Ferry services between San Francisco and Sausalito have existed much longer than Golden Gate Ferry, with the first service taking place in 1868 when the Sausalito Land and Ferry Company purchased waterfront land and laid out roadways to develop the town. The North Pacific Coast Railroad then purchased the ferries in 1875, and in 1907, the Northwestern Pacific Railroad purchased the Marin County railroads and Sausalito ferry service, making Sausalito a major transportation hub. However, due to the Northwestern Pacific Railroad being unable to cope with a growing demand for auto ferry crossings, the Golden Gate Ferry Company was formed in 1920 to provide auto ferry service between Sausalito and San Francisco. When the Golden Gate Bridge was built, however, ferry ridership declined to a point that it ceased the Sausalito-San Francisco crossing in February 1941. Nearly 30 years later, in August 1970, Golden Gate Ferry resumed service in its current form, as part of the larger Golden Gate Bridge, Highway, and Transportation District.
The Golden Gate Ferry operates four catamaran vessels and three Spaulding vessels that operate ferry crossings between San Francisco Ferry Building and two Marin County ports: Sausalito and Larkspur. The ferry crossing between San Francisco and Sausalito has been ranked by a travel writers guild as the second best in the world, only to be beaten by the Star Ferry in Hong Kong, and Golden Gate Ferry offers multiple crossings between the three points daily, with a limited service weekends between San Francisco and Larkspur. |
Spaulding Vessels
Three Spaulding vessels operate with Golden Gate Ferry, namely:
- MS San Francisco
- MS Marin
- MS Sonoma
Catamaran Vessels
Four catamaran vessels operate with the Golden Gate Ferry, including:
- MV Mendocino (delivered September 2001)
- MV Del Norte (delivered July 1998)
- MV Napa (delivered May 2009)
- MV Golden Gate (delivered March 2011)