“Whole Earth Catalog” Visionary Stewart Brand Is Selling His Legendary Houseboat for $1.8M
Location: 13 S 40 Dock, Sausalito, California
Price: $1,800,000
Year Built: 1912
Renovation Dates: 1982, 2012
1982 Renovation Builder: Pete Retondo
Footprint: 583 square feet (1 bedroom, 1 bath)
From the Agent: "Mirene is a beautifully restored, working 64-foot tugboat built of wood in 1912. She is also an exquisitely appointed houseboat berthed in Sausalito. Her location, with its view of San Francisco, gives her easy access to cruise on the Bay. In 1982, an extensive renovation began by the San Francisco visionary polymath and creator of the Whole Earth Catalog, cofounder of the Well and the Long Now Foundation, Stewart Brand, and his wife, Ryan Phelan. With abundant Sausalito maritime talent, they brought Mirene back to life first as a respectable houseboat and then as a proper yacht cruising the Bay Area from Sausalito to the Sacramento Delta and out the Golden Gate. Mirene has a varnished wood interior, elegant functionality, and carefully organized interior space which epitomizes the passions of its owners—a gourmet kitchen for entertaining large contingents of neighbors, family, and illustrious guests, and a commodious library/salon to hang out in. This is a rare opportunity for an adventurer who yearns to live outside the box, who can thrive in compact environs and appreciates the richness, texture, and energy of a free-spirited lifestyle. It comes with a 15-foot Boston Whaler tender, an exceptionally large berth, and the option to purchase the small houseboat next door if privacy is desired."
Read more about the Mirene in our May/June 2024 print story.
Stewart Brand and Ryan Phelan stand of the deck of the Mirene.
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The boat was originally built as a schooner for transporting fish from deep-sea fishers into port. Too sturdily built and without much cargo space for fish, the Mirene instead found work ferrying people and goods, and working as a tugboat in the Pacific Northwest.
Ryan Phelan and Stewart Brand bought the boat in 1982. It had seen better days and was in a dilapidated state when the couple stepped in to rescue it.
Now, the boat is in prime condition, with a 500-horsepower diesel engine powering it on trips around the San Francisco Bay.
"Living in Mirene is like occupying an exquisitely crafted musical instrument," says Stewart. "Driving her, the flybridge feels like the top of the world."
Top photo by Ben Barghabany.
13 S 40 Dock in Sausalito, California, is currently listed for $1,800,000 by Steve Sekhon of Compass.
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