A San Francisco Bay Ferry boat passes by cormorants on a breakwater as clouds and fog shroud the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco Bay. The ferry is adding five new vessels in the next three years, but first they need names.
Carlos Avila Gonzalez
Since I started commuting by ferry a decade ago, I’ve loved the fact that each boat has a name.
It feels less like you’re stepping onto an anonymous vehicle and more like you’re meeting an old friend, crossing the San Francisco Bay on the Delphinus, Carina, Scorpio or (definitely my favorite) Karl the boat.
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So when the San Francisco Bay Ferry asked the Chronicle’s Total SF project for help naming the next five vessels arriving between 2027 and 2029, we were all aboard. Together with you, we will channel the Bay Area’s creativity, joy and wear-it-on-our-sleeve eccentricism to have the best-named fleet in the nation.
“People have such a great sense of community and culture and history here in the Bay Area,” said ferry spokesman Thomas Hall. “I’m very excited for this stage.”
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There are rules and prizes. And I have some suggestions. But first, let’s learn what we’re naming.
A rendering of one of San Francisco Bay Ferry’s all-electric ferry vessels. Five new boats are joining the fleet over the next three years.
Aurora Marine Design/SF Bay Ferry
In the next three years, SF Bay Ferry is adding five ferries in two classes. Three new 150-passenger ferries will operate primarily between downtown San Francisco, Treasure Island and Mission Bay — the first high-speed, battery-electric, zero-emission ferries in the country. The first is due to arrive in 2027.
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Two more battery-electric 400-passenger ferries will be used on Alameda and later Oakland routes, with arrivals starting in 2028. Why name the vessels now? Ferry officials need the names early for registration and planning purposes, while the boats are still under construction in Washington state.
Here’s how the naming contest will work: You can submit your nomination for a ferry name in this survey. The Chronicle and ferry officials will pick the finalists, then Chronicle readers will vote for the winners. The 10 finalists with the highest votes will go to the SF Bay Ferry’s Board of Directors for final adoption. Readers who submit one of the winning names will get free rides on San Francisco Bay Ferry for a year and an invite to the vessel’s christening. Act fast! If more than one person submits a name, the first person to enter it will be the winner.
So what are the rules? No boats named after corporations, brands or products, and no names of real people living or deceased. (As a feature of Bay Area weather, Karl — after the fog — is acceptable, but my lobbying to name a ferry after seafaring shooting guard Klay Thompson ends here.) Boats also can’t share a name with other major vessels operating regularly in San Francisco Bay.
Hall offers further guidance: “We’re trying to celebrate the culture of the Bay broadly. Nothing political or religious. We’re looking for (names) that express something about ferries and waterways and ecology or the environment where we operate.”
San Francisco Bay Ferry Board Chair Jim Wunderman welds a frame during a keel-laying ceremony for one of SF Bay Ferry’s new 150-passenger all-electric vessels at All American Marine in Bellingham, Wash
SF Bay Ferry
You can read the full contest entry rules here.
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When the last two boats were dubbed Karl and Zalophus, the scientific name for sea lions, Cioppino, Chowder and Painted Lady were three other finalists.
I appreciate a formal name. SF Bay Ferry has classes of boats named after constellations and astrological signs. But I’m hoping we get some fun ones from the Chronicle community. A few of mine that you can steal:
Claude: RIP to a motionless albino alligator king. I’m told famous animals bypass the “no naming after people” rule. He’s an aquatic creature. And Claude is a tremendous name for a boat.
Hella: Since we can’t name our boat Tupac, Zendaya, Keak da Sneak or Alysa Liu, I figure Hella or Hyphy is the next best thing. The Ferry Building is in S.F., but the boats serve more East Bay passengers than any other region. Oakland represent!
Quint: I’m a movie buff. And Quint from “Jaws” is the greatest maritime character in movie history.
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Dutch crunch: We need a regional food in here somewhere. Cioppino is also a great name for a boat. Or pupusa. So many regionally adored treats to choose from …
Rocco: As an official in this process, I’m not allowed to nominate a name. But this would be my first pick. Klay Thompson’s dog Rocco loved the water. And who doesn’t want to board a vessel named Rocco?
I’m sure you can come up with something even better!
Nominated names will be run by ferry board members and captains for input, but officials are open to unexpected and surprising ideas.
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“There will be some gentle ribbing in all likelihood from the maritime staff, but that comes with the territory,” Hall said. “I’m really excited to see what comes out that we haven’t thought of.”
Stay tuned for more updates. We expect to name the finalists and launch voting in late April with winners announced in mid-May.