Workers’ tools in forward deck house, C.A. Thayer

Any able seaman knows that a healthy ship needs continual care and maintenance to ensure long life. Constant exposure to the marine environment will wear away at the sturdiest vessel — even when she’s spending her retirement years docked in a safe harbor. So when I arrived at the San Francisco Maritime National Historic Park at the Hyde Stree Pier in late August this year, I wasn’t too surprised to find that in the seven years since I last visited, the historic ships had developed a few issues. The wonderful 1907 Steam Tug Hercules was missing from its usual berth, having been moved to drydock in Alameda for maintenance and repairs. My favorite ship, the 1886 square-rigger Balclutha, was closed to visitors as a safety-conscious crew worked high above the deck to replace the top section of her mizzen (rear) mast. And I couldn’t help but notice the specks of rust, peeling paint, and worn decking on the 1890 steam ferryboat Eureka (which was also currently closed to visitors).

Eureka is due for some repairs before long

Diagram explaining repairs to Balclutha (Click for a closer view)

I was sorry not to be able to spend some time aboard the Balclutha on this visit, but that didn’t stop me from enjoying having the 1895 schooner C.A. Thayer pretty much to myself. There was a brisk wind gusting, which meant the deck rose and fell with the motion of the waves in the bay. As I looked out over her dancing bowsprit I could see the top of the Transamerica Pyramid and the Salesforce Tower, but I might as well have been a thousand miles away, crashing through a churning sea. Even the caution signs and construction tape roping off the hatches didn’t dampen my spirits. I couldn’t explore the lower decks, but I could have very happily lingered right there on the main deck for the rest of the day. I was already looking forward to my next visit — and it won’t be another seven years from now!