Gemini
Gemini is the name of the new ferry from WETA which will provide service from SF to Tiburon and Alcatraz and possibly some other places (previous coverage here and here).
I forgot my camera. I was too lazy to go back home and get it. The ride down Market Street kind of sucked - that thing does need repaving. And a bunch else.
It’s a pretty nice-looking ferry - especially on the inside. The boat is a catamaran - double-hulled. Doesn’t seem like there’s much down in the water - but it seems to float, so that’s good. On the inside, it’s almost a bit on the tacky side - like a hotel lounge or something - but it looks decent, and seems a step up, in general, from what’s currently out there. Sitting in dock, it seemed a bit…rocky - maybe a bit moreso than some of the other ferries. We know it has wifi and some kind of green solar powered something-or-other. The looooong tables that sit up to 6 people only have one power outlet - at the ‘inside’ of the table, away from the aisle - which I guess is fine - cords should be long enough to reach at least that far.
But…there were no cup holders that I could see - I found that a bit of a glaring oversight, especially if you want to make it convenient for people to drink coffee and beer and water and whatever. Beverage sales are good for revenue, good for keeping the furniture clean and maintenance down to a minimum, good to make the ride even more enjoyable. For instance, the window seats have a ledge you can put your beer on, but it’s not gonna stay there - this is a boat. And people will be moving all over with all their junky laptops and coats and whatever else.
In the picture below I’ve pointed out where the bike racks are - 34 in all — 20 up front (10+10), 14 in the back (7+7). There was some literature there about ‘water rinse hoses,’ presumably to rinse off your bike after it had been subjected to 15 or 20 minutes of grueling salt water? At least for the front of the boat, one of the folks associated with the boat suggested that the entire front platform would get ‘completely soaked’ on rides - there was a lot more water coming up over the front of the boat than they had planned for. I don’t really have experience in this area - does salt water really kill your bike that quickly, and will you go to the trouble of hosing it down after every single trip? I appreciate the ferry folks looking out for us, but I know I wouldn’t use it - would you?
There is a hose up front, but not at the back. There is a water spigot out back, but no hose. The water post up front has a couple of labels on it - something about ‘regular water’ (rinse) and then another about ‘potable water.’ It’s not clear which is where, but the hose attached on the same post as the labels was for the rinsing of your bike, and potable water would come from this slightly smaller post on the left, when you’re facing them (butt to the front of the boat).
About the most interesting part of the event was when one of the speakers suggested that the ferry would help take one whole lane of traffic off the Bay Bridge. I’ve also been thinking that dwindling road traffic, along with increasing bike traffic, make it an ideal time to push the idea that we want at least one lane of all of the bridges. Think about it. I’m serious.
Leave comment (0)[p.s. The Forums are open for participation.]
