A private Key West Celebration of Life — a dignified ash spreading memorial charter with a caring local captain.

A private, 3-hour Celebration of Life charter aboard the Six Fins 30-foot Jeanneau. Your family has the boat, and a caring USCG-licensed captain helps you plan and hold the ceremony — readings, music, the scattering itself, and a quiet time together afterward.

We motor out to calm, EPA-compliant water beyond the required distance from shore, cut the engines for the moment, and give your family the space and time to do it right.

Fully private. The boat is reserved for your family only — no strangers, no shared deck, no schedule pressure.

Some Key West outfits offer "attended" scatterings where a captain performs the ceremony without the family, or shared ceremonies with multiple families on one boat. That is not what we do. Every Six Fins ash spreading charter is one family, one boat, one day.

Both. Once you book, Captain Nate calls you to talk through the ceremony — the order of things, readings, music, whether you'd like the captain to say a few words or stay quietly in the background, the container the ashes are in, and any guests we should be aware of.

Many families have never planned a scattering before, and that's fine. We've done this many times, and we're happy to walk you through options for readings, music, timing, and even the little practical questions (how to time the wind, how to release flowers so they float rather than blow back, whether to say something before or after).

The private Ash Spreading Memorial Charter is 3 hours and $995 flat for the whole boat, up to 6 guests. Pricing is per boat, not per person. A 7th guest adds $150 and an 8th adds $300 as a bareboat add-on, with the captain hired separately at $65/charter-hour and fuel at $35/charter-hour.

The base charter includes the USCG-licensed captain, fuel, all safety gear, cooler with ice, bottled water, sound system, and the advance planning call. Gratuity is not included.

The captain chooses the exact spot based on wind, current, and where the water is calm on your day — always at least 3 nautical miles from shore, in EPA-compliant water, and well outside marked swim zones and channels.

Some families want a specific view (Key West skyline, the reef, the sunset side) and some just want calm water and quiet. Both work — tell us in the planning call and we'll route accordingly.

Most families choose late afternoon into sunset for the light, or early morning for the calm. Both are beautiful. Midday works too and often has the flattest water.

If the day itself has meaning — a birthday, anniversary, or a favorite time of day for them — tell us in the planning call and we'll build the departure time around it.

The ashes (a biodegradable urn or water-scattering pouch is easiest, but the funeral-home container is fine — we can guide you), and anything personal that helps you honor them: photos, readings, music (a phone with a playlist works with our sound system), or biodegradable flowers.

Practical items: layered clothing (breezy at sea even on warm days), sunglasses, sun protection, closed-toe shoes if preferred. We provide the cooler with water and ice, safety gear, and everything else.

Yes, and we handle them. The EPA requires burials at sea (including cremated remains) to take place at least 3 nautical miles from shore. Biodegradable materials — flowers, biodegradable urns, natural fibers — are allowed. Non-biodegradable items (plastic, glass, metal) are not.

We file the standard Burial-at-Sea notification with the EPA within 30 days of the scattering, as required. If your family would like a copy of the notification for records, just ask.

Yes. The Jeanneau NC 895 is a 30-foot cabin cruiser with shaded seating, a private enclosed head, wide stable decks, and easy dock access. Guests with mobility limits, seasickness concerns, or small children are welcome — just mention it in the planning call so we can prepare.

The captain will run at a gentle pace both ways, and we can idle in calm harbor water for the ceremony instead of running further out if that's better for your family.

If Six Fins or the captain determines conditions are unsafe, we call by 8 AM the day of the charter and reschedule at no cost. Wind, lightning, sea state, and safety all matter, and no memorial should feel rushed or nervous.

If the charter can run safely but the offshore route is not ideal that day, the captain may choose a nearer calm-water spot and still give your family a dignified ceremony — always at the EPA-required distance from shore.