Welcome to Fleet Week
Before you become buried under the avalanche of tasks and obligations that the new week holds for you, let us remind you that today through next Monday is Fleet Week, when roughly a million people will flock to San Francisco Bay to tour naval vessels, rub shoulders with active-duty personnel, and marvel at the jaw-dropping feats of aerial acrobats who fly fighter jets and stunt planes.
As you’ll see on the event’s official website, ship tours happen all week along the San Francisco waterfront between piers 22 and 35 — and they all are free of charge. Given that most boaters love nothing more than to check out other people’s boats, you’ll probably find it fascinating to take a few tours and hob-nob with their crews.
The highlight of the week, of course, is always watching the air shows that take place noon to 4 p.m. on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. This year the lineup seems to include more death-defying air teams than ever: the US Navy’s Blue Angels, the Air Force’s F-22 Raptor, the Royal Canadian Air Force CF-18 and France’s Breitling Jet Team. In addition, various vintage stunt planes will also be performing, and yet again, a United Airlines jetliner will do a flyby. The annual Parade of Ships takes place Friday, October 7, from 10 a.m. to noon.
Although the prime air show viewing zone for boaters — just off the Cityfront — can get quite chaotic, it’s always great fun to be in the heart of the action, and doing so might just leave you with a renewed sense of patriotism. If your weekdays are flexible, be aware that the same air show is performed Friday, when there’ll be far fewer spectator boats on the water. By the way, bleacher seats along the Marina green start at $55, so we think it’s only fair that your guests bring lunch and drinks. Speaking of beverages, be aware that every law enforcement organization in the Bay will have assets on the water during the shows, and will undoubtedly be on the lookout for BUI candidates. So have fun, but be safe out there. And if you come away with any killer photos, we’d love to see them.