Where Summer Begins
Emily Kopec’s St. Augustine Dream
Photographed by Sarah Rivera | Creative Content by Sarah & Make-up by Rebecca Scales. | Elegance Artistry
Radiant in shades of blue, Emily embodies the effortless elegance of a St. Johns summer aboard the Carolina Blue NauticStar 193SC at The Shipyard, St. Augustine.
Salt Air & Sunshine
Few people understand the magic of a St. Augustine summer quite like Emily Kopec. As co-founder of Gone2Sea Boat Rentals, she's built a business around helping families experience the beauty, freedom, and joy of life on the water.
Ask Emily to describe her perfect summer day, and her answer has little to do with elaborate plans. The day begins with family and the anticipation of what lies ahead. As a mom, she treasures watching her two sons settle into summer's slower pace, making plans with friends, enjoying the freedom of longer days, and spending more time together as a family. Living in St. Augustine, Emily says they are fortunate to be surrounded by so much natural beauty, history, and sunshine. Some of her favorite summer days are spent cruising the Intracoastal Waterway with her husband, George, and their boys, tying up downtown for lunch, strolling the historic streets, or stopping for ice cream before heading back out on the water.
But not every perfect summer day requires a boat. Some of her favorites are the quiet ones spent relaxing by the pool, grilling with family and friends, and simply enjoying time together at home. As the mother of teenagers, she’s learned not to take those moments for granted.
As a business owner, she loves the energy the season brings: the phone ringing with new reservations, talking with guests about the adventures they're planning, and knowing she gets to play a small part in helping families and friends create memories that will last long after summer ends. For Emily, summer is a reminder to slow down, stay present, and appreciate the people and places that make this season of life so meaningful.
Following the Tides
Growing up in Massachusetts, some of Emily's happiest childhood memories were made on the water. There were lake days with relatives, weekends spent near the ocean, and stories from her father, whose love of deep-sea fishing introduced her to the excitement, adventure, and freedom that life on the water could bring. When she met her husband, George, she quickly discovered they shared the same passion. The couple purchased their first boat, a Carver Santego, and from that moment on, they were hooked. Summers were spent at their dock in Warwick, Rhode Island, cruising Narragansett Bay, chasing new adventures, and eventually creating those same memories with their two sons.
When the family moved to Florida in 2019, one of the things they looked forward to most was the opportunity to enjoy boating year-round. But as Emily settled into life in St. Augustine, she noticed that while so many people dreamed of spending a day on the water, it didn't always feel simple or accessible for those who didn't own a boat. This became the spark behind Gone2Sea Boat Rentals. Emily's vision was never simply to rent boats. She wanted to remove the barriers, simplify the process, and make getting out on the water feel welcoming and attainable for locals and visitors alike. Looking back, she says helping others experience the beauty of St. Augustine from the water has become one of the most rewarding parts of building the business.
““Sharing those experiences with other families and visitors is what makes this so meaningful,” she says. “When I look back, I realize this was the right path all along.””
Kelly King Toaston, Dawn Mariotti, Jen Hahn, Emily Kopec, Niki Kemper, and Molly Nwokoma
“As I approach my 50th birthday, my gratitude only grows when reflecting on how my parents fell in love with northern Florida 20 years ago. Their enthusiasm for this region and its authentic Old Florida vibes was truly contagious, leading scores of our relatives to relocate here as well, and eventually my own family. With both of them now gone, I proudly carry the torch through this business to honor their legacy by helping others discover their own connection to this special corner of Florida.” ”
Charting Her Course
Looking at Gone2Sea today, it's easy to see a growing fleet of boats and a successful business. What most people don't see are the countless decisions, challenges, and moments of uncertainty that happened behind the scenes. Emily describes herself as someone who has always been more cautious than adventurous. In many ways, becoming a business owner happened later than she imagined. As her sons grew older, she found herself stepping into a new season of life, one where she was finally able to carve out something that was uniquely her own. It began with a single purchase, a Sun Tracker pontoon boat bought through an online auction. That one boat quickly became a favorite among families, friends, and visitors exploring St. Augustine.
"I think a lot of women hesitate because they feel like they need to have everything figured out before they begin," she says. "My experience has been the opposite. You don't need to see the entire path; you just need the courage to take the first step. The path becomes clearer as you go."
Set against the timeless beauty of St. Augustine’s San Sabastian River, Emily Kopec, Kelly King Toaston, Dawn Mariotti, Jen Hahn, Niki Kemper, and Molly Nwokoma embrace the season aboard the Oceanside Hurricane FunDeck 2260 REF, proving that the best summer memories are made on the water.
Today, she loves the energy that comes with running Gone2Sea. There's the excitement of new bookings, coordinating captained excursions, watching boats head out for the day, and welcoming guests back with windswept hair, sun-kissed smiles, and stories they'll be telling long after vacation ends. Perhaps the biggest surprise has been the confidence she's discovered along the way. Owning a business has taught her she can make difficult decisions, take thoughtful risks, solve problems, and keep moving forward even when the path isn't perfectly clear. That personal growth, she says, is something she may never have discovered otherwise. It's also the advice she shares with women who dream of turning a passion into something more.
The goal has always been to give other families the opportunity to slow down, reconnect, and experience the same joy that boating has brought to their own lives for years. And for Emily, that's what makes every challenge and every new adventure worth it.
She hasn't taken this journey alone. Building Gone2Sea alongside her husband, George, has become one of the most rewarding parts of the experience. Together they've weathered long days, unexpected challenges, and countless decisions, always united by a shared vision.
““Gone2Sea is more than just a business to us,” Emily says.
”It’s part of our life and part of our family’s story.””
The Emily Ann
Emily with her husband and young boys back in Rhode Island on the “Emily Ann”
Drifting into Summer
When guests return after spending a day on the water with Gone2Sea, Emily hopes people leave with sun-kissed smiles, a little more relaxed than when they arrived, and grateful they said yes to the experience. She hopes families remember the freedom that comes with being on the water, the rare opportunity to put away their phones, forget about the never-ending to-do list, and simply be present with the people they love. It's the feeling of the breeze on your face, the shoreline drifting by, laughter echoing across the water, and the realization that, for a few precious hours, nowhere else in the world is calling your name.
"I hope it's the kind of day they talk about long after they've gone home," she says.
She believes there's something almost magical about this corner of Florida. Between the winding waterways, centuries-old live oaks draped in Spanish moss, and the timeless charm of St. Augustine, life seems to move at a different pace. It's a place where visitors quickly feel at home and where residents are reminded, day after day, that extraordinary beauty often exists right outside their front door.
"It feels like being on vacation, even when it's just everyday life," she says. "It's sunshine, being out on the water, time with the people you care about, and that relaxed feeling you only get when you slow down and enjoy where you are." When the boat is tied back to the dock and the salt has washed away, what remains are the moments that mattered. And perhaps that's the greatest adventure of a
Happy Birthday Emily!
“Turning 50 is a wonderful reminder to pause and look around at the life we’ve built here. Somewhere along the way, this community became more than just a beautiful place to live and work, it became home. So much of that is due to the incredible friendships my family and I have made along the journey. Celebrating this milestone has shown me that some of life’s greatest gifts come from stepping outside our comfort zone and saying yes to new people and new experiences.”
-Emily