By Ann Cooke

Imagine flying above the San Francisco waterfront in a winged vehicle smaller than a compact car.
On a beautiful Tuesday morning I did just that with Bodhi Kroll, owner and operator of the San Francisco Hang Gliding Center as my guide.

After less than five minutes of instruction, we took off from the Richmond Marina with me strapped onto my pilot. Whatever trepidation I felt before departure was replaced by overwhelming awe and delight as we soared into blue skies over San Francisco Bay. There was remarkably little engine noise produced by the single propeller located in the rear of the ultralight seacraft and even without the "squawk box" which was off being repaired, we were still able to communicate with one another.

Flying 2,000 feet above the water afforded a 360-degree view of unimaginable beauty. At one point, we were witness to the 78,000-ton Panamanian container vessel NYK Leo as it sailed under the Golden Gate Bridge. Even from our eagle’s perch, this ship looked huge, completely dwarfing all other ships in the bay. Talk about up close and personal. My fears of getting soaked on take-off or landing proved groundless as the pontoon running gear and expert piloting negated any real splash effect. I was as comfortably dry upon returning to dock as I was when departing.

Mr. Kroll and his staff boast a perfect safety record over eighteen years and will not hesitate to postpone in the face of high winds and rainy conditions. Mr. Kroll also offers unpowered high altitude Tandem Hang Gliding from Mt. Tamalpais, the state park located only ten miles north of San Francisco.