Journalist Joe Kloc first learned about the anchor-outs of Richardson’s Bay while on assignment for Harper’s Magazine. His new book, Lost at Sea: Poverty and Paradise Collide at the Edge of America, grew out of his Harper’s feature on the alternative society of boaters.
As early as 2010, Kloc began befriending some of the anchor-outs hanging out in Dunphy Park and his narrative presents an intimate glimpse into their one-off lifestyle as they struggle to preserve a free-wheeling existence in the face of overwhelming odds. He brings these folks to life, from waterfront legends like VanBo and Larry Moyer, to more obscure mariners with names like Dream Weaver and Innate Thought.
Kloc also steps back in time to explore the history of people living on San Francisco Bay — dating back to before the gold rush.
He sees today’s anchor-outs as emblematic of America’s housing woes, as towns like Sausalito pay lip service to affordable housing developments while nothing of substance gets done. And he sadly recounts how the weight of economic pressures and environmental concerns is choking the anchor-out dream. He told the SF Chronicle: “I don’t think I realized how close the end times were until I went to (Sausalito’s) Marinship encampment in 2022. Once I saw that, it felt like it was going to be impossible to recover the spirit of how it first felt to go out there.”
Lost at Sea is available at Book Passage, Sausalito Books by the Bay and online.