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Captain Bill Hoey of Grosse Ile, founder of Diamond Jack’s River Tours and the Gaelic Tugboat Company, was born in Ferndale, Michigan. As a youngster he spent summers at his uncle’s cottage in northern Canada, which nurtured his interest in boats. The great old steamboats that plied the Great Lakes captured Hoey’s imagination, and led to his decision to pursue a career in the maritime industry.

In 1961, Hoey was working for the Fuller Marine Towing Co., which was owned by Elmer Dean and Warren Fuller. In 1964, Capt. Fuller retired and sold his business to Hoey. The business grew with the towing of salt and oil barges and with ship assistance — moving the giant Great Lakes freighters into and out of small areas. Success allowed Hoey to purchase more tugs, and at one point he ran a fleet of 14 tugs. Being of Irish/Protestant descent, but also having a good Irish/Catholic friend, Hoey selected orange, green and white as his fleet colors. The smokestacks of Gaelic’s tugs, which traditionally represent the vessel owner, are orange.

With the change in the economy in the late 80’s and early 90’s, Bill planned for the future. Harbor tours worked in other cities and Detroit was ideal for this type of activity. In 1991, he purchased a 65 foot former Arnold Line Mackinac Island ferry, the Diamond Jack, outfitted it as a sightseeing vessel, and launched Diamond Jack’s River Tours. The company’s two hour tours present highlights of the Detroit and Windsor, Ontario, Canada skylines, along with historical anecdotes about both cities. A big bonus of the tours is when a Great Lakes freighter blows her whistle as she glides by the Diamond Jack.

In early 1993, Hoey purchased another Arnold Line ferry, christened the Diamond Belle. This 91 foot mini-ship is now used exclusively for group charters. These charters had become so popular that Bill added yet another Arnold Line vessel to the fleet, the Diamond Queen. Hundreds of corporate parties, wedding receptions, fund-raisers, family reunions, and senior citizen outings have taken place aboard our vessels. Also, longer cruises to Port Huron, Toledo, Sans Souci and Wallaceburg, Ontario are popular destinations of customers chartering the Diamond Queen each summer.

The tour business has become a family venture. Bill’s daughter Patricia Hoey-Carrothers is now President. Patty’s husband, Steve, is a Captain and the Operations Coordinator.

Captain Bill Hoey was committed to sharing his love of the Great Lakes and its lore by offering the public a family-oriented fun and affordable way to enjoy summer on the Detroit River. Although Mr. Hoey died in December, 2013 his legacy lives on in the thrill and excitement of cruising the Detroit River on a Diamond Jack River Tour.