This is a great stop! Our dingy is blocked and we have to bulldozer the other dinghys to leave the dock. Aboard its lobster left overs for dinner. Carolyn makes a particularly good lobster grilled cheese. Our trip is winding up.
Day 9 highlights:
- 1 championship breakfast
- 1 ripping 9-knot sail
- Multiple dice victories (claims disputed)
- 1 gentle dinghy bulldoze maneuver
- 1 elite lobster grilled cheese
The boat feels familiar now.
The routines feel easy.
The wind feels friendly.
And somehow, just as we’ve fully hit our stride…
It’s almost time to go.
French Toast, Final Floats & Final Conch Ratings are In!
Virgin Gorda to Marina Caye, Tortola
February 16, 2026
Day 10 Captain’s Blast
Weather: winds holding at 10-20kts. The twist is that they are expected to shift to the south this afternoon. A consideration for where we anchor. iPhone weather shows sun all day. Put the final touches on your tan!
Our last day. Getting back to Tortola is the plan. About 15 miles and with the favorable winds sails go up. Snorkeling options include here at Saba Rock or a stop at the Dogs enroute. Marina Cay or Trellis Bay are overnight anchorages for an easy am airport drop. Back to Road Town works too, what does the crew wanna do? Work on our booze and provisions continue. One last float for sure. French toast with coconut cream syrup is happening. Showers aboard is the reward for our tight water steward!
Daily Notes
A perfect ending. Our day is packed. Breakfast is out of this world. Matt cooks to perfection French toast and concocts a coconut and amaretto syrup.
We lounge for a bit of the morning. We trade our excess of juice with eggs from another boat. The girls head to the beach at Bitter End, the boys dinghy out for some snorkeling. The crew raise sails expertly and we sail out of the bay. Light winds have us poking along at 3-5 knots. We opt for the motor but not before we take a refreshing mid trip dip. Our destination is Marina Cay, a laid back beach bar vibe. Unfortunately closed, its something for next time. The sun is intense and we roast. Our solution is a 2hr float. A bit less for the captain who catches one last nap. Life wizzes by as we bob in our tubes. The facilities at Scrub Island pique our interest and we shuttle over in the tender. It’s immaculate and simultaneously vast and compact. Rooms, marina, pool and a bar. We head to the latter. Drinks, apps and another superb view. We depart as the sun fades. Aboard some packing is completed and we gather round the table for our last night. Dinner consists of the last bits and we dispose of many empty containers. The vodka is killed and we are down to a few beers, mixers and mostly empty bottles. Spa night with face masks all around make our pink faces young again.
Everybody went all in on sun being the last day. All four of us hit the hammock for some star gazing. We are squeezing everything out of this last day. Cards at the table and nobody cares about the outcome of each hand.Day 10 highlights:
- 1 elite French toast performance
- 1 mid-ocean swim
- 1 closed beach bar (future plans pending)
- 1 immaculate resort bar stop
- 1 fully defeated vodka bottle
- 4 sun-kissed, happy humans
And just like that — our perfect ending.
The sails are down.
The bottles are empty.
The stars are out.
Our day ends.
Big Day and Sad Goodbyes!
Marina Caye, Tortola to Seattle
February 17, 2026
Day 11 Captain’s Blast
Weather: about the same as yesterday, maybe an isolated shower.
Big day of travel for everyone. Boats, planes and automobiles is potentially the remake of an 80s classic. Hope not! Our drawers are nearly empty yet there is promise of one great meal and a last rum punch. Final packing and showers for those inclined. The crew is polished and sharp after our time in Ohana. I would gladly sail with you anywhere. Safe travels and looking forward to the next time we share each other’s company.
Day 11 Notes
Last bits of food wind up making a great breakfast. Captain does a morning snorkel. Bags are packed, we say our goodbyes and drop Carolyn and Matt on Scrub Island for the airport water taxi. Super smooth. Once they pass we drop lines and motor back to Conch Charters. Debrief goes well and we are off the boat. A burger at the pub and our visit is wrapped. Travel goes as planned and we’re back in Seattle before midnight. A long day and happy to be home.
Seattle, WA
February 18, 2026
Day 12 Captain’s Blast
weather: rainy, grey and cold. Otherwise known as shitty.
Crew is home safe and haggard. Up early and can’t sleep after just 4hr although in a real bed. Power through or midday naps? Reality of life setting in. Make sure to use the bidet. Will Matt and Andy shave? Reunite with puppies. Cocktail spinner says drink of day is midday rum punch. Dinner the elusive steak or fish we couldn’t find in the islands. Captain’s orders hang onto the island vibe as long as you can.
A fun trip thanks for spending it with us!
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