We start off the day with flowers outside our hotel.


Harbour Lights collectors started gathering and moving towards the dock to board the ferry. Bill looked very dapper in his hat with "Bob tie" attached.


As everyone was boarding the ship, each person was presented with a hand-painted lighthouse ornament with a beautiful decorative ornament hook by JP Brown, a division of Younger & Associates.


Collectors boarding the ship...notice the WaterFront Plaza Hotel where we stayed.


It was apparent immediately that this was going to be a "first class" tour....the tables as well as the chairs were adorned with beautiful white linen clothes!

We discovered there were four different ornaments being given out, as Bill is displaying here.


As we enter the bay, we get our first view of San Francisco....


The Pixie was holding lighthouse class in the bow...


while others helped themselves to the marvelous brunch feast..


Beautiful Yerba Buena Island Light, the first lighthouse of the day...

Roy wonders why the plates are so small...


Dereth and Bill take their turn in the food line...the sausages were awesome!


Next light...Alcatraz!


Carolyn McBee capturing Alcatraz...


Lime Point Fog Signal Building (inactive) adjacent to the north anchorage of the Golden Gate Bridge.

The fog started to set in along the coastline around the Golden Gate Bridge...


The sail boats became very plentiful in the bay...

Here is one passing Yerba Buena Island light as we head back toward the dock...


One of the first give away drawings was for a gold plated Eddystone lighthouse!


I took this opportunity to present a check for $1100 to Betty Parrish of the Outer Banks Lighthouse Society. The money was raised from the sale of Bruce Roberts' photograph of Bodie Island in the snow. She is going to take the check back to the Society to be used in the restoration of the Bodie Island tower. The photographer of this picture was Bill Younger.

Rachel Grabanski (Kim's daughter), event coordinator, did a fabulous job with the event! She welcomes a young family to the event area and gives them their tickets and buttons. She tells them about the schedule of activities.


The Potomac, Roosevelt's yacht, was available for touring, as well as the Lightship, Relief...


The group was split in half, with this half touring the Potomac first...


while the other half toured the Relief Lightship...


This group was starting their guided tour of the Relief by members of the Unites States Lighthouse Society.

More good eats and drinks were available and tents for the clubs to provide information and to raise funds for their projects.


Harbour Lights was selling merchandise and all the proceeds when to the Lightship Relief restoration.


Fred and Sue go aboard the Relief for a tour...


Joe Greener wins a gold plated Golden Gate Bridge...


The winners of the gold plated Lightship Relief. Fred Kuhlman, Carolyn & Roy McBee, and Lois and Will Seibel shown here. Also winning but not present were Tom Poulos (from Nesconset NY) and Joyce M Hager (from Deerfield Beach FL).

Thanks Paul for sharing the photos and great commentary for those of us that couldn't attend. The only thing better would have to been there in person.

Almost makes me cry to see what all I missed!

Glad you all had such a good time, only wish that I could have been there too.

Stephanie

Thanks so much, Paul, for the photos and update on the recent event. Photos are great as always. Looks like great fun.
Judy

You took the words right out of my mouth, Stephanie!

Congrats to all the winners (that's everybody who was there).

Great narrative Paul, thanks for sharing! Wish I could have gone, too. I adore San Francisco!

Nice shirt Paul!

Great job Paul with your photos. It sure brought back memories to me to see the Relief Lightship as that was the same ship I was stationed on when it was the Overfalls Lightship back in the early 50s in Delaware. It was later sent to the west coast as the Blunts Reef Lightship and later finished up its service as the Relief Lightship.
Looks like everyone was having a great time. Sure wish I could have been there. Hal

Great job on the photos, Paul. Thank you for taking the time to share them with us. Looks like a good time was had by all.

Bob

Thanks for the nice comments everybody, it is always enjoyable for me to bring those along on these events who can't make it for one reason or the other...

This Regional felt more like a Mini-Reunion than any of the other previous Regionals. Rachel did a wonderful job of planning, organizing & running the Regional... The food on the cruise was super and we had a beautiful day to enjoy the cruise to the maximum!! Having the two ships to tour right where the event took place was like having our own private ships and dock..

And of course having some of our lighthousing buddies there made it very special indeed.. I just wish all of our friends could have made it!

Paul

Sorry for you folks that missed it. It was a good time and Paul was right about it feeling like a mini-reunion. The cruise was first class and the food was great. Hope to see more of you at the next one.

Ken