Frequently Asked Questions

Yes. Molly’s Boats runs private escort charters for open‑water and marathon swimmers across San Francisco Bay, including the Alcatraz “Escape,” Golden Gate crossings, the Bridge to Bridge 10k, and Angel Island. The boat is chartered privately for your swim — you are not sharing it with another group.

Captain Molly pilots the Molly B. as your navigator and safety boat. That means setting your line and holding it against the current, monitoring Vessel Traffic Services and coordinating with commercial shipping so your path stays clear, acting as liaison with the Coast Guard, and making the real‑time go/no‑go call on visibility and conditions. The vessel also carries your gear, thermal recovery supplies, and your coach or support crew.

• Alcatraz to Aquatic Park (“The Escape”) — roughly 1.25 miles. Precise navigation matters here: without a support boat, swimmers are often swept past the cove opening and toward the Golden Gate.
• Golden Gate Bridge to Alcatraz — about 3 miles, through the strongest currents in the Bay. We run a lead boat to set the line and cross the shipping lanes efficiently.
• Bridge to Bridge 10k — about 6 miles between the Golden Gate and the Bay Bridge, typically 90 minutes to 3 hours depending on how much the current assists.
• Alcatraz to Angel Island — an island‑to‑island route against the lateral currents of the central Bay. Quieter than the city‑bound swims, but it needs expert pilotage to hold a line.

We also run marathon swim training charters in 4, 6, and 8 hour blocks for athletes building toward a crossing.

• Alcatraz Swim — about 1.5 hours, listed at $550
• Bridge to Bridge — about 2 hours, listed at $700
• Circumnavigate Angel Island — about 3 hours, listed at $1,080
• Marathon swim training — 4, 6, and 8 hour blocks, quoted on request

These are charter prices, not per‑swimmer prices. Swim charters book with a $500 deposit, and the final price is confirmed with Captain Molly on a planning call once the route, timing, and tide window are settled — every swim is planned around the day’s conditions, so the listed figure is a starting point rather than a fixed quote.

The Bay runs flood tides of up to about 2.6 mph through an active commercial shipping corridor, which is what makes an unsupported crossing genuinely dangerous rather than merely hard.

• Tides and currents. We plan against hyper‑local tide charts to find the assisted‑speed window, so the current works with your crossing instead of pushing you toward the Pacific.
• Shipping lanes. We monitor Vessel Traffic Services and coordinate with cargo ships and tankers to keep your swim path clear.
• Fog and visibility. If the Golden Gate isn’t visible, it isn’t safe to swim. We make that go/no‑go call in real time on the day.
• Groups. We organise swimmers into visible pods so the crew and other Bay traffic can keep track of everyone.