FROM PIRATES TO PAINKILLERS

THE HISTORY JOST VAN DYKE

BRITISH VIRGIN ISLANDS

THE LEGEND OF JOOST VAN DYK

Approximately three-square miles, Jost Van Dyke is the smallest of the four main British Virgin Islands situated in the Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea, approximately five miles northwest of the U.S. Virgin Island of St. John and one hundred and twenty miles east of Puerto Rico.

HOW THE ISLAND GOT 

IT'S NAME

As legend has it in 1615 the Dutch pirate

Joost Van Dyk settled on the British Virgin

Island of Tortola where he began trading

with Spanish settlers in Puerto Rico.

In 1625 Van Dyk participated in a Dutch led attack on a

Spanish treasure fleet spurring a full Spanish assault of

Tortola.  Captain Joost Van Dyk himself escaped to the

island that would later bear his name, using its harbour’s

as refuge and shelter from the Spanish ships passing

North of the island on way back to Puerto Rico, Santo

Domingo, and Cuba.  It was there that Van Dyk

commanded a settlement of shady Dutch, French and English pirates producing tobacco, cotton and yes, small

amounts of sugar cane used to distill their own rum.  In 1672 the English captured the BVI from the Dutch West Indies. 

TUCKED AWAY

IN WHITE BAY

About 300 years later, tucked away in White Bay on Jost Van Dyke, the legendary Soggy Dollar Bar was built and became the birthplace of the original Painkiller rum drink.  The bar is famous among Caribbean travelers for its unblemished casual vibe and pristine white sand, dock-free beach.  Patrons swim from their boats and spend a few Soggy Dollars enjoying this perfect concoction of flavors and atmosphere. 

SOGGY DOLLAR BAR

A PLACE TO LIVE LIFE ON YOUR

OWN TERMS

Today the Soggy Dollar is bottling its own aged dark rum and specially blended spiced rum.  Not far from its fabled heritage …

still enjoyed by modern day pirates of the real world.  The perfect escape from reality, welcome to a sunny place for shady people.