Aye, the Sea Be Calling!
Daily immersive pirate experiences in Amelia Island, Florida
Come Aboard the Legendary Flying Dutchman … If Ye Dare!
Setting sail daily from Fernandina Harbor at 9:00, 11:30, 2:00, 4:30 & 7:00 with adult Rum Runner cruises Friday, Saturday & Sunday evenings.
The Dutchman Must Always Have a Captain!
Embark with us on a swashbuckling adventure aboard the legendary Flying Dutchman through one of history’s most notorious pirate strongholds! Perfect for buccaneers of every age, our voyages include lots of interactive, pirate-themed excitement for kids as well as captivating history, spectacular scenery, and glimpses of playful dolphins and wild horses.
And unlike her namesake ghost ship, our 53-foot Flying Dutchman replica boasts plenty of modern amenities — comfortable seating, ample shade for you and your crew, $2 ice-cold bottled water, and clean bathroom facilities. Just be sure ye don’t let your guard down. “The Dutchman,” they say, “must always have a captain!”
The Scuttletbutt: Amelia Island Pirate News & Events
The Legend of the Dutchman
The Flying Dutchman has haunted seafarers’ dream since long before she ever sailed onto the screen in Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean franchise. The oldest recorded version of the Dutchman legend dates from the late 1700s, but it’s likely that sailors had already been sharing stories for centuries of a faintly glowing ghost ship crewed by the damned that appeared in the most violent of storms as a portent of doom for those who saw her.
Since then, the Dutchman has appeared in ships’ logs, literature, opera, visual art (like this 1860s painting by American painter Charles Temple Dix), television, and film with astonishing regularity for more nearly four centuries. Could there be a kernel of truth in the old legend? Of course not…
Amelia Island Pirates on Instagram
The Real Pirate Republic
A hotspot of pirate activity from the 1600s until not long before the Civil War, Amelia Island had numerous advantages — a large deepwater harbor, a strategic location between the Carolinas and the Caribbean, proximity to several lucrative maritime trade routes, and a long history of political instability. In fact, Amelia Island is the only place in the U.S. to have been under eight different flags.
The harbor and island were frequented by the likes of Captain Kidd, Jean and Pierre Laffite, and Blackbeard, who is said to have buried a treasure here that has never been found. In 1817, Amelia Island was actually taken over by a notorious French-born pirate and privateer named Luis Aury. Aury was loosely associated with the newly formed Republic of Mexico and raised its flag over the island, but in truth it was the outlaws who were in charge for a few brief months that fall, when Amelia Island became the fabled “Pirate Republic.”
Ready to Rendezvous?
Sign Ye Crew on For a Voyage
Visit our online booking page to schedule your voyage today! Not a plan ahead pillager? We also offer walk-up reservations until 15 minutes before departure time.
Find the Flying Dutchman
Follow the howls of those damned to sail for eternity under Davy Jones. Or come to Fernandina Harbor Marina at 3 Front St. and look for the Dutchman's tattered sails and bristling cannons.
Cancel Ye Date with Davy Jones
Kid's soccer playoffs or last-minute corporate stategy meeting keep ye from plundering the main? It happens to the bloodthirtiest of us. Outside of 48 hours ye'll get a full refund.