Some trips run on the sky's schedule rather than the clock's. A sunset paddle that leaves at 6:30 PM in October is out in the dark by December, and full moon dates move every month. Instead of re-scheduling these by hand each season, you set the rule once and RentalTide works out the times for every date.
Everything is calculated from your location's map pin and timezone, so a tour leaving from Santa Barbara gets Santa Barbara's sunset.
Time a departure to the sun
In the tour editor, open Departure times. The Leaves at column has a picker on every row:
| Option | What it does |
|---|---|
| At a time | A fixed clock time, the same every day (the usual setting) |
| Before sunset | Leaves a set amount of time before that day's sunset |
| After sunset | Leaves a set amount of time after sunset (a night paddle) |
| Before sunrise | Leaves before sunrise (a dawn trip) |
| After sunrise | Leaves after sunrise |
Type the amount next to it, for example 1h 30m or 90. Enter 0 to leave right at sunset.
Example: "1h 30m before sunset" in Santa Barbara leaves at about 5:15 PM on October 1 and 3:25 PM on December 21.
Rounding
The calculated time is rounded so guests see clean times like 4:45 PM rather than 4:47 PM. Choose 5, 10 or 15 minutes under the table. The setting applies to every sun-timed departure on the tour.
Mixing fixed and sun-timed departures
One tour can have both kinds. A 10:00 AM morning trip and a "1h 30m before sunset" evening trip can sit side by side, each with its own length.
Schedule around the moon
In When it goes out, choose By the moon, then:
- Pick Full moon or New moon.
- Pick which nights to run. The choices go from three nights before the moon to three nights after. For example, choose Night before and Full moon night to run twice each month.
The date of each full moon is taken in your location's timezone. For example, the October 2026 full moon happens at 4:12 AM UTC on October 26, which is the evening of October 25 in California, so that's the date the tour runs.
Season start and end dates and blackout dates still apply, the same as any other schedule.
Full moon sunset paddle: combine both settings. Choose By the moon with Full moon night, and give the tour one departure set to Before sunset. Each month's trip lands on the full moon and leaves at the right time for that evening.
Preview
When a tour uses sun-timed departures or a moon schedule, a Next departures list appears under the departure table. It shows the actual dates and times your settings will create, along with that day's sunset or sunrise time. It updates as you edit, so you can check the times before you save.
When you change the settings
Saving a change to a sun-timed departure or a moon schedule rebuilds your future departures that have no bookings. Departures that already have guests are never moved. Check those on the Schedule tab and move them yourself if you need to.
Troubleshooting
"This location has no map pin": sun times need to know where the tour leaves from. Add the location's full street address in Location Settings. The map pin is set from the address.
No departures show up in the far north or south: near the poles, there are summer days when the sun never sets and winter days when it never rises. Sun-timed departures are skipped on those days.