Keep The Basking Sea Lions; I'll take Hyde Street Pier.

Hyde Street Pier is part of San Francisco Maritime Historical Park. The City made its name as a deep sea port; this is a rare opportunity to see its history up and close and personal. These ships survived because they kept working after others of their class had been scuttled. I like to visit the pier every few years.

On the deck of the Balclutha, A 256-foot square-rigged cargo ship built in 1886 in Glasgow, Scotland. She rounded Cape Horn 17 times.

An interactive display on the multiplying effect of block and tackle.

Eppleton Hall, a steel tugboat 100-feet in length. Built 1914 in South Wales, England.

The Hercules, a 139-foot steam-powered tugboat. Built 1907 in Camden, New Jersey,

Turning wood into masts, outside the shipwright's workshop.

We didn't invent the live/work space. Here's the engineers mate sleeping quarters next to the engine room. On board Hercules.

A rear view of the C.A. Thayer, a three-masted schooner measuring 156-feet long. Built 1895 in Fairhaven, CA.

This ramp leads up to my favorite boat: The Eureka, a 300-foot-long side-wheel ferry capable of carrying approximately 90 vehicles and 1000 passengers. Originally built 1890 in Tiburon, (Ukiah) later refitted in 1924 as Eureka. It's quite possible my grandparents rode on this ferry, as they lived in San Francisco before the 1937 opening of the Golden Gate Bridge.

Below, a variety of photos taken while exploring the Eureka.