ArchivesOctober 2007 ![]() Harvest Festival Comes to San Francisco Ferry Building The Ferry Building Marketplace celebrates its fifth annual Harvest Festival the weekend of October 26th - 28th with a range of events, including organic wine and beer tasting, honey tasting, olive oil tasting, live music, and a barnyard by the bay. The Friday, October 26 organic wine and beer tasting from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. benefits the California Certified Organic Farmers (CCOF), one of the oldest and largest organic certifiers in the country. Throughout the weekend, marketplace merchants will be offering a delightful abundance of special fare, tastings and demonstrations. More... ![]() The Cangarda, a majestic 126-foot yacht built in 1901, will soon be steaming out of Richmond with a new lease on life. The ship is one of only three Edwardian-era steam yachts in the world, and the last one in America. She is currently in the final stages of restoration at Rutherford’s Boat Shop in Richmond Yacht Harbor, which is well known for their work restoring classic yachts as well as their flawless work in marine woodworking, structural and interior work and traditional rigging. More... ![]() The city of Richmond is well known for its rich maritime history. During World War II, over seven hundred war ships were constructed at Kaiser Shipyards, which made it the largest shipbuilding operation in the United States. More... ![]() Paws on the Square Bring your family and furry friends down to Jack London Square for a day of contests, vendor booths, and entertainment to sooth those savage beasts. Hop-A-Long animal rescue shelter will be on hand to provide valuable information on pet adoption and spay and neuter practices. Date: Saturday, October 13 Time: 10AM to 2PM Location: Foot of Broadway More... ![]() From 1898 to 1909, the Wunder Brewing Company was located at Greenwich and Scott Streets in San Francisco. Recently, four native San Franciscans revived the name of the noted brewery for a brewpub located on Ninth Avenue in the vicinity of Golden Gate Park. Their goal is to serve great beer with fantastic food in true San Francisco style. More... Skill, Intelligence, and Training"I was born so long ago that I grew up before the era of gasolene. As a result, I am old-fashioned. I prefer a sail-boat to a motor-boat, and it is my belief that boat-sailing is a finer, more difficult, and sturdier art than running a motor. Gasolene engines are becoming fool-proof, and while it is unfair to say that any fool can run an engine, it is fair to say that almost any one can. Not so, when it comes to sailing a boat. More skill, more intelligence, and a vast deal more training are necessary." --Jack London More... ![]() So smooth, it was like sliding in a drawer. That’s how one local news organization described the delicate process of rolling in a new 6,500-ton segment of the upper deck of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge over Labor Day weekend. The operation also was remarkably fast, with the installation taking a little under three hours, about half the time originally predicted. In fact, nearly every aspect of the complex retrofit-by-replacement just to the east of the Yerba Buena Island Tunnel was so well-orchestrated that Caltrans and the Bay Area Toll Authority (BATA) were able to shave 11 hours off the schedule, and reopen the bridge to traffic at 6 p.m. on Labor Day proper – far ahead of the original deadline of 5 a.m. on Tuesday. More... ![]() The choppy waters and changing currents of the Bay proved challenging for even the most seasoned sailors in last month’s Rolex Big Boat Series. The annual regatta, a San Francisco tradition since 1964, is widely regarded within the sailing community as one of the West Coast’s premier sailing events. Hosted by the St. Francis Yacht Club, it consistently attracts some of the country’s top competitors and fastest boats. More... ![]() Sosolarmarin, a non-profit coalition of San Rafael homeowners interested in purchasing solar energy, will hold its first meeting Monday, October 1, in the Tamalpais Room at the San Rafael Corporate Center. Dana Armanino, the Green Business Coordinator for Marin County, will attend the meeting and be available to answer questions. More... WATERFRONT ACTIVITIES OCTOBER 2007Every 10AM - 4PM - Basic Keelboat 1, Spinnaker Sailing, San Francisco, 415-543-7333, www.spinnaker-sailing.com. Sat/Sun Come and experience the thrill of sailing on the San Francisco Bay with this introductory 12 hour, 2-day course that will familiarize you with all of the fundamental aspects of sailing on the bay. Call for Pricing. More... Q&A: Emergency Needs Prompt Ferry ChangesA new law brings the Vallejo, Alameda/Oakland and Harbor Bay ferries under the aegis of an expanded Water Transit Authority (WTA), now renamed the Water Emergency Transit Authority (WETA). Riders have raised questions about how this change will affect ferry service and what role the new WETA will have. Here, Bay Crossings addresses some of these questions. More... Ferry Saga Slogs OnControversy continues to simmer around the National Park Service’s decision to award the lucrative Alcatraz ferry contract to proudly non-union ferryboat operator Hornblower Cruises. On September 18, players on one side of the issue testified before the House Natural Resource Committee’s Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Public Lands. Notably absent was Terry MacRae, Chief Executive Officer of Hornblower. More... ![]() It’s been nearly a year since TransLink® cards were distributed to loyal Golden Gate Transit and Ferry and AC Transit riders for the card’s "pre-launch" break-in phase. The goal was to have a limited group of riders help work out any kinks in the system. But word spread and others started requesting the card: By July 2007, 5,500 commuters were paying fares with TransLink, taking 4,700 trips a week with the cards. More... ![]() Veteran Bay Area aerial photographer Barrie Rokeach took to the skies several times over Labor Day weekend to capture the various stages of the operation to replace a massive chunk of the Bay Bridge deck (see our story on pages 12 and 13). Based in Berkeley, Rokeach is both a pilot and a photographer, shooting for major commercial clients, book publishers, magazines and the like. More... |