Historic ships on the Hyde Street Pier

The Maritime Museum has an amazing collection of lovingly-restored ships. You can get up close on the pier for free, or pay $5 to get on board all of them. These functional works of art are great to sketch, from the graceful curves of the hulls to the abstract patterns of spars and rigging. You can see sketches from a previous meetup in this area here (https://www.meetup.com/SF-Sketchers/photos/8375752/#120978352).

This is the lineup:

1886 square-rigger Balclutha (http://www.nps.gov/safr/historyculture/balclutha.htm)

1895 schooner C. A. Thayer (http://www.nps.gov/safr/historyculture/c-a-thayer.htm)

1890 steam ferryboat Eureka (http://www.nps.gov/safr/historyculture/eureka.htm)

1891 scow schooner Alma (http://www.nps.gov/safr/historyculture/alma.htm)

1907 steam tug Hercules (http://www.nps.gov/safr/historyculture/hercules.htm)

1914 paddlewheel tug Eppleton Hall (http://www.nps.gov/safr/historyculture/eppleton-hall.htm)

1890 (circa) San Francisco Bay Ark (http://www.nps.gov/safr/historyculture/bayark.htm)

1915 steam schooner Wapama (http://www.nps.gov/safr/historyculture/wapama.htm)

3:30 We'll meet up after sketching at the Black Point Cafe on Northpoint at Larkin, across the street from Ghirardelli Square.

THINGS TO BRING:

• A folding stool/chair if you have one. There are benches, but usually not where you want to sketch.

• Hat, sunscreen and a windproof jacket.

GETTING THERE:

Buses: #19 Polk, #30 Stockton, #42 Downtown Loop, #47 Van Ness/Potrero, #49 Van Ness/Mission, F Market Historic Streetcar, Powell-Hyde Street Cable Car

Bike: From Embarcadero BART station you can ride around the waterfront; it just gets a little hairy at the end as you ride through Fisherman's wharf. Coming from the west you can take the great bike path along the Marina. Riding from Civic Center BART, the flattest route is up the sometimes hair-raising sharerows on Polk Street (you will see why the Bike Coalition is lobbying for better bike lanes there.) Still, it's better than Van Ness.

Car: There is a lot of free parking at the north end of Van Ness Avenue, on the west side of Aquatic Park. If that's full, try parking up on the hill between Aquatic Park and Fort Mason, near the Community Gardens or the Youth Hostel. From there, walk down the path just above the water and along the beach to the pier. Do not park in any of the Fisherman's Wharf garages; their prices are extortionate!

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