A new and rather large arrival in the Oakland Estuary is the World War II carrier, the Midway. Actually, she was built during World War II, but the surrender was signed before she saw active duty. Word has it that she is undergoing cleanup after being held in the Reserve Fleet and is headed to San Diego as a museum ship.

An official of Golden Gate Ferries was quoted in the San Francisco Chronicle on October 16 saying the two Spaulding Class ferries were equipped with the "most modern braking system on the market."

Bay Crossings received numerous calls that the steel-electric ferry Fresno that served on the Bay until after the opening of the bridges is no longer half sunk at Richmond. Apparently a group is working to preserve this vessel.

Vallejo plans to begin dredging near the ferry terminal in late October continuing until mid-November. Some minor delays are expected.

San Francisco Gates "B" and "E" (Vallejo and Alameda-Oakland/Harbor Bay) are now locked with a timer system for liability reasons. GATE B is open Mon-Fri 06:15-09:15 and 15:15-19:30. GATE E is open Mon-Fri 06:15-09:00 and 16:00-19:30. For other times, the ferry crew can set a timer to keep the gates unlocked for a maximum of 15 minutes.

Construction is underway on the new ferry in Anacortes, Washington. Delivery is planned for April 16, 2004. Interestingly enough, the operating funds for a new, three-boat schedule are reportedly dependent upon the voters raising bridge tolls to $3.

Golden Gate Transit is offering a 1989 suburban bus for sale on Ebay. Ordinarily, Golden Gate sells its retired buses through a sealed bid process. In this case, they are evaluating the Ebay alternative. The first auction did not go well, as none of the ten bidders reached the reserve price. Golden Gate re-listed the bus and after 15 bids and a $6,000 offer, the reserve was still not met.

Friends of the Kalakla Remember Gil Reel

Monday, October 20, 2003 - The Kalakala’s guardian angel of Kodiak passed away this week. Gil Reel, the caretaker who refused to leave the Kalakala when she was abandoned by her owners in Kodiak, died in Seattle. A veteran of World War II, Gil flew eighty-seven combat missions as a B-24 flight engineer before being shot down behind enemy lines. He survived two months in enemy territory, walking eight hundred miles to safety. Gil was on the Kalakala ‘s final run as a ferry in 1967. In 1971, he signed on to work on the Kalakala after she became a cannery. Gil stayed with the boat and maintained her for twenty-seven years, well into his eighties. Every time the City of Kodiak wanted to scrap the vessel, he was steadfast —always believing that someone would come to save her. Gil formed a lasting friendship with Kalakala rescuer, Peter Bevis, and he will be fondly remembered by all who knew him.

(Reprinted with permission from the Kalakala Foundation website.)

The bankruptcy judge approved the sale of the Kalakala, the famous Seattle streamlined ferry, to a Puget Sound native, Mr. Steven Rodriguez. He has promised to restore the famous vessel as a waterfront attraction, providing retail space, a theatre, and a restored "Double Horseshoe Café." The judge also rejected the bid of San Francisco developer Charles Medlin, who was the original high bidder, on the grounds that the auction house found him in default, after posting a $25,000 down payment.

Alameda-Oakland and Harbor Bay are both raising their rates $0.25, effective October 27. One-way adult increases to$5.25, 10-ticket book goes to $42.50, and the 20-ticket book increases to $75.

Golden Gate Ferries will change on November 3 certain runs by five minutes. The 10:15am, 12:05pm, 1:50pm and 3:05pm departures from San Francisco move up five minutes and arrive Larkspur five minutes earlier. The 12:55 pm Larkspur departure will now leave at 12:50 and arrives San Francisco five minutes earlier.

Keep us posted about arrivals and departures at bw@baycrossings.com.