Press Release
May 29, 2015
Here’s a deal: tour the Port of Oakland for free
Summer harbor excursions aboard former FDR vessel open to the public
“Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf helps launch Port of Oakland’s free harbor tours” |
Oakland, CA – May 29, 2015: Here’s summer’s biggest travel bargain: free boat tours at the Port of Oakland. The Port today introduced no-charge, 90-minute harbor excursions available to the public. The narrated port tours will be conducted aboard the USS Potomac, the former presidential vessel of Franklin D. Roosevelt.
“We’re proud of our Port and of the relationship we have with our communities,” Executive Director Chris Lytle said today before embarking on the maiden harbor tour. “Inviting our neighbors to these tours gives them a way to know us even better.”
More than 200 Oakland school children boarded the Potomac today for the first two of 12 free summer tours. Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf and School Superintendent Antwan Wilson were there as the Port welcomed youngsters aboard.
The Port said it has scheduled two tours each month on designated Friday afternoons and evenings through October. The 165-foot Potomac, berthed at the Port’s Jack London Square, can carry 120 passengers per excursion. Schedules and registration for the tours will be open to the public beginning June 1 at the Port’s website, www.portofoakland.com
Tour organizers said the excursions are a cost-effective way to give neighbors a close-up look at how the Oakland seaport works. Passengers will transit the Oakland Estuary and Outer Harbor. They’ll see all five Oakland marine terminals and pass within yards of massive container ships, some 1,200-feet long. The tours will also provide close-up views of San Francisco’s waterfront and skyline.
About the Port of Oakland
The Port of Oakland oversees the Oakland seaport, Oakland International Airport, and 20 miles of waterfront. Together with its business partners, the Port supports more than 73,000 jobs in the region and nearly 827,000 jobs across the United States. Connect with the Port of Oakland and Oakland International Airport through Facebook, or with the Port on Twitter, YouTube, and at www.portofoakland.com.
Media Contact:
Robert Bernardo
Communications Manager
Port of Oakland
(510) 627-1401
Click here to contact Robert Bernardo
Marilyn Sandifur,
Port Spokesperson
Port of Oakland
(510) 627-1193
Click here to contact Marilyn Sandifur