They departed corporate New York and the ultra-cool Brooklyn scene directly to our floating homes lifestyle—they jumped right into purchasing their East Pier home before even testing their 3000–mile leap by renting!
Tracy Corbin and her husband Scott knew that they had made the right move to live waterside. Not too many people enveloped in a comfy Brooklyn Park Slope brownstone with garden, good jobs etc. would make such a big change but they did. A biz trip to Bay Area where they saw the water-ful kayak life propelled their relocation 20 years ago. Other draws for them were the hiking trails located almost at the end of the road versus a 3-hour drive to a trailhead from their East coast home.
Tracy Corbin stepped into the very full shoes of the very accomplished Teddie Hathaway, a major Floating Homes Association (FHA) contributor, as the Treasurer for the FHA. She has done the big brutal work in corporate roles with McGraw Hill and Architectural Record, and also endured the grind at always under-resourced nonprofits such as the BayKeeper and Bay Area Ridge Trail. With her experience at both ends of the career spectrum, she is very happy now doing freelance administrative gigs and the FHA is very pleased that she has joined our team.
The westward move idea had been germinating with them but 9/11 was a big turning point. They gave up the pleasant life on Park Slope and drove away. That road trip was fine except for some tears passing through Pennsylvania where her mother lives—but then all was fine as they anticipated the new adventure. They arrived with basic knowledge about floating homes from Michele Affronte and bought theirs with her assistance: decisive, brave folks ready for the waterfront.
A field trip to a Petaluma sheep farm led to wool spinning workshops, knitting bird nests and all. And discovering an authentic flour mill led to many sourdough baguettes later. Tracy describes her new hobbies as “tactile distractions.” She is a skilled, wonderful addition to the FHA. Both Tracy and Scott explore the wild challenges of California and beyond in their campervan. Life on the water and enjoying camping close by—I don’t think New York is getting them back soon.