Eelgrass Has its Enforcers

Last week Michael Konrad of South 40 Pier provided a primer on eel grass, a key component of the ecology of Richardson’s Bay. This week he examines threats to eel grass and what is being done about them. The damage that anchored boats can inflict on eelgrass is often mentioned...

Forbes Island Floats Again

The recent news that the infamous Forbes Island has been resurrected in the Delta reminded me that its visionary builder, Forbes Kiddoo, got his start fabricating concrete barges for Sausalito floating homes. Most of those barges measured no more than 20 by 40 feet, but one day Forbes got the...

Rent Control Faces Opposition

Harbor owners are opposing the recently enacted rent stabilization ordinance (AB252), claiming it is a financial burden, and are collectively seeking to amend the bill. The FHA wants all residents to understand what is in the bill, and how it helps to level the playing field between floating homeowners and...

Dispatches from the Waterfront

Local media has been abuzz lately with stories from the Southern Marin waterfront. Galilee Harbor. The March 27 San Francisco Chronicle carried a front–page story about rising berth rents at Galilee Harbor. The article describes Galilee’s unique status this way: “It is the only wholly owned and operated live–aboard cooperative harbor...

Surprise! Mooring Field Scrapped

The recent front-page headline in the Marin IJ, “Richardson Bay agency scraps mooring field plan” took most of us by surprise, including Sausalito councilmember Jill Hoffman, who has been a vocal opponent of the plan since it was first suggested by the RBRA in 2014. Hoffman reiterated her concerns with...

The First Anchor-Outs

The recent announcement of the resignation of the harbormaster for the Richardson’s Bay Regional Agency (RBRA) got me thinking back to how the anchor–out phenomenon got its start. That story was told by the original anchor–out himself, Bob Kalloch, in an oral history recorded for the Historical Society. Bob, a...

News from the RBRA

The next meeting of the Richardson’s Bay Regional Agency (RBRA) is October 14, and an advance peek at the board packet for the meeting disclosed a number of new developments to be discussed. First, RBRA Harbormaster Curtis Havel has announced his departure at the end of the month to pursue...

Anchor-Out Update

At the July meeting of the Richardson’s Bay Regional Agency, RBRA Harbormaster Curtis Havel reported that 88 vessels are currently anchored in Richardson’s Bay. His report continued: There are currently 20 vessels that arrived after August 2019. Outreach case managers with the Downtown Streets Teams have made considerable progress performing...

Richardson Bay Bridge Milestones

The recent announcement of late-night lane closures for emergency repairs to finger joints on the Richardson Bay Bridge aroused my curiosity about the history of the local landmark, which is a prominent feature of our view from Gate 6 ½ in Kappas Marina. In the Anne T. Kent California Room’s...

Some Anchor-Outs Move Onshore

The tent encampment next to Dunphy Park has grown to an unlucky number: 13.  Sausalito Mayor Jill Hoffman told the Floating Times that 9 of these tents are occupied and 4 are used for storage. She added, “the number one priority for Sausalito is to find shelter for these people....