Tampa Bay · Naples
One captain, one boat, every trip. Jeff Gage runs private charters for up to six from the Naples City Dock aboard Sea Suite, his 2011 Leopard 39 catamaran, the route set by the guests. Sunset sails, days on the Gulf, afternoons at anchor, and informal instruction on request.
A charter runs from a half day to a full day, four hours at the least, with the start and end hours picked at booking and the route decided aboard: south toward Keewaydin Island, north along the coast, or an anchorage for a swim. Fuel, insurance and safety gear are in the price, as are water and soft drinks, cups and plates; food comes aboard from the guests or, by arrangement, from a Naples deli or restaurant before departure. Capt. Gage holds a Coast Guard master’s credential and is a US Sailing instructor, which is where the informal lessons come from: trim a sail or take the helm if you ask.
Sea Suite herself is a 39-foot Leopard with a 20-foot beam, three cabins and two heads, sailing under main, genoa and spinnaker, inspected as a commercial vessel. The company also sells its captain to boat owners: deliveries, owner training, route planning and vessel management, a different trade from the charters and run from the same dock.
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