When power went out on South 40 Pier during the recent spate of storms, just after midnight, PG&E announced that it might not be restored before 10:00 p.m. on the following evening. Joe “Gramps” Tate, who lives in an ark that sits on pilings just off of South 40, fired...
Sea level is not level at all. Just as the surface of the earth is not flat, the surface of the ocean is not flat. Because the earth rotates to the east and because the ocean responds slowly to the rotation* and the surface of the sea piles up along...
Neighbors helping neighbors. It’s how we weathered the chaos brought on by some unusually high winds, coupled with yet another PGE shut-off. Larry Clinton opined, “I’ve never seen so many whitecaps, and I moved here in the winter of 1980-81, when 90mph gusts closed the GGB. Ironically, we never lost...
During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the rivers of the United States were home to entire communities of people living in self-made houseboats. The history of these communities has been explored briefly in river memoirs such as Harlan Hubbard’s Shantyboat Journal but hasn’t been thoroughly examined in a...
The thing about emergency preparedness, and warnings, is that the need for this information never goes away. Some things are seasonal—checking your lines before the winter storms, or planning for king tides. For events such as earthquakes we need to be prepared year-round as there’s no predicting when a catastrophic...
Expect high winds, heavy rain and flooding today, Weds Nov 15—and tomorrow, Thurs Nov 16. Possible flood times, with greater than 6′ tides (when combined with wind and rainfall): Weds 9:30 a.m. Thurs 10:00 a.m. Fri 10:30 a.m. Please exercise caution when driving through low-lying areas of known flooding such as...
A powerful storm with strong winds from an unusual direction spelled misfortune for two floating homes on Thursday, April 6. Overnight, at more than a five-foot tide, #62 Issaquah began taking on water and listing northward toward its neighbor. And Dianne Moyer awoke to three feet of water and the sinking of her...
More winter storms are likely. Check your own pilings for signs of wear and replace them as soon as possible. From Flo Hoylman: People need to know how they will tie their boat up if a collar or piling breaks. Having collars on only one side makes boats vulnerable, and...
In the Calm Before the Next Storm – Empty Your Holding Tank January 2009: in addition to the storm damage, the Floating Homes Community suffered its longest power outage in at least 25 years. One major inconvenience during this period was the inability to flush our toilets, since our holding tanks...
Winter storms are on their way. Are you ready? First and foremost, check the lines that secure your home in your berth. Most floating home lines are made of polypropylene. It’s a good material because it is rather inexpensive. It also has a natural tendency to be a bit stretchy,...