Captain Kidd Charters

I take my group out every year. Very easy to work with and everyone absolutely loves it!

Sailing at it’s best! Forget the fancy dinner cruises in enclosed air conditioned yachts. If you want the real sailing experience, Captain Kidd Charters is for you! The Captain and his assistant are wonderful folks, and the boat is gorgeous! You can bring your own food and drinks (alcohol also), just be careful as the deck is pretty narrow and does pitch and yaw often. My sunset cruise was truly majestic, these guys are the real thing! Just remember — CASH ONLY! Thank you for a wonderful voyage Captain Kidd!

Cute stuff! More Yellow Box shoes than I have seen anywhere else!

We had an extremely enjoyable experience on the Captain Kidd. John, the captain was very nice, as was the crew member, I believe her name was Shannon. Hope I got that right. Anyway, what a pleasant evening!
My hub surprised me with the reservation to take the sunset cruise. It is the 13^th anniversary of the day we met on the 4^th of July. This was his romantic gift to me. Awsome! The only way this would have been better was if it was our boat and we were the only ones on it. Seriously.
The cruise consists of a tour out in Galveston bay. Really it’s just a short sail, but time seems to stand still when you’re out there. We were lucky enough to sit in the bow. The bay was a little choppy, but not bad. The wind was stiff enough that when we turned, the boat heeled over and you could feel a little excitement. When the sun went down, the waters and wind calmed down and we were able to watch the fireworks that Kemah puts on every Friday. They were beautiful.
The boat is large and has a head (bathroom, for you lubbers). The crew has a medium sized cooler that you can put your stuff in. People brought wine and snacks. The captain and crew member were happy to answer questions and chat, if you wanted. There was music playing softly in the background, but not so loudly that you could tune it out, if you wanted. You are also able to tune out the other people, if you want. Hub and I had a romantic time. I would highly suggest this for a romantic date. HIGHLY.
One note: If you get sea sick, buy some Dramamine and take it about an hour before you get on-​board and/​or bring some ginger. The bay can get rough.

For our 5 year wedding anniversary, I wanted to surprise my husband with something different and I didn’t want to spend too much money. My husband and I love to be outdoors and especially love the water so I began researching the idea of chartering a sailboat for the evening. That is when I came across the Captain Kidd and decided, «why not?». For $ 30 per person, you really can’t go wrong! We pulled into the gas station off of Hwy 146 to get some beer for our sailing adventure and quickly saw the boat right there on the «A» dock. Since we were early, the gate was locked which was no problem for us because it gave us a moment to sit down and have a nice cold Corona at one of the tables. This was an awesome adventure out of the city. Being on the water was so peaceful and the captain had just the right music playing gently in the background. We got to leave the stress behind and just enjoy each others company away from the hustle and bustle of our everyday lives. The staff was great and even took a picture for us! For a great evening out with your loved one, I highly recommend this to others!

The Captain Kidd is a really big sailboat that is a replica of a pirate ship. Open to the public, the ship sails three times a day on weekends. Reservations highly recommended.
I dragged my parents and friends down to ride the Captain Kidd. I was looking for some sort of registration kiosk or something. No no… I should have been looking for a boat in the marina. Park in the lot on sixth street. See the big marina in front of you? Good. March down to the front row of docks and look for a sailboat with rust orange colored sails. Now you’ve found the pirate ship.
Take cash. This is a CASH only operation. No debit or credit card thingie at the boat.
My dad really enjoyed it and wants to go again. When I asked him which boat he wanted to ride in Galveston for Father’s Day, he replied «The sailboat! It was relaxing». My parents were being snuggly. My friends, who are married to each other, were being snuggly. I texted my boyfriend and told him he owed me a sailing day so we could be snuggly. :(I almost gave this four starts but it is not the Captain Kidd’s fault that my bf had to work and study.
Also, alcohol, beverages and snacks are permitted on board but not coolers. They have ice and a big communal cooler on board. I would definitely take water and sunscreen.
Ladies, I highly recommend leaving your purse in the car and just taking your camera with you. That way you don’t have to worry about your purse sliding off into Galveston Bay which is what I almost did.

Tropical Express offers private charters aboard sailboats (aka someone sails the boat and you enjoy the view). Last Valentine’s day, the bf and I chartered out the Flying Pearl, which is a 44″ Morgan Sloop sailboat (see posted pictures or website for more). Being my first time out on a sailboat, the experience was awesome! Something so serene about being out on the water and listening to the wind blowing.
The captain will sail the boat for you and other than that, you can pretty much do whatever else you want… walk around the boat, eat, drink, take pictures, do Titanic poses. The captain will even let you steer the boat for however long you want. We listened to Jimmy Buffet and country music (my fav), but you’re welcome to bring your own playlist. No glass containers, but alcohol is definitely not discouraged. =) Costs: $ 95/​hr + tax + tip, probably ended up spending around $ 240 for two hours.
Overall, great date idea (Valentine’s day coming up!) or even a fun idea for a group (max: 6 passengers). As recommended by our captain, be sure to check out Gilhooley’s for oysters while you’re down in Kemah!