From sailing in the bay to an island prison – San Francisco is a perfect city trip

“THERE ARE SEVEN SPECIES OF SHARK ENDIGEO TO THE BAY…

These are the ten words I don’t want to hear as I cling to the edge of USA 76, a retired America’s Cup racing yacht, sailing from San Francisco’s famous Fisherman’s Wharf toward the Golden Gate Bridge.

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In no time we are sailing out of the harbour, while captains Pete and Jon put us to work with the winches.

With a cry of “Heel!” – a warning to those not on the winches to switch to the high side of the boat – we turn into the wind and the low side dives toward the water.

This experience is not for the faint of heart or those who dislike work.

It takes 14 crew members to operate the boat, and there are only four professionals on board, so there is no choice but to intervene.

I take the wheel as we drive past Alcatraz.

“It’s just like driving a car!” Jon says encouragingly.

I don’t see any similarities, but the adrenaline rush makes the jet lag disappear quickly.

The sun sets as we sail under the Golden Gate Bridge. The view is picture-postcard and absolutely unmatchable from dry land.

Sailing experiences cost from £87 per person for 21/2 hours (Acsailingsf.com).

Pizza the action

To refuel, we head to Tony’s Pizza Napoletana in Little Italy, a 15-minute walk from the dock. But first, we stop at Pier 39 to spot the playful sea lions.

Founder Tony Gemignani has been crowned World Pizza Champion 13 times, and it’s easy to see why after a slice of the 20-inch Coal Fired New Yorker, £30 – which comes topped with tomato sauce, mozzarella, fennel and Calabrese sausage, two types of pepperoni and ricotta, all without a trace of a soggy base (Tonyspizzanapoletana.com).

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Around the corner is Vesuvio Cafe and as soon as we’re through the saloon doors we order the signature Jack Kerouac cocktail for £12. It’s a heady mix of rum, tequila, cranberry and orange juice.

The eclectic bar is known for its beatnik roots: the walls are covered in artwork and the pourers are large (Vesuvio.com).

The best views of the city are from Dolores Park, so I start the next day with a huge cinnamon sugar and candied orange peel morning bun, £4.50, from Tartine Bakery (Tartinebakery.com).

I eat it at the top of the park, before getting an alien carnitas taco, £3.20, at La Taqueria (Lataqueriasf.com) for a taxi ride to the PayPal Park football stadium.

Kick off

It takes just under an hour – and costs £36 – to reach the home of football teams San Jose Earthquakes and the newly formed Bay FC, who this year signed Arsenal Women’s defender Jen Beattie.

There is a festival-like atmosphere, with a DJ set before the match, various food stalls along the sidelines and a breakdance show during half-time.

And even better, tickets are available from £11 (Bayfc.com).

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The match ends 3-2 to Bay FC, so we celebrate in the city with a creamy gin-based Silver Fizz, £16, at Starlite Lounge, a glittering rooftop bar with 360-degree views of the twinkling skyline (Beacongrand.com/starlite).

We’re staying at The Jay, a new hotel in the financial district, where the rooms feature trendy touches like Critall-style showers and boucle sofas.

Less than five minutes away is the Ferry Building, an indoor market home to the artisan bakery ACME Bread Co. Here I pick up a crunchy cinnamon roll for £3.35 for breakfast and a deluxe cheese sandwich for £7.75, complete with fig jam, rocket and Mt Tam triple cream cheese from the local Cowgirl Creamery, for lunch later in the day (Acmebread.com).

We can spend hours exploring the nearby Fog City Flea Trading Post (Winkeltradingpost.com) – a wealth of indie fashion, home and beauty brands like Bathing Culture, a sustainable local skincare brand (Badcultuur.com) and LA based biological functional fragrances (Biologiegeuren.com).

But I leave before I can convince myself to spend £15 on a cute avocado toast claw clip.

The JailHouse Rock

Of course, a first visit to this place is not complete without a visit to Alcatraz.

The ferry departs from Pier 33, which is a 20-minute walk along the waterfront from the Ferry Building. The tour of the main cell block is fascinating, but at times disturbing.

Day trips cost £36 per person (Cityexperiences.com).

Back at the pier, it starts to rain, so we head to the SF MoMa to take a closer look at Frida Kahlo’s wedding portrait, Frida and Diego Rivera, and Yayoi Kusama’s Aspiring To Pumpkin’s Love, The Love In My Heart – a giant polka-dot pumpkin sculpture that’s bigger than me – and works by Matisse, Pollock and Warhol on the seven jam-packed floors. Entry costs £24 per person (Sfmoma.org).

Our last morning inevitably comes too early.

We order giant SMSF pancakes, £13, with a portion of Millionaire’s Candy, £11 – candied bacon that lives up to the hype – at Sweet Maple (Sweetmaplesf.com), and head to Presidio National Park, with its many hiking trails (Presidio.gov).

After a walk on the sands of Crissy Field Beach, we head to the roof of Fort Point, a fort dating back to the American Civil War. There, we have one last look at the spectacular Golden Gate Bridge. Our tour ends where it began.

Photography: Getty Images, Instagram/Tartine Bakery