A house that began on the Napa River reached Jack London Square in the Oakland-Alameda Estuary after being placed on a barge and pulled across San Pablo Bay by a small motorboat. The house had no motor of its own and was anchored at the Oakland destination, according to the New York Post.
What the Coast Guard reported
The New York Post reported that a Coast Guard Station Vallejo crew met the boater and found the required safety equipment aboard. The Coast Guard also broadcast a warning to mariners about the tow's movement through northeastern San Pablo Bay. The account described the trip as a favor for a friend rather than a commercial service and said the boater therefore did not need the license required for a commercial operation.
What the rules distinguish
According to the Electronic Code of Federal Regulations, a “towing vessel” is a commercial vessel engaged in pulling, pushing or hauling alongside. That definition does not by itself establish which requirements applied to this private tow. The U.S. Coast Guard’s recreational-boating guide says boat operators are expected to ensure that their vessels carry required safety equipment and comply with federal and state regulations. The reported Coast Guard inspection found the required safety equipment aboard, but the available account does not specify each item.
The tow was recorded by Concord charter captain Zach Medinas while he was fishing. The New York Post identified him as a 57-year-old owner of Gatecrasher Fishing Adventures and reported that his video had drawn almost 140,000 Instagram views by Friday evening. The paper described the structure as a yellowish, full-size, two-story house with an upper-floor porch.
Floating homes remain a separate waterfront niche
The unusual tow also comes amid a small floating-home market in San Francisco. Hoodline reported that a three-level floating home in Mission Creek was listed for $1.8 million in cash. The report said the harbor has 20 floating-home berths, an arrangement dating to 1959, and that conventional mortgage financing is generally unavailable for homes that are not attached to land.
