I was so excited. Scarlet watched the little boys at home, so this was the first cruise I'd be able to focus on Billy and his crew's outstanding work ethic.
And it was outstanding.
The day started at Brinkman's Marina in Vallejo. Billy's good friends, Zach and Josh, waited with me for the Chaser to arrive. The weather was a normal Bay Area morning: cool mid 50s, low cloud coverage, and a steady breeze.
The Chaser was right on time, and let me tell you, it is really cool to see them heading down the channel. This huge 95 foot boat steered by young men under 18 years of age...and one of them my son. Their ship is so large they had to send their smaller boat to pick us up.
Once on board, we settled down with some donuts and a smooth trip. As we headed out, the channel was filled with sailboats. Several pulled up along side, and a little behind, to catch our drag and help pull them along.
Hitting the mouth of the channel and entering the open Bay, the wind picked up quite a bit. The ship increased speed...a little. The crew seemed to settle down at this point, so I dropped in to check on Billy. Assigned navigation duty, he was busy keeping an eye on the radar, maps and coordinates. Not wanting to distract him, I settled back in the galley to relax and chat with the other family members and friends.
Our vantage point for the show was breathtaking. To our left was the Bay Bridge, to our right the Golden Gate Bridge, and connecting them was the wonderful skyline view of San Francisco. Filling the bay was hundreds of sailboats, fishing boats, and cruiser boats. We even had a visit by the Santa Cruz Sea Scout ship, who'd also come to see the show.
The Blue Angels were wonderful, their smoke left trails of red, white, and blue. Their various stunts were awesome to watch.
It was a great day, and I was grateful the Chaser crew invited friends and family to see them in action. The boys really display their dedication and enjoyment of the program by their hardwork and team efforts. The day was flawless.
Below is a slideshow of the day, hope you enjoy the beautiful pictures.
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