Our passage from Astoria, Oregon to San Francisco lasted 4 days . On the morning of day 4, we arrived in San Francisco Bay with little wind, calm seas , and a beautiful partly cloudy sky.
We motored to our destination at Pier 39 Marina where we would stay for several weeks. Not only did we want to experience the beauty of San Francisco, but Giorgio would get his sore hand and knee checked out by some recommended doctors. We felt lucky to find an open spot in Pier 39, right in the heart of the San Francisco shoreline. This was the perfect place for us to visit the city. We were centrally located so we were able to access all parts of the city that interested us.
So… we are always wondering what will be the next problem to solve on the boat. Voilà! Just as we were docking in Pier 39, our stern thruster batteries died while working against a strong current. Over the course of the next several weeks we would be plagued with finding replacement batteries that would fit in their compartment, in addition to dealing with having chosen the wrong person to help us. Not only did Giorgio end up finding the new batteries, we had to drive an hour south to go get them and then had to carry them to the boat. Each one weighed over 100 pounds!
Landmarks Around the City
We spent most of our days simply enjoying the city by walking, and hopping on buses and trams.
San Francisco is known for its steep hills and eclectic architecture, as well as its cool summers, fog and landmarks including the Golden Gate Bridge, cable cars, sea lions, and landmarks such as Coit Tower, and Chinatown. We visited the Legion of Honor museum and thoroughly enjoyed the Guo Pei: Couture Fantasy exhibit. We also saw the exhibit “Ramses the Great and the Gold of the Pharaohs” at the de Young museum, and enjoyed “Diego Rivera’s America” at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.
Chinatown
The vibrant and colorful streets of San Francisco’s Chinatown became one of our favorite places to visit, especially since we love good Chinese food!
The vibrant colors of Chinatown
and… unforgettable Dim Sum!
The Leaning Tower of Soma
The Famous and Colorful Castro District
If you are, or feel to be different and not accepted… go to San Francisco.
Artistic dancing and art exhibits…
The highlight of our trip was a visit from Marco and Bekah!
The Waterfront
San Francisco was founded in 1776 by colonists from Spain, and was named for Francis of Assisi. The town grew rapidly during the California Gold Rush, and after the 1906 earthquake and fire it was quickly rebuilt. In World War II, it was a major port of embarkation for naval service members. Today it is global center of economic activity and the arts and sciences, driven by leading universities, high-tech, healthcare and the professional services sector. San Francisco has approximately 6.7 million residents.
Sea lions love to lounge along the waterfront wherever they are able, especially at Pier 39! The Bay is full of fish!
We also visited several ships and maritime museums including the 1886 square rigger Balclutha, the 1907 steam tug Hercules, the1895 schooner C. A. Thayer, the WW II USS Pampanito submarine, WWII Jeremian O’Brian, and the WW II aircraft carrier USS Hornet.
Cherished visits from old friends!
Guo Pei: Couture Fantasy exhibit at the Legion of Honor Museum
🎵 I Left my heart in San Francisco…🎶
After nearly two months in San Francisco, we felt we had gained a lot! Giorgio’s hand and knee were healed thanks to great surgeons, who actually did not operate on him, our boat was back in order, we saw some great friends and made new ones, and we enjoyed the beautiful museums and surrounding landmarks. We found San Francisco diverse, welcoming, and a colorful city, ready to open its arms to all!
However, it was time to move on! We said goodbye to beautiful San Francisco and headed south to San Diego.
The Adventures of SV JAN 
Beautiful pictures Jan! Thank you. We got back from our land adventure
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