Happy Birthday Salty!

This weekend PIER 39 is celebrating the 22^nd anniversary of their most famous residents – the California Sea Lions! To celebrate, Aquarium of the Bay and the Marine Mammal Center will be hosting free 30-minute educational walking tours from 11am – 4pm, beginning today, Jan. 19 through Sunday, Jan. 22. On the tour you will learn all sorts of fun facts about these playful mammals as you view them up close!

Everyone on the tour will receive special discounts, such as 50% off Aquarium of the Bay Admission where you can experience life under the sea, 10% off in the Marine Mammal Store where you can buy your very own sea lion pal, and 50% off a Blue & Gold Fleet Bay Cruise where you can sail right past the sea lions and out on the Bay!

If this just isn’t enough sea lion fun for you, or if you can’t make it out to the PIER this weekend, visit PIER 39’s brand new Sea Lion Central online! Watch the sea lions play on the brand new webcam and learn all about their history at PIER 39. And be sure to show your commitment to protecting and preserving the habitat of the sea lions by taking PIER 39’s Sea Lion Pledge http://www.pier39.com/SeaLion/sea_lions_pledge.htm. Once you take the pledge, download your free printable certificate and display it proudly!

It’s the Most Wonderful Time on the PIER!

Each year the crew from PIER 39 travel all around the City spreading Holiday cheer! Blue & Gold Fleet, Blazing Saddles, PIER Restaurants, Aquarium of the Bay and Neptunes join PIER 39 in wishing everyone HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

PIER 39 Holiday Hop 2011

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It’s the Most Wonderful Time on the PIER

It’s the most wonderful time on the PIER
With a big lot for parking,
And sea lions barking,
Blue & Gold sails near!
It’s the most wonderful time on the PIER.

It’s the hap-happiest PIER on the Bay
Ride a bus on Grayline
To tour the city taste wine,
on a motorized sleigh!
It’s the hap-happiest PIER on the Bay.

Blazing Saddles rents bikes,
Neptune’s food you will like,
Aquarium has a new show.
Many stores for shopping,
Wipeout will be hopping,
Fog Harbor your taste buds will grow!

It’s the most wonderful time on the PIER
Clam chowder at Boudin,
Biscoff for Caffeine,
You will find it all here!
It’s the most wonderful time
It’s the most wonderful time
It’s the most wonderful time, on the PIER! 

The Holiday Season is Upon Us!

Even though it’s not yet Thanksgiving, it’s hard to ignore the twinkling lights, shimmering garland and red Starbucks cups popping up all over town. So instead of trying to ignore the décor to prep for the day dedicated to being thankful for all we are given before we eat ourselves into a coma, why not take advantage of some of the special holiday offers early! For instance, PIER 39’s Holiday Local Advantage program is in full swing! Local can sign up to receive 50% off their favorite restaurants, shops and attractions at PIER 39 – including our Bay Cruise or Escape from the Rock Cruise http://www.pier39.com/LocalAdvantage/

Or “like” Blue & Gold Fleet on Facebook and enter for a chance to win a 1-night hotel stay at the Holiday Inn Express on Fisherman’s Wharf (including breakfast and FREE parking), and two (2) Premier Passes to enjoy the best attractions at PIER 39. https://www.facebook.com/blueandgoldfleet?sk=app_163032157099207

Now, apart from all the wonderful deals there are so many magical events coming up in the City! It’s impossible for me to go into all of them in depth, but here is a list of all the San Francisco “Tree” Lightings to really get you in the Holiday spirit!

Nov. 17 (TONIGHT!) – Snowflakes on Market
(Annual lighting of the snowflakes on top of the Market Street lamps. It will almost seem like it’s snowing?)
http://www.marketstreetassociation.org/index.php?p=news&newsId=122

Nov. 20 – PIER 39’s Annual Tree Lighting Celebration
(Mickey Mouse & his Disney pals and Santa will be there. Enough said.) http://www.pier39.com/Events/treelighting11.htm

Nov. 25 – Ghirardelli Square’s Annual Tree Lighting Ceremony (Best Chocolate ever. Have you tried their new Pumpkin Spice Caramel Squares? To DIE for.)
http://www.ghirardellisq.com/events/tree-lighting-ceremony/tree-lighting-ceremony

Nov. 25 – Macy’s Great Tree Lighting at Union Square
(Just visiting the website gave me Goosebumps. And the BEST part? You will be surrounded by the finest shopping in San Francisco)
http://social.macys.com/believe/?cm_mmc=VanityUrl-_-believe-_-n-_-n#/events/greattreelightingsf

Happy Hibernation RocketBoat!

It’s November 3. RocketBoat has now been offline for a grand total of 3 days. Already you miss gazing out of your office window and seeing it zoom past in a bright red blur. You miss having at least the OPTION of going onboard for a ride if the day gets too hot. You miss laughing at the passengers that get truly soaked when you just got lightly misted.  And you realize it’s just one less thing to show off to your visiting family and friends. Ok maybe that’s all just me, but seriously RocketBoat is becoming a staple San Francisco attraction and will be missed these next few months!

But instead of seeing this in a negative light, let’s think of it this way – it’s a good opportunity to take advantage of all the fun holiday happenings that will be going on at PIER 39 and around the Bay! It can get a bit cold to ride RocketBoat in the middle of winter anyway.

So stayed tuned for all the holiday updates coming your way and join me in wishing RocketBoat a happy hibernation!

BOO!

Wishing everyone a spooky and safe Halloween!

And the WETA Contract goes to…Blue & Gold Fleet!

Some exciting changes are taking place at Blue & Gold Fleet!

Recently, Blue & Gold Fleet was awarded a five-year contract by the Water Emergency Transportation Authority (WETA) to operate WETA’s San Francisco Bay Ferry services. Besides taking over operations of the Alameda/Oakland, Harbor Bay, and Vallejo Ferries, a new ferry service between South San Francisco and the East Bay will be launched in 2012.

This is a great honor and we are proud to be trusted with this contract. Stay tuned for details regarding the launch of our new services!

Heroes at Sea

Early last week, the Captain and crew running the Vallejo Ferry were confronted with a crises – 3 kayakers were lost and in trouble, needing help quickly. Without thinking twice, they took on the search and rescue mission. Here is their story.

On Tuesday, September 13 at 1650 the MV VALLEJO was down-bound off Angel Island when Captain Chuck Elles received a call from VTS to be on the lookout for 3 Kayakers in distress. Captain Burke Beardsley who was up-bound on the SOLANO advised that he had seen some kayakers with a sailboat nearby in the vicinity of North Channel #4. Captain Elles on the VALLEJO called all hands to the wheelhouse to perform a visual search for the kayakers while he proceeded to North Channel #4. The Crew on the Vallejo consisted of Lead Deckhand Rusty Westgate, Deckhand Pete Barnhart, and Deckhand James Mosing.

The kayakers were spotted and, once on-scene, Captain Elles found that two of the three were swamped and in the water. Conditions at the time were West winds at 20 kts with moderate wind waves. Bartender Ross Clark was assigned to radio watch in the wheelhouse while Captain Elles maneuvered the boat from the bridge wing. The crew prepared to bring the kayakers onboard using the Jasons Cradle (a flexible ladder-like device for bringing a man overboard safely up from the water to the main deck of the ferry). The crew deployed the Cradle and had both of the two swamped kayakers out of the water within a few minutes. Police and Sheriffs boats arrived soon after and picked up the remaining kayaker and swamped kayaks.

Captain Elles called VTS to arrange shore side medical response, and proceeded at full speed to the SF Ferry Building. The crew provided first aid for hypothermia for the kayakers, who had been in the water for approximately 15 minutes prior to the VALLEJOs arrival. At the SF Ferry Building, the kayakers were transferred to the care of EMS and the VALLEJO continued afternoon commuter service.

At the same time that day, Captain Chris San Miguel on the MV MARE ISLAND, and his crew (Purcy Ferrell, George Shelhorn, Anthony Cote) were attending to a passenger who was having difficulty breathing. The crew administered First Aid/Oxygen and returned to dock in Vallejo where the passenger was turned over to EMS.

A busy afternoon for the Vallejo Ferry…

The quick response by the Vallejo crew helped save the kayakers’ lives. To all those involved in the rescue, you are true heroes!

Thanks also to Peter Belden, the Vallejo Baylink Ferry Operations Manager, for reporting on this inspiring story!

Sea Lions at PIER 39

Blue & Gold Fleet sails past them multiple times a day. They are loud, smelly but still adorable. PIER 39 has been their most popular home for over 20 years now. What am I talking about? Our funny and friendly California Sea Lions!

They are the PIER’s most popular attraction (besides Blue & Gold Fleet Cruises OF COURSE). They lounge, play and swim right around K-Dock towards the back of PIER 39. You can view them up close and experience for yourself all the different personalities these little- or big! – guys have. That’s right, I said personalities! Each one is very unique. Some enjoy just laying out, warming and bronzing their skin – those are the ones I get along with the best.  Others spend time splashing around in the water, barking and showing off for the crowd – now that I think about it, I suppose I can relate to them too…While others act like they own the joint, flopping around from dock to dock, paying no regards to the sea lions sunning beneath them as they barge through.

But these sea lions haven’t always called PIER 39 home. Before they took over the PIER in 1989, their usual hangout was Seal Rock, near Ocean Beach in San Francisco. The Loma Prieta earthquake is one theory as to why the sea lions made this transition; others believe they feel a better sense of security on the sheltered PIER 39 docks. Or maybe they just saw how much fun everyone was having and wanted to join in. Regardless the reason, we couldn’t be happier with their decision!

When the sea lions moved, they decided K-Dock – which was conveniently unoccupied at the time due to refurbishing- was the perfect spot. When the boat captains came back to once again use the docks for their intended purpose, the apparently stubborn sea lions were already quite comfortable and refused to move. Hence began Operation Sea Lion Takeover and K-Dock expansion! At one high point, there were approximately 1,100 Sea Lions crowding K-Dock. A great sight to see, not so great to smell.

Nonetheless, we love our sea lion friends and hope they continue to consider PIER 39 their home for many more years to come!

PIER 39 also has a new app available for FREE to download on iTunes, where you can actually turn yourself into a sea lion! Check out Sarah the friendly Sea Lion:

Happy Hour on the Bay!

It’s 3pm. Only a couple hours to go before the workday is over, yet it feels never-ending. You’re at the office, either melting from the heat or freezing in your over-air conditioned office, because if it’s hot outside it must mean that the thermostat should be set to freezing to balance it out. You’re tired of your boss’s constant demands, or maybe you are the boss and are tired of your whiny subordinates.  Regardless, YOU NEED A DRINK. But from where?

Blue & Gold Fleet has the perfect, NEW solution for your Happy Hour needs with our Happy Hour on the Bay Cruise!  Apart from the obvious beautiful views of the city, drinks are cheap and strong and tasty snacks are provided. I sampled the $4.00 specialty drinks myself, and I must say I left the boat quite happy that day. The first drink is even on us!  But onboard our cruise, you won’t need to buy 5 drinks to feel the ground beneath your feet swaying. We encourage larger groups as well, so gather your favorite friends and co-workers and feel your cares get lost at sea.

But really, why Happy Hour on the Bay? Because it’s just better on a boat.

Gloomy Days on the Bay

Gloomy skies are lingering over the Bay, and the forecast predicts another rainy weekend. While the first thought that comes to mind during rainy days may not be, “Hey, let’s go for a boat ride!” I have a few reasons why this could actually be a great idea.

1. Take the ferry to avoid rainy day traffic. Let’s face it, people in California are not the best drivers in inclement weather – probably due to our usual overabundance of sunshine. So if you must travel, avoid traffic and a potential accident by sailing the friendly seas instead.
2. Or pack a picnic lunch and hop aboard a ferry (any ferry!) and enjoy the incredible views that can only be seen from a boat while you dine on your favorite treats. You don’t even have to get off the boat, you can just ride around for a while!  Better yet, invite a few friends to join you and make it a party.
3. All of our boats have a full bar, meaning you can put on a nice warm coat of alcohol or sip a steaming hot chocolate while ferrying to your destination.
4. Gloomy weather adds to the mysterious ambiance of Alcatraz Island. But instead of venturing out onto the island in the cold and rainy weather, view the island up close and hear the inmates chilling stories from onboard our cozy, warm boat on our Escape from the Rock Cruise.

So you don’t have to wait for the sunshine to take advantage of all the great things Blue & Gold Fleet has to offer! We are pretty awesome rain or shine.