Panhandle · Destin
Private charters on the trimaran Nice Tri from Destin Harbor behind the Marina Cafe, run by Capt. Pam. Two-hour scenic sails, snorkelling over the grass flats and the second sandbar, dolphin runs and Crab Island afternoons, with sunset and fireworks cruises in season.
Every trip is the whole boat: a two-hour scenic day sail, a swim-and-snorkel charter, a sunset sail, and a fireworks cruise in season. Nice Tri is a 39-foot trimaran to a Norman Cross design, and Capt. Pam runs the charters herself out of slip 5 at 404 Harbor Blvd, behind the Marina Cafe on Destin Harbor, down a blue stairwell on the east side of the building.
The snorkelling is specific enough to be worth naming. The grass flats are shallow enough to stand waist-deep and hunt for shells, hermit crabs and the occasional seahorse, and the operator lets guests race a hermit crab on deck before releasing it; the second sandbar out in the Gulf is a ten-to-fifteen-foot dive for sand dollars, two per person kept. Capt. Pam counts thirty-five to fifty local bottlenose dolphins that follow the boat and reckons they show up on three sails in four. Crab Island, which is a sandbar on the bayside of the Destin pass rather than an island, is the other regular stop, with floating food shacks to anchor beside. Four hours is her recommendation for a snorkelling trip.
Daysail Panhandle · Pensacola Beach
Two-hour sails from Pier One Marina on Pensacola Beach aboard Dare II, a Condor 40 trimaran, one of twenty-one built in Annapolis from 1985 to 1991. Daily 11am and 2pm sails and a sunset cruise, six guests at most, booked online. Captain Kirk has owned her since 2002.
Crewed Panhandle · Fort Walton Beach
No trips for the rest of 2026 after hurricane damage in the area; the owners plan to resume in March 2027. Private crewed catamaran daysails on a Stiletto 27 from Adventure Marina on Okaloosa Island, with Crab Island, sunset and snorkel runs for up to six guests.
Crewed Panhandle · Destin
Space Dancer, a 45-foot Beneteau sloop, leaves the AJ's Seafood and Oyster Bar dock on Destin Harbor, then out East Pass into the Gulf with Captain Chris. Two- to four-hour private sails, sunset and fireworks cruises, time at the helm on request, and overnight trips year round.