I was a commercial Uni diver in Santa Barbara CA, went to the Channel Islands about 25 miles off shore, to get healthy Urchins by the ton for the Japanese Market. great kelp forests were being depleted by millions of Uni, and the price was high. Then there was a huge rush of young kids who wanted the "easy money", and things changed. Prices dropped, and the active Uni were suddenly harder and deeper to find...just like the Abalone, before them.
Now I live on my boat in San Francisco Bay. The price of my Slip went from $325/mth to $1250/mth over night and I was evicted. So I am "on the hook", and need to clean the bottom and check the anchors, so I put on my big old 3/8" custom suit, and it still fits. I miss the clear water, and abundant life of the "old days", and it sure feels a lot colder than I remember...
Now the "authorities" are trying to run the "anchorouts" out of the last "free anchorage" in the Bay. When the price of a slip went up, a lot of old boats started showing up and the owners just abandoned them. Poor "street people" moved on to them out of desperation, and the booze and drug problems and rippoffs increased. That lead to bad press and a push to get rid of everyone that is "living for free", as the rents on shore rose to the stratosphere. So, the fun and talented people that made Sausalito a colorful counter culture destination are almost gone, and it looks as if the end is near for anyone who can't pay enough to stay in a slip. If you can afford that, most harbors won't let you live aboard your floating home anyway, so you have to sneak in and keep quiet, just to avoid sleeping in a car...seems ironic with sea level rise, that a viable way of life is being outlawed, by people who resent anyone who isn't paying enough to keep them in the "rat race". Some of us have formed a not for profit group to address the problems. So feel free to contact us on Facebook
Richardsons Bay Special Anchorage Association
We meet at the Bay Ship Model, in Sausalito, Ca, on the 4th Tuesday of the month at 6 pm
All Welcome
Rob Roark
SV Kittywake, 55' shallow draft centerboard ketch, stuck in Sausalito for the foreseeable future, looking for a new engine, that's a long sad story...
Now I live on my boat in San Francisco Bay. The price of my Slip went from $325/mth to $1250/mth over night and I was evicted. So I am "on the hook", and need to clean the bottom and check the anchors, so I put on my big old 3/8" custom suit, and it still fits. I miss the clear water, and abundant life of the "old days", and it sure feels a lot colder than I remember...
Now the "authorities" are trying to run the "anchorouts" out of the last "free anchorage" in the Bay. When the price of a slip went up, a lot of old boats started showing up and the owners just abandoned them. Poor "street people" moved on to them out of desperation, and the booze and drug problems and rippoffs increased. That lead to bad press and a push to get rid of everyone that is "living for free", as the rents on shore rose to the stratosphere. So, the fun and talented people that made Sausalito a colorful counter culture destination are almost gone, and it looks as if the end is near for anyone who can't pay enough to stay in a slip. If you can afford that, most harbors won't let you live aboard your floating home anyway, so you have to sneak in and keep quiet, just to avoid sleeping in a car...seems ironic with sea level rise, that a viable way of life is being outlawed, by people who resent anyone who isn't paying enough to keep them in the "rat race". Some of us have formed a not for profit group to address the problems. So feel free to contact us on Facebook
Richardsons Bay Special Anchorage Association
We meet at the Bay Ship Model, in Sausalito, Ca, on the 4th Tuesday of the month at 6 pm
All Welcome
Rob Roark
SV Kittywake, 55' shallow draft centerboard ketch, stuck in Sausalito for the foreseeable future, looking for a new engine, that's a long sad story...
