Connecting the waterways — a marriage of necessity

Freeport Water Taxi & Tours

Capt. Rick Cohen

(516) 319-6266

captaincohen@freeportwatertaxi.com

www.freeportwatertaxi.com

For the first time on the South Shore of Nassau County, a water taxi service is has been launched to provide transportation between the Freeport’s Nautical Mile and Point Lookout. Freeport Water Taxi & Tours, a service conceived as an alternative to drinking and driving, is the brainchild of its owner, Rick Cohen, a local charter boat Captain.

Two years ago, while on his boat, My Bonni IV, Cohen watched an endless line of cars pouring onto the Nautical Mile in Freeport. Top notch restaurants, bars and clubs had been attracting more and more traffic. He concluded that the growing amount of cars coming onto the “Mile” meant higher potential for drinking and driving incidents.

Conversely, Capt. Rick was also intimately familiar with Point Lookout — a small, tight-knit community with no street parking. He knew that its residents, more often than not, walk or ride bicycles rather than drive. Point Lookout also boasts fine restaurants, which are often overlooked due to the remoteness of the town. And, this same remoteness often keeps residents from venturing out for an evening elsewhere.

So Capt. Rick decided that linking these two communities via water taxi would be a perfect marriage of necessities. Both Freeport and Point Lookout can now benefit from additional customers without extra cars. People can enjoy easy transportation as well as a nautical experience during a day or evening out.

The water taxi is actually a 44-foot American Yacht that can accommodate 28 passengers and a crew. Guests are welcome to bring pets and/or bicycles, and can sit in the shade under a canopy, or bask in the sun. Caribbean style music is piped in for a “vacation feeling.” Rides can be to a destination — like the half hour trip from Freeport’s Sea Breeze Park to Fisherman’s Catch Restaurant in Point Lookout — or a sightseeing cruise. Always on calm bay waters, the taxi offers views of the beaches, Barrier Islands, and the inland shore.