In response to “Harbor Department Gives Juneau Live-aboards an Ultimatum: Move out, or Move On”:
I moved into Aurora Harbor on my sailboat in August 2016. I was told that I needed to have an operating engine and be able to demonstrate for harbor staff that my sailboat could maneuver forwards, backwards and in a figure eight. Many sailboat owners have sailboats because they sail, and should not be forced to purchase unnecessary additional equipment in order to appease the harbormaster.
I did, however, have an engine and performed this test for harbor staff. The harbor staff person who observed my test told me the reason for it was “to keep the undesirables out”.
I want to clarify that this requirement was not fairly or consistently enforced, as I know others who moved into the harbor after me who did not have to pass the same test I did.
I disagree with the Juneau harbor’s philosophy and how the harbors are run.
What they are missing, I believe, are two important things.
The first is that live-aboards are the people who maintain the safety of the harbor. During my stay at the harbor, I called 911 when I woke up to smoke from a boat on fire. I reported things I observed that weren’t OK, and was a good neighbor.
The second is that low-income people have a right to have places to live. The housing climate in Juneau is difficult at best, and living on a boat offers an option for those who may not be able to afford to live independently on land (as was my situation). I would encourage the City of Juneau to, instead of discriminating against people based on their income, to welcome the opportunity to be able to provide an alternative to homelessness by encouraging a live-aboard population in the harbors.
I would also like to clarify the amenities the harbor provides for live-aboards (who are forced to pay an additional ‘live-aboard fee’): none beyond port-a-potties. I live in a harbor in Washington now and the harbor provides laundry, showers, bathrooms, the docks are well maintained and clean, each stall has a dock box/power/hose spigot, and I pay no additional live-aboard fee.
The treatment of live-aboards in the Juneau harbor system is unfair, unkind and unnecessary. I urge the city to reconsider its stance on “undesirables.”
• Meryl Connelly Chew is from Tenakee Springs and currently lives in Blaine, Washington.
