Three family boats on Dock C, and a price for your group before you call.
We are the Varela family. Dan, Carmen and our son Rafa have run sunset cruises, snorkel trips and full days out of Pelican Sound since 2009. Every price includes the captain and the fuel.
4.9 from 1,140 trips (sample)
- Private trips, your group only
- Coast Guard licensed captains
Plan your day on the water
- 1: Trip and boat
- 2: Date
- 3: Request
People aboard
Captain, fuel, ice and snorkel gear included.
Book here and the marketplace fee stays in your pocket
- No service feeCharter marketplaces add up to 20% on top. Here the price you see is the whole price.
- Captain and fuel includedNo fuel surcharge at the dock, whether we run to the sandbar or all the way to Cayo Tern.
- Gear and ice aboardMasks, fins, vests, noodles, a cooler full of ice and a case of cold water on every boat.
- Weather is our callIf we cancel for wind or lightning, you move the date or get the whole deposit back.
From a two-hour sunset to eight hours at Cayo Tern
Four trips, run the same way for seventeen seasons. Prices are per boat for your whole group, and the lowest one is always Little Rascal.
Sunset cruise
2 hoursLeaves 6:15 pm
Out past the Pelican Sound light and back as the sun drops behind Cayo Tern.
The departure time moves with the season so you are always on the water for the last hour of light.
From $495 a boat
- 8:00Leave Dock C
- 8:40Dolphins in Manatee Pass
- 9:30Wade the Coquina Bar
- 11:30Lunch at anchor
- 12:00Back at the dock
Half day
4 hoursLeaves 8:00 am or 1:00 pm
Coquina Bar at low tide, a lunch stop at Manatee Pass, dolphins most mornings.
The morning run is calmer and the dolphins are busier. Afternoons suit families with late sleepers.
From $895 a boat
Snorkel trip
4 hoursLeaves 8:30 am or 1:30 pm
Three Palms Reef, nine miles out, 6 to 14 feet deep. Masks, fins and vests aboard.
Rafa or Dan gets in the water with first-timers. Visibility is best from May to October.
From $950 a boat
- 9:00Leave Dock C
- 10:15Snorkel Three Palms Reef
- 12:30Beach lunch at Cayo Tern
- 3:30Sandbar on the way home
- 5:00Back at the dock
Full day
8 hoursLeaves 9:00 am
Reef in the morning, the beach at Cayo Tern for lunch, the sandbar on the way home.
Bring lunch or ask us to order sandwiches from Gulfside Deli the night before, at cost.
From $1,650 a boat
A cruiser for twelve, a sloop for six, and a skiff that reaches the sandbar at low tide
Big Sunday
40 ft cruiser
Up to 12 guests, Captain Dan
The boat for birthdays, reunions and anyone who wants a shaded seat and a proper bathroom. Dan bought her in 2016 when groups of eight kept asking.
- Coast Guard inspected for 12
- Air-conditioned cabin and a real head
- Swim platform and float mat
- Sunset cruise
- $795
- Half day
- $1,350
- Snorkel trip
- $1,450
- Full day
- $2,600
Kittiwake
34 ft sailboat
Up to 6 guests, Captain Carmen
Carmen taught sailing for twenty years before Harborday. On Kittiwake the engine goes off outside the channel and the only sound is the hull.
- Engine off, sails up, quiet
- Cabin with a head and two berths
- Kids can take the helm
- Sunset cruise
- $575
- Half day
- $995
- Snorkel trip
- Not offered
- Full day
- $1,850
Little Rascal
26 ft center console
Up to 6 guests, Captain Rafa
The boat we started with in 2009. She floats in sixteen inches of water, so Little Rascal is first to the sandbar and last to leave it.
- 16-inch draft, reaches the sandbar
- Bimini shade over the helm
- Swim ladder and cooler seat
- Sunset cruise
- $495
- Half day
- $895
- Snorkel trip
- $950
- Full day
- $1,650
All eleven prices, side by side
Per boat, for your whole group, before a 25% deposit that holds the date. Florida sales tax is the only thing added. Gratuity is up to you and never on the bill.
| Trip | Little RascalUp to 6 | KittiwakeUp to 6 | Big SundayUp to 12 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sunset cruise2 hours | $495 | $575 | $795 |
| Half day4 hours | $895 | $995 | $1,350 |
| Snorkel trip4 hours | $950 | Not offered | $1,450 |
| Full day8 hours | $1,650 | $1,850 | $2,600 |
Dan drives Big Sunday, Carmen sails Kittiwake, Rafa takes the skiff
Dan ran a dive boat out of Pelican Sound for twelve years before he bought Little Rascal in 2009 with the money he and Carmen had saved for a kitchen. The kitchen is still the old one.
Rafa grew up on the sandbar, got his captain's licence at 21 and now runs most of the snorkel trips. Carmen keeps the calendar, answers the phone and still takes Kittiwake out four evenings a week.
Last year a third of our bookings came through apps that charged guests a fee and charged us a commission. This site is how we stop that.
- First charter
- 2009
- First charter
- Seasons on Dock C
- 17
- Seasons on Dock C
- Captains, one family
- 3
- Captains, one family
Rated 4.9 after 1,140 trips out of Dock C
Sample reviews
Four kids between 6 and 11. Rafa had them spotting dolphins in Manatee Pass and then let each one steer for a minute. We paid $895, the same trip was $1,070 on the app.
Rachel T.Half day on Little Rascal, 6 aboard
My dad is 81 and wanted one more sail. Carmen put him on the helm for the whole run back. He has not stopped talking about it.
Omar H.Sunset on Kittiwake, 4 aboard
Eleven of us for my sister's 40th. The cabin was cold, the float mat was out before the anchor settled, and Dan got us back to the dock exactly at five.
Kelsey B.Full day on Big Sunday, 11 aboard
They called the night before about 25 knot winds and moved us to Thursday without a fuss. Thursday was glass. Saw two turtles at the reef.
Grant and Mei L.Snorkel trip on Big Sunday, 5 aboard
Wind over 20 knots and we call you by 6 pm the night before
We watch the marine forecast so you do not have to. If the day is not safe or not worth it, Dan makes the call early and you choose what happens next.
We cancel
Wind over 20 knots, seas over 4 feet or a small craft advisory. Move to any open date or get your deposit back in full.
Storms on the day
Summer afternoon storms usually pass in an hour. If lightning cuts a trip short by more than half, we refund half.
You cancel early
More than 7 days out, the full deposit comes back. Inside 7 days it moves to any date in the next 12 months.
Running late
Text Carmen. We hold the boat for 30 minutes, then we still go and come back at the same time.
Meet us at Dock C, slip 14
Pelican Sound City Marina, 400 Harbor Walk, Pelican Sound, Florida
Free parking in Lot B. Walk past the bait shop and turn left at the fuel dock.
Come 15 minutes early with reef-safe sunscreen, a towel each and soft-soled shoes. We have the rest.
What people ask Carmen on the phone
Is every trip private?
Yes. Whatever boat you book, it is your group and our captain, nobody else. The price is per boat, not per seat, so it is the same for two people or the full count.
Can we bring food and drinks?
Please do. Beer, wine and anything in cans or plastic is fine, no glass. The cooler is already full of ice. On full days we can order sandwiches from Gulfside Deli the night before and charge you exactly what they charge us.
Why does Kittiwake not do snorkel trips?
Three Palms Reef is nine miles out. Under sail that is most of a four-hour trip each way, so you would spend twenty minutes in the water. Kittiwake does sunsets, half days and full days, where the sailing is the point.
What about small kids and life jackets?
We carry vests from infant to adult XL on every boat. Children under 13 wear one on Little Rascal whenever we are moving, and anyone snorkelling wears one at the reef, whatever their age.
Is gratuity included?
No, and it is never added to your bill. If the day went well, most groups leave 15 to 20% for the captain. If it did not, tell Carmen, she wants to know.
You are also on the charter apps. Why book here?
Same boats, same captains, same days. On the apps a service fee of up to 20% is added to what you pay, and we pay a commission on top of that. Book here and neither happens.
Saturday sunsets on Big Sunday book up three weeks ahead
$795 for up to twelve, captain and fuel included. Pick your date now, or call and Carmen will find one.