View a Giants Game from the water!
Imagine.... From the crowded stands of Oracle Park, a San Francisco Giants game plays out before you. In between plays, your attention slowly drifts to the Bay and the small cove just beyond right field where a few boats have gathered to enjoy not only the game, but also being on the water. This is McCovey Cove, named after a famous SF Giant who played here decades ago. The beauty of this location.....right on the Bay waters strikes you as being unique to the sport of baseball.
What if.....your mind wanders, I could be enjoying the same game from down there? What if.....I could charter a boat for the game, bring my friends or family and not worry about crowded restrooms, cold beverage waiting lines, or transportation to and from the Park?
The reality is......we can make that happen for any game during the 2023 season!
Book our yacht Blue Skies for an entire day to enjoy the game. We have a maximum capacity of up to 6 guests for a private time away from the crowded bleachers.
If you have more than 6 guests, we have a tall ship that can accommodate up to 49 passengers for the game.
Choose your pick up location. Blue Skies can pick up at Pier 40 adjacent to Oracle Park, Pier 1.5 near the Ferry Building, Alameda, Jack London Square, Oakland, or other locations. The timing of the pick up will be coordinated with the game time and distance to travel on the boat. Gas Light, our 49 passenger tall ship can go out of SF Pier 40, Sausalito or the East Bay.
Enjoy the cruise to McCovey cove. Even a short distance will be memorable. Use our BlueTooth sound system to control the music on your way over. Stretch out on the open air upper deck with comfortable cushions. Bring your own ice cold beverages so you can enjoy them on the upper deck. You may bring your own take out, or snacks to enjoy as well.
After arriving at the ballpark, we will locate a spot that is within view of the 'Jumbotron'. Anchoring takes only a few minutes and when we finish, you may find the SF Giant's streaming play-by-play and connect to our sound system. Upper deck speakers provide an immersive experience while viewing the 'Jumbotron' highlights from the water.
The convenience of having 2 private restrooms available any time is a 'game changer'! No waiting to use the bathrooms, yay!
Our crew will be happy to assist with anything you require. While the game plays out before you, the crowd cheers, the 'Jumbotron' shows the play highlights and if you are lucky, a right field home run ball will land close to the boat! It has actually happened on several occasions… bring your glove!
You literally have your own private suite to thoroughly enjoy the game. Keep those phones charged on board with our power supply to make sure you can take those photos and post instantly on social media......Guess where we are?!? “I’m on a boat!!” bet you can hear that song playing in your head right now!
You have a full five hours with us aboard Blue Skies. Should the game end, or you simply wish to leave early, it is your boat for the day. Just give the word and we will be happy to raise anchor and give you and your guests a magical Bay tour. If the game extends to its normal 9 inning length and you wish to stay, no problem, we will time our exit from McCovey Cove to your drop off location to make the five hour time frame.
Could there be any other way to experience a San Francisco Giants game with the same adventure, privacy and memories than with us aboard Blue Skies? We have many happy guests who say, no, this is the BEST way!
Our 35 foot power yacht, Blue Skies is hands down the perfect venue to witness a Giant's game!
~ Private Yacht with fly bridge for your intimate group. This open space is perfect for hanging out with your friends under the sun!
~Upto Five hours for up to 6 guests on the water aboard our classic trawler style power yacht, 'Blue Skies'.
~ Our beautifully appointed vessel has all of the amenities you need for the outing.
~ Enjoy the warm enclosed main salon, or walk up to the fly bridge upper deck for open air seating to enjoy the ride to and from the game.
~ Once we have arrived at McCovey Cove adjacent to Oracle Park, the fly bridge up top is the place to be! We anchor here close to the action.
~ Bring your own beverages. we have ice and coolers on board.
~ Blue Skies has a great sound system. Blue tooth compatible to stream live the SF Giants commentary during the entire game.
~ Power outlets available to charge cell phones, etc....
~ Two restrooms on board are available anytime away from the dock.
Ever wonder where McCovey Cove got it’s name?
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McCovey Cove (2002)
McCovey Cove is the unofficial name of a section of San Francisco Bay beyond the right field wall of At&T park, home of the San Francisco Giants, named after famed Giants first baseman Willie McCovey. The proper name for the cove is China Basin, which is the mouth of Mission Creek as it meets the bay. The cove is bounded along the north by AT&T Park, with a ferry landing and a breakwater at the northeast end. The southern shore is lined by China Basin Park and McCovey Point. To the east, it opens up to San Francisco Bay, while the west end of the cove is bounded by the Lefty O'Doul Bridge, named after San Francisco ballplayer and manager Lefty O'Doul.
The name was coined thanks to two sportswriters. Mark Purdy of the San Jose Mercury News wrote an article suggesting naming the body of water after McCovey, though his original suggestions were 'McCovey Channel,' 'McCovey Stream' or 'McCovey Run.' Purdy then noted the more 'lyrical' name of 'McCovey Cove' was suggested by his colleague Leonard Koppett, a writer for the Oakland Tribune.[1] The name did not take long to become very popular, although the moniker has never become official.
On game days, fans take to the water of McCovey Cove in boats and even in kayaks, often with fishing nets in the hope of collecting a home run ball. This echoes what used to happen during McCovey's playing days. Before Candlestick Park's upper deck was extended, the area behind right field was occupied by three small bleacher sections and a lot of open space. Kids in those bleachers would gather behind the right field fence when "Stretch" would come to the plate. There may also be a link to the fact that Willie McCovey was one of only a few that hit home runs over the scoreboard and into a public swimming pool at Montreal's Jarry Park, the Expos' home from 1969 to 1976. The fact that balls can be hit into a water basin over the right field wall in San Francisco is somewhat of a tribute/salute to Willie McCovey's legend when he visited Montreal.[citation needed]
Just beyond the wall is a public waterfront promenade. Across the cove from the ballpark is McCovey Point and China Basin Park, featuring a statue of McCovey at the mouth of the Cove. At his feet are small plaques commemorating the winners of the Willie Mac Award, named in McCovey's honor. Along the southern shore of the cove, between McCovey Point and the O'Doul Bridge, is a walkway featuring plaques showing the Opening Day Roster of every Giants team from 1958 through 1999. Just south of the statue of Willie McCovey is Barry Bonds Junior Giants Field, a t-ball sized baseball diamond.[2] (As of 2020, the features in this area have been temporarily warehoused while extensive construction takes place.)
A "splash hit" is recorded when a Giants player hits a home run that lands in McCovey Cove on the fly (home runs hit by opposing players are not recorded; nor are hits that strike or bounce off the stadium wall or pedestrian path). These hits are tallied on an electronic counter on the right field wall. As of July 17, 2022, 95 "splash hits" have been hit into the Bay by 23 Giants players since the park opened (all splash hits are in the regular season); 35 of those were by Barry Bonds.[3] Six other Giants have reached the Cove more than twice: Brandon Belt (ten), Pablo Sandoval (eight), Denard Span (five), Mike Yastrzemski (five), Brandon Crawford(three), and LaMonte Wade Jr. (three). Five players—Felipe Crespo, Michael Tucker, Ryan Klesko, Aubrey Huff, and Andrés Torres—have done it twice. Fourteen other Giants players have accomplished the feat once. Carlos Beltrán's "splash hit" on September 14, 2011, marked his 300th career home run. Klesko is currently the only player to have splash hits as both a Giant and as an opposing player through the 2019 season. Tyler Colvin's "splash hit" on May 12, 2014, was also his first hit for the Giants and occurred in his first at bat at Oracle Park since joining the team.[4] Barry Bonds is the only player to have two splash hits in a single game, having done so on May 10, 2000, and May 18, 2002. On June 15, 2021, 2 different Giants players got splash hits in the same game for the first time: Steven Duggar and Mike Yastrzemski. On May 24, 2022, Joc Pederson became the second player to hit a splash hit as both a Giants player and a visiting player, joining Ryan Klesko.[5] Pederson became the first player to have a splash hit for 3 different teams, having previously hit two splash hits while a member of the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Chicago Cubs.
Three "splash hits" have been walk-off home runs: Barry Bonds' on August 19, 2003, Brandon Crawford's on April 13, 2014, and Mike Yastrzemski's on July 29, 2020.
Denard Span is the only Giant to lead off with a splash hit, doing so on June 13, 2016.
As of the end of the 2019 season, Bonds is the only Giant to record a "splash hit" in the postseason. Bonds did so in the 5th inning of Game 3 of the 2002 National League Championship Series on October 12, 2002.
When the stadium hosted the 2007 Home Run Derby, McCovey Cove was heavily featured in promotional materials, and the namesake slugger presented each participant with special bats before the competition. However, the difficulty of hitting McCovey Cove with a home run was shown, as none of the eight sluggers competing were able to hit water, and all four left-handed batters (who are more likely to hit home runs to right field, and thus, to the Cove) were eliminated in the first round of the contest. The only player to hit water was Prince Fielder of the Milwaukee Brewers, who did so on a foul ball.[6] Fielder would eventually hit McCovey Cove with a fair ball on July 20, 2008, as the 17th visiting player to hit a home run into the Cove.
The majority of home runs surrendered into McCovey Cove have been off right-handed pitchers. 20 left-handed pitchers have surrendered a splash hit: Rich Rodriguez, Chuck McElroy, Vic Darensbourg, Brian Anderson, Jeriome Robertson, Chuck Finley, Ted Lilly, Ray King, Doug Davis, Joe Kennedy, Hong-Chih Kuo, Trever Miller, Wandy Rodríguez, Rex Brothers, David Price, Drew Smyly, Ranger Suárez, Matt Strahm, Alex Young, and Génesis Cabrera.
Four visiting pitchers have surrendered multiple "splash hits": Liván Hernández, Rodrigo López, John Thomson, and Chris Paddack. López is the only pitcher to give up a splash hit as a member of two visiting teams. No pitcher has surrendered 2 splash hits in the same game.
The most splash hits the Giants have had in a season is 11 in 2001, helped greatly by Barry Bonds successful chase to hit the most HRs in a season. On the flip side, the fewest the Giants have had in a season is 0 in 2015 (only 1 was hit in the cove that season, done so by Cody Asche of Philadelphia). This splash-hit drought lasted nearly 2 years: after Brandon Belt hit one on September 25, 2014, he would break the drought himself on June 8, 2016.
44 non-Giants players have hit the cove 59 times. Of visiting players who have hit the cove, Max Muncy, Carlos Delgado, Carlos González and Adam LaRoche have performed the feat the most, doing it three times each. Current Major League Baseball players Joc Pederson, Bryce Harper and Mike Moustakas, and former Major League Baseball players Luis Gonzalez, Curtis Granderson and Cliff Floyd are the only other visiting players to do so twice. David Ortiz, Mitch Moreland, Adam Dunn, and Shin-Soo Choo are the only four American League players to hit the cove. Delgado, LaRoche, Harper, Moustakas,Pederson, and Blackmon are the only six players to have hit home runs into McCovey Cove as members of two visiting teams.
Every National League team has had at least one player hit a home run into McCovey Cove. The last club to have a player hit a ball into the water for the first time was the Cincinnati Reds, doing so in April 2021. Of the 15 American League teams, only 4 (Boston, Chicago White Sox, Kansas City and Texas) have had a player hit a Home Run into McCovey Cove. No player for the Houston Astros have hit a home run into McCovey Cove since the Astros moved to the American League.
Luis Gonzalez' splash hit on May 30, 2001, and Dioner Navarro's splash hit on July 20, 2011, remain the only two instances where a splash hit accounted for the only run of a game.
Two visiting players have hit McCovey Cove on the fly in the postseason. Rick Ankiel hit the water on the fly in the 11th inning of Game 2 of the 2010 National League Division Series on October 8, 2010; his run would go on to be the winning run for the Atlanta Braves. Ankiel's home run was the second in postseason history to be hit straight into the cove. Bryce Harper became the second visitor to hit the water in the postseason in the 7th inning of Game 4 of the 2014 National League Division Series on October 7, 2014, as a member of the Washington Nationals.
Tim Lincecum has surrendered the most McCovey home runs to visitors, having done so five times. The other Giants to give up multiple are Madison Bumgarner and Johnny Cueto with four and Matt Cain, Kevin Correia, Tim Hudson, Matt Morris, Hunter Strickland, Brett Tomko, and Ryan Vogelsong twice each. Correia is the only pitcher to have given up a splash hit both as a Giant and as a visiting pitcher (while pitching for the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2014).
Players from opposing teams have hit home runs into McCovey Cove in the same game three times: on May 28, 2001 (Felipe Crespo and Mark Grace); on May 12, 2014 (Tyler Colvin and Freddie Freeman); and on August 9, 2019 (Stephen Vogt and Bryce Harper).[12]
References[edit]
^ Purdy, Mark (May 9, 1999). "Honoring Him Wouldn't Take A Stretch". The San Jose Mercury News.
^ "McCovey Point". San Francisco Giants.
^ "AT&T Park Splash Hits". MLB.com. Retrieved July 30,2020.
^ Kroner, Steve (May 12, 2014). "Tyler Colvin powers Tim Lincecum's gem for Giants". SFGate. Retrieved May 13,2014.
^ "Wild stats from Joc's historic three-homer game vs. Mets".
^ "Span's two-run homer | 09/11/2017". MLB.com.
^ "Sandoval's three-run dinger | 04/04/2018". MLB.com.
^ "Colvin homers in first start as a Giants". The San Francisco Examiner. May 13, 2014.