My Favorite Things

The breakfast buffet line during the Fleet Week Cruise

Among my very favorite things are donuts, and when we have visitors on board sometimes we also have donuts.  Can you imagine the temptation I face when I look at an entire box of donuts ?  During the trip when we left the dock and went out to see the loud airplanes they had many boxes of donuts just sitting around.  I was sorely tempted to dive in, but there were too many people standing around.  Usually we wait until the ship docks and the people leave.  Then we can cruise down to the deck and find the scraps.

I also love to sit and talk to my neighbors like Al the Pelican.  Al rarely comes on board the ship because he spends most of this time cruising around at wave top looking for fish. With that giant beak of his he can scoop up lots of water and small fish.  The pelican is a special bird because not too many years ago the entire group of birds was about to disappear.  Al must have been lonely today because he is perched on the railing.  I never see him eat anything but fish so he is not a competitor for the donut scraps.

During our cruises we often see some fascinating ships.  When the loud airplanes are around we get all kinds of  sailboats and old time sailing ships.  I have been to many of these and they NEVER have donuts or anything else I can eat.

Al the Pelican ( Pelecanus occidentals) makes a rare on board visit to chat with Bob. The pelicans normally fly low over the water in groups looking for fish near the surface.

Editor’s Note:  Now that Bob is back in town he has time to reflect on the situation on board the ship.  It is very thoughtful of him to share his fond memories with us. During cruises the ship provides food to the passengers and the birds lurk about looking for scraps.  We have seen a gull gulp down an entire donut in mere seconds.  

There are large numbers of Brown Pelicans in the San Francisco Bay Area.  They fish by diving in the water and may have a wingspan as long as 8 feet.   The birds were endangered some years ago because of the impact of the pesticide DDT on the eggs.  When DDT was banned and eventually disappeared from the North American environment the Brown Pelican made a remarkable comeback. 

Classic sailing ship cruising during Fleet Week.

The ship takes cruises numerous time during the spring and summer and there are lots of wildlife viewing opportunities during the trip.  If you would like to learn more about the ship or perhaps join us for a visit or a cruise please look at our web site . . . SS Jeremiah O’Brien.