Local rider, Mark Kasanin reflecting on the Tiburon
Published: June, 2005
By popular demand, we return with Ferry Rider of the Month. This time, long-time Tiburon rider, Mark Kasanin, a prominent admiralty lawyer specializing in maritime issues, who also serves as Chairman of the Water Transit Authority’s Technical Services Committee, ruminates on the twists and turns of his beloved ferry route.
“In the beginning, around the early or mid-1960s, somebody had a fishing party boat called the Blue Horizon, which could accommodate maybe 20 or 25 people at most. A number of Tiburon-Belvedere commuters started to ride it, but it didn’t last very long. Then, there was no bar, but you could stash a bottle on the rack above the counter with your name on it. I don’t remember what the cost of a ride was.
That lasted just a few months. Then the Crowley people (then Red and White) decided to try using one of their tour boats. Eventually, it took two crews and two boats to work it efficiently, which they did. These were monohull boats.”
Full Hands on Deck
“Faster catamarans came in the 80’s. Not everyone was happy about it. Bridge players couldn’t get in their full hands. Wall Street Journal and New York Times readers couldn’t make it through those papers and had to resort to the Chronicle for a summary of what was going on. Egads! But those things were overcome in time. When there would be a delay and backup in boarding, some wag would yell out, “Women and bridge players first!””
Through the Fog
“Ferries didn’t necessarily have radar in the early years and one day the tule fog was very, very thick. The skipper maneuvered close to Alcatraz to get his bearings, and then felt his way over to the San Francisco waterfront. Passengers had to get off at the first pier the vessel found. The Coast Guard Captain of the Port was a commuter, and was on board. He insisted for the future that radar be installed.”
The Ferry is The Place to Be
“The Ark, a local paper, publishes the ferry schedules and many news items about Tiburon or Belvedere that refer to conversations on the ferry There’s one story about a Monday night city council meeting: When a particular agenda item came up, one of the councilmen said, “Well, I haven’t heard of that.” Another responded, “What? Weren’t you on the ferry this morning?””
Distinction for the Cost of a Fare
“It’s a mark of distinction to be on the ferry. Many feel that they are one of a great, very elite group. All you have to do is pay your way, of course. Bob Wayne started the “Fantail Club” and issued cards for those riding the rear deck fantail. Supposedly, the card was good for one free drink on Friday. There is also a code of recognition with a nod when you saw a fellow commuter on the street, even though you might not know their name.”
Independent Transportation
“The Tiburon ferry has never been subsidized. Tom Crowley’s philosophy was, don’t get in bed with the federal government. He always thought that it was better to have independent entrepreneurs running it. Red and White said that the operations, particularly in the early years, lost money. Tom told me once that he kept it going as a family tradition. There is that great picture of Tom Sr. and his brother standing on the Vallejo St. Wharf in 1905 with square riggers in the background. It is said that the company got started by ferrying sailors to and from the vessel anchored in the bay in rowboats.”
Fuel for Thought
“When the first gas turbine ferries were built by the Golden Gate Bridge District they were big time: Gas turbines burning 500 gallons an hour or something of that kind - an incredible amount of fuel - and very big boats carrying a large number of people. But when the fuel crisis hit, it was impossible to run them, and so they had to be re-engined with diesels. Tom Crowley said that he earlier had suggested that he and Golden Gate go in on the joint building program with a different type of boat that was more economical, and they would get the advantages by fleet building, with a good price for both parties. Golden Gate turned him down, he said. Even if it was Tom Crowley’s ferry, I never saw him on his own boats, even when he lived in Belvedere and commuted.”
