Bay Area

Want a Cheap Thrill? Fleet Week Pancakes Aboard Red Oak Victory

The Red Oak Victory Ship is located at 1337 Canal Blvd. in Richmond. Regular tickets are $5 for children age 8 and under and $15 for adults, while tickets including a docent guided tour of the ship are $18 for kids and $25 for adults.

Published

3 years ago

October 9, 2023

Oakland Post

The U.S. Navy’s Blue Angels will part of the airshow on Oct. 8 as part of Fleet Week. Photo courtesy of Fleet Week.

By Kathy Chouteau

The Red Oak Victory Ship’s last Pancake Breakfast of the season—during Fleet Week—will happen Sun., Oct. 8 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., making it a mega meetup of two of my favorite things about living in Richmond: ROV pancakes and Fleet Week.

I grew up about an hour north of the Liberty Bell and let’s just say I have a patriotic streak running through my veins. This includes cheekily-yet-reverently referring to my birth state of Pennsylvania as “the cradle of American democracy.” So cheap pancakes on a WWII Victory Ship built in Richmond with a spectacular airshow overhead? Yep, count me in.

In my view, you should count yourself in, too, on this singularly awesome event. The pancakes, cooked in the ship’s very own galley, are every day American deliciousness served up with scrambled eggs, two slices of bacon and apple slices, along with drinks.

Savor your breakfast from the decks of this floating museum, which was built right in Richmond as a Boulder Class Victory Ship and served as a cargo vessel during WWII.

While aboard you can enjoy live, classic jazz and pop music by the George Cole Trio, take a tour of the ship, send a radiogram to anywhere in the world, and watch the Fleet Week Airshow soar in the skies overhead. The views of the Richmond shoreline and San Francisco Bay from the ship are top notch as well.

To me, a Red Oak Victory Pancake Breakfast is a multigenerational treat that delights young and old alike; i.e., my visiting parents were as thrilled by it as my young son was. Add in the Fleet Week Airshow featuring the U.S. Navy’s Blue Angels and you’re destined to create memories to last a lifetime. Frankly, it’s something every Richmond resident should experience.

The Fleet Week Airshow is expected to hit the skies from Noon to 4 p.m. that Sunday, with the Blue Angels arriving on the scene typically around 3-4 p.m. Extend your stay after breakfast, as the ship is open until 4 p.m. that day.