TripAdvisor Likes Us!

TripAdvisor has awarded Blue & Gold Fleet a Certificate of Excellence for 2013! We’d like to give a BIG THANK YOU to all our guests who supported us and provided valuable feedback to help make us a top San Francisco destination. We continually strive to make each experience with us safe, educational and FUN and are working hard to better ourselves everyday. Thanks!

Tulipmania!

The tulips are in full bloom at PIER 39! These gorgeous flowers are the main attraction for PIER 39′s annual Tulipmania event, which begins tomorrow, February 16. Now, I love flowers and have a real appreciation for their beauty, but I am NO gardener. (My boss asked me to water his plants once while he was away and I managed to drown all but one of them. I thankfully still have my job.) When asked if I wanted to take the Tulipmania tour earlier today, I thought it would be pretty but wasn’t really sure if it was for me, since I am not planning on torturing the plant world by starting up my own garden anytime soon. I was pleasantly surprised! The tulips are beautiful and the care and logic that goes into each arrangement is fascinating. Did you know PIER 39 purchases 39,000 bulbs EACH YEAR?

Come discover the beauty for yourself this weekend. Guided tours with light refreshments begin daily at 10am or just come stroll the PIER at your own pace – there are planters filled with flowers all over!

Visit pier39.com for details.

#ThrowBackThursday – Under Way with the Blue & Gold Fleet!

Just found this little gem in the archives! Blue & Gold Fleet’s very first issue of Under Way. Printed in the Spring of 1987, this newsletter kept folks up to date on the happenings in the  BGF boating world – including the introduction of a luxurious 75ft yacht! (For various reasons, the yacht is no longer a member of our fleet, so don’t get any ideas).

My how times have changed!

Sausalito Art Festival

No joke. GIANT turkey leg.

The Sausalito Art Festival is held each Labor Day weekend on the beautiful Sausalito waterfront. It hosts a variety of live bands, food, drinks, and specialty art from artists all across the U.S. What made this year so special was that the SAF (Sausalito Art Festival) celebrated its 60^thanniversary. That’s right, 60 YEARS. More than double my lifetime. Clearly, they must be doing something right. So to see what all the hype was about, last weekend a group of us decided to catch the Blue & Gold Fleet ferry from SF to the Festival. Super convenient, no one had to drive, and drinks were served onboard. Perfect. Here’s a little recap of our experience. When we arrived at the festival, we were greeted by men waving exceptionally large plastic turkey legs at us. A great way to start any day I think. After the pictures were taken, we moved on to beer, champagne, margaritas…let’s just say we had a BLAST. I even bought art!

Blue & Gold Fleet Ferry! Check the background

One thing that I particularly liked about the SAF, was that each food vendor was run by a different local charity in which all the proceeds made from the food went to. I never thought eating Fish & Chips would make me feel like I did a good deed, but then again life is full of surprises. Live music drifted throughout the festival at all times, making it the perfect setting to peruse the various art booths. When we had our fill, we caught the ferry back to SF, art and souvenir champagne flutes in tow. All in all it was a fantastic day and I would highly recommend it to anyone from all age groups. Be sure to mark your calendars for next Labor Day Weekend, for the 61^st Annual Sausalito Art Festival!

Pelican Rescue

Earlier this morning, this little pelican was found weak and starving on the sidewalk around Pier 41. He was carefully taken and put in a carrier case, where he soon was picked up by animal control. He will be fed and nursed to health before released back into the wild. While once endangered, the pelican population around the Bay has been steadily increasing.  However, it still sometimes proves a challenge for the young ones to find enough food. We hope our new pelican friend gets well soon!

Independence Day on the Bay

It’s that red, white and blue time of the year again! One of the greatest things about America is our freedom, which makes the 4^th of July one of our favorite holidays. We like to get our Blue and Gold fleeters’ as close to the show as possible and along with our ferries out of our pier, this year we have a new departure out of Tiburon! All cruises include a front row view of the fireworks from the water, the only difference is where you want your adventure to start and end.

For those of you who don’t know, or didn’t take much of a liking to your history classes, this holiday celebrates America and our independence from Great Britain. Thanks to Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, and Benjamin Franklin, we have what’s known as the Declaration of Independence, one of the most legendary historical documents in time which currently sits on display in the National Archives in Washington D.C.

So grab your stars and stripes, set sail and celebrate our independence with your friends and family on the water with us -where everything is better!

Happy Birthday America!

{Written by, Kelsey Barnes}

Celebrating Dad

During the summer, we experience a slight dry spell of holidays. We have the obvious 4^th of July – and don’t get me wrong, what’s better than celebrating our wonderful USA with BBQ’s, pool parties, and fireworks (don’t forget to book early for our fireworks cruise!) But other than that, what else really comes to mind?

FATHER’S DAY!

The day when we celebrate the most influential men in our lives, whether it be dads, uncles, grandpas, or good friends. This year, instead of surprising dad with another tie or can of pink golf balls, why not give him the best gift of all – TIME WITH YOU! And even better yet, time with you as you are both zipping around the Bay on RocketBoat, or leisurely sailing underneath the Golden Gate Bridge while sipping nice, cool drinks (I hear the weather this weekend is going to be fantastic!) We even have souvenir photos available for sale as you disembark the boat so you can capture the special moment -and that RocketBoat hairdo – forever.

There’s no better way to say “I love you dad” than by spending quality time with him. So show your dad how much you care by letting him be a kid again at PIER 39. He deserves it!

HAPPY FATHER’S DAY from Blue & Gold Fleet!