Baldwin native Emily Bess launches female-operated charter business in Freeport

During the school year, Emily Bess, a Baldwin native, teaches high school English in Queens.

But as summer arrives, she trades her classroom for the open water, assuming the roles of captain and tour guide, showcasing what the South Shore has to offer aboard the Freeport-based Siren Song Charters, a female owned and operated business ran by Bess herself.

It all began with Bess’s earliest memories, spent aboard her father Rick Cohen’s boat as he operated the Freeport Water Taxi in Freeport, a cruise company he founded that offers boat tours and shuttle service to and from Freeport and Point Lookout. It has been in business since 2012.

Two years later, Bess received her United States Coast Guard captain’s license and took over piloting the water taxi service herself. Her license marked the third generation of her family to obtain that credential.

“I grew up around boats,” she said. “I’m a third-generation Long Island boater. My father is a captain; my grandfather passed when I was little and was a Long Island fisherman.

“This is kind of what I’ve always known, but it’s kind of atypical for girls to be boat captains,” she added.

As she began to learn how to operate a boat, she also learned the business element of the operation through her father.

A decade later, first operating last month, Bess is blending her passion, expertise, and teaching abilities to foster a family-friendly atmosphere in her charter business, with activities ranging from bird-watching tours, sunset viewing and sharing the history of the South Shore.

“I’m looking for more kid-friendly activities,” she said. “Like teacher moments, as opposed to going out and doing fishing charters.”

Like launching any business, there were some challenges, she said. She recognizes that her lack of fishing is one challenge she faced when launching her business last month. The other? Being a female in the industry.

“I can’t say for sure, but I believe I’m the only female boat captain out on the Nautical Mile,” Bess said of the famous attraction in Freeport. “There’s been a bit of a challenge just getting my name out there and showing people that I am a confident boat captain as a female.”

Tours begin at the Nautical Mile and travel to Jones Beach, Point Lookout, and Long Beach.

Despite some minor challenges, she had her father’s support for her business. He accompanied her to acquire her boat on the Facebook Marketplace. The two drove out to Maryland by boat to find the “perfect boat for me.”

“I want to just get my name out,” she said when asked about her goal. “Someone who is a reliable person that gives really good tours. I want to get families out and enjoy the water, which isn’t always accessible to people because not everyone has a boat.

I want to show off what the South Shore of Long Island has to offer,” she added.

For more information on how to schedule a tour, visit SirenSongFreeport.com.