A close vote by the City Council initiated a process that may clear Eagle Harbor of its anchored-out liveaboards.
“They’re done. That’s it,” said Ryan Landworth, who lived in the harbor for more than a decade.
The council approved a plan on Wednesday that would essentially reduce the number of liveaboards in the inner harbor from around 20 to four. Rules and fees (perhaps $500 a month) would likely drop that number down to zero as liveaboards move to maintain their low-cost lifestyle elsewhere.
Landworth, who was active in fighting a state effort to make living aboard boats illegal in the 1990s, said no Eagle Harbor liveaboards plan to sign on to the city’s plan.
The city’s action came as a result of pressure from the state, which has in recent years evicted liveaboards from state-managed waters like Eagle Harbor. Bainbridge was the only community in the state working on a plan that would allow some liveaboards to remain anchored out.
Read my story here.