Dan Apczynski, The Examiner
2007-03-10 11:00:00.0
Current rank: Not ranked

SAN FRANCISCO -

With daylight-saving time kicking in this weekend and the first day of spring just around the corner, it’s the perfect time to get out on the Bay. The Sausalito-based company Bay and Delta Charters provides a fun and easy way to do it, with a new series of Sunday concert cruises on the Sausalito Empress.

The vessel is the newest charter boat on the Bay, says Capt. Gerry Robertson, owner and founder of Bay and Delta Charters. “It’s 90 feet, and it’s really nice. We’ve done a lot of work on it. We’ve spent way more money on it than we ever wanted to, to get it to be really nice.”

With concerts booked every Sunday (from 4 to 8 p.m.), the “Music on the Bay” series promises to be a great, inexpensive way to spend an afternoon on the water. The schedule kicks off this week featuring the Bay Area Beatles tribute band The Sun Kings.

“Tribute acts are still really popular these days, and they’re a lot of fun for our clients,” Robertson says. “Our customers come, and they recognize the songs. People that liked, whatever, like Pink Floyd, or Led Zeppelin.”

Bands slated to perform later this season include local Pink Floyd cover artists House of Floyd, the all-female Led Zeppelin tribute band Zepparella, and Heavy Petty, covering the songs of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers.

“Private charters are where the money is in this industry,” Robertson says. “The music cruise is like a PR deal for us. Ultimately, we don’t really make a lot of money off this music cruise thing. It’s more like a PR program than anything.”

A musician himself, Robertson likes to think of the concert series as a way to promote his charter business, while giving something back to local bands: “I like to see bands that have a little bit of a following, or that I’ve heard are kind of up and coming. There’s a few new characters out there that look really promising, that may go make something happen. … That’s kind of what we strive for.”

Whether guests attend for the music or the cruise itself, they can expect to be treated to a buffet-style dinner and gorgeous views of the Bay.

“We do a whole Bay tour: Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz — people really seem to enjoy it. … Whatever somebody wants to see, and whatever their schedule is, we try to make it available to everybody. The music is mellow enough that anybody could come and enjoy it.”

Among the upcoming acts: Sunday, The Sun Kings; March 18, Freddy Clark; March 25, Heavy Petty; April 1, The Ravens; April 8, House of Floyd; April 15, Uncle Leo’s Rock and Roll Road Show; April 22, Unauthorized Rolling Stones; and April 29, Candela.

Music on the Bay Cruises

Where: 310 Harbor Drive, Sausalito

When: 4 to 8 p.m. Sundays, through August

Tickets: $49 to $55

Contact: (888) 922-4898 or www.bayanddelta.com.