Monday, September 7, 2009

San Francisco Bay

We couldn't resist the clear blue skies this Labor Day holiday weekend and decided to take our trusty Boston Whaler out on the bay to enjoy the sights of San Francisco and to check up on the progress of the Bay Bridge construction. The bridge was shut down for the long weekend in order to install the detour section and to do a thorough inspection of the existing structure. We put the boat in at the Alameda Marina, but before we could reach it, we got stuck in traffic...

The drawbridge was up in order to let some sailboats pass through...

The U.S. Coast Guard docks several of their
massive boats right across from the launch ramp...

As we made our way through the estuary,
we passed lots of freight containers waiting to be transported...

Scott's Seafood Restaurant is a popular dining spot
along the estuary...

Here we are, almost at the end of the estuary
and the start of the bay...

But first we had to pass by these massive cranes
which are part of the Port of Oakland...




The water was still pretty calm and there were a lot of sailboats out...

Here's a classic view of the San Francisco skyline
and the western span of the Bay Bridge...


The picturesque lighthouse on Yerba Buena Island...

Another shot of the Bay Bridge...

That's the old segment of the Bay Bridge
and the newer span behind it...

Here's the segment of the bridge
that the crews were focusing on this weekend...





Love that curve in the new span...

Here's looking straight up at the new lanes...

This is the steel ibeam that they discovered a crack in...
it may delay opening the bridge as planned on Tuesday morning...

The name of this boat? Appropriately named "Ilean"!

We headed over to AT&T Baseball Park for lunch...

The SFPD water patrol boat...now that would be a cool job to have!

Inside the calm waters of Oyster Point Marina...


We then scouted the shoreline along San Francisco
and checked out all the old piers...

A rather interesting piece of artwork along the waterway...

The old Ferry Building...


The poplular Hornblower...

Oops...the water got a little rough!
The "leaning" Coit Tower...

A speedy tour boat...

One of the ferries heading toward Alcatraz Island...

The SS Jeremiah O'Brien - built and launched during WWII...

San Francisco skyline from another perspective...

Lots of windsurfers were out enjoying the water
near the Golden Gate...
Hope you enjoyed the tour...did you recognize any places?