• 1-Hour narrated cruise of the Bay,
• Cruise directly under the Golden Gate Bridge,
• Sail around "The Rock", the infamous island of Alcatraz.
San Francisco Bay - the center of our universe, that magnificent, shimmering, green body of water that is responsible for our
climate, the sculpting of our land, the building of our great bridges - is breathtaking to behold, but awesome to experience.
The one-hour Bay Cruise lets you feel the wind and salt spray, hear the foghorns, and cruise directly under the Golden Gate
Bridge and around the infamous island of Alcatraz.
Cruising from Fisherman's Wharf, you first sail past the 312-ft. U.S.S Pampanito, a World War II submarine that participated
in many of the great battles in the Pacific. Tied up astern of the submarine is the S.S. Jeremiah O'Brien, a WWII Liberty Ship
built across the Bay in Richmond. The O'Brien carried troops and supplies to Normandy and is the last operating and seaworthy
Liberty Ship. As your vessel turns northward and heads toward the Golden Gate Bridge, you will see a diverse fleet of historic
ships tied up at the Hyde Street Pier and the National Maritime Historic Park. Overlooking the park is Ghirardelli Square a
retail shopping complex and former chocolate factory.
Jutting out into the Bay are the piers of Fort Mason, the embarkation point for troops heading to the South Pacific in WWII.
Just past the piers is the Marina District, a residential neighborhood that was severely damaged in the 1989 earthquake. The
Palace of Fine Arts, located on the edge of the Marina, is the only remaining building from the Columbia Pacific-Exposition
of 1915. The Presidio of San Francisco, Crissy Field, and Fort Point are located at the entrance of the Bay, and all are former
military installations that are now a part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area.
You will cruise directly under the Golden Gate Bridge out into the Pacific Ocean and then back into the Bay. The bridge was
completed in 1937 and was the longest suspension span in the world until the completion of the Verrazano Narrows Bridge across
New York Harbor in 1964. Today the longest suspension bridge is the Akashi Kaikyo Bridge in Japan, which opened in 1998.
The orange-vermilion-colored bridge, officially "International Orange", is 1.7 miles long, and the length of the main span is 4,200
feet. To build this San Francisco icon, 83,000 tons of steel and 389,000 cubic yards of concrete were used in its construction.
In the center of the Bay sits the infamous island of Alcatraz. The former federal penitentiary housed the most notorious criminals
in American history. Robert “The Birdman” Stroud, Al Capone, “Machine Gun” Kelly all called Alcatraz home. The prison closed in
1963 and is now a national monument. There are daily tours of the island and cellblock.
Before returning to Fisherman's Wharf, you will cruise along the northern waterfront past Coit Tower, a monument to firemen
that is shaped to resemble a fire nozzle, and the cruise ship terminal at Pier 35.
The barking noise you will hear at the end of the tour is from the Pier 39 sea lions. Arriving in the Bay after the 1989
earthquake, they took over K dock at Pier 39, a shopping and dining complex, and now call it home.
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Add a one-hour cruise to your tour and enjoy some of the most beautiful
sightseeing in the world and a great value!