Bill McCoy on the Arethusa
Have you ever wondered where the phrase “The Real McCoy” comes from? It’s associated with Bill McCoy, who was indisputably the best rumrunner of all time. He and his brother Ben were talented seamen and yacht builders. One of the unintended consequences of Prohibition is that men who normally made a living legally, like Bill McCoy, found running booze so profitable that they would’ve been dumb not to try their hand. Money, lots of it, could be made and why would two bright, talented young men pass up that opportunity? They didn’t, and became legends in their own time.
Bill and Ben owned the Arethusa, a 127-foot 157-ton fishing schooner. After a modification or two, she was the fastest sailing ship on the Atlantic seaboard, capable of carrying 6,000 cases of illegal alcohol.
The Arethusa
Bill and Ben McCoy, however, didn't stop there. They invented the Rum Row method of smuggling—going back and forth from the 12-mile limit offshore where booze was legal and then making landfall at a series of deliveries along the coast. Martha’s Vineyard was one of those stops. Rum Row, in turn, became a party circuit, a virtual regatta where fancy folks could go to gamble, drink, listen to jazz, and even dance. High-end ladies of the night were known to ply these same venues. These offshore speakeasies often had as many as one hundred yachts in attendance.
Bill McCoy was also known for his taste and procurement of fine rum. If you bought rum from him, you could be assured that it was top drawer, the finest money could buy. It was, as the saying now goes, the Real McCoy.
Bill really did not believe he was doing anything illegal and, like many others, felt Prohibition was for other people. He successfully outwitted the Coast Guard for most of his career, but eventually was captured after a fierce gun battle, the authorities shelling his vessel as he returned fire with a gatling gun mounted on the bow.
Bill’s Wanted poster
His prison sentence was short, only nine months, and much of it he was allowed to wander around and even go to see prize fights. What an extraordinary time. I like to think of the Real McCoy as part of his legacy but, in all probability, it was a phrase used as early as 1909. Nevertheless, Bill McCoy will always be larger than life and a signature character in the history of the roaring 20’s.
- Bird Jones
References:
https://www.tpt.org/real-mccoy/video/the-real-mccoy-uban3s/
https://monmouthtimeline.org/timeline/end-of-the-line-for-bill-mccoy-king-of-the-rum-runners/