Richardson Bay anchorage nearly cleared after decades of conflict, cleanup and court battles

A solitary sailboat anchored on Richardson Bay, a stark contrast to the hundreds of boats that filled the anchorage a decade ago. (Clara Lu / For the Ark)

Ten years ago, the Richardson Bay anchorage was a junkyard filled with derelict boats: chopped-up sailboats without masts, cutters piled with batteries, fuel tanks, boats parts and old appliances and rusted tugboats with lines dripping with seaweed. Boats routinely sank, leaking toxins into the bay or slipped anchor in storms. The Richardson Bay Regional Agency spent hundreds of thousands of tax dollars to abate the worst of them, but more arrived each day.

Fast forward to today, and the anchorage is nearly unrecognizable. Where once there were more than 240 liveaboard boats housing 150 people, only five boats remain. The view is open water, birds and sky, with clear sailing in every direction.

“It’s amazing to see the progress we have made to improve the conditions on the water,” Richardson Bay Regional Agency board chair and Tiburon Town Councilmember Jack Ryan said in a statement on the agency’s website. “Without all these boats on the water, everyone has full access to Richardson Bay, and, critically, we are protecting the ecosystem that sustains this wonderful place.”

After 40 years of battles, lawsuits and millions of dollars spent, the Richardson Bay Regional Agency is claiming victory in its fight to clear the anchorage of derelict vessels.

Environmentalists are celebrating a cleaner bay where ecologically vital eelgrass can recover and thrive. Sunken debris, the remnants of 70 years of anchorage living, is being hauled up off the bay floor.

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