Biscayne Bay, drawn from memory.
Forty-three miles of protected water between the mainland and the barrier islands. Our captains have run it for twenty years. Every charter is drafted with the bay's tides, anchorages, and afternoon weather already accounted for.
A protected water with a public character.
Biscayne Bay is the lagoon between downtown Miami and the Atlantic. It is shielded from open-ocean swell by Miami Beach, Virginia Key, and Key Biscayne. The water inside is calm enough for guests who do not love the open sea, deep enough to take a 70-foot yacht almost anywhere, and shallow enough — over its sandbar shoals — to anchor and step off the swim platform onto a sandbar in three feet of clear water.
It is also one of the most photographed pieces of water in the United States. The Miami skyline rises over its western edge. Star Island, Hibiscus Island, and Palm Island sit in the middle. The bay's edges are rimmed by mangrove and live-oak shoreline that has not changed materially in eighty years. A Biscayne Bay yacht charter is, in effect, a guided pass through the postcard.
The classic four hours.
Most charters depart Miami Beach Marina or Sea Isle Marina, run south along the western edge past the Star Island estates, cross to the Stiltsville flats for an anchor and swim, and return north along the eastern edge with the Miami skyline at golden hour. That route covers roughly fourteen nautical miles in four hours and keeps you in calm water the entire time.
A six-hour day extends the route south to Elliot Key for a longer swim and lunch. An eight-hour day reaches No Name Harbor on Key Biscayne, with a midday anchor at the Sandbar — the broad, three-foot-deep flat on the bay's eastern side where the sand is white, the water is clear, and most of South Florida appears to be off the boat for an afternoon.
A short list of considered places.
Seasons and weather.
Biscayne Bay is charterable year-round. November through April is dry, breezy, and reliably blue-sky. May through October is warmer, with afternoon thunderstorms that build inland and pass through quickly. Our captains track the radar and re-route the day in real time — a charter rarely loses time to weather here, but the route may shift.
Golden hour falls between 5:30 PM (December) and 8:00 PM (June). Sunset charters are timed to depart approximately three hours before sundown, with the return leg coinciding with the skyline lighting up. It is the most popular Biscayne Bay yacht charter we run.
Vessel selection.
All four of our yachts are well-suited to Biscayne Bay. The Galeon 550 Fly sits highest on the flybridge for views, runs in shallower water, and is our most intimate option. The Prestige 630 is the most popular for sunset and proposal charters. The Galeon 640 Fly is the broadest entertaining deck. The Prestige 680 Fly is the most spacious for a longer day, larger party, or overnight.