If you noticed a ship gliding swiftly over the water in the latest iteration of the Discovery Channel series “Moonshiners”, you’re not mistaken.
The sailing ship in question is the schooner Argia, stationed in Mystic, and it prominently features in this episode on renowned rum runner Bill McCoy.
Several local individuals also make appearances: Stephen Jones and Robert McKenna, authors who have detailed McCoy’s narrative and worked together to create an Emmy-winning documentary about him; and James Brundage, the curator for the U.S. Coast Guard Museum which is situated at the Coast Guard Academy in New London. The Coast Academy is depicted in the episode as well.
“Moonshiners,” now in its 13th season, revolves around the life stories of individuals engaged in the illegal moonshine trade. This particular episode offers an exploration into historical figures associated with the alcohol industry.
McCoy was a rum runner during Prohibition (which was instituted 1920-33). McCoy sailed liquor from other countries, primarily the Bahamas, to the East Coast of America. He would stay at least three miles offshore, meaning just beyond the government’s jurisdiction. Other boats would then bring the bottles to shore. McCoy was known for not watering down the liquor he sold, hence the phrase “The Real McCoy.”
The TV show’s crew spent a week shooting in southeastern Connecticut in August, including a full day aboard the Argia. When an interview subject or narrator speaks about, for instance, McCoy’s ship or other vessels, the episode shows the Argia as an on-the-water visual example.
Amy Blumberg, captain and general manager of the Argia, said, “I’ve been around this kind of boat my whole life, different traditional ships, and a lot of times you’re part of filming and then it ends up … maybe the tiniest little snatch of the boat is in the finished project. In this, we were really featured, so that was exciting, and the crew was really featured.”
Blumberg said the Argia crew dressed as closely as they could to era-appropriate 1920s shirts and pants. And the TV cameras got all kinds of footage of the ship. They used a drone and, she said, “They got footage away from the ship. They got footage up close. They hung cameras down near the water line as the boat was sailing, and out on the head rig. And they had a camera up aloft.”
They captured close-ups of Captain Erick Jederlinic gazing out toward the horizon, as well as shots of Captain Jack Meyer.
Blumberg said it would have been ideal if the crew could have shot on McCoy’s real ship, Arethusa, but that’s been gone for almost 100 years.
All about McCoy
It makes sense that the TV people got in touch with McKenna and Jones for the episode; they know a lot about McCoy.
McKenna authored an insightful article about McCoy for WoodenBoat magazine. The article delved deep into McCoy’s life and career, focusing primarily on McCoy and his brother Ben’s journey from boat builders to rum runners. This article quickly rose in popularity among the magazine’s readership.
Later, Jones and McKenna collaborated to republish a book titled “The Real McCoy” under the aegis of Mystic-based Flat Hammock Press. This was alongside five other books that recounted tales of rum running during the Prohibition Era. Notably, Jones had also penned a manuscript called “The Actual McCoy.”
The duo did not just limit themselves to books but also ventured into documentaries. Their work, “The Real McCoy,” bagged five Emmy awards.
The “Moonshiners” episode sheds light on one of the critical aspects of their work – the implications and nature of Prohibition.
“Prohibition was just this really weird 13 years that people don’t quite understand. It wasn’t illegal to drink, but it was illegal to manufacture and transport alcohol. McCoy didn’t believe in the law … so he provided ways around it,” remarked McKenna.
McKenna’s filming took place around a week — experience included the Argia but also inside the prestigious Lyman Allyn Art Museum in New London.
McKenna stated the filming process was quite unobtrusive. It generally involved the producer interviewing him. With inconspicuous cameras and hidden microphones around, it felt more like a casual conversation than a formal shoot.
After viewing the final episode, McKenna expressed his satisfaction, commenting, “I thought they did a nice job with it. They compiled a lot of good information. … They were thorough in research — we provided them with substantial information, but they did a considerable amount on their own as well.”
He felt that the way they structured the episode — having two of the modern-day moonshiners who are regulars on the series tell the McCoy narrative and interlacing into those segments McKenna and the other historians talking about the history — was very effective.
k.dorsey@theday.com
To watch:
What: The “Moonshiners” episode “The Real McCoy”
Where: The Discovery Channel
When: 7 p.m. Tuesday
Also: Can be streamed at Discovery+, among other sites, and is available on demand
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