Hornblower Cruises & Events is a San Francisco-based charter yacht, dining cruise and ferry service company.
| Locale | Most major US waterways |
|---|---|
| Waterway | Near Coastal and Lakes, Bays & Sounds |
| Transit type | Charter Yachts, Dining Cruises, Ferry Service |
| Operator | Hornblower Yachts, Inc. |
| Began operation | 1980 |
| Owner | Terry MacRae |
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The company began in 1974 in Berkeley, CA. In 1980 the original owner, Ward Proescher, sold the business to Terry MacRae and P. Michael Watson. Proescher later went on to start a competing charter yacht company in the Bay Area, Commodore Cruises.
By acquiring existing charter yacht companies, Hornblower was able to expand into San Diego in 1984, followed by Newport Beach in 1987. Shortly thereafter the company acquired the Marina del Rey-based Marina Cruise Lines.
By 1989 the company operated in Berkeley, San Francisco, San Diego, Newport Beach and Marina del Rey. The corporate headquarters were (and continue to be) located on the historic ferry Santa Rosa, which is moored at Pier 3 in San Francisco.
In 1992 Terry MacRae became the sole owner of Hornblower Yachts, Inc, which was rebranded as Hornblower Cruises & Events to more accurately reflect the products and services offered.
In 1996 Hornblower Marine Services (HMS) was created to fill a need as a consultant to the booming riverboat casino and ferry service operations industry. By 2003, HMS grew to 80 employees, with offices in San Francisco, New London, Boston and Jacksonville. Three year later, HMS had become the leading worldwide provider of high-speed ferry services.
Between 1997 and 2002 Hornblower operated in Lake Tahoe, beginning with the acquisition of Lake Tahoe Cruises Inc. and the vessels Tahoe Queen and Tahoe Princess. Business expanded to include ferry service across Lake Tahoe and land shuttle services between South Lake Tahoe and Squaw Valley Ski Resort. Lake Link ferry service was launched across Lake Tahoe, and was the fastest passenger boat on the lake. In 2002 the Lake Tahoe port was sold.
In 2006 Hornblower won a competitive bid process for the National Park Service concession for ferry service to Alcatraz Island. Under the name Alcatraz Cruises, the company provides ticketing service and transportation to 1.5 million visitors to the island. In 2008 the company introduced the Hornblower Hybrid, the first hybrid ferry in the United States, on the route.
In 2007 the company was awarded a concession from the National Park Service to operate ferries to Liberty Island and Ellis Island, the only public access to the national historic sites in the Port of New York and New Jersey. Under the name Statue Cruises, the company provides ticketing service and transportation for visitors to the Statue of Liberty National Monument and Ellis Island Immigration Museum[1] Boats depart from either Communipaw Terminal, Liberty State Park in Jersey City or Castle Clinton, Battery Park in Lower Manhattan. The affiliated Liberty Water Taxi operates between Liberty State Park and the Battery Park City Ferry Terminal.