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THE CODE OF THE SEA all scenarios the company is likely to face, because,
While the Bay is a place of extraordinary beauty and as current Operations Manager and Captain Alan Cull
explains, “At Level 3, the security is so stringent that
1989 LOMA PRIETA EARTHQUAKE fun, those who work on the water must remain aware you can’t operate, you’d have to close the doors.”
of the dangers that can arise in this environment. The
Red and White Fleet, along with other vessels on the Oftentimes, good customer service and good
Bay, must always be ready and willing to stop service security simply go hand in hand. The Fleet is always
immediately to aid in an emergency. Informally, these ready to adapt their practices and collaborate with
othing captures the fear and imagination of the Bay Carolyn Horgan immediately sent all active ships to the San LEFT: A section of the top roadway best practices are often referred to as the “Code of Coast Guard vessels to meet guests’ additional security
needs, such as when the fleet hosts dignitaries and
Area quite like its infamous earthquakes. The last Francisco Ferry Building, making the Fleet some of the first on the eastern span of the Bay Bridge the Sea.” While not a written code, it is an honorable heads of industry on private cruises. This diligence and
mandate to protect and serve on the water. It’s why
Nmajor quake to hit San Francisco occurred in 1989, boats to arrive to help ferry waiting passengers across the Bay. collapsed during the 1989 Loma the Red and White Fleet’s tours will always stop to awareness helps the Red and White Fleet ensure the
and it forever changed the course of ferry service across It was the right call. Thousands of commuters who would Prieta earthquake, causing the bridge rescue or assist stranded windsurfers, always halt highest level of protection for those onboard.
to shut down for a month. During
the Bay. In the case of any disaster that may close bridges normally have gone home by bus or car over the Bay Bridge that time, the ferry system once again operations to serve as backup transport in case
or other usual means of transport, the Red and White Fleet instead streamed towards the docks, relieved to find ferries became essential for transporting of emergency, and always keep their eyes peeled
for vessels that might be in distress. As Captain
immediately switches into ferry mode, standing by to help waiting. “All these [commuters] just showed up . . . it wasn’t people between the two sides of the Evan Williams explains, “I have rescued countless
stranded Bay Area residents to and from the city. On the coordinated,” remembers Horgan. “Everyone rode free that Bay, and the Red and White Fleet kitesurfers, and not always without challenge. But if
night of the ’89 quake, Red and White Fleet dispatch manager night, between ten and twenty thousand people.” Horgan’s contributed emergency ferry service we see a situation, we have to respond.”
in the days following the earthquake.
Retired Captain Jack Goldthorp, who worked
sharp instincts, and those of San Francisco’s stranded for both the Coast Guard and Red and White Fleet
residents, helped an estimated fifteen thousand people get during his fifty-year career, explains, “Any vessel on
home safely that night. the Bay should heed the call
At a 6.9 on the Richter scale, the impact of the Loma Prieta of the Coast Guard. . . . And if
quake was immediately noticeable in the city. Deckhand there is a problem on the boat,
deckhands have to get people
Robert Estrada, now regional director of the IBU, was in their life vests and aid them
standing on the dock near Red and White Fleet headquarters in egressing the vessel.”
when the earthquake struck. He recalled, “It was a big hit. As a large maritime
presence, the Red and White
I looked up, thinking that a ship had smashed into the pier, Fleet complies with the Coast
and then it started rolling and shaking like a quake. I’m Guard’s three levels of Maritime
looking down the Embarcadero, and I could see waves of Security (MARSEC) measures.
asphalt coming towards me, and big sinkholes dropping in MARSEC 1, which involves basic
the pavement, three to four to five feet wide, dropping into bag screening and alertness, is
the street like giant footprints.” followed on a daily basis. A few
times a year (often purely as a
In a time before smartphones and instant Internet access, drill), the Coast Guard moves
getting emergency information quickly and accurately to Level 2, where rules become THIS PAGE: Captains in the Red and White Fleet (Captain Alan
Cull, left; Captain Pat Carson, above) not only have to steer their
wasn’t always easy. While the physical impact of the quake more stringent for maximum vessels safely but must also always be aware of what’s happening
bag size and threat-monitoring
is heightened. These Level 1 and around them in the Bay. Part of that awareness includes being ready
Level 2 measures cover almost to assist in any nearby emergency situation.

50 • Red and White Fleet Milestones • 51