$ausalito House Boats

The $ausalito Dock of the Bay

The Sausalito, CA boat harbor is notorious for having a huge collection of house boats which are permanently moored and provide cheap living for the residents. Several attempts have been made over the years to evict these boats and their tenants as the real estate a boat is sitting on is probably worth ten to one hundred times more than the worth of any one boat. This boat area is adjacent to the affluent boat area.

I took a self guided tour of the less affluent dock section that has obviously been operated on a shoe string budget looking more like a Tijuana Barrio in the poorest section of Mexico, then Sausalito. This feeling was amplified by the tide being at it's lowest point stranding most of the house boats on a bed of ancient silky mud littered with throwaways as well as abandoned boat artifacts.

I am leading off with this picture because I actually had a conversation with the owner of this boat. She revealed that she purchased this boat about 15 years ago with her "credit card" when her son was still small enough to stand in the loft that was his bedroom. I assume the loft is that protuberance with the highest most window overlooking the bay. I was not invited nor did I want to intrude, into the inside of this boat. I could view the kitchen from the dock and it looked clean and serviceable.

The lady was maybe in her late fifties or early sixties. She was not disheveled but rather nicely dressed almost to the point of being classy. Color coordinated, nice shoes, not the kind of dress you would expect on a woman apparently living on a tight budget.

Our conversation was relaxed and friendly. She had no airs about her nor did she seem to be hesitant to discuss her boat or lifestyle. She revealed that her son now thirty, is still living with her and we both laughed at the fact that I also had what are called yoyo children, the ones that can't stop themselves from living with the parents. I didn't press her for more information on her son but it wouldn't be too hard to figure out that the kid never made it out of this place more then likely because it was cheap and afforded him the life style he choose to lead. Not everybody wants to or needs to be a rocket scientist. I can hope that as his mother ages, he will take care of her.

Our conversation was interrupted by a young man living in a neighboring house boat who was inquiring about "wood." "The nights are getting cold." It was then I started to notice the stove pipes protruding from house boat roofs. I then tried to imagine an exit path if one of the boats caught fire. I concluded that if I lived in a house boat community such as this one, I would invest in a pair of snowshoes so that I could trek across the mud and away from any fire. Would snow shoes even work? On mud? You can sink into snow or mud except mud is sticky, so even if you are on top of it with a snow shoe, it may still capture the snow shoe and prevent any productive forward movement. I think I better think it over again.

Arrgh, a pirates life for me. A wench or three and I can be happy. I wonder what the credit card bill would be for this one? One comforting thought, at least there is a fire extinguisher in plain site or is that simply a picture of one? If it is a real one, is it functional? I don't know why I worry about fire. Maybe it is because the docks that interconnect these boats have a flammable rating right up there with "kindling." Some of the docks are star like which would enable a single boat to catch five or more boats on fire and then, well you get the idea. Ergo why I'm thinking snow shoes may be a GREAT idea. These boats are placed so close together, I doubt if a dock is even needed to promote fire.

Not all of the boats in the barrio section look down trodden. This is an obvious cement boat construction which appears to have a very sturdy foundation and very sturdy base for the wooden top. Someday I would like to tour the inside of one or more of these house boats. The engineer in me wants to figure out the bilge drainage and other esoteric things a house boat owner has to do or cope with, to "stay afloat." Since a lot of boats were physically sitting on top of the mud, it was easy to see the sides with barnacles and mussels attached to them. Short on steak? Reach over the side and harvest a few mussels to throw on the barbie. A pleasant surprise also, the mud has very little if any odor.

Here's a great idea for a fire escape, don't park your boat in the shallow part of the dock resting on the mud at low tide. This way you can have a real boat handy to escape in.

Physics question, if the boat in the middle catches fire, how many seconds will it take to catch the two boats on each side on fire, and how many minutes will it take for the whole community of house boats, to be one huge human roast? One thing in favor of the house boats, historically they are still there and have been for quite a while. I suppose the residents are aware of the way they live and take precautions not to set each other on fire. Odds are there have been emergencies in the past yet survival is apparent as the boats are plentiful and the people are plentiful.

On the plus side in favor of the boat people, there is an apparent strong sense of community.

This boat was most likely built by an apprentice carpenter who had to sub contract out the roofing, the windows, and the doorway. I also wonder if this boat actually floats as if it did, wouldn't it just flop over? It appears top heavy to me but it also appears weathered so either it doesn't float or its draft is so deep that it remains moored in the mud even in the highest of tides. Another solution to prevent tipping over, sleep in the exact middle lower part of the boat and fill the bottom of the boat with enough ballast to compensate for the load on the top. With no apparent life preservers, this is one boat I will avoid touring, except at low tide.

Tastefully done and also a somewhat modest approach to house boating. This one of a kind house boat makes me feel warm and cuddly inside. Everything is tastefully done with no apparent hodge podge of warts and modifications reaching out and over or in. It also reminds me of what I perceive of what a miniature ark would look like. Perhaps this is the ark all of the rodents were put on, saving room on the larger ark for all of the elephants and giraffes.

The watch bird and the watch cat, both keeping a dutiful eye out for an eating opportunity. Either fish or rodent, either would be happy.

Meow, try living in my shadow. I'm a dock cat and I keep in shape by chasing photographers off of these docks. Not much of an attack cat but photo worthy just the same. I especially like the way her pupils are hidden from sight giving her kind of a Halloween look. I have fun imagining a name. She is so stoic and just really adapt at letting time pass by in the heat of the sun only moving when the warmth is gone.

Just an abstract shot on my part trying to show some of the oddities of boat life such as a lot of contrasting items, weak frayed rope attached to a rusty obnoxious chain like link attached to an eyelet of some sort. All in various forms of decomposition.

Boat peoples idea of snail mail. It is funny to me that the mail delivery boxes mimic the boats in style and adaptation to changing times, being as obnoxious as the boats as well but taking up less space and time.

The east end of the west bound cat is the same one featured earlier, sharing the spot light with the B1RD. He was in a crouched stalking position either on the hunt for another pussy or perhaps a rodent. He was too far from the dock to be fishing.

Two docks further north and you get into an upscale houseboat community. Some resembling boats, some actually floating, all very affluent. These more resemble the aspiration of what is perceived for the Barrio area of the docks and the reason for evicting and removing the slum boats. It is difficult for me to feel sympathetic for either community, the Barrio section being more like squatters then residents, the affluent trying to "improve their view by eliminating the "undesirables." In all fairness, return the area to its pre occupied period, making it a wild undeveloped area with no house boats. Seriously, I picked up a brochure and for $750,000 you could have a boat built to spec complete with a cement boat under pinning and your very own reserved dock spot. Or, whip out your credit card and buy an already built house boat two docks down, complete with recent improvements of hookups and wood stoves. Do we need either? I don't think so.

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