Going Big on the Bay

A few months ago, my brother, Paul, suggested a family gathering that combined a cruise on the San Francisco Bay and dinner on Pier 39.  Today was the day.  Around 3 pm my mother and most of her brood converged on 390 Palomar.  Reps from three generations, 17 in all, piled into cars and headed up 280 toward the Embarcadero.  Fisherman's Wharf was sunny, warm, and lively.  At 5 o'clock we were aboard a two-deck boat from the Red & White fleet as it launched into the rolling waves.  Within five minutes we were enshrouded in fog.  Our boat sounded foghorns repeatedly as it headed toward the Golden Gate Bridge.  En route, at least a dozen kite boarders carved the cold choppy waters at boat speed, a fast 20 knots or so.  Many approached our boat to have an audience, and then launched high into the air before landing and skimming off again.  A few threw in 360s while airborne.  The audacious spectacle of the kite boarders contrasted with the post-cruise ambience of our bayside restaurant.  We were warm and comfortable as we enjoyed our soup, salmon, and cheesecake, but our two long dining tables were not exactly quiescent.  My family's irrepressible enthusiasm inevitably produced its own signature spectacle.  We, too, know how to go big.