As the daughter of the Angel Island-Tiburon Ferry line's founding captain, Maggie McDonogh grew up on this ferry. Now she's the captain, with two kids of her own. Here are "Captain Mom's" ideas for a great day on and off the ferry.
Getting there
The Angel Island-Tiburon Ferry leaves from the dock in downtown Tiburon on weekends every hour from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The last ferry back from the island is at 5:20 p.m. $10 round-trip; 415/435-2131.
Around the island
McDonogh encourages people to get out and explore beyond Ayala Cove, where the ferry lands. "Too many people just shuttle back and forth between the cove and the immigration station (now a visitor center)," she says.
To rent bikes, head to Cove Café (at Ayala Cove, near park headquarters; 415/435-3392), a small snack shop that also handles rentals ($10 an hour). Perimeter Rd. is about 5 miles long; bike or hike along the route's rolling hills (there are a few steep stretches). The more strenuous but worthwhile summit hike to 788-foot Mt. Livermore takes about four hours round-trip, with time for a picnic at the top.
Where to eat
In Tiburon, just steps from the ferry landing, the outdoor deck at Sam's Anchor Cafe is always packed. The deck overlooks sailboats at the Corinthian Yacht Club, and the seafood's top-notch ― McDonogh recommends the seared ahi sandwich and local steamed clams. $$; 27 Main St., Tiburon; 415/435-4527.
All aboard, with Captain Mom
It's a scene of happy chaos on Saturday morning inside the glass-fronted wheelhouse of the Angel Island Ferry. "Becky, you can't draw there, baby. Mom needs to see," says ferry captain Maggie McDonogh to her 4-year-old, who's busy coloring atop the logbook. Becky is along for the ride, as she is most weekend mornings, along with 11-year-old brother Sam, and the family's chocolate lab, Moose, trots around making friends with all the passengers before stretching out for a doze under the ferry's instrument panel. McDonogh's not kidding when she says the ferry is her other home.
Hopping on the PA system for a quick safety announcement, McDonogh throws the engines in reverse, executes a neat K-turn ― "just like pulling out of the parking lot" ― and slides out of the harbor for the 15-minute run to Angel Island.
As the daughter of the Angel Island-Tiburon Ferry line's founding captain, Maggie McDonogh grew up on this ferry, just as her children are doing now. But as many times as she's made this crossing, "Captain Mom," as her deckhands call her, never tires of the scenery, the sounds, the entire experience. "I can't tell whether I have a favorite time on the island," she says. "But I love the fall ― it gets so warm, and the winds all die down."
Once you step off the ferry, walk or bicycle along the island's paved perimeter road. As you circle the island, you take in views of seven Bay Area counties and the major bridges ringing the bay. You forget about the urban bustle that you've just left and give in to the peacefulness of golden grasses, scrubby pines with clusters of dried cones, and groups of migrating birds stopping by the island to rest.
None of these natural rhythms is lost on McDonogh, even when she's steering a ferry and minding small children and a dog. On the trip out to the island, she gets on the PA system to point out harbor seals that lounge on rocks just outside the island's main cove, or even the occasional gray whale. "Last week, 12 to 15 pelicans swooped right down in front of the boat. It was so beautiful, and I thought, God, I'm a rich woman."
