William S. McCoy
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William S. McCoy (died December 30, 1948), also known as Bill McCoy, was an American sea captain and smuggler during the U.S. Prohibition Era.
McCoy was a boatworks and excursion boat owner in Holly Hill. During prohibition in the United States, McCoy became a rum-runner. He bought a knockabout Gloucester schooner, the Arethusa, at auction. The ship was known by several names: the British-registered Tomika or Tomoka, the French-registered Marie Celeste, and the American-registered Arethusa (He often repainted the name on the stern). McCoy armed the ship with machine guns, installed a larger auxiliary, mounted a concealed machine gun on the deck, and refitted the fish pens below to accommodate as much contraband as she could hold. McCoy also had other two ships, hauling mostly Irish and Canadian whiskey as well as other fine liquors and wines.
McCoy smuggled whisky into the country, traveling from Scotland through the Bimini in the Bahamas and Florida Keys up to Ybor City and northern areas from south Florida to Maine, spending most time dealing on "Rum row" off Long Island. When the Coast Guard discovered McCoy, he established the system of anchoring large ships off the coast in international waters and selling liquor to smaller ships that transferred it to the shore. McCoy also smuggled liquor and spirits from the French islands of Saint-Pierre and Miquelon located south of Newfoundland.
On November 15, 1923, McCoy encountered the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Seneca, just inside U.S. territorial waters. A boarding party attempted to board, but McCoy chased them off with the machine gun. The Tomika tried to flee, but the Seneca placed a shell just off the hull, and Bill McCoy's days as a rum-runner were over.
It was common for captains to add water to the bottles to stretch their profits, or to re-label it as better goods. Italian sparkling wines became French champagne; unbranded liquor became top-of-the-line name brands. McCoy became famous for never watering his booze, and selling only real top-quality product. Because of this, Historians place McCoy as the source of the term "The Real McCoy". McCoy also was reputed to be a non-drinker.
