Occasions · Sunset cruise
A private sunset cruise from downtown St. Pete.
A four-hour afternoon charter on a 40-foot Beneteau, timed so the run home past the downtown waterfront lands in golden hour. Up to six guests and a licensed captain.
At a glance
An afternoon on the water, and the light on the way home.
How it works
A four-hour charter, started late.
There is no separate sunset product. A sunset cruise is the four-hour charter with an afternoon start, so the last hour of the day is the run back to Demens Landing along the downtown St. Petersburg waterfront. The charter is private: the six guests aboard are the six people you bring.
Charters run from 8 AM with the last return at 8 PM, every day. From October to April the sun sets well before 8, so you can be on the water as it goes down. From May to August it sets after 8, so the latest charter comes home in golden hour, the low warm light of the last stretch before sunset.
Timing
When to start, month by month.
Times below are for the middle of each month at Demens Landing, rounded to five minutes. The start time is the latest four-hour charter that is back by sunset, or by the 8 PM last return when sunset is later.
| Month | Sunset | Start by |
|---|---|---|
| January | 5:55 PM | 2:00 PM |
| February | 6:20 PM | 2:30 PM |
| March | 7:40 PM | 3:30 PM |
| April | 7:55 PM | 4:00 PM |
| May | 8:10 PM | 4:00 PM |
| June | 8:25 PM | 4:00 PM |
| July | 8:30 PM | 4:00 PM |
| August | 8:10 PM | 4:00 PM |
| September | 7:35 PM | 3:30 PM |
| October | 7:00 PM | 3:00 PM |
| November | 5:40 PM | 1:30 PM |
| December | 5:35 PM | 1:30 PM |
Guests on the foredeck at sunset.
The route
Where the afternoon goes.
Four hours is enough for the run out to the Shell Key sandbar and close to three hours at anchor, or a slower cruise around Tampa Bay for a group that would rather stay under way. Either way the captain plans the route so the boat is heading home as the light drops.
A 4-hour charter is $1,692 and a 6-hour charter is $2,292. A full 8-hour day is $3,096 Monday to Thursday and $3,192 Friday to Sunday. Prices are for the whole boat, not per person.
Questions
Before you book it.
How much is a private sunset cruise in St. Petersburg?
A sunset cruise is a four-hour private charter started in the afternoon. A 4-hour charter is $1,692 and a 6-hour charter is $2,292. A full 8-hour day is $3,096 Monday to Thursday and $3,192 Friday to Sunday. The price is for the whole boat with up to six guests and a licensed captain.
What time should a sunset cruise start?
Start four hours before you want to be back at the dock. From October to April that puts the return at or just after sunset, so a mid-October charter leaves around 3:00 PM. From May to August the sun sets after the 8 PM last return, so the latest start is 4:00 PM and the run home is in golden hour.
Can we stay out after dark?
No. The last return to Demens Landing is 8 PM every day, so charters finish by then whatever time the sun sets.
Can we bring drinks and food for the sunset?
Yes. Bring a cooler with whatever the group wants to eat and drink aboard. If the afternoon includes the Shell Key sandbar, drinks with alcohol stay on the boat, not on the sand.
How do we book a sunset cruise?
Pick a date, the four-hour charter and an afternoon start time in the booking form, and choose Sunset cruise as the occasion. Your captain plans the route around the light.
Book
Book the sunset.
Pick a date, the four-hour charter and an afternoon start time in the booking form, and choose Sunset cruise as the occasion. Departures from Demens Landing, downtown St. Petersburg.