Folks living on boats have always been a somewhat iffy affair in what passes for the normal social order. Made a whole lot worse by the fact that there is a great diversity within the cruising and live-aboard communities.
Certainly not the film I'd make on the subject.
The current state of extreme income disparity is a big part of the problem. It's important to keep in mind that what affects destitute folks taking shelter on boats is also going to create problems for just about anyone who calls their boat home.
Far too often I've seen cruisers disparage live-aboards and accept or even back anti-boat legislation only to find that a couple of years later that those laws are now keeping them from anchoring in places because some rich idiot doesn't want his ocean view sullied by a boat at anchor. The bottom line is that shore people tend to lump most all boat folk into one big group that they'd like somewhere else unless they can make a profit off you.
What the answer is escapes me. For most of us in the VolksCruising fraternity the best course of action seems to be just keep moving as well as keeping a low profile. When staying in a place for longer than is prudent it helps to be as legal as possible as you don't want to give the powers that be any extra reasons to hassle you.
Just sayin'
No comments:
Post a Comment