Richardson Bay is dotted with boats anchored offshore. Viewed from a distance–say while looking down from Mount Tamalpais or the Marin headlands–all the anchored boats make for a picturesque postcard.
But up close, it’s a very different situation. The anchored boats come in all shapes and sizes. There are small runabouts no larger that 17 feet that would be more at home pulling waterskiers on Lake Sonoma than running around San Francisco Bay. There are sailboats–very small and very large–some with their masts and rigging still intact, others that are just floating hulls. There are large motoryachts, some that look like they might still be able to move under their own power, and others that look as though they haven’t moved in years. There are few ex-commercial fishing boats too–their huge steel hulls looming ominously over the nearby pleasure boats. There’s even one large barge piled high with old dredging equipment.
But most of these boats have one thing in common: They are all in various states of disrepair. Look at it this way: the owners of these boats couldn’t afford a slip to keep them at, so instead they’ve been anchored offshore. And if a yacht owner can’t afford $300 a month for a slip, then they definately can’t afford the upkeep required to keep the boat spic and span.
Many of the anchored out vessels also serve as a home for their owners. Afterall, being anchored in the bay is free, but it’s free for a reason. There’s no electricity, water, or sewer system. Fuel for generators and drinking water all has to be brought over from shore by a dingy.
While there are certainly a handful of seaworthy yachts simply anchored in the bay as they tranist their way up or down the West Coast, it’s obvious that for most live aboards anchored out, thier owners are one step from being homeless. Some boats are piled high with gear and junk, others are covered with makeshift shelters made out of blue plastic tarps.
The anchor-outs are sometime seen as part of Sausalito’s appeal–as a throwback to the 1960s when Sausalito was more artsy counter-culture than yuppy–Marin Nostalgia has all sorts of interesting history on about Marin County and the anchor outs. But despite this, dilapidated boats riding at anchor also present a number of hazards.
With no “honey barge” pump-out option in Sausalito, many live-aboards at anchor dump their sewage directly into the bay, polluting the water. But it is the anchors and anchor lines themselves that actually do the most environmental damage.
That’s because each anchored boat needs to have at least 50 feet of anchor line out, even in Richardson Bay’s relatively shallow water. (In order to hold, the anchor line needs to be at least 3 or 4 times the depth of the water.) So every time the tide changes or the wind shifts, the boats swing around, and some of the anchor line drags across the bottom. As it does so, it kills any seagrass, mussels, or other organisms that usually help keep the water clear. The dragging line also stirs up silt, clouding the bay. (Editor’s note: I read a great op-ed piece about this, but now I can’t find it, if someone remembers where it is please let me know!)
There is another danger as well. During winter storms, boats sometimes break away from their anchors and are left drifting. The boats are typically blown toward Tiburon, and smash into the docks and homes of residents there–often causing thousands of dollars of damage to the home, not to mention the cost of removing the boat. An excellent article in the Marin Independent Journal provides a typical example of what happens during a storm.
There have been proposals in the past to clear the boats out, or to at least provide mooring balls, but for now, it seem like this charming-yet-problematic part of Sausalito will remain.
Here’s a link to that opinion piece about anchor outs destroying the bay floor:
http://marinscope.com/articles/2010/08/03/sausalito_marin_scope/opinion/guest_editorials/doc4c58a3d5b1cd9357649457.txt
Thanks for the link, Jessica!
Hi Graham, I just read your article in the Marin Scope dated Oct 27 2010. Thank you for that piece! As time goes by the people who live and pay taxes in Sausalito …run a business or just drive a car will find out the truth about our anchor out neighbors. Yes the derelicts are a hazard to navigation…and yes they pose all kinds of risks for the property owners along the Sausalito and Belvedere coast line…and yes of course they all just throw their garbage and crap in the bay …hey why give a damn?…and the fact that each boat drags an anchor rode (chain) around a 360 degree circle a couple times a day killing all life forms on the sea floor. But really those are just some of the issues I personally have come to know about that community that are just plain outrageous and downright appalling. Not soon after one of our tax paying community members has their outboard engine stolen or whole skiff for that matter or their house is vandalized…and not so soon after the car they drive has had the window smashed in for the stereo system or perhaps the whole car just mysteriously disappears…will they wake up to reality! The roadstead is teaming with thief’s crooks and drug dealers. They cook meth out there 24 hours a day and ransack the community on the way to sell the stuff in San Jose or Sacramento. Just think a teaming community with thousands of hardworking honest people held ransom by fewer than a dozen evidently untouchable criminals. If you or I had a boat and we did not have it registered by the State or Feds we would get a ticket! If we had that boat here in Sausalito we would pay an unsecured tax on the boat to the county of Marin. If you did not pay the registration fees or tax the county or the state or fed would come and take your property. But if you’re a meth cooking thieving lying criminal no one will touch you! If you live in the roadstead in Sausalito you can carry on an ongoing criminal organization with impunity…What exactly is going on here? Why are so many of us controlled by so few? I personally want some answers! Who is in charge? And why is it still like this and by all accounts getting worse? Yours truly and not intimidated by a bunch of thugs Gerry K Robertson Bay and Delta Yachts Charters and Empress Events Sausalito Ca.
After reading your fabricated and complete non-sense in regards to the so called “anchor outs”I would like to ask you to possibly meet me for a discussion in regards to your discriminating accusations. I personally own my own home,on land in Corte Madera, and although I dont have the interaction nor threats of intimidation you have felt from these “lying, meth using, criminals at sea”, I am trying to comprehend what you are slandering these people for. While they do not have to pay monthy rent to anchor their vessels at least they are not sleeping on our door steps, living in a home where they are being physically, emotionally or sexually abused. Have you ever taken the time to speak to these people individually and get an idea of who they are? Do you just assume they are all junkies with no skills or means? Do you think that you are of any comparison to the I.Q. ofthose many you are judging? I personally have met men that have fought wars for the sake of both you and myself that live out there by choice! It seems like a peaceful place to be compared to being on land with the likes of you. There are females that live on small boats that endure the most extream eliments in order to keep some sort feeling of safety or independence. On any given day I know of numerous “anchor outs” that would gladly meet with you and clairify any fabricated notions as well as slandering you have claimed you needed answers to. Although I understand that there is unlawful conduct within this community there is in every neighborhood in marin co..It is up to us to lead by example and treat others with the respect we want in return. I wont judge you by your comments and only hope that I can come to understand what sort of person you may be. Thanks for any response you may have Gerry.
Hello My name is Myles and I own a 47 foot Bluewater . I just went though most of the comments regarding people living as “anchor outs”.. I myself live on my boat . Have worked very very hard to make my boat as nice as the 4 to 7 hundred thousand dollar house boats which pay a berthing fee of 14 to 17 hundred a month over at gate 6 1/2 where I once lived back in 1979 . I am writing to tell a story that maybe the gentleman Gerry Robertson would consider in his thinking of these drug meth anchor outs. Its funny because the drug dealers I have “heard about” live in the about mentioned houseboats…1 /2 million plus houseboats. I guess in Mr Robertsons world if your a money makeing drug dealer and pay crazy fees then its all good and welcome to the bay::::I pay 8.50 per foot plus a “””” not mentioned “””live aboard marina fee of $350.00 so I am paying about $800 per month plus the cost of power about another 100.00 a month. I decided to purchase this boat because I wanted to get back on the water after raising my son and I cant afford a 1/2 million dollar house boat plus the cost of the berthing fees that houseboat marinas charge. I am able to pay what I pay now and renting any apartment in Mairn county is to high for me to meet every month. In the future if I am unable to work I would consider achoring out my boat .I know It would be hard but I would do this because I love this lifestyle and feel as others feel who do what have to in order to LIVE this way. Why is it that people who don’t make a lot of money are reduced to dealing drugs and dumping there sewage in the bay . I have met several who anchor out . One lady who has lived on the bay for the last 8 years. I met her hanging out one day at a local dock as she headed in to get water. She was a nice lady and we talked for over 40 minutes . Myself and others take care of the bay and consider this place heaven on earth. Please consider that some of us who work and have worked most of our lives feel that as long as we don’t hurt other people around us and keep things together that we shouldn’t be labeled the way that Mr Robertson has.
Commerce is the aspect of the 1%, the anchor outs represent the 99%. So should we let the 1% take the homes from the 99% so MONEY can be made?!?
The slander and lies about me throwing trash in the bay or throwing “PooP” overboard is wrong. I LIVE out in the Bay. Why would I destroy something I so appreciate. Truth be told as you point one finger at me three are pointing at you. I suffer the question frequently “What do I do when I have to go to the Bathroom?” I offer this is because it is well known that Sausalito has a sewage issue. Much of the Hillside grey/brown water end up in the Bay via cracked lines, broken sewage pipe, etc… Mill Valley releases raw sewage in the Bay as well as Sausalito. Oh by the way there is a pump-out boat provided by the RBRA, they even gave me a free holding tank, also there is a private pump-out boat both are operating in Richardson Bay so again you are misinforming people.
Most of the boats complained about and depicted in the pictures are actually owned by people living on shore. They don’t want to pay rent so they dump them out in the bay where no one is tending to them, most often it is these abandoned boats that collide or cause boats people live on to become loose during storms.
I don’t do meth but I understand it is a very volitle process, have you ever been pout on the bay? It can be quite choppy at times, even in my home things get knowcked over at times. I would think there to be more explosions out on the Bay were people to be actually “Cooking Meth” out on a boat.
Honestly are you this insecure? You actually want to attack me for choosing to live off the grid of the 1%, living on green energy leaving a low carbon footprint? Think about this as you get into your smog emitting vehicle, or attempt to deprive someone their right to live a life as they choose. I mean you are the guys who ride jetski’s, that are not allowed on the Bay, even though you know they are illegal for you to operate.
I have worked in Sausaltio, since my arrival, in many ways. I have provided security as the door man for the past few years. I have been appreciated for my efforts and personality. Yet here you are someone I know not personally, threatening my home and slandering me. Why are you so mad? Because it makes your business difficult? I never stole anything from Sausalito, or you. But you want to see my home taken away!
I am active in my communities both ashore and out on water. I have gone to City meetings to change policies and have been successful. Now tourists or residents CAN ride a bike on Bridgeway north of Humboldt all the way to Dunphy Park adjacent to Litho. Previously this was a huge tourist trap and negative impact on Sausalito as a whole. I was also the inspiration of the shelter provided during the big storm a few years back.
I have, numerous times, gotten out of the comfort of my home to go to some ones aide. Living on the water we have little choice when seeing someone in distress. Even if it were you! And I knew you were as mad and mean against me as you seem to be, I would set that aside to come to your aide. On land this is very lacking as I see people pass by in droves someone broken down on the side of the road. I have met many people while “saving” them out on the water. Come on you don’t think I know The Empress?? It almost ran over a lady one night that was rowing out in the bay. I presume you thought her to be me or one anchored like me. Fear naught, for I came to her aide brought her to my home and gave her a cup of tea. She was all right when she left though a bit concerned you may return.
So as you Slander a few bad people living on the water you slander me as well. That not only is unwarranted it is a violative of my personal rights. Therefore; it would be wise to rethink this whole article as it is not accurate or insightful; but attacking and demeaning against me and my lifestyle. The Empress?!? You represent the 1% the big business and I am just the little guy the 99%. Why is it so easy for you to attack me? Is it so you can get rid of me and take over my home to rent out? Is it so you can not have people seeing what you are really doing as a business?
Times are changing and I don’t think business exposding they act as the 1% will last very long, maybe that is why you are so angry.
hay i was raisd on the bay all my life and right off gate 6 , since i was 9 till i was 28 years old we would bring are humen waist to shore and as for drug dealers there wasint one that lived out there .and for you rich land lovers on tiboron cant count how meny times i would save bouts from crashing into your piles of crap anyway richerdson bay will always be my home me my kids and the rest of my faimily will be out there as long as we can ,and im not intimidated by a bunch of delta yacht brokers . see ya around
What can I add, that others have not. The idea that someone is “cooking meth out there” is the most absurd comment I have seen! As someone else said, perhaps you should check out those million dollar houseboats, or yachts big enough to support such an activity.
For years I had friends who lived on a houseboat at slip number five. That was long ago. I also am led to believe that was when the Bay Area still had a soul! I really miss those days. I had thought of living on a boat myself, until reading much of these hateful comments. It would seem the yuppie crowd has taken over the entire coast of California. There is no room for decent, normal people anywhere. I will say Thank You, for making me finally realize this fact. I doubt that even if I could afford it, that I would enjoy it anymore. Unfortunately this seems to be the way of the future, for this country. It makes me glad that I will not be here much longer!
Hello Everyone
Since 1979 when I rented a three bedroom house boat for 650.00 per month Yes thats right 650 a month and long before I had to bring up my son as a single parent I wanted to get back to the water. Now it seems you need 400000 to purchase a place on the water as well as 1000 to 1800 a month to rent a non available location. I do ok with an income however not on that level. I decided to purchase a 48 foot Bluewater made to liveaboard . and this is the only way for me to live on the water. I wanted a house boat but I am grateful that I still can find a way to live on the water. I enjoy the people who live around me and this way of life. Its offen not easy but I now wake to ducks outside my bedroom window
Haha- Good luck with your business Gerry
You run a business on the water but you are against live aboards and cruising?
Meth heads stealing stuff? Not sure how much sailing you have done but that’s about the opposite of what I know to be true. People that live on small boats are the most self sufficient and self reliant folks on this planet. Since when is sleeping on your boat illegal or associated with illegal activities like the rediculius claims you made? When you go camping do you take and rv or a tent…I bet I can guess
Thank you for your comments, Gerry. I just wanted to clear up one thing. I didn’t write the opinion piece in the Sausalito Marinscope, it was written by Michael Campbell. I did, however, write the blog post above.
I always appreciate comments, so thank you!
Gerry and Les, I chose to let both your comments stand, as they do a good job of representing both sides of what is clearly a divisive issue in the community. If you want to have a discussion here, please feel free, but please keep your comments respectful and mostly free of obscenities…remember, I have to approve your comments, and if something is blatantly offensive, I’ll take it down.
Les, I know I’m not Gerry, but I’d love to meet with you, as a sailer of small boats and a water-lover myself, I’m fascinated by the anchor-out/live aboard life, and I’d love to know more.
If you’re interested, feel free to email me via the link on the blog.
Thanks for your input, discussions–albeit online–are part of having a community.
Graham,
So, why was my post on Dec. 07 or 08, 2013 apparently removed?
Bob
Sorry Bob, it wasn’t that your post was removed, I just hadn’t approved it yet. I don’t live in Sausalito anymore so I don’t update this blog regularly. Your post (which was very informative) should be up now.
Thanks for caring to comment!
I found your website while I was researching what was happening with the “Raft Outs” of Sausalito. My husband and I was there back in 2005 on our 35′ Dufour Sloop. We just finished our first offshore passage from Washington and had plans to circumnavigate the globe.
I had never been to a coastal city in California and was shocked to see these vessels barely hanging by a thread in the bay. As cruisers (on a tight budget) we were anchored out in Richardson Bay and found it difficult to find access to the shore. There was a small public dock crammed with dinghys. It has a sign about how long we could be tied up…I can’t remember if it was 15 minutes or longer…but that was about the only place we could find to land our dinghy.
I also had a little culture shock with the Pump- Out facilities. In WA it’s free to pump put, in Richardson Bay even after filling up our diesel tanks, the attendant wanted $10 for us to pump out. No wonder the Raft Outs dump their sewage.
We enjoyed the city, but as water based visitors, we felt the negative stigma of living from a boat in your community. We ended up sailing the delta, visiting the communities in the bay. We made one last stop in Richardson Bay to visit the library in Sausalito…they had great used book sales for sale. But coming back from our circumnavigation in 2009, we skipped your town and didn’t want to deal with the hassle.
This problem exists in many CA harbors. San Diego cleaned up their bay of derelict boats and now requires permits for vessels to anchor out. We found marinas in CA (other cruising friends noted this too) that didn’t want old vessels as permanent moorage in their slips. It was their way to weed out people that purchased old boats to live on them in a marina.
I hope the issue is resolved, because regardless of the type of person on these vessels that are rafted out, people who do not care for their boat create hazards. Do they have anchor lights on? Also note this, when they drag their anchor during a storm, not only do they risk their lives and damage property on shore, they could hit another anchored boat and jeopardize the lives on that vessel.
Thank you for posting this blog.
Kelly
Had a sailing apartment there on Bridgeway and lived up on sunshine and spencer ave
over a period of years to 1950
A large amount of time with Gwen on the Wonderbird and Rose on Pacific Queen –
one of founders of Sausalito YC
It would seem that ashore or anchored it has become difficult and crowded. Here in Kailua/Lanikai
gradually the same.
Strong city ordinance and carefull and timely planning (ie moorings,shoreside store,pumping,fuel,showers) have their problems but can be managed and have
good long term effects
To clarify some facts: there *is* a honey barge” in Sausalito. as many boats that are on docks are not moving, one can hire to be pumped out in one’s slip. Certainly not everyone anchored out uses this option. (people who put bad things inside their body, most likely will put bad things into the bay)
On that note: Even though Richardson Bay is a Zero Discharge area by law, there is not many vessels at anchor OR on the docks that are actually ZERO discharge. even if the head empties into a holding tank, often the greasy galley waste water will flow into the bay, there is no enforcement…
there is also more than one pump out station in Sausalito, it might not be obvious to a cruiser who is just coming through. most harbors/marinas have one. the pump out station is the one that charges. there is one in front of “le garage”, one at the end of Galilee Harbor, Marina plaza, Sausalito Yacht harbor, etc. Most facilities ask you to flush the hoses afterwards and maybe put some money in a box.
In addition to the Turney st. dinghie dock by Paradise Bay with the 15min limit, there is a public dinghie dock at the foot of Napa St. by Galilee Harbor, the limit there is 72 hrs
it is unfortunate that Sausalito, even though she is such a destination for cruisers, doesn’t have proper information available for cruisers. I often find myself going for a row and giving directions to visitors: dinghie docks, pump-outs, laundromat, even the fact that the Sausalito Yacht club has moorings available for a 3day limit to members of other yacht clubs doesn’t seem to be well known.
To the anchor our subject: if you look from shore, indeed the bay looks full, if you look from further up or from the water, you’ll see that it is just a small band on both sides of the Sausalito channel. just beyond that it’s open water all the way to Tiburon/Belvedere/Srawberry.
The anchor out boats and people also vary drastically. Indeed there is drugs out there, often as a form of self medication for people who don’t have other services available or are not able to obtain them by themselves. There is, as mentioned in a previous post, veterans who like this solitude for various reasons. there is also people who just have a strong sense of independence and row to land each morning to go to work. Students who work hard enough for their tuition and don’t want to or can’t pay rent in addition. Cruisers on a shoestring budget who stay for a year or two to make enough money to continue their voyages. Others just anchor their boats out there to not have to pay a slip fee.
It is not fair to throw everybody in the same
i agree that it is a shame that every year a certain amount of vessels sink or get washed up ashore. the sinking is the worst because sometimes there is still fuel in the tank and stuff and plastics on deck that float away with the tide. It’s not so much the debris that ends up on shore but all the chemicals and trash that gets into the bay.
The idea of a controlled affordable mooring field and a time limit on the actual anchorage appears to be a good solution. The port authority already is paying dive services to deal with the wreckage. that money could be used to set up and maintain a mooring field.
Thanks for all that info! I too was surprised how difficult it was/is to find out anything about the mooring situations in Richardson Bay.
It is a real shame that derelict boats and permanent anchor outs are allowed on Richardson Bay. A good half of the boats are true junk pile derelicts and barely float. Perhaps 20% are navigable.
I am sure there is a wide variety of people on the permanent anchor outs but many are essentially aquatic homeless and probably suffer from the same issues as their terrestrial equivalents, drugs, alcohol, and mental illness. By contrast though, there is at least one entrepreneur who rents out anchored boats on AirBNB.
While there is a free pump out boat, you have to have a functioning head and plumbed in holding tank to make that work. The alternative that I have personally observed from an anchor out is holding your butt over the edge of your dinghy.
Few of the anchor outs or derelict vessels are registered and fewer still could pass a Coast Guard inspection . Yet the laws are not enforced.
I am unable to comprehend why the Richardson Bay Regional Council and the BCDC don’t do what SF did in Clipper Cove and institute an anchoring permit which cleared out the derelicts in short order
The earth is three quarters water, the oceans and bays are the last refuge of the poor and homeless. More pollutipn comes grom tje overbuilding of luxury homes around traditional anchorages and their is a honey bardge, ask bill Price the harbor administrater and see most recent article in the Sonoma and North Bay Bohemian weekly newspaper! Thank you…
21 years ago I appraised my lifestyle most people would consider tantamount to living the American dream. At it’s core was a home free of debt, but due to the tax laws would never truly be mine. Over time taxes would inexorably rise, as would special assesments imposed by local government. Felt like I was on a treadmill, and as long as I owned real estate I’d never attain a sense of freedom and minimize the need to work; necessary to keep what was supposedly mine. Stress caused by the status quo was palpable and I concluded reducing stress in my life to a bare minimun was a worthy goal. The house and cardboard boxes in the barn containing who knows what had to go. But where would I live? Unsure, the search for an alternative began, the house was sold and downsizing became my goal.
As you may surmise, I ended up buying a boat, rented a slip and due to unreasonable limits imposed by marinas that prevent many from living aboard – assumed the life of a sneak aboard. A notice attached to my boat nearly two years later informed me the sneak aboard jig was up. Rather than a negative, it was positive in respect to the fact I began to employ the boats ground tackle. Never planned to sail very far, but left in 2000 from Mexico on what would become my first voyage ‘almost’ around the world. Almost, because I stopped in Galveston, Texas. In 2009 I repeated the nearly 5 year long adventure.
I have for at least 18 of the last 21 years been a so-called ‘anchor out’. On my income I couldn’t have enjoyed the second adventure if I’d stayed in marinas or paid to tie to a mooring. The first voyage was financed from cash earned on the sale of a truck. Now, to the point.
I have been in Sausalito on three different occasions for about a year each time. On my first two visits near shore anchoring was possible just off the marina nearest to what used to be Zacks. Now, because the marina owner refuses to cooperate with the port by posting no trespassing signs, anchoring in this location is prevented by the presence of an illegal mooring on one side of the marina channel (north), and presence of two boats anchored on the opposite side (south); placed there after they dragged anchor in a different location. There is a low probability these spots will be available to short term, near shore anchoring any time soon. How can a balance in Sausalito between the cancer like spread of illegal moorings and permanently anchored boats with the need for people like myself who simply wish to anchor for relatively short periods of time be attained? Likewise, as is typical of local policies developed in response to similar situations as exists in Sausalito; it is usually easier for policymakers to enact restrictions affecting everyone rather than the few who are the source of problems. Take Clipper Cove for example. Or, San Diego. Clipper cove was an important intermediate stop for me as I sought to enjoy different destinations in the Bay area. Due to restrictions on anchoring, Clipper Cove is gone now as a viable alternative to anchoring in Sausalito.
Finally, as I lay in bed last night, my boat moored to a port mooring because no viable anchorage exists for me anymore in sausalito, I heard the sound of an engine near my boat. Then the sound of something against my boat’s hull. I arose to investigate, finding a power boat next to the boat bearing a man who appeared prepared to tie his boat’s painter to my boat. Seeing me, he said “I didn’t know if anybody was home”. He quickly added he’d had engine trouble. Then, just as quickly he said he’d managed to restart the engine and motored away. There is absolutely no doubt in my mind this boater was there to steal. If I’d had a dingy trailing aft of my boat he would probably have chosen a different target. But, instead my kayak was stored on deck.
I’ve signed onto the 2014 Pacific Puddle Jump largely because Sausalito, indeed the entire Bay area has become an untenable destination for ‘anchor outs’ like me. And, after last night I do not feel safe here anymore.
Oh, and within a week of my arrival in Sausalito my road bike was stolen.
Hi Bob
I live on my 48 foot redone 1975 Blue water cruiser in San Rafael at one of the marinas . Yes it cost me about 8 hundred a month but its worth it to have power as well as being safer around the other people I live near at night .
I thought about anchor outs and decided that it would be a safer and much easier way to go with concern’s of sanitation as well as just getting water/food everyday to live at a marina.
If I didn’t have any source of income and didnt want to find any then I guess it would still be easier to live on land then on a boat which costs money to maintain regardless of who you are income wise in this world. Boats cost money and that is the bottom line .
I spent many years living at anchor in a similar anchorage in Miami and working to solve some of these problems.
Those who point out the environmental impacts of anchoring often overlook the fact that responsible anchorers use two two or three hooks. Nobody drags chains around a 300-degree circle. Others install mooring systems that have negligible impact on the benthic environment.
More importantly, almost every form of human habitation displaces some sort of natural habitat. Do you think the land where your house was built was always adjacent to an asphalt street, covered with manicured grass and concrete, and fed by water and power lines? How could I shake my fist at anchored boaters without acknowledging the palmetto forests, tropical hardwoods, and native Americans displaced long ago by my half-acre Miami house?
Even more egregious are the gigantic 9-ton deep-sea fishing trawls that factory fishing boats drag across the ocean bottom. Many clearcut 300-yard wide swaths of ocean bottom for miles. And people are worried about the impact of a few anchored boats?
Nobody, including anchorage residents wants to be near deteriorating vessels owned or abandoned by irresponsible people. Rather than apply a “those people out there” approach that fails to consider anyone’s individual behavior, why not isolate those boaters who practice poor seamanship and apply existing maritime law? With even-handed law enforcement, and social work that weighs the relative costs of providing assistance against those of caring for the homeless, the small minority of “problem” boaters can be either brought into compliance or penalized for their violations.
So yes, the concerns are valid and the problems are real. But when the problem is misidentified as “those people,” we end up with the same “solutions” used by the Nazis and the KKK. Talk to “those people” and you’ll find them surprisingly willing to work with you. Our anchorage community negotiated for the right to pay for parking, trash disposal, fresh water, dinghy dockage and other services. And we cleaned mountains of trash and wreckage off the shore—most of which we had nothing to do with.
It’s a sadly natural impulse to be fearful of people who choose different lifestyles; I once looked at those derelict boats and made the same assumptions. When I had the good fortune to meet some of “those people,” I was surprised to find that the liveaboard community was comprised of the most talented, self-reliant, educated, responsible, and well-traveled individuals I’d ever met in one place. And the population density of “undesirables” was no greater afloat than in the average neighborhood ashore; there are drug users and dealers in your neighborhood, too.
Make a few inquiries. Find out who’s who. Identify real problems. You might solve a few problems and find some unexpected inspiration at the same time.
Hi Dave, thanks for the comment, you make a lot of good points.
I definitely did not consider that many of the anchor outs are likely anchored correctly. But Richardson Bay is a small body of water, so even a couple improperly moored boats could harm the local ecosystem quite badly.
But more importantly, i TOTALLY agree with you about the damage being done by commercial bottom trawlers, it’s simply deplorable that this is legal anywhere, and surely practiced illegally anyway.
You also make a very good point about all homes having an impact on habitat and the environment. Where live now, in Hawaii, for example (see my other blog) the house I live in was built on land that was originally a marsh–drained and then filled to build new subdivisions and homes. Talk about destroying habitat.
A “a couple of improperly moored boats” sounds like an easy problem for Coast Guard or marine patrol. What is too often touted as a huge social/environmental problem amounts to a few parking violations.
The nature of improper anchoring is that sooner or later, a vessel engaged in such practice invariably ends up on the beach. You will find that responsible boaters and floaters would LOVE your support in dealing with irresponsible neighbors who are much more threatening to their lifestyle than yours. But if the boats are staying put, “improper anchoring” is probably not a real issue.
I remember being told by Miami police that “we’re gonna run all you anchorage scum outta here,” but I can’t recall one time when local law enforcement asked to inspect my anchoring gear or asked if I had any concerns about my own seamanship or any of my neighbors.’ The general anchorage populace was harassed while blatant violators of maritime law were never ticketed.
Someone may or may not like the appearance or lifestyle choices of anchored liveaboards but that’s a personal matter. Making taste a legal matter is a VERY DANGEROUS societal problem so it’s better to address the real issues in a few practical ways:
Assume that as in all societies, a small minority of people are responsible for the large majority of the problems. They’re easy to spot.
Don’t assume that the troublemakers take pleasure in destroying the environment. Some are mentally ill. Some are impoverished for any number of reasons. Only a few are simply slobs. See if the problem boaters can be brought into compliance with Coast Guard regulations and commonsense standards for good seamanship. I’m not into handouts in general but it costs a lot more money to support low-income and homeless people ashore than it does to help someone who is determined to make a humble home for himself afloat. Most already qualify for any number of social programs. These folks can either accept some help or have their vessels confiscated. In return, they can do some community service cleaning up the shoreline. Benefits far outweigh costs. If helping the environment and keeping someone off the streets is as simple as buying a few anchors, some chain, and a swivel, that’s a no-brainer.
Offer fresh water access, showers, trash pickup, civilized access to a toilet, and secure dinghy dockage for a fair fee. You’ll find a long line of “those freeloaders out there” waiting in line to hand you money.
Have a public meeting and find out who really lives out there. The “dock bums” represent the visible part of the constituency but the teachers, nurses, and blue collar folks who live afloat blend in the moment they step ashore. More often than not, the “bums” who hang around the water aren’t the same people who live on it.
Sailors are among the most self-reliant, capable, environmentally responsible, well read, and well traveled people you could ever meet. Many make all their electricity from the wind and sun. Some compost their waste on board. Energy use, waste output, and environmental impact are far below shoreside norms. I was once forced to abandon all of my assumptions about “those derelicts out there.” I exchanged my prejudices for thousands of miles of adventure and a chance to meet some of the world’s most remarkable people. My book about those experiences will come out in a few months.
Dig deeper. Separate problems from symptoms. Offer respect and ask for cooperation. Take a tour. See if someone will offer you a bunk for a night. Find out what your anchorage population contributes to the local economy. The first step in solving a problem is to understand it.
Thank you,
Dave Bricker
(that was supposed to be 360-degree circle) 🙂
Having just found this 2010 little opinion piece, I must say that it is an incredibly fictitious analysis, seemingly based on some of the general Sausalito rumors that one might find in any small town.
As a public school principal, with nearly 30 years of service to our schools, my wife and I lived aboard our sailboat for 8 years in Sausalito. Some of it was at a slip, and some of it was out at anchor, but the common thread throughout those years, was one of strong community bonds, neighbor-helping-neighbor, and camaraderie. The “meth boat” rumor was something that concerned us as well, but after years of close observation, I have to say that–if there is any truth to it–it would be extremely rare, and much more prevalent on land.
Many of the live-aboard folks that we knew, were–like us–working hard to follow a “leave no trace” way of life, and certainly made an incredibly tiny “footprint,” as far as energy consumption and environmental impact (solar power, wind generator, and very moderate diesel use). Many–also like us–choose the live-aboard life as a fantastic way to save money (in our case, for a world circumnavigation sailing voyage), and–although the life can be challenging and unpleasant at times–we love the adventure and freedom that such a life affords.
In the end, we will always have people who do not care about our world, our resources, and their fellow human beings. But–at least from our perspective, from a close vantage point, over many years–the Richardson Bay live-aboard and anchor-out community had more than the usual number of thoughtful, caring, responsible, and capable people!
You’ve got to be kidding me. Anchoring is not Eco-friendly because it drags on the bottom? Is the argument that slips and marinas are more environmentally friendly? As a true sailor that only starts his engine when I need to, sailing and anchoring has to be the least impact flu way for a human being to exist on this earth. You use minimal resources, reuse as much as possible and use no electricity. The damage done by even one boat on a dock sucking up natural resources and electricity plus destroying a natural habitat by creating a marina to begin with is much much more impactful than anchoring out.