Brooks Island
An official wildlife sanctuary, Brooks Island was home to local natives for two or three thousand years. Four times the size of Alcatraz, it has been a quarry, a sheep pasture, an orchard, and a shrimp camp. Today it preserves the best examples of some of the original habitats of the Bay—grassland, coastal strand, salt marsh, and intertidal areas.
You will go ashore with naturalists to learn about the plants, birds, and history of this island. Climb to the top of the 163-foot peak for a panoramic view.
Lighthouses of San Francisco Bay
Not only does the Bay have some of the most interesting lighthouses in the country, it also has the greatest density of them on the West Coast. The development of the West Coast began here, depending on water traffic with the East Coast; hence, several of the first lighthouses on the West Coast were built here.
On this cruise, you will see nearly all the historic lighthouses of central San Francisco Bay and learn their individual histories.
Opening Day on the Bay
One of the oldest traditions on the Bay is Opening Day. It is a time for celebrating all the bay means and offers to its boating community and the rest of us. There is a blessing of the fleet in Raccoon Strait and a large parade of ships lead by the San Francisco and Oakland fireboats. The Navy and coast guard and a number of historic ships take place. The yacht club community sponsors a competition for decorated boats based around a theme. Leaving at 9 am from the Berkeley, we will make a circle around the central Bay, passing close to Angel Island, through Raccoon Strait, past Richardson Bay, the Marine headlands, under the Golden Gate bridge, and close along the San Francisco shoreline.