Capt. John Eaton took the controls on the wood-hulled ferry Silvergate on a picture-perfect Southern California afternoon and steered into San Diego Bay. The destination lay barely a mile ahead on Coronado.
“It’s a small ferry, but it’s really easy to drive,” Eaton said during the passage, which takes about 10 minutes. “I like the historic aspect of it and that it’s an all-wooden boat.”
Silvergate is not just any wooden boat, or any historic ferry. The 58.5-by-22-foot ferry was built in 1940 and is the longest-running wooden ferry boat in the United States, according to vessel operator Flagship Cruises & Events. The ship was built using Douglas fir and mahogany wood at San Diego Marine Construction Company, which later became BAE Systems Ship Repair.
The vessel’s name pays homage to an earlier ferry that began shuttling passengers across San Diego Bay as early as 1888, the cruise company said.
The short voyage from the 5th Avenue Marina, near the San Diego Convention Center, to Coronado doesn’t lack for scenery. Passengers have a panoramic view of the San Diego skyline and parts of the Port of San Diego. Depending on the day, a containership or naval vessel might be underway nearby.
Powered by two 250-hp John Deere engines, Silvergate made about 5 knots during the 1.25-mile crossing. Captains consider multiple factors on each crossing, including how many passengers are on board and how long it will take for them to unload. Summer transits tend to be fullest, as tourists descend on “America’s Finest City.”
“We can go pretty fast and get across in maybe five minutes, but we want everybody to get their money’s worth and want to give them a little bit of a cruise, so to speak, so we try to make it across in about 12 minutes instead of five,” Eaton explained.
“And as you can see, it’s a nice easy boat to dock,” he added. “We mostly bow tie and then we stern tie it on this side (of the Bay) and then we do the opposite on the other side.”
The Convention Center to Coronado ferry route is one of two operated by Flagship Cruises, which also runs the steel-hulled ferry Cabrillo as well as a host of excursion boats on a variety of tours, charters and harbor cruises. The 60-year-old Cabrillo connects Coronado with Broadway Pier in the heart of San Diego’s downtown.
The 74-foot Cabrillo completes the voyage in about 15 minutes each way, passing a long stretch of the city’s downtown, with views of Naval Air Station North Island and the USS Midway Museum. The 60-year-old Cabrillo dates to 1964 and was designed by Flagship Cruises & Events’ original founder, Oakley J. Hall.
Both ferries have something of a unique local history. Ferry service between San Diego and Coronado was halted in 1969 with the completion of the majestic San Diego-Coronado Bridge across San Diego Bay. Originally built as a toll bridge, state law halted local ferry service until the bridge bond was repaid.
Flagship used both vessels for excursion service during that period. They returned to ferry service in 1987 following the retirement of the bridge bond. Prior to bridge construction, vehicle ferries were a common sight in the Bay, ferrying people and cars between San Diego and Coronado.
Eaton joined the ferry company in 2022 following a career in the commercial fishing industry. He enjoys the pace of the work and the calm conditions that are typical in San Diego Bay almost every day of the year.
He also appreciates interacting with passengers from all over the world. Flagship, he noted, takes good care of its mariners.
And working on Silvergate, he said, is a unique maritime experience. “We don’t have many boats this old working in the United States, and that is pretty cool,” he said. “It is a beautiful boat, and they have kept a lot of the original woodwork, and it has really held up well for its age.”