live-aboard life Story and photos by Viviann Kuehl One of the most recognized, but exclusive, communities in Port Townsend is that of the live-aboard, people living on their boats in the harbor. Of the 350 boats in the harbor, only 15 to 20 are live-aboards, said Tami Ruby, harbormaster for the Port of Port Townsend. “Some sail, some don’t, and there are a few that don’t go at all. It’s a lifestyle choice,” she said. “They want to be on the water.” “It’s less popular than it used to be,” Ruby noted. “We have one guy who’s been here as long as I have and I’ve been here 22 ½ years. There are no families anymore; it’s mostly single people and a couple of couples. Most of the time with families, they stay while the kids are little and then they move off the boat.” Live-aboards don’t have to go anywhere, but their boats need to be able to, she said. The Port is committed to a working marina, said Ruby, with no room for houseboats or dead boats. There is just one houseboat in the harbor, a grandfathered remnant of an earlier age, and unoccupied. “There’s a requirement that liveaboard boats have to be in running condition,” she said. “They have to follow the same policies as other boats. We require a derelict deposit.” If you have a small boat, living aboard can be fairly economical, noted Ruby, even with the monthly $70 charge for extra use of the facilities: water,
32 LOP Summer 2015
Live-aboard Larry Pepper can stretch his arms from one side of his living space to the other. He has a kerosene lantern to light his table, a computer to keep current, a cooking area with a sink for washing, and a guitar resting on his bed behind him. Everything is always within reach. restrooms and laundry. For an average 30-foot boat, the cost is $327.26 plus metered kilowatts per month. In various sizes and types of boats, the live-aboards are scattered throughout the marina. “Live-aboards are a pretty good idea,” said Ruby. “Because there is someone here all the time, they keep an eye on things. It’s kind of like a neighborhood.” “We socialize, we help each other out,” commented live-aboard Larry Pepper. “We like privacy, and value closing the hatch, but we need to fraternize. Otherwise it’s easy to become reclusive. The whole boatyard is its own ecosystem, in harmony with but independent of Port Townsend, like its own neighborhood.” Pepper was a public school elementary music teacher until retiring two years ago.
He’s occupied the same spot in the marina for the past three years, chosen because it was more convenient for the shower and the parking lot, important considerations when he got up early for his job. He had a couple houses in Port Townsend over his 16 years of residency and described them as OK, but solid. He prefers to sleep on the water. “I’ve always had this draw to be close to the water,” he said. Pepper has been around boats since he was 12. As a young man, he served in the Air Force, then got a teaching job in Juneau, Alaska, where he spent time on the docks. A runner, he found the wooden docks were easy on his knees, and soon he was living aboard a powerboat. “One venue led to the next,” he recalled