It’s a glorious summer evening, warm and breezy. The low sun skips off the water, leaving a wake of diamonds. I’m aboard the USS Potomac, Franklin D. Roosevelt’s presidential yacht, as we get underway out of Jack London Square and slide along the Oakland Estuary toward the bay.
The venerable engines throb below deck — the old ship’s pounding heart — as two massive container ships loom large on either side, dwarfing our boat like a tiny raft in the Grand Canyon. Luckily, Capt. Tom Howard is a sure skipper, moving us gently through the chasm and into the open. Potomac’s 130-plus passengers take in the expansive view, feeling inspired, refreshed, free.
Maybe that’s because it is free. The whole journey, that is. This is one of the free 90-minute Potomac rides sponsored by the Port of Oakland this summer, a delightful cruise alongside the AT-AT-like cranes, past the port operations to one side, the old Alameda Naval Air Station airstrips to the other, then to the outer harbor, brushing past Yerba Buena Island and back to Jack London again.
Only a few such excursions are left — two in September, and two in October (the Aug. 28 cruises are already booked up). Reservations are required and you can sign up online at www.portofoakland.com. But be advised, spots fill up fast. So as soon as registration opens (on the first Monday of the month), clear the decks, look alive and sign up right away. The rides have been so popular, port officials hope to add more dates next summer.
All aboard
Even if it’s sunny, bring a jacket. Do not have a care about your hair. The wind will handle that for you. I was scheduled for a 6:30 p.m. ride on a recent Friday night, arriving at the check-in table outside the port offices where the Potomac is docked.
There, Roosevelt-era big-band music is dancing in the air. Passengers board the stately yacht — FDR’s beloved “floating White House,” his retreat from Washington — and for a moment it’s easy to pretend we’re visiting dignitaries or high-powered politicians coming to have a private word with the president, maybe do some fishing, talk world affairs over a handshake and a poker game.
“You’re boarding history here,” says crew member Chris Lauritzen, guiding people up the gangway. “This is about as close as you can get to going to a presidential library. But here, you can sit on the fantail in a wicker chair and close your eyes and think about the issues of the day that were facing President Roosevelt — the New Deal, the Depression era, World War II.”
Of course, you don’t have to wait for a free cruise to get a sense of the history. The Potomac is regularly open for docent-led dockside tours, special events and charters, and even more information is at the nearby visitors center. You can learn all about the ship, from its origins as a Coast Guard cutter through its service as FDR’s yacht until his death in 1945, a brief ownership by Elvis Presley and later a run with drug smugglers in the 1980s. It was seized by authorities and impounded at Treasure Island where it sank, was raised, then nearly scrapped until the Port of Oakland came to the rescue. Five million dollars, hundreds of volunteer hours and 12 years later, the ship was restored and opened to the public in 1995 and is now a National Historic Landmark.
Pleasure cruise
History aside, it’s just a treat to get to go out on an actual Potomac cruise. As “Sentimental Journey” plays over the ship’s sound system, passengers — little kids to old-timers and everything in between — wander all over the place, checking out the main saloon (where you can get a free cup of coffee or tea), the president’s cabin, the crew’s quarters. On deck, necks crane at the cranes and photos are snapped as we rock to the wake of a passing tug. There’s lots to learn about the port, too, as a narrator explains some of the history and current operations of the five marine terminals and inner and outer harbors.
It’s a busy evening on the estuary, with ferries, speed boats, tugs, container ships. The captain allows a couple of passengers at a time to come up into the wood-paneled wheelhouse. Little kids stare wide-eyed at the skipper as he mans the controls and listens to radio traffic.
The sun’s fading, and it’s time to head back to Jack London Square, where you can catch a late dinner at Yoshi’s or Haven. Or grab your favorite flavor at the Ben & Jerry’s store (maybe stay away from the Phish Food).
Contact Angela Hill at ahill@bayareanewsgroup.com. Follow her at Twitter.com/GiveEmHill.
Free USS Potomac Cruises
Through October, the Port of Oakland is offering free 90-minute harbor excursions aboard the USS Potomac, Franklin D. Roosevelt’s historic presidential yacht. Online reservations are required and spots fill up fast.
WHERE: USS Potomac, docked at 540 Water St. (at Clay Street) in Jack London Square, Oakland.
WHEN: Cruises are at 3 and 5 p.m. on Sept. 25; and 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. on Oct. 23.
COST: Free, but reservations are required. Registration is first come, first served and begins at 10 a.m. the first Monday of each month (next registration starts Sept. 7 for the Sept. 25 cruise); www.portofoakland.com.
DOCKSIDE POTOMAC TOURS
The USS Potomac is open regularly for dockside tours from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. Tours are $10 general admission. Parking is available at the Washington Street Garage between Second Street and Embarcadero, one block from the Potomac.
The visitor center is open 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, and from noon to 3:30 p.m. Sunday; www.usspotomac.org.
