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
Chronicle readers cast more than 26,000 votes to name the next five San Francisco Bay Ferry vessels. With 27 finalists narrowed down from 1,500 nominations, they had the opportunity to honor the region’s aquatic animals, flowers, signature food dishes and even rap lingo.
They chose local icons instead. The San Francisco Bay will soon debut floating homages to a Jack London book, a Robin Williams film and the women who helped us win World War II.
The agency’s Board of Directors at their Thursday meeting unanimously approved the winners in the Chronicle’s ferry name poll. The next five boats, currently under construction in Washington state and set to arrive in 2027 and 2028 will be: Sea-Wolf, Rosie, Farallon, Say Hey and Doubtfire. The boats will be the first high-speed, battery-electric, zero-emission ferries in the country.
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Western gulls inhabit all areas of the Farallon Islands, seen during a press tour in 2024.
Don Feria/For the S.F. Chronicle
“These names represent such great elements of our region’s history and culture,” said Seamus Murphy, executive director of the Water Emergency Transportation Authority, which oversees SF Bay Ferry, “and we can’t wait to see them painted on the side of our new fleet.”
Readers came up with some outside-the-box nominations, including Carbon-Free Willy, Boat Milk Latte and Ghost Ride the Ship. Hella, Hyphy and Frisco were among the finalists included in the poll, but voters settled on thoughtful names with if-you-know-you-know subtle ties to cultural figures in the region.
Sea-Wolf, named after the 1904 Jack London book that starts on a San Francisco ferry, quickly jumped to the lead and stayed there, earning the most support with 1,843 votes. It’s scheduled to be the first new ferry, a 150-passenger vessel that will arrive in 2027 and serve Treasure Island and Mission Bay.
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Rosie finished second (1,648 votes) after Rosie the Riveter, a symbol of empowerment honoring women who worked in shipyards and factories during World War II. Farallon, a nod to the Farallon Islands off San Francisco, finished third (1,521 votes).
The San Francisco Bay Ferry has two hard rules when it comes to new boats: No naming them after corporations or human beings. But readers found loopholes. Rounding out the new names, Doubtfire references the 1993 film “Mrs. Doubtfire,” local comedian Williams’ most popular movie shot in San Francisco. And baseball great Willie Mays’ nickname was “the Say Hey Kid,” dating back to his time with the New York Giants.
Giants legend Willie Mays attracting photographers during the Opening Day pregame ceremony before the San Francisco Giants played the Houston Astros at Candlestick Park in San Francisco on April 15, 1986.
Michael Maloney/S.F. Chronicle
Rosie and Doubtfire will be 400-passenger ferries; Rosie will arrive first in 2028 and serve Alameda Seaplane. Sea-Wolf, Farallon and Say Hey will carry 150-passengers with plans for shorter runs in San Francisco.
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Say Hey and Terrapin, a Grateful Dead album and symbol of Deadhead enlightenment, received a surge of votes in the last two days, as sports and music fans battled it out for the last ferry name. (Jerry Garcia and Bob Weir supported the Giants, so we expect they’re giving their endorsement from the beyond.)
Terrapin was the sixth-place finisher, followed by Poppy, Dahlia, Cormorant, Sourdough and Cioppino. My top selection, Rocco, named after Klay Thompson’s sea-faring dog, finished second-to-last in the voting. (The Megan Thee Stallion breakup was ill-timed.)
The Chronicle readers who were first to nominate the five names will receive free San Francisco Bay Ferry rides for a year, and will be invited to the ferry christenings. Winners will be contacted soon to claim their prizes.