New boating company launches private events, charters on Great South Bay

In the Prohibition era, many vessels were used to smuggle alcohol from overseas to the United States. A sign of the times, one of those rumrunners was nicknamed the Running Wild.

Today, it's the namesake of a 52-foot renovated yacht owned by Shoreline Trading Company, a new cruising business that will encourage locals to legally booze and cruise along the Great South Bay.

“We wanted to pay homage to the past,” Fire Island Ferries Inc. vice president Brendan Mooney said of the name.

Bay Shore-based Shoreline Trading Company is the joint partnership of Fire Island Ferries Inc. and Anthony Tartaglia of Coastal Kitchen & Daiquiri Bar in Bay Shore. The 40-passenger boat will offer daytime, nighttime and sunset excursions with various cocktails, beer and wine options, as well as light snacks and cold appetizers for travelers.

“We do the food and beverage side of things, do the nautical, coastguard side of things,” Bay Shore resident Tartaglia said.

The vessel, constructed by the Scarano Boat Building company in Albany, N.Y., was transported to Long Island after the Shoreline team purchased it in Philadelphia in March 2021 and sailed it home on a daylong trip, Tartaglia said.

Mooney said the charter service has been in the works for several years. This summer served as the perfect opportunity to launch the program, he said.

“I think people are eager to get out on the water after a difficult year,” Mooney said. “There’s nothing that’s so intimate like this on the bay. I think many people aren’t comfortable in a large crowd, so this offers them to host a small gathering of friends and family with more control.”

The recently renovated ship will depart from the Bay Shore Marina on South Clinton Avenue, but individuals can be picked up and dropped off at any location along the bay, Tartaglia said. The vessel’s first maiden voyage took place in mid-May.

Private events and charters range in price from $1,300 for a Monday-Thursday daytime or brunch sailing, or up to $2,500 for a weekend sunset outing. All bookings come with two certified deckhands and a captain.

Bayside travelers also have plenty of light snacks and cold appetizer options, including crudite platters, heroes, fruit platters and more. While full meal capabilities are not currently offered, the business hopes to expand its onboard kitchen and develop a full menu in the future, Tartaglia said.

“The main focus here, right now, is the Great South Bay, the scenery, and the craft cocktails,” Tartaglia said.

“We envision this as expanding to something suitable for larger events, like full-scale events like weddings, in the future,” he said.

Mooney also said he foresees Shoreline expanding to host events like weddings or galas down the line.

The business wants to utilize local aquaculture as an attraction, too, Tartaglia said: the team is working to offer tours of local oyster farming sites on the bay, which could make room for an on-boat info session from local oyster farmers and oyster shucking for guests.
For more information on the new business or to book a session, go online and visit www.shorelineli.com or check Instagram @shorelinetradingcompany.