I had Eric man the tiller for a moment. �Brian,� I called softly into the cabin, �we�re coming up to the bridge on a run. I know you�ve seen it before, but we�re twenty minutes away if you want to see it again.� Brian rolled over in his bunk, sat up, and began pulling on his socks.
The Bridge grew in front of us, blazing a fiery red in the now-afternoon sun. The proportions were incredible, and appropriate. We had passed under so many bridges to get to this one � and it did not disappoint. Almost two miles from end to end, the main span arcs 220 feet above the channel at high tide. Eye popping statistics, but the true glory of the Bridge lies in its aesthetic. For all its incredible size and mass it leaps across the Golden Gate like a Russian ballerina. It does not hang � it soars. It is possessed of something animate, as though it draws breath. Indeed, the structure was designed to withstand earthquakes that could rattle a skyscraper to pieces.
With all hands on deck we watched it vault above the mast, our proud banners of conquest fluttering before us.
What proud banners?
Before we left Monterey I�d rigged the spinnaker pole as a temporary bow sprit extension. Off of it we flew the flags of every country we�d visited: United States, Mexico, Belize, Honduras, Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, El Salvador, and (of course) the Jolly Roger. The sun, at its zenith, spun a golden web on the rippling water. The sky was a light azure mirrored darkly by the placid pool that is San Francisco Bay.
It was time to phone home. Well, phone the parental units, anyway.
Somewhere in Massachusetts the phone rang.
�Hi Dad!� We shouted, �Guess where we are?!�
�Oh! I was wondering about you guys�.Berkeley?�
�Not unless the Golden Gate Bridge goes over it!�
�The Golden Gate�.You�re at the Bridge?! Wonderful!�
Ring, Ring. Michigan.
�Hello?�
�Mom!� (My Mom) �We�re sailing into San Francisco Bay!!�
�You are??!!�
And Kentucky,
�Mom!� (Brian�s Mom) �Oh my god! You made it!�
And, Montana,
�Mom!� (Eric�s Mom) �We�re in San Francisco Bay!�
�Oh!!! (background) They�re in San Francisco! They made it!�
And California,
�Honey?� (Brian�s Honey) �We�re on the Bay! �Yeah, that�s right. See you soon.�
The Bridge was behind us, the sun above us, and the smooth waters of San Francisco Bay carried our faithful ship.
�HUZZAH!! HUZZAH!!! HUZZAH!!!!!!!�
What? What do you mean we're not done yet? Well, Ok...