Author: Alfredo Casuso

Scottish Memories and an Early Christmas Treat
– by David Eugene Perry

17 August 2026: Ahoy! Alfredo and I arrived in Scotland’s Outer Hebrides: the charming town of Stornoway, Isle of Lewis. According to my family history, this is the country from which my ancestors came in the 1600s. My mother’s family’s maiden name is Tyree, very likely connected to the Scottish island of the Inner Hebrides, of Tiree

We walk along the charming waterfront of Stornoway, passing boys in their school ties looking like they just came out of Hogwarts. Then we make our way to Lews Castle via the waterfront promenade. 

Lews Castle—pronounced like Lewis Castle—stands across Stornoway Harbour on the Isle of Lewis. Despite its medieval appearance, it is actually a grand Victorian country house. Its history begins before the present building. Around 1680, the Mackenzies, Earls of Seaforth, built Seaforth Lodge on the site as their Lewis residence. It was enlarged during the 18th century but eventually replaced by the castle.

In 1844, Sir James Matheson purchased the entire Isle of Lewis for £190,000. Matheson was a cofounder of Jardine Matheson and had made much of his enormous fortune through the Chinese opium trade. He commissioned Glasgow architect Charles Wilson to design an imposing new home overlooking Stornoway. Construction began in 1847 and was completed around 1854. Matheson and his wife also created the extensive wooded grounds, whose sheltered trees provide a striking contrast to Lewis’s generally open, windswept landscape. Lews Castle history

Matheson’s legacy on Lewis is complicated. He invested heavily in roads, drainage and famine relief, but his years as proprietor also coincided with assisted emigration and the displacement of island families.

In 1918, industrialist William Lever—Lord Leverhulme, founder of the company that became Unilever—purchased Lewis and the castle. He had ambitious plans to industrialize the island, especially its fishing industry, but encountered strong local resistance and abandoned many of his schemes. In 1923, he gave Lews Castle and its grounds to the people of Stornoway for civic use.

During the Second World War, the castle housed personnel from 700 Naval Air Squadron. Six Supermarine Walrus amphibious aircraft operated from nearby Cuddy Point, and the installation was known as HMS Mentor. Beginning in the 1950s, the castle served as student accommodation for Lews Castle College. After that use ended, much of the building remained empty and deteriorated for decades.

A major restoration began in the 2010s. The ground-floor public rooms—including the ballroom—reopened in 2016, and the adjoining Museum nan Eilean now tells the history and culture of the Outer Hebrides. It includes several of the original Lewis Chessmen, the famous 12th-century pieces discovered at Uig on Lewis. The castle’s upper floors contain hotel suites and self-catering apartments. Museum nan Eilean

Today, both the castle and grounds belong to the local community. It is therefore not an ancestral clan fortress, but a Victorian monument to two extraordinarily wealthy industrialists—Matheson and Leverhulme—that eventually became one of Stornoway’s most important public spaces.

Just below the castle grounds, we encounter a cannon from The Crimean War, presented by Captain William Hall to Sir James Matheson following its capture from a Russian-held fort in Finland. The cannon weighed about one and a half tons and could fire cannon balls over several miles. Hall later had a distinguished naval career and was eventually knighted and made Admiral of the Fleet.

After leaving behind cannon and the castle, we continue down to the waterfront and come across a storybook cottage, like something out of Hansel and Gretel. A sign by the door reads “A Gardener’s Home by the Sea,” explaining that the little cottage has been home to generations of Lews Castle gardeners and remains so today.  Just past the fairy tale cottage we discover a real fairy tale: a tree home for fairies with gifts for the tiny mythical creatures strewn around the trunk, and a heart-shaped sign attached: 

If you believe a fairy can make your wish come true 
 Look inside yourself 
 that fairy could be you.

Here from the sprite’s tree Lews Castle looks like nothing so much as a miniature Downton Abby. It’s an entrancing view and walk. Back across the bridge into town, we come across a truly fabulous car from the 1950s, a Jaguar that was a five-time winner of Le Mans. I can’t wait to send this picture to my retired mechanic brother in Texas.After encountering classic cars, we continue our walk through the village and come across two monuments from World War I, or as my grandfather who fought in that conflict called it, the Great War.

The sinking of H.M.Y. Iolaire was one of the defining tragedies in the history of Lewis and Harris. On New Year’s Eve 1918, just seven weeks after the Armistice, the former private yacht was carrying nearly 280 servicemen home across the Minch. Shortly before 2:00 a.m. on January 1, 1919, with the lights of Stornoway visible, she veered off course and struck the rocks known as the Beasts of Holm near the harbor entrance. The ship was only a few dozen yards from shore, but the darkness, freezing water and violent seas made that short distance almost impossible to cross.

John Finlay Macleod bravely swam ashore carrying a line, allowing dozens of men to pull themselves to safety along a heavier rope. Even so, more than 200 people died, including 184 men from Lewis, and over 50 bodies were never recovered. The loss was particularly devastating because Lewis had already sacrificed around 1,000 men during the First World War. These sailors had survived the conflict and reached the very threshold of home, only to perish within sight of their waiting families. Memorials at Holm, in Stornoway Harbour and at the Lewis War Memorial continue to commemorate the victims of a disaster that profoundly affected nearly every community on the island.

Just across for the H.M.Y. Iolaire plinth, The Seaforth Highlanders memorial was “erected by the Seaforth Highlanders to the undying memory of 8432 comrades belonging to the ten battalions of the regiment who gave their lives for their country in the Great War.” Across its base are the words “SCOTLAND FOR EVER.”

Appropriately enough, after the World War I memorials, we stop in Martin’s Memorial Church. A beautiful and simple temple to the faith with its World War II tribute including a Book of Remembrance and wooden poppy crosses.  Its Roll of Honour bears the words: “TO THE GLORY OF GOD AND IN MEMORY OF THOSE FROM THIS CHURCH WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES FOR US IN THE GREAT WAR.” It lists men from the congregation who served in several British and Canadian units and closes: “BLESSED ARE THEY THAT MOURN: FOR THEY SHALL BE COMFORTED.”

After leaving the church, we stroll through a street in the town that we had missed somehow before, and we stumbled upon the Baltic Bookshop. It was crowded and I almost didn’t go in, but then, I had a strange feeling. I walked in and I saw the shopkeeper on a step ladder hanging a tea towel for display in the front window. “Excuse me, I said, “do you have tea towels with calendars on them?” She looked down at with a smile and said, “I think I have one left.”  She walked me over to a display, and there wasn’t one: there were five! I bought them all.

Now here’s the time where a little bit family history gets inserted. When I was a boy, my grandmother always hosted Christmas Day lunch. All the cousins would give each other little presents. My family’s present to the other cousins was something that has become very hard to find, and old-fashioned indeed: Tea towels with the next year’s calendar imprinted on them.

Over the decades, the family has grown and Alfredo and I have given dozens of calendars as our Holiday tradition. But in the United States, more and more, they’re difficult to find. While we’ve been traveling, I was convinced – and determined – that I would find one someplace. Through eleven countries we have searched. And then finally here in Stornoway in the outer Hebrides, we stumble upon them in the Baltic Bookshop.

I was so excited, we celebrated with a proper gin and tonic at the Criterion Bar. I think it’s appropriate that the country which gave birth to my family, Tyree, should have been the place this little family treasure was uncovered.

Merry Christmas. 😊

Scenic Hiking, Sea Tales & Serendipity in Runavik, Faroe Islands
– David Eugene Perry

 16 August 2026: Ahoy! Today in Runavik, Faroe Islands it was a day of sightseeing, scenic hiking, sea tales and finally a serendipitous local bus ride. Off the ship early, on a quiet, misty and pleasantly chilly Sunday, Alfredo and headed for the lake and its lichen-lined trail: 45 minutes of glorious scenery and more than the occasional sheep. En route to the trail, we encountered several extremely well-curated public “open air” museum placards documenting the history of the islands, and especially the rich fishing tradition here.

Runavík lies on Eysturoy, the second-largest of the Faroe Islands, along the long fjord of Skálafjørður. Unlike some of the islands’ much older settlements, Runavík developed largely in the 20th century and today is very much a working Faroese community, with fishing, shipping, fish processing and aquaculture all immediately evident around the harbor.

The public exhibits laid out that history unusually well. Vikings travelled north in open boats during the ninth century and settled the Faroe Islands sometime between about 800 and 900. Boats were essential because the sea, rather than separating the islands, was their principal means of communication and transport. The surviving evidence is too limited to tell us exactly what the local boat looked like between about 900 and 1600, but such an important vessel was almost certainly being built locally.

By the first half of the 17th century, Faroese boatbuilding appears to have developed substantially. According to the exhibit, 50 boats and all of their crews were once lost at sea, after which a law was reportedly introduced prohibiting people from going to sea in boats considered too small. Small Norwegian boats were then in use here, and the local boatbuilding tradition probably evolved considerably during this period.

The traditional Faroese boat ultimately developed from the Norse clinker-built boat. In clinker construction the hull planks overlap one another and are fastened together, rather than meeting edge-to-edge. Faroese boatbuilders gradually adapted this inherited form to local conditions: dangerous tidal currents between islands, rough seas and very steep landing places. The boat therefore had to combine seaworthiness with sufficiently light construction to allow a crew to haul it ashore. The exhibits say the distinctive elegant form of the Faroese boat was established by about the middle of the 17th century.

Boatbuilding itself became a specialized craft passed from generation to generation. Once the keel had been raised, planks were added one by one and riveted with clinker nails, the shape of the boat emerging progressively as the builder worked. There was no fixed set of plans. Builders relied instead upon certain measurements, inherited traditions and experience — literally the boatbuilder’s eye. An apprentice might spend two winters with an older craftsman and build perhaps ten to twelve boats before calling himself a boatbuilder, although the exhibits make clear that learning continued throughout his working life. A builder often travelled to the customer’s own village and constructed the boat there. His tools could fit in a single toolbox; as the sign rather memorably explains, the rest he carried in his head.

By the 1920s engines were becoming common in Faroese boats. In 1927 the first purpose-built racing boat was constructed at Vestmanna. Competitive rowing subsequently spread through the islands and today is regarded as the Faroese national sport. The tradition had much older informal roots: two boats returning from fishing or trading at the same time might simply race one another to shore. The first known organized Faroese rowing competition took place at Trongisvágsfjørður on Suðuroy in the 1870s.

After World War II, Faroese fishermen increasingly travelled to Greenland. They initially took ordinary Faroese motorboats, including eight-man racing boats, but the abundance of fish soon made larger craft desirable. Faroese builders responded with bigger, heavier, deeper and broader boats adapted for engines, producing the distinct “Greenland boat.” Later, during the 1970s and 1980s, boats built at Kaldbak adapted the Faroese form to fiberglass construction. Commercial use of the old traditional boat has now largely disappeared, but associations, museums, private owners and competitive rowing continue to keep it alive.

In 2021 the Faroese clinker-boat tradition joined the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity as part of the joint Nordic clinker-boat nomination. That recognition covers not simply the boat as an object but the inherited knowledge of building and using it. The National Museum works with museums, associations and private individuals to maintain a craft that is now considered at risk because so few young people are learning traditional boatbuilding.

That led me to ask about the Faroes during World War II and how their flag, Merkið, became officially recognized.

When Germany occupied Denmark in April 1940, Britain quickly occupied the Faroes to prevent Germany from establishing itself in this strategically important part of the North Atlantic. The British presence was generally peaceful and became known locally as the “Friendly Occupation.” Denmark was now cut off, however, forcing the Faroese to assume much more responsibility for their own administration and trade.

Fishing became even more important. Faroese boats carried fish to Britain at considerable risk from mines, submarines, wartime shipping hazards and North Atlantic weather. At the same time, imported flour, sugar, coffee, fuel, clothing and other goods could be scarce or rationed, making local fish, meat, potatoes and dairy products particularly important. British forces also created employment through construction, transport, communications and military support work. One of their largest projects was the airfield on Vágar that ultimately became the modern Faroese airport.

The British military presence brought soldiers into close daily contact with a very small civilian population. Relations were generally good, including friendships, dances, sports and marriages, although the usual tensions accompanied the arrival of a large foreign military force.

And the war gave the Faroese flag a practical new importance. Faroese vessels could no longer safely sail under the Danish flag because Denmark was under German occupation. The Faroese therefore wanted their own white flag with its red Nordic cross outlined in blue to identify their ships. On 25 April 1940 British authorities recognized Merkið for use by Faroese shipping. The date is still Faroese Flag Day.

The experience of administering their own affairs during those five years also mattered politically. After the war it was difficult simply to return to the old arrangement with Copenhagen; greater Faroese autonomy followed, culminating in Home Rule in 1948.

History imbibed, now it was time to hike.

The trail around Toftavatn is approximately four kilometers round trip, with a rise of about 90 meters. The local hiking sign classifies it as easy and suitable for children, with a possible uphill section toward Svangaskarð at Toftir.

The scenery looked distinctly volcanic, which prompted another question: Was the geology here connected with the hotspot that remains active beneath Iceland?

Yes. The Faroes are overwhelmingly composed of basalt lava flows produced around 55 million years ago as the North Atlantic began opening between Greenland and Europe. Immense volcanic eruptions built successive layers of basalt, giving many Faroese mountains the horizontal banding visible today. That volcanism was associated with the same broad North Atlantic mantle-plume system connected with present-day Iceland. Plate movement subsequently carried the Faroes away from the active volcanic center, while Iceland remains volcanically active. Much later, glaciers cut through those stacked lava flows, creating the steep valleys, fjords and cliffs that now define the scenery.

The lake trail also passed through extensive lichen habitat. The information panels explained that some lichens can live for centuries and colonize newly exposed rock relatively quickly after glaciers retreat. Because many species expand slowly outward in roughly circular patches, measuring them can sometimes help estimate how long rock has been exposed — a technique known as lichenometry. One example given was the yellow-green Rhizocarpon geographicum, growing at only about 0.02 to 0.2 millimeters per year. Lichens can also serve as indicators of air pollution because different species have different tolerances to atmospheric contaminants. Historically, people used them for such purposes as animal feed and textile dyes.

The bird board at Toftavatn identified an impressive collection of species. Among those considered commonly seen were meadow pipit, common snipe, Eurasian teal, black-legged kittiwake, common gull, oystercatcher, tufted duck, whimbrel, Arctic skua, Eurasian wigeon, mallard, lesser black-backed gull, red-breasted merganser, great skua, herring gull, red-throated diver, great black-backed gull, greylag goose and whooper swan. Less frequently seen species included white wagtail, red-necked phalarope, Slavonian grebe, goldeneye, scaup, northern pintail, barnacle goose and grey heron.

We also encountered a much sadder piece of local history. A memorial beside Toftavatn commemorates John Mikkelsen, age 11; Jákup Mikkelsen, age 10; and Oddmar Andreassen, age 10, three boys who drowned there on Monday, 31 August 1964.

As impressive as is the scenery, equally impressive is the economy of the Faroe Islands. Fishing remains foundational, but salmon aquaculture has become another major industry. Bakkafrost, headquartered at Glyvrar beside Runavík, is the most conspicuous example: a large Faroese salmon producer whose operations extend from breeding and feed to farming, processing and export.  An interesting fact here: there is essentially “no unemployment.” Taken literally there are, of course, unemployed people, but the expression reflects an exceptionally tight labor market. Fishing, aquaculture, maritime services, construction and public employment all contribute to an economy where employers can have difficulty finding enough workers.

The Faroese themselves control their fishing and oil rights. The important point is that fisheries and offshore natural resources are areas of extensive Faroese self-government. The Faroese authorities manage fishing policy and access to the marine resources on which so much of the economy depends, and they have responsibility for subsoil resources such as potential offshore oil and gas within Faroese jurisdiction. That economic control is one of the clearest practical expressions of Faroese autonomy within the Kingdom of Denmark.

And of course, on land everywhere we encounter sheep. The word “Faroe” actually is a derivation of Old Norse for “Islands of Sheep.” Sheep farming has been part of life here for centuries. With little level arable ground, the Faroese traditionally depended heavily on grazing livestock, and sheep could provide meat, wool and other essentials while making use of steep land unsuitable for crops. The legends of the seafaring Irish monk St. Brendan are interrupted by many to be about the Faroes with their vivid descriptions of sheep. Event before the Vikings arrived, monastic sailors from Ireland the Scottish Hebrides trod these shores.

By 11:30am, we were pleasantly tired and returned to the ship to freshen up. Since no “land based work” beckoned on this the second day of the weekend, Alfredo and I ventured back out in search of a local brew. Little did we realize we’d succeed in a very authentic way. Back in the middle of the town, one of the friendly local young people with “Ask Me!” signs offered that “there’s a local bus doing a tour at 2pm.” With exactly the right amount of Danish Krone in our pockets, we boarded the bus for what turned out to be quite the best and most unexpected group tour we’ve ever taken.

First, we entered the incredible under-the-Ocean Eysturoy Tunnel (Eysturoyartunnilin). Opened in December 2020, this 11.24-kilometer (7 mile) undersea marvel features the world’s first underwater roundabout, located 70 meters beneath the Atlantic. It cuts the drive from Tórshavn to Runavík from 64 minutes down to just 16 minutes.

Then, our increasingly loquacious driver (in all the good ways) drove us to a village just outside Runavik where he stopped to introduce us to a local sheep herder, who proceed to give us a demonstration of his two European Champion herding dogs. The pig Babe of movie fame would have been impressed indeed. While were we watching the canine acrobatics, the herder’s wife offered us fresh lamb bits and a cold cup of Føroya Bjór beer.

As we left, the driver pointed out the monument to local hero Faroese sea captain Anton Martin Olsen (1921–1996), renowned for rescuing a distressed boat of 35 Vietnamese boat refugees in 1978 aboard his ship, an act for which he was knighted by the Queen of Denmark.

Then, up a steep local road (past a former mayor’s house) we passed, of course, more sheep and numerous silvery waterfalls en route to the small community of Lamba on Lambavík Bay, site of one of the Faroes’ best-known shipwreck stories.

On New Year’s Eve 1707, the Norske Løve — the “Norwegian Lion” — was driven onto the rocks there. The vessel belonged to the Danish East India trading world and had been attempting a North Atlantic passage when severe weather left it in desperate condition. The surviving account describes a voyage already marked by extraordinary misfortune before the ship reached the Faroes.

At Lambavík the ship finally wrecked. Out of a complement numbering more than 400, only roughly 100 to a hundred-plus men survived the freezing ordeal and were brought safely ashore with the help of local people. Much of what could be reached — survivors, equipment and cargo — was initially salvaged.

Then nature intervened again. A landslide descended over the wreck area during the night, burying much of what remained beneath earth and water. Parts of the vessel, including ballast stones and copper plates, are still associated with the seabed at the wreck site.

The wreck also left tangible traces elsewhere in the Faroes. A salvaged bell bears the inscription “Danscke Ostindische Compagnies Scheb Nordische Löwe” — identifying it as the Danish East India Company ship Nordische Löwe. Tórshavn Cathedral, Havnar Kirkja, also contains a votive model of the Norske Løve, traditionally said to have been made by one of the sailors who survived the wreck.

As a maritime historian, these unexpected bits of sea lore never cease to enchant me. Alfredo and I – neither big fans of organized bus tours – quite agreed, this accidental tour guide was quite the best ever. Now, sated with local food and folklore, we returned to the good ship Nieuw Amsterdam. Next stop: the Scottish New Hebrides!

Media Contact:  
David Perry, DP&A, Inc.  / (415) 676-7007 / news@davidperry.com

Today – August 13 – Grocery Outlet to Open at Fisherman’s Wharf 

New Locally Operated Grocery Store at 350 Bay Street Marks Another Major Investment in San Francisco’s Historic Waterfront Neighborhood

13 August 2026 – San Francisco, CA: Ring the bell: Grocery Outlet will officially open its new Fisherman’s Wharf location today — Thursday, August 13 — bringing a full-service, independently operated grocery store to one of San Francisco’s most historic and dynamic neighborhoods.

The opening ceremony begins at 10am at 350 Bay Street and will include remarks from local independent owner-operators Jacqueline and Joel Lanoie, representatives of the Fisherman’s Wharf Community Benefit District and invited city officials. A ribbon cutting and presentation to local nonprofit organizations will also be part of the celebration.

“Since the Safeway closed at this site in 2023, people have had to leave their neighborhood just to find affordable day-to-day essentials. That changes today,” said Mayor Lurie. “This Grocery Outlet will provide North Beach, Fisherman’s Wharf, and surrounding neighborhoods like Chinatown with affordable fresh food and necessities. Every day, my team and I work to make this a city that works for the families who call it home. Today, we’re taking another step in that direction.”

The new Grocery Outlet will be independently owned and operated by Jacqueline and Joel Lanoie. The store will offer fresh produce, meat, dairy products, household essentials and Grocery Outlet’s signature selection of name-brand products at discounted prices.

“We are thrilled to become part of the Fisherman’s Wharf community,” said Jacqueline and Joel Lanoie. “As local independent owner-operators, our goal is to provide our neighbors with quality groceries at affordable prices while creating a store that feels welcoming, useful and connected to the community. We look forward to meeting everyone on August 13 and serving this neighborhood for many years to come.”

“Grocery Outlet’s opening is exactly the kind of neighborhood investment we want to encourage in District 3,” said Supervisor Danny Sauter. “A convenient, affordable grocery store will be an important resource for the people who live and work here, and it will help bring consistent, everyday activity to this part of Fisherman’s Wharf. I’m delighted to welcome Jacqueline, Joel and their entire team to the neighborhood.”

The opening comes amid continued growth and renewal throughout Fisherman’s Wharf, including new restaurants and businesses, expanded waterfront programming, new public art, enhanced pedestrian amenities, the Fisherman’s Wharf Entertainment Zone and improvements being advanced through the Fisherman’s Wharf Forward initiative in partnership with the Port of San Francisco.

“Fisherman’s Wharf is both a world-famous destination and a living, working San Francisco neighborhood,” said Bri Maughan, Executive Director of the Fisherman’s Wharf Community Benefit District. “Grocery Outlet adds something especially important to that mix: a locally operated store that will serve residents, employees, nearby businesses and visitors every day of the year. Its opening builds upon the Wharf’s growing momentum—from new businesses and restaurants to revitalized public spaces, enhanced pedestrian amenities and an expanding calendar of community programming. We’re proud to help welcome Jacqueline and Joel to Fisherman’s Wharf.”

“The Port hails Grocery Outlet’s arrival at 350 Bay Street and its addition of an important new amenity to the northern waterfront,” said Michael Martin, Executive Director of the Port of San Francisco. “The Wharf’s continued resurgence depends on maintaining a healthy mix of businesses that serve residents, workers, and visitors. This new store strengthens that mix and reflects growing investor confidence in Fisherman’s Wharf’s future.” 

The August 13 ceremony will conclude with the official ribbon cutting at approximately 10:13am. Members of the community are invited to attend and welcome the store’s owners and employees to Fisherman’s Wharf.

EVENT DETAILS

WHAT: Grocery Outlet Fisherman’s Wharf Grand Opening and Ribbon Cutting
WHEN: Thursday, August 13, 2026, at 10am
WHERE: Grocery Outlet, 350 Bay Street, San Francisco
WHO: Local independent owner-operators Jacqueline and Joel Lanoie; representatives of the Fisherman’s Wharf Community Benefit District; invited city officials, community organizations and neighborhood leaders

For more information about Fisherman’s Wharf, visit www.fishermanswharf.org.

About the Fisherman’s Wharf Community Benefit District
Established in 2005, the Fisherman’s Wharf Community Benefit District is a nonprofit public benefit corporation dedicated to promoting, advancing and maintaining Fisherman’s Wharf as a world-class waterfront destination. The FWCBD works to enhance public spaces, support local businesses, improve the visitor experience and celebrate the history, culture and vitality of San Francisco’s most visited neighborhood.

About Fisherman’s Wharf
Fisherman’s Wharf is one of San Francisco’s most iconic and beloved destinations, known for its historic fishing fleet, seafood restaurants, waterfront views, PIER 39 sea lions, family attractions, maritime heritage and enduring role as a gathering place for locals and visitors from around the world.

About Grocery Outlet
Grocery Outlet is a high-growth, extreme-value retailer of quality, name-brand consumables and fresh products sold through a network of independently owned and operated stores. Grocery Outlet stores offer customers a “treasure hunt” shopping experience featuring deeply discounted products alongside everyday grocery essentials.

###

Today, on the anniversary of her birth, we celebrate the life and legacy of Rainbow Honor Walk honoree Gladys Bentley (August 12, 1907 – January 18, 1960).

A trailblazing blues singer, pianist and entertainer of the Harlem Renaissance, Bentley captivated audiences with her powerful contralto voice, risqué lyrics and commanding stage presence. Performing in her signature tuxedo and top hat, she openly defied the era’s rigid expectations surrounding race, gender and sexuality.

One of the most celebrated openly lesbian performers of her time, Bentley later brought her groundbreaking act to California, including appearances at Mona’s 440 Club, San Francisco’s pioneering lesbian nightclub. Her fearless artistry and unapologetic self-expression helped pave the way for generations of LGBTQ+ performers.

www.rainbowhonorwalk.org

media contact:  
David Perry / David Perry & Associates, Inc. / (415) 676-7007 / news@davidperry.com

Mexican Navy Tall Ship Cuauhtémoc to Make Four-Day San Francisco Visit

Famed sail-training vessel will pass beneath the Golden Gate Bridge September 23 before welcoming the public aboard at Piers 15–17

12 August 2026 — SAN FRANCISCO, CA: The Mexican Navy’s celebrated tall ship ARM Cuauhtémoc BE-01 will sail into San Francisco Bay on Wednesday, September 23, 2026, for a four-day goodwill visit celebrating maritime tradition, international friendship and the enduring ties between Mexico and the United States.

The Cuauhtémoc is expected to pass beneath the Golden Gate Bridge at approximately 9:30 a.m. before proceeding along the San Francisco waterfront and berthing at Piers 15–17 on the Embarcadero.

Members of the public will have several opportunities to step aboard the ship during its San Francisco visit:

OPEN SHIP HOURS

• Wednesday, September 23: Noon–5 p.m.

• Thursday, September 24: 10 a.m.–8 p.m.

• Friday, September 25: 10 a.m.–8 p.m.

• Saturday, September 26: 10 a.m.–8 p.m.

The ship will depart San Francisco at 10 a.m. on Sunday, September 27.

City officials and community leaders are being invited to join representatives of the Mexican Navy and the Mexican diplomatic community in welcoming the ship and its crew to San Francisco. Details of an official arrival ceremony and media photo opportunity will be announced as they are confirmed. In addition, the nonprofit Building Bridges will be providing a fly-over welcome to the ship upon arrival. Various small aircraft ranging from World War II to made-by-hand planes will fly in tandem as a salute to all veterans, and the arrival of Cuauhtemoc.

“The arrival of the Cuauhtémoc will give Bay Area residents a rare opportunity to experience one of Mexico’s most important maritime symbols firsthand,” said Alison Healy, CEO of Ocean Alliances. “The ship carries a message of peace, goodwill and friendship wherever she sails, and her visit will provide a spectacular sight on San Francisco Bay.”

Ocean Alliances (OA), formerly Sails San Francisco, has been recruiting and hosting international naval tall ships since 1999. Now under OA, this nonprofit is expanding their reach to include San Diego and Los Angeles in California, and Alaska, Hawaii and Seattle. Ships will be supported and hosted individually and in 2029 there will be a tall Ship event in San Francisco.

Built at the Astilleros y Talleres de Celaya shipyard in Bilbao, Spain, the Cuauhtémoc was designed by naval architect Juan José Alonso Verástegui. Her keel was laid on July 24, 1981, and she was delivered to her first Mexican crew in Bilbao on July 29, 1982. The vessel was formally commissioned into the Mexican Navy in Veracruz on September 25, 1982.

The Cuauhtémoc serves as both the flagship of the Mexican Navy and a working classroom at sea. Aboard the vessel, midshipmen apply the knowledge acquired at the Heroica Escuela Naval Militar—the Mexican Naval Academy—while developing practical seamanship, leadership, discipline and teamwork.

Known as Mexico’s “Ambassador and Knight of the Seas,”the ship represents the nation at ports and maritime gatherings around the world, carrying what the Mexican Navy describes as a message of peace and goodwill.

The Cuauhtémoc measures approximately 297 feet—or 90.5 meters—in length and 39 feet—or 12 meters—across the beam. A shipboard community of approximately 280 officers, midshipmen and crew members lives, trains and works aboard the vessel.

During more than four decades at sea, the Cuauhtémoc has:

• Completed 45 training voyages and is now undertaking her 46th;

• Visited 234 ports in 75 countries;

• Sailed more than 905,000 nautical miles;

• Circled the globe’s equivalent distance more than 41 times; and

• Trained more than 45 generations of Mexican naval personnel.

The ship has also earned international recognition at major maritime events, including the Tall Ships Races, the Tall Ships Challenge, the Magallanes–Elcano Regatta, the Boston Teapot competition and other gatherings of the world’s great sailing vessels.

The 2026 “North Pacific” Training Cruise is a 92-day voyage visiting ports in Mexico, the United States and Canada. San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge is prominently featured in the official emblem created for the voyage.

“On board the Cuauhtémoc, the sea becomes a teacher,” said Captain José Díaz Castillo, Commanding Officer of the ARM Cuauhtémoc. “Every maneuver and every experience helps build the midshipmen’s character, discipline and sense of responsibility. This journey teaches not only how to sail, but also how to face life through teamwork, trust and camaraderie.”

The San Francisco visit will offer residents and visitors the chance to see the vessel’s decks, masts and intricate rigging while meeting members of the Mexican Navy who sail and train aboard her.

Additional information regarding public access, security requirements, accessibility and official welcoming events will be released before the ship’s arrival.

MEDIA AND PHOTO OPPORTUNITIES

Wednesday, September 23

• Approximately 9:30 a.m.: Cuauhtémoc passes beneath the Golden Gate Bridge

• Morning: Ship proceeds along the San Francisco waterfront

• Arrival and berthing at Piers 15–17

• [TIME TBD]: Official welcome with Mexican naval representatives, diplomatic officials, San Francisco city leaders and invited guests

• Noon: Ship opens to the public

Media interested in covering the arrival from the water, shoreline or pier should contact David Perry & Associates, Inc. in advance for credentials, access information and updated timing.

WHAT: San Francisco visit of the Mexican Navy Tall Ship ARM Cuauhtémoc BE-01

WHEN: September 23–27, 2026

WHERE: Piers 15–17, the Embarcadero, San Francisco

PUBLIC VISITING HOURS: September 23, noon–5 p.m.; September 24–26, 10 a.m.–8 p.m.

DEPARTURE: September 27 at 10 a.m.