Hornblower Cruises
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| Locale | Most major US waterways including Lower Niagara River (Canada) |
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| Waterway | Near Coastal and Lakes, Bays & Sounds, |
| Transit type | Charter Yachts, Dining Cruises, Ferry Service, Tourist Attractions, Commuter Ferry (beginning in 2017) |
| Owner | Terry MacRae |
| Operator | Hornblower Yachts, Inc. |
| Began operation | 1980 |
Hornblower Cruises & Events is a San Francisco-based charter yacht, dining cruise and ferry service company.
The company began in 1974 in Berkeley, CA with two ships. 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.
Today, Hornblower operates out of eight different ports, including: San Francisco, Berkeley, Sacramento, Marina Del Rey, Long Beach, Newport Beach, San Diego, and Port of New York and New Jersey. The company's entire fleet now includes more than 30 ships.
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Wikipedia