The State - News from July 30, 1989

Marin County officials have rented a crane to crush a cluster of ramshackle boats and floats in Sausalito that they describe as an aquatic junkyard, but its owner said the collection is his secret to self-employment. “They’ll partially put me out of business,” said Rudy Homer, 47, who has lived on San Francisco Bay for eight years and estimates that he owns about 25 boats. The larger boats are rented out as lodging for $150 a month. Officials have offered Homer $4,000 to tow four of his boats and some of his floats to a dock owned by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for disposal. “Either he voluntarily gives them up or we go in and tow them out” on Monday with the help of sheriff’s deputies, said Paul Anderson, the county’s liaison with the Anchor Out houseboat colony. He added that Homer must also soon get rid of his floating collection of bicycles, plastic jugs, stoves and other objects, as well as the logs he uses as a fishing perch.