getting close

We can now see the lights of Tortola; we're 7NM out from Norman. The wind has increased to 25 knots with gusts up to 30 about a half hour ago. With a double-reefed main our speed was surging to over 11 knots so I reefed down. We are still frequently seeing speeds of over 9.5 knots. It'll be good to get into calm waters.
How can you tell it's rough out? Carlos goes to his "happy place". See the attached pic.