Raise a Glass to Rum Row [PHIL-OSOPHY]
Rum-running was common around New Bedford, in the waters off Martha's Vineyard, Nomansland, Cutty Hunk, Menemsha and Nantucket during Prohibition. The SouthCoast was very much a hotbed for illegal liquor that was transported off ships anchored in international waters. The line of vessels spread out along the coast became known as "Rum Row."
The plan was easy as a breeze. Late at night, "rumrunners" would carry hundreds of cases of bootleg whiskey from the liquor ships and then sped them across the water to places like Nomansland for hiding and New Bedford for distribution. Everyone was equipped with short-wave radios, keeping an eye out for the U.S. Coast Guard. It was also common knowledge that the gangsters running the operation paid off a lot of officials, including the police and politicians. When the speed boats returned to New Bedford harbor, trucks were loaded and hooch was transported to Rhode Island and New York speakeasies.