McCoy then began to smuggle whisky into the U.S., traveling from Nassau and Bimini in the Bahamas to the east coast of the United States, spending most time dealing on "Rum Row" off New Jersey. After a few successful trips smuggling liquor off the coast of the United States, Bill McCoy had enough money to buy the schooner "Arethusa". Placing the schooner under British registry to avoid being US jurisdiction, Bill renamed the vessel "Tomoka" (after the river that runs through his hometown Holly Hill).