News!
Link to bigger picture here. Mahdee at SFYC visitors’ dock with a view of downtown San Francisco.
We’ve enjoyed a lovely stay along the Smith Slough with the beautiful migratory birds and views across the water. The majority of boaters made a mass exodus of the Slough this fall and we do miss the other boaters and our cruising friends. Now we’re getting ready to revisit all our boating friends at marinas, yacht clubs, and anchorages around the Bay.
Today, David’s father, Bob, passed away. We sit here in silence thinking of him–his laughter, his love, discussions of international affairs, and the countless days of wilderness canoe trips we had the pleasure of spending with him. We’ll write more, a better tribute to everything about Dad. But today a couple pictures. A young Bob on a canoe trip with his father observing the logging at Curtain Falls (Ontario, Canada in the wilderness that is now the Quetico Provincial Park) in 1943. A much more mature Bob, in 2001, on his last long wilderness trip–paddling with a young friend, Nina, and supervising David in the camp-kitchen cooking breakfast.
The Quetico 1943
Dad Paddling With Nina 2001
Supervising Breakfast in the Quetico 2001
Sept 22, 2012: In the past week there has been a lot of information flying about the Internet concerning Pete’s Harbor development and marina closure. I’ve been sending a few emails out to mailing lists where the topic is discussed and I’ve posted a few things here on our blog.
Posts on this blog related to categoy “Pete’s Harbor” HERE
This is an old, established boating community. There’s been a lot of talk about that, yes. I really thought that the liveaboards who claim this as their home would openly share their views with the world at large. I am thus amazed at the anonymity being used by people discussing the issues on sites like http://savepetesharbor.wordpress.com
We all have our own advocacy positions, but we should stand up for what we believe and put our name to it. My name is Brenda Hattery and my own advocacy is for the general boating public and in particular for cruisers who travel port-to-port while living aboard their boats. Anytime local boating, zoning, or environmental matters, come up which reduce cruisers’ access to good anchorages, haul out facilities, access to pump outs, and water, as well as reasonable marinas, I am dismayed. I also remain concerned for both the environment and boater safety. Anytime I see boaters not behaving as good neighbors and thoughtful stewards of the waterways, I am concerned.
Pete’s Harbor marina has been known to the cruising community as a good place to visit and stay a couple months while seeing what San Francisco has to offer. It’s a place that some cruisers come to when the cruising kitty is getting low: they work a year or two in this high wage area and then resume their travels. Pete’s Harbor is one of the only area liveaboard marinas close to Silicon Valley and with public transport. If the planned development goes through, regardless of other environmental issues that other people may wish to take on the fight for, I can say that this marina will be missed by cruisers and by locals alike.
I also remain a strong advocate for historic preservation. Pete’s Harbor is unique and represents a landmark in the local community. The Uccelli family has created a meaningful place and community that boaters could be part of for decades. The Uccelli family deserves to reap the rewards of the decades of investment made in their property here; I am truly sorry that business and financial advisors to the Uccelli family weren’t able to offer ways to allow the family to capitalize and leverage their Pete’s Harbor assets such that they could achieve their financial goals while retaining a vibrant marine community, open to all boaters, here. Wiping this community away and sterilizing the location into nothing more than another flock of pretty condos and private docks truly is a waste of this wonderful landmark marine community.
At the bottom of this page, I’ve decided to put links to my blog posts and links to other content that I’ve been writing about the expected Pete’s Harbor closure. I will update it daily. I’m hoping the information will be helpful to others in the boating community here.
Fair winds and following seas,
Brenda Hattery
Schooner Mahdee
Posts on the blog related to categoy “Pete’s Harbor” HERE
