Private Keewaydin
Island Boat Tours
Eight hours, an island with no bridge to it, and one party aboard. Long enough that the day stops having a schedule and starts just being a day.
USCG licensed captain • Up to 6 guests • About 8 hours • No road to it
The Keewaydin Island trip is the longest day we run — about eight hours aboard the Sweet Melissa, and the boat is yours for every one of them. Up to 6 guests, one party, never combined with anyone else. Eight hours is not three hours with more added onto the end of it. It is a different kind of day.
Shelling is included, and there are dolphins in these waters to watch for along the way. Beyond that, the length is the point. Somewhere in the middle of a stretch that long, people stop checking how much of it is left.
What Is Keewaydin Island?
Keewaydin Island is an undeveloped barrier island on the Gulf side of Southwest Florida, lying between Naples to the north and Marco Island to the south. There is no bridge and no road to it. If you are standing on Keewaydin, you arrived by boat — that single fact shapes everything else about the place.
It is the kind of island that stayed undeveloped while the coastline on either side of it did not. Naples is a short run up the shore and Marco Island a short run down, and Keewaydin sits in between with nothing built on it. Everyone standing on it on a given day arrived the same way you did, which puts a natural ceiling on how many of them there can be.
A Full Day on the Water
Eight hours is the whole idea. A two or three hour cruise has a shape to it — you go out, you find what you find, you come back. A full day does not need that shape. There is room in it to change your mind.
Because the boat is private, the day runs at whatever pace your group sets rather than to a fixed itinerary. Talk to Captain Mark about what you want out of the day and he will build it around that.
Why the Whole Boat Is Yours
Every cruise on the Sweet Melissa is private, and on this trip that matters more than on any other. Book a departure and the boat is yours: up to 6 guests, and your party is never combined with strangers.
Three hours with people you have never met is a novelty. Eight hours with them is a commitment. It is the difference between sharing a taxi and sharing a holiday, and it is the thing most worth knowing before you book a full day with anyone.
- No strangers. Eight hours is a long time to spend making conversation with a party you did not choose.
- The pace is yours. Linger where you want to linger; move on when your group is ready, not when a schedule says so.
- The captain is yours for the day, not divided between parties.
- No waiting on anyone else to board, to be ready, or to head back.
Six guests is the limit for your party rather than a number you share with anyone else. Whoever you bring is who is aboard.
Shelling on Keewaydin
Shelling is included on this trip as it is on every cruise we run. If it is the main reason you are booking rather than something you do along the way, there is more on our shelling tours page.
Dolphins Along the Way
Dolphins are wild animals, so nobody can promise you a sighting — but a day this long gives you more water and more hours than any other trip we run. If dolphins are the specific reason you are coming out, the three-hour dolphin cruise is built around finding them.
What to Bring
Sun protection is the one thing worth saying without qualification: eight hours is a long exposure, and there is more sun on the water than on shore. Beyond that, call before you pack.
Not sure what to pack for a full day? Call (239) 259-3388 and ask — it is a short conversation and worth having before the morning of.
About the Sweet Melissa
The Sweet Melissa is a 31-foot Stamas running twin 225 Suzuki outboards. Below deck there is an enclosed restroom, a cabin with seating, a refrigerator, and a kitchen area — all of which matter more on an eight-hour day than on a short cruise. Up topthere is shade and a sound system. There are more photos and detail on the yacht page.
Your Captain: Mark “Gramps” Barrett
Captain Mark Barrett — "Captain Gramps" — is USCG licensed, with more than 45 years on the water and over 20 of them at the helm of the Sweet Melissa. On a full day you get all of that for eight hours rather than two, which is really the difference between a boat ride and a day out with someone who knows where he is going. There is more about him on Captain Mark's page.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long is the Keewaydin Island trip?
The Keewaydin Island trip runs about 8 hours.
Is the trip private?
Yes. Every cruise we run is private — the entire boat is yours for the trip, and your party is never combined with strangers.
How many guests?
Up to 6 guests. Because the whole boat is yours, that is the limit for your party rather than a capacity you share with anyone else.
Is there a restroom on board?
Yes. The Sweet Melissa has an enclosed restroom below deck, so you never have to cut a trip short. The cabin below also has comfortable seating, a refrigerator, and a kitchen area.
Eight hours. One party. No road to it.
The longest day we run, and the whole boat is yours for it. Check live availability for the Keewaydin Island trip.
Other ways to spend time on the water