Last week we recounted architect Michael Rex’s early days on the Sausalito waterfront. This week he recalls how he created the unique design of South 40 Pier at Waldo Point Harbor, where he eventually settled. These excerpts have been edited for brevity and clarity: When Don Arques owned the property,...
One of the most iconic homes on South Forty Pier is on the market. The Mirene is a beautifully restored, working 64-foot tugboat where writer Stewart Brand (of the Whole Earth Catalog) and his entrepreneur wife Ryan Phelan have lived for 43 years Originally built as a gasoline schooner to...
Climate change and global warming are frequently in the news. A rise in sea level is a significant consequence of global warming and is of special interest to coastal communities. Even though our homes and boats may float, they are dependent on docks and parking lots which do not. In...
Last week Marin IJ correspondent Paul Libertore reviewed Joe Tate’s memoir of his days with the pirate rock band the Redlegs. The Last Voyage of the Redlegs, which the Floating Times announced back in December, recounts the days before and after the houseboat wars of the mid-70s, and Libertore’s review presents...
A recent obituary for architect Sim Van der Ryn, known as the “father of green architecture,” brought to mind his connection to one of the most historic homes in our community. The Ameer was an old ark that had been converted into a houseboat when it was purchased by Phil...
Poet, historian and builder Keith Emmons visited the Sausalito waterfront in 1970 with his wife Jane. They spotted an ad for a converted landing craft at Gate 3 and bought it for $1400. Later they moved onto the Fortune Cookie, built on another surplus landing craft. Then Keith got inspired...
On May 19, as crowds on the lawn at Van Damme Park enjoyed Day in the Park, the FHA’s tour committee had the inaugural run of its new format for group tours. Two groups of about a dozen each were led off to see what our unique lifestyle has to...
Biochemist and marine biologist Michael Konrad of South 40 Pier sends along the following natural history of one of our most important neighbors, eelgrass: Life began in the ocean. Then continents generated by tectonic plate movements gradually became hospitable to life, and some living organisms migrated onto this new dry...
Living on the water means having animal neighbors that land residents infrequently see. The terns, gulls, egrets, herons, pelicans, and cormorants are familiar to us all, and if you live near deeper water, you may see seals. Schools of small fish swim in both shallow and deep water around our...
A spectacularly remodeled floating home on South 40 Pier is profiled in the August issue of Dwell Magazine. The Seneca, which was featured in the FHA’s 2021 Virtual Gala and Tour, is owned by Marka Hansen and Joe Brubaker, who teamed with Sausalito designer Michelle Chan and Steve Crutchfield of...