Number 4 - Floating Homes Association

ISSUE
04
2014
FLOATING HOMES ASSOCIATION
NEWLSETTER
FloatingTimes
The FHA Reaches Out
By Katherine Boschetto
Beginning with this issue, the Floating Homes Association will distribute this
newsletter to every resident for whom we have e-mail addresses. The decision to reach beyond the FHA membership was made by the Board in the
belief that it is in the best interest of all concerned for our entire community
to be as informed as possible about the many developments and issues
that affect all of us.
this issue
FHA Outreach
New Home Loans
Emergency Preparedness
And much more!
Also, at the October Board meeting an “Open Forum” was added to the agenda to open the discussion about where the Board would focus our time and efforts. We were happy and encouraged to
have several residents attend, voicing their concerns and offering new ideas to pursue.
First, let’s review what the Floating Homes Association does. The FHA monitors local, state and national issues that impact the community as a whole. Most recently those efforts resulted in $208 annual reduction in your sewer rates. We have also passed six pieces of legislation through the State
Assembly that have had or will have considerable impact on our community.
Issues that are harbor specific, i.e. parking, composting, would be addressed by the residents directly
to your Harbor Master.
To inspire and continue our community conversation, the “Open Forum” will be included in March,
June, September and November meetings. Reminders will be posted on bulletin boards on each
dock. Please join us – your input is most welcome and appreciated.
Home Loans Available from Bank of Marin
by Larry Clinton
Bank of Marin is again lending on floating homes, and their program looks
quite competitive. Loans are available up to $1,000,000, for both purchases
and refis. The current interest rate is 4.125% (4.262% Annual Percentage
Rate), adjustable every three years. The loans are amortized over 30 years,
but are due in 10, which means that borrowers must either pay a balloon
payment or refinance their loans after 10 years. There are no prepayment
penalties.
Michele Affronte says refinancing her Liberty Dock
home with Bank of Marin
Cash-out refis are available, as long as the loan to value ratio doesn’t exceed was “simple and easy.”
70%. Higher credit scores might qualify for a higher LTV. Properties must be
owner occupied or second homes, not investment properties, and must have concrete hulls. More
information and loan applications are available at Bank of Marin’s new nearby branch (2656 Bridgeway), or other Southern Marin offices.
Another Successful Tour
By Larry Clinton
Over 800 visitors got an up close and personal view of our waterfront lifestyle during our 29 th annual
Floating Homes Tour in September.
This year’s theme, “Artistry of Waterfront Living,” showcased
many talented artists, writers and musicians in our community.
Most of them exhibited on Kappas Green, where food was
served by Saylor’s Restaurant, Davey Jones Deli and the New
Village School.
Of the 15 open homes, 8 were on the tour for the first time,
and the owners were impressed by the reactions from visitors –
some surprised, some overawed, and all very grateful for the
hospitality extended to them. In fact, the homeowners were so
enthusiastic, they even
invited each other and
tour committee members to special preview
tours the Thursday and
Friday nights before the
tour. Since these folks
The Loose Licks Jug Band played home
rarely get to see open
brewed instruments on A Dock.
homes on tour day,
these previews were
very popular and will likely be repeated in future years.
Over 220 volunteers pitched in to make keep the day running
smoothly -- several from
Sausalito Village and
Friends of the Marin City Tour Committee members Katherine Boschetto, Mari Steeno, Michele Affronte and Bonnie
Library And when the
Hunter showed off t-shirts with artwork from
tour was over, many of
the tour brochure cover. Photo by Laurie Mills
them joined together for
a volunteer party on the Green. Tour directors Art Brendze, Mari
Steeno and myself are very grateful for such enthusiastic help —
especially from the homeowners and tour committee members.
Thanks to the efforts of Ted Sempliner and Teddie Hathaway,
tour sponsorships were higher than ever this year, ensuring a
successful day before the first ticket was sold. As always, the
tour is the major fundraiser for the Floating Homes Association,
and for the nonprofits we share our proceeds with.
Theodora from Davey Jones Deli served sandwiches during
he tour and also catered the volunteer party.
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Water You Doing Here? by The Dinghy Dame
This month I decided to pay accolades to our new web designer, Windy Baldridge. Even though Windy lives in San
Rafael, she has always loved houseboats and first learned
about our area when she visited her friends Susan and John
Adams on South 40. Katherine Boschetto found her
through them and we should consider ourselves grateful.
Windy was born in Orange County and was brought up in
the same house as her mother. She then migrated to San
Luis Obispo before moving to Kauai and then to Marin seven years ago.
I asked Windy about her name as I had imagined she was
really Winifred or perhaps she was a figment of Barry Manilow’s imagination. Instead, it seems her father had an old
girlfriend named Wendy and he wanted his daughter to
bear her name. Mama put a nix on that, thus Windy’s moniker was created. She says, “I’m just an adjective!”
Windy is a self-taught graphic designer and IT person. She
builds computers and is into web development now. She
does exceptional work and says it is “nice to put out a good
image for such a good community as ours.”
In fact if you have a problem -- any problem -- on your
home or work computer or want to set up a website, you
can contact her at windy@exceptionalconsultinginc.com .
Windy Baldridge
Photo by the Dinghy Dame
She won’t do you wrong. She is most reasonable and she works proficiently on both PCs and MACs.
She is a great addition to our community.
I think it’s safe to say that Windy does not like to conform. She says, “It’s nice to be able to have
mermaid hair.” She is covered in graphic art. In fact when she came over to my place for our interview and walked in (all six feet of her), our neighbor looked up and said, “Who painted your hair?”
And she didn’t miss a beat. She was easy to like from the get- go.
Windy says she works in a” boys’ club.” There are not too many women being hired by the NSA
now, even though they go to the same hackers conventions she does. She says, “I am a whole different species.” And she means it! She wants us to all know that hacker is not a bad word. She says,
“It’s all about keeping up with security issues, learning, learning, learning, and staying up on the latest, and making your network.” Hackers find the bugs and prevent problems and she feels they are
a tight-knit, caring family much like our own community.
Continued on next page
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Dinghy Dame continued from previous page
Windy is the single mom of a smart ten year old boy and is most busy. For the past two years she
has been going to school online. She earned her AA from the University of Phoenix in IT and currently is in her third year with Penn State getting her BS. Maybe she will pursue her Master’s in Business
next, but after more than twenty years’ experience she might not even need it.
She took her first real vacation last year, making a trip to St. Martens, and has decided it will be a different beach each year from now on. She is VP of communications in her son’s Parent Teachers Organization. And she is always looking for more exciting things to do.
Windy feels she is really good with people who aren’t technologically inclined. She just met one today and she was very genuine when she said…”trust me.”
Windy grew up next to a beach. She loves the water, the rain, the ocean, and has always surfed. The
three months she tried to live in Arizona she was miserable.
She is a Libra, and as a water baby, she plans to be around as long as we need her!
Who’s walking down the streets of the city, smiling at everybody she sees? Who’s walking down the
docks on the bay? Everyone knows its Windy.
From the Archives: Toadfish Festival: 1989
A few residents reported hearing the mating calls
of the amorous humming toadfish this summer,
bringing to mind their notoriety from 25 years
ago.
This excerpt comes from the Chronicle Pink
Sheet’s column WAYBACK MACHINE compiled by
Johnny Miller:
June 22: The romantic humming toadfish have
made their annual summer return just in time for
the annual Toadfish Festival on Sunday. The ugly,
slimy fish with a froglike head belatedly arrived in
Richardson Bay for mating season late Tuesday
night.
Phil Frank’s t-shirt logo for the 1989 Toadfish
"This is the first sounding we've heard," Suzanne Festival
Simpson, a spokeswoman for Sausalito's houseboat residents, said. "We were getting a bit worried. This is the latest they've come to the bay."
Like the swallows of Capistrano, the toadfish return to Sausalito each year. Millions of them migrate
from the ocean to the bay for a noisy two-month mating season that often keeps houseboat residents awake. The houseboaters celebrated the visit last year with the first Sausalito Humming Toadfish Festival. The second event will include the crowning of Chronicle cartoonist Phil Frank, a Sausalito resident, as this year's King of the Humming Toadfish.
4
Community News
FHA Merchandise Available Online
Helping Others
You can now
order t-shirts,
totes, mugs
and other
items with
the FHA logo,
or the design
from our
2014 tour
brochure,
through an
on-line shop. These items are offered at cost, and can be ordered in
any quantity. Check it out at
www.cafepress.com/fhasausalito.
Jessica Cohn, long time resident of Gate 6 ½,
teaches at Hidden Valley Elementary in the
Ross School District. She recently made a trip
to Mexico and here is her story:
Launch Party on West Pier
“My second graders and I were talking about
how we would spend some time this year
helping others. They know I travel a lot to
Mexico (and help out at a local orphanage.)
“One morning, I mentioned that a massive
hurricane had hit Mexico. One of my students
shouted “Mrs. Cohn! I
know how we can help
others!” That started our
Room 22 Kindness Campaign to help Hogar Del
Nino in Todos Santos. I
told the kids that I would
document all that they
did and take it (along
with the proceeds) to
the orphanage
During the “All Dock Alert” in July,
Court Mast performed a boat naming ceremony at Julie Durbin’s new
home, #2West Pier. Lots of champagne was tossed into the bay in all Jessica (second l.) and the kids of
“The fundraiser was
directions of the wind and many
Hogar Del Nino.
amazing. All the ideas
toasts were made in front of a large
were 100% kid generatcrowd by using the sound system from Pacifed. They decided to have individual “stores”
ico Spumante’s band which played at the
and make various things to sell to the school.
dock alert. In the end, “Fairy Tale” was born.
We had kids making clay charms and bracelets, finding rocks, and writing stories to sell.
They created posters and placed them around
the school.
“We ended up raising a little over $800 to donate to the orphanage. I went to Hogar Del
Nino recently and presented the kids there
with the slideshow I had made and they recorded a movie for me to show my kids as
well. The orphanage lost their playground (as
well as many other things) and they are going
to use the money from Room 22 to purchase
a new play structure.”
Julie renames her new home
5
Shake-up Call on Gate 6-1/2
Gate 6-1/2 emergency captains Linda Zraik and Joan Lisetor have started having monthly emergency preparedness meetings .So far, they have started collecting information on each resident’s training and experience in medicine and construction skills so folks can take care of each other. They are
also identifying equipment that might be needed to help each other
out.
On September 28, Mike Skylar from the San Rafael Earthquake Supply
Center came to the dock to discuss emergency supplies needed for the
home, car, office, etc. He also covered what to look for around the
house to ensure as little breakage as possible and did a brief walkthrough of Linda’s home to point out typical problem areas. He even
offered a discount on supplies ordered at that meeting.
In October, Court Mast of West Pier showed how to identify gas lines
for each floating home, and how to shut them off in case of a gas leak.
Court Mast demonstrates how to
Future meetings are being planned to include the Marin City fire cap- turn off gas.
tain showing how to deal with dock hoses – as well as PG&E showing
Photo by Larry Clinton
Recycling Tips
by Hillair Bell
Zero Marin recently provided a consumer presentation at City Hall Chambers with valuable tips
about recycling and composting:
Plastic Bags - Bay Cities Refuse to recycle plastic bags, including packaging, vegetable bags, grocery
bags, magazine wraps and more. Put all of these bags into one bag (yes, a bag of bags) and put
them at the top of your recycling bin. They should not be mixed with other recycling.
Used Batteries - At City Hall, look for the battery bin next to the Library entrance on the main floor. It
is connected to the trash and recycling bins.
Fluorescent Light Bulbs - Don’t throw them in the trash. Take them to Waterstreet Hardware on Caledonia and they will properly dispose of them.
Old Medications/Prescriptions - Mill Valley Police Department, One Hamilton Drive, accepts pills and
liquids, (NO syringes) from Sausalito residents. Pills must be placed in a plastic bag. Recycle your
bottle with plastics but take your private information off first. Liquids should be left in their containers and placed in a plastic bag. Call first as hours change: (415) 389-4100.
Styrofoam - Now there is a place to drop off your blocks of EPS Styrofoam that have the #6 imprinted on them. The Proof Lab Surf Shop at 254 Shoreline Highway in Tam Junction, collects this type of
Styrofoam and to be turned into surfboards! More information: http://wastetowaves.org.
Confused about whether an item should go into recycling or trash? Bay Cities Refuse recommends
that you put it in the recycling bin. Once it is in your trash bin it will end up in the landfill - they do
not sort the items in the trash bins. If you have any questions, phone Bay Cities Refuse at (415) 332
3646, Monday through Friday, from 8:00 A.M. to 3:00 P.M.
For more tips, especially for seniors, visit agefriendlysausalito@gmail.com.
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Classified Advertisements
PAYNE WHITTINGTON INSURANCE SERVICES
Appointed agent for Red Shield Insurance
Floating Home Insurance Uniquely designed for
you. We understand and cover both marine and
residential risks. Lic#0A96341 Luci Payne, CPCU
paynewh@infoasis.com (415) 884-2930
Nelson Painting - Your Waterfront Experts
www.nelsonpainting.pro
FREE CONSULTATIONS Interior & exterior painting
Dry rot removal and repair Industrial deck/roof coatings Natural wood restoration Dock repair/non-skid
coatings Feng Shui & Organizing 415-250-4100
786 Waldo Pt Sausalito Lic# 647175
SADLER AND CO., INC. INSURANCE
for Floating Homes
Owner or tenant. Excellent rates. Also yacht, home,
renters, auto, business, life/health.
Call Broker Laura Elliott (415) 457-2400
PAUL BERGERON REAL ESTATE
Residential Sales - Vacation Rentals Try a fresh approach to selling or purchasing a Floating Home or
earn extra income by renting as a Vacation Rental.
415 332-7539 www.PaulBergeronRealEstate.com
JOHN BOTT, MARINE MECHANIC
Boats: engine/mechanical diesel & gasoline,
electrical wiring/design, plumbing, woodwork.
Houseboats: interior, exterior design/construction.
Fire retardant treatments, seal hulls,
design/install solar systems, lighting.
Work guaranteed - 415 203 3836
CONCRETE HULL REPAIRS BY MORGAN
CONSTRUCTION
Repairing hulls for over 30 years. Licensed and
bonded. State law requires construction workers to
be licensed for jobs over $500. Licence #548554
www.houseboatrepair.com for details. CALL
415.531.5146
BUYING/SELLING A FLOATING HOME?
With 30 years of waterfront living, I am
your neighborhood real estate agent.
Contact Rachelle Dorris 415-272 1543
Coldwell Banker
TIDAL SEQUENCE OPPORTUNITIES
CONCRETE BARGE REPAIR - ANODE
PROTECTION SYSTEMS
TED EITELBUSS- (415) 332-0145
Repairing barges since 1964
R.HASKELL CONSTRUCTION CA#692399
Reasonable, reliable handyman, experienced in
remodel, repairs, new construction, carpentry, finish
work, baths and kitchens. Local references. 415465-1100. Free estimates. Rich Haskell
Red Shield Insurance Company®
JUST MORE COVERAGE
www.redshield.com , 800-527-7397
Knowledge Commitment Reliability Service
MICHAEL CLARRON SHEATS - ARCHITECT
40 years experience in residential design - available for consultation, design and full service architectural projects for the floating home community.
415.948.1433
www.mcsarchitect.com - mcsarchitect@yahoo.com
A NEW DYNAMIC REAL ESTATE TEAM!
After 29 years of selling floating homes Howard Myers has
teamed up with licensed real estate agent and houseboat
homeowner Carolyn LeCoque to form an innovative real estate
partnership. In addition, Howard and Carolyn have joined
Decker Bullock Sotheby’s International Realty, the top locally
owned real estate firm, to provide Sellers and Buyers of floating
homes with the premiere service and first-class market exposure our community deserves! For the best service to sell or
buy call Carolyn: 415. 465.4089 or Howard: 415.378.4526
ENGMAN ARCHITECTURE
Robert Engman AIA - Architect, estb. in Sausalito
in 1973. Multiple experience with Floating Homes,
Single Family Residences, new & remodeling,
Kitchens, Baths & site improvements. Completed
projects in all Southern Marin cities. Owner/architect
of #11 “A” Dock, Waldo Point Harbor. (415) 383-1606
www.millvalleyarchitect.com
VISIT CUBA LEGALLY
…with Cross Cultural Journeys on a People to
People license. Join a small group or gather ten of
your friends for a private journey.
15 yrs. experience in Cuba. FHA discount.
Call Carole Angermeir - 332-0682
www.CrossCulturalJourneys.com
MICHELE AFFRONTE – The Waterfront Specialist
Since 1987
THIS IS A GREAT TIME TO SELL YOUR FLOATING
HOME. We now have 2 lenders doing loans on our
homes & there are very few floating homes for sale.
I have many buyers just waiting for new listings. I
have the most aggressive, innovative marketing
plan on the docks. I will have full color videos & slide
shows done for your listing. I will price & sell your
listing in a short amount of time for the best possible
price. Bradley Real Estate Mill Valley 415.798.0236
License #00959293 Maffronte99@gmail.com
ADVERTISE IN THE FLOATING TIMES
Place your (un)classified advertisement in the floating times for the low, low price of $50.00/year (6 issues.) Ads should be no more than 250 characters
in length with no formatting and with a header of up
to 2 lines and 50 characters.
Call Cathy Moreland at (415) 332-2429
Email: cathy@morelandonline.com
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FLOATING TIMES
ISSUE
04