Some evenings the water does all the work for you. This is our run for one of those: no swim, no rush, just the boat pointed west into the open IJ with the sun going down ahead of the bow. Run it in order, time it so you tie up for the sunset, and let the light do the rest.
Gather the crew at the Oosterdok pick-up and drop-off point, tucked in behind the station on the east side. It is a designated op-/afstapplaats (a spot to load people on and off, not to leave the boat), so bring everyone and the cool box aboard here, then cast off and turn west.
Now the good part. Run down the IJ, out past Centraal, and tie up at the Houthavenkade wall dock in the old western timber harbour. This is the golden-hour stop: the water opens up to the west and north-west, there is nothing between you and the light, and it is the moment to crack the picnic, pour something cold, and let the sky go orange while the boat sits still. Aim to be moored here a good half hour before sunset so you are settled when it happens.
When you are ready to stretch your legs, step off for dinner or a cold drink at Restaurant Ferry on the Haparandadam, a short walk round the Houthaven from where you are tied. Then, as the last colour drains out of the sky, cross the IJ north to NDSM and Pllek, whose south-west-facing man-made beach catches the very last of it. Take the crossing seriously (more on that below), but the payoff is the best late-light terras (terrace) on this stretch of water.
Finish gentle and sheltered. Drift east along the north bank to Café de Ceuvel on the Korte Papaverweg for a nightcap on the water as it goes properly dark. If anyone needs a toilet before the ride home, there is a Krul (the classic green Amsterdam street urinal) on the Buiksloterweg nearby. Then it is a short run back across to the Oosterdok where you started, to set the crew ashore where they came aboard. A proper round trip.
A few honest notes. The IJ is open, working water shared with fast ferries and big commercial traffic, so pick your moment, cross square and briskly, keep everyone seated, and put lifejackets on for the open stretches. All the docks here are first come, first served, and the signs on the quay are always the final word over anything we say. Sunset times shift fast through the season, so check the actual time for the day you go and back up your plan by thirty minutes. And whoever is at the helm skips the sunset drink until the lines are tied for the night. Fair winds.