Couples & Occasions · Melbourne Beach · Vero Beach
Sunset Boat Trips for Two
Four hours on the lagoon from 4pm, the boat to yourselves, and the part of the day the Indian River does best.
The Indian River Lagoon at sunset is the thing people photograph and put on the fridge, and almost nobody who lives here has actually seen it from the water. It is flat, it is quiet, the dolphins come up to feed in the last of the light, and there is nothing on the horizon but the islands.
The Sunset Tour leaves at 4pm and runs four hours. Every trip we run is private, so if the two of you book it, the two of you go — you and the captain, and he stays out of the conversation.
What the Four Hours Look Like
We run out through the lagoon with the light already going gold, usually with dolphins somewhere along the way and often manatees in the shallows. There is time to anchor off one of the spoil islands and get off the boat for a while if you want to, or to just sit at anchor with the engine off while the sky does its thing. Then back in across flat black water with the lights on shore coming up.
It is a four-hour trip rather than a one-hour cruise, and that is the difference. You are not on a schedule with forty other people and a PA system.
Anniversaries, Birthdays and Proposals
A fair number of these trips are for an occasion, and the captain would rather know in advance than be surprised. If you are planning to propose, tell him when you book: he can have the boat in the right place as the light goes, keep the engine off, stay out of the frame, and take the photograph afterwards if you want one. He has done it before and he is good at disappearing.
If you want to decorate the boat, bring what you like and come a few minutes early. Keep in mind that the Atlantic is a windy place and anything light tends to leave.
Drinks: bring your own beer and seltzer, cans only — no glass on the boat, and no hard liquor. Canned wine and canned cocktails are an easy workaround for a celebration. If you want to bring something specific, ask when you book.
What to bring: a layer for after dark, because it cools off on the water faster than you expect; bug spray in the warmer months; a camera or a clean phone lens, because the light is the whole point.
Best months: it is good year round. Autumn and winter give the clearest skies and the fewest bugs; summer sunsets are later and warmer.
If You Would Rather Be Out Earlier
Sunset is not the only version of a date on the water. The Sandbar Charter runs in the morning or the middle of the day and anchors in clear shallow water you can walk around in; Island Hopping makes a day of it with several stops; and the wildlife cruise is the one to pick if dolphins and manatees are the reason you are going. All of them are private and all of them are $600 for the boat.
Where to Meet
We leave from Sebastian Inlet, about twenty minutes from Melbourne Beach and Vero Beach and under an hour from Cocoa Beach. We send the exact meeting point when you book. Making an evening of it? There is more on the Vero Beach and Sebastian Inlet guides.
Prices
- Sunset Tour — $600 for the boat, up to 6 guests, 4pm start.
- Sandbar, Wildlife Cruise and half-day Island Hopping — $600 for the boat.
- A $100 deposit holds the date; the balance is due at the end of the trip. Full details on the rates page.
Book the Evening
Tell Captain Richard Ladrew the date, and anything he should know — an anniversary, a birthday, a question you are planning to ask. He is on the water most days and gets back to you the same day. A $100 deposit holds the date and comes off the total.
Call 321-412-2440 Check availability & book Deposit & detailsMore