DAY 20 San Francisco
At approximately 5am we sailed through the Golden Gate Bridge into San Francisco and calm waters.
There were delays in disembarking due to immigration control, so we waited on our balcony and surveyed the panoramic view of the Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz in the background.
We have been given a few tips on where to go in San Francisco, so when we disembarked, we turned left towards the Ferry Building. Nearly all the other passengers turned right towards Fishermans Wharf. The Ferry Building was a bustling array of shops and restaurants. There was also a Farmers Market that day with all the locals doing their shopping. As we waited for our Ferry we walked around this area and were fascinated by the array of goods on offer. There was even a stall selling organic mushrooms of at least 30 different varieties.
The people were very friendly and offered us samples to taste of the many products that were for sale. This was even better than the Pannier Market in Barnstaple.
Eventually, our Ferry arrived for the short trip to Sausalito which is a picturesque Mediterranean Style Community which looks out to San Francisco.
We passed Aurora and headed across the bay taking in the beautiful views San Francisco.
Sure enough, when we arrived in Sausalito we were not disappointed. There were many tea rooms, art galleries, shops and amazing views of the bay.
We had a coffee and a snack in one of the Tea rooms and continued to explore this beautiful place, which was once a small fishing village. We almost purchased a beautiful bronze turtle and a genuine redwood waterfall feature which was enormous.
We had a thoroughly enjoyable day, and headed to the quay to catch a Ferry to Fishermans Wharf. There were many people on Mountain Bikes catching the Ferry who had cycled over the Golden Gate Bridge. I think we will try that next time.
We catch a different Ferry this time to a different location giving us the opportunity to explore other areas of the city.
We arrived at Pier 39 which is a wooden built complex, where you can view the many sea-lions who have chosen this area as their permanent residence. We then walked to the world famous "Fisherman's Wharf" which is one of San Francisco's premier attractions. It's full of seafood stalls selling a variety of fish and the "Clam Chowder" is one of the favourites. (A round piece of bread cut in half and a type of fish soup is poured into the centre.
It's very much like Blackpool, but more sophisticated. The souvenir shops had the most amazing sculptures for sale. Woe betides anyone entering these stores, as you have a job to get away from the salesman.
Time was running out, so we headed back to the Ship for a nice cup of tea in the cabin. Soon it was time for the sail away party on the aft deck. It was now dusk as we commenced our departure from San Francisco. The city gleamed in the darkness, neon lights flashing, people going about their business as we quietly released the ropes from the quayside. We could hear the noise of the sea-lions as the Champagne flowed and the atmosphere became electric. We sailed away passing under the Golden Gate Bridge for a final farewell to this incredible city.
"Every man should be allowed to
love two cities - his own and San Francisco"
Gene Fowler, Author.
DAY 21 - 24 (at sea)
As we headed south west towards Honolulu, we encountered winds of severe storm force 12 for two days. No one was allowed on deck due to the weather conditions. Not a very good start for the passengers that embarked at San Francisco. We were seasoned sailors, so it didn't bother us too much.
The two passenger's that were allocated seats on our table never turned up, so there were still only four of us at the table. This didn't bother us as Chris and Gill were good company and we always had a laugh with Dave and Patricia on the adjacent table.
After the storm had eased, all the deck activities recommenced and myself and Mary decided to compete in deck shuffleboard. There were 34 people split into teams of two. I was paired with Dave and Mary with John. Surprisingly, me and Mary were in the final, competing against one another.
Yes you guessed it, me and Dave won the star prize of a sponge bag. Needless to say, Mary wasn't very happy and was determined to beat me next time.
We also met Henry and his wife Francis who invited for a meal at the Cafe Bordeaux on Friday 1st February. They were very pleased that we had accepted their invitation and said "you can drink as much as you like".
New entertainers have boarded the ship at San Francisco such as Roy Walker (Catchphrase), Bobby Knutt (Coronation Street, Emmerdale Farm) and Allan Schiller (Classical Concerts) who has performed for the Queen.
On Tuesday night we went to the Playhouse to watch the film "Into the wild" which wasn't bad. Unfortunately, I didn't realise that it had a sad ending so Mary was in tears at the end. When we came out of the cinema in the early hours of the morning there wasn't a sound of anyone about. I think that we were the last to go to bed.
On Wednesday we took the opportunity to have a guided tour of the bridge. It was fascinating as they explained all aspects of the workings of the ship. All the officers looked so young and were extremely amicable. Mary sat in the Captain's chair as we both had a photograph taken with the Captain. Now that we are rubbing shoulders with the Captain we might be on the Captain's table on the next cruise, you never know.
In the evening we went to the Curzon Theatre , and sat next to Ron and Doreen to watch Comedian Bobby Knutt . He was very good and achieved a standing ovation.
Clocks have now been put back 4 hours during this sea crossing and we are now at GMT - 10
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