Hornblower Cruises

Hornblower Cruises & Events
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Transit type	Charter Yachts, Dining Cruises, Ferry Service
Began operation	1980
Owner	Terry MacRae
Operator	Hornblower Yachts, Inc.

Hornblower Cruises & Events is a San Francisco-based charter yacht, dining cruise and ferry service company.

History

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.

Lake Tahoe Cruises

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.

Alcatraz Cruises

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.

Statue Cruises

In 2007 the company was awared 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 MuseumBoats depart from either Communipaw Terminal, Liberty State Park in Jersey City or Castle Clinton, Battery Park in Lower Manhattan. The afliated Liberty Water Taxi operates between Liberty State Park and the Battery Park City Ferry Terminal.

Notable Yachts

The M/V Zumbrota, built for circus magnate Charles Ringling and named for the then-largest elephant in captivity, was acquired to serve guests in San Diego. It is now based in Marina del Rey.
The M/V Wild Goose, formerly John Wayne’s private yacht, joined the fleet in 1995. The vintage 1942 restored minesweeper continues to operate in Newport Beach.
The ferryboat Santa Rosa, which ferried passengers between San Francisco and the East Bay, now serves at the company’s corporate office.
The M/V San Francisco Belle, a paddlewheel style vessel, joined the fleet in 2001. The Belle, with a capacity of 2,200 is the largest dining yacht on the West Coast.
The Hornblower Hybrid, the first hybrid ferry in the United States, was completed in 2008 and serves visitors to Alcatraz Island and Angel Island in San Francisco Bay.

References

1. Ramirez, Anthony (2007-06-29). [Circle Line Loses Pact for Ferries to Liberty Island http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/29/nyregion/29ferry.html?pagewanted=print]. New York Times. Retrieved 2009-11-03.
2. Nolte, Carl (2005-09-28). [Hornblower Yachts picked to operate ferries to Alcatraz http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2005/09/28/BAGGLEV1UN1.DTL&feed=rss.bayarea]. San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 2009-11-03.
3. Duxbury, Sarah (2009-10-16). [Hornblower’s landmark cruises power expansion http://sanfrancisco.bizjournals.com/sanfrancisco/stories/2009/10/19/focus10.html]. San Francisco Business Times. Retrieved 2009-11-03.

External links

Hornblower official website http://www.hornblower.com
Alcatraz Cruises official website http://alcatrazcruises.com
Statue Cruises official website http://statuecruises.com
Hornblower Marine Services official website http://hornblowermarine.com