Houseboat communities have always been close
The sad death of the British politician Jo Cox once again shows the strength of houseboat communities. Cox, living on a house boat on the River Thames at the Hermitage Moorings, was paid a two minute tribute by the close-knit community of houseboat owners in London. This is typical people living together on the water: they have always had a strong sense of the need for a civil society.
Anne Wainwright, chairman of the HCM said on the communities website: “Today is the saddest day of this close community. We have lost a dear, dear friend in the most tragic and outrageous circumstances. We pay tribute to our amazing, wonderful and spirited member of this community. A beacon of hope who believed in love, friendship and values that we all so much need at this time. The community will continue to be inspired by her relentless energy and commitment to all that is good. Our thoughts go to her husband Brendan and her two wonderful children.”
During the tribute to Cox horns were blated three times before a two minute blast as houseboat residents stood by their boats. A salute to a highly appreciated member of their floating society.
This togetherness amongst houseboat owners is something you will find not only in England. Houseboat communities are found all over the world where people are living on the water. What causes this strong solidarity?
Practical problems
First of all it’s a simple matter of living in the same neighbourhood, in the same type of home and having the same type of practical problems. Think of sewage issues, insulation and accidentally dropping your keys in the water.
Legal certainty
Another important reason seems to be the fact that there is a sense of ‘us against them’. ‘Us’ being the houseboat owners and ‘them’ the local and/or national government or property developers who are threatening their relatively free way of living.
People living on the water are often less sure of legal certainty, simply because in a lot of cases there’s no clear legislation when it comes to living on the water. This uncertainty seems to create a strong bond amongst houseboat owners.
Protect and share the houseboat experience
Good examples of such a bond are the ‘Floating Homes Association’ in Sausalito, California, the ‘Key West Historic Houseboat Community’, the Dutch Amsterdam based ‘Vereniging Waterwonen en Toerisme’ and ‘Toronto Float Homes’ which represent the interests of their members.
All these communities might be different in a lot of ways, but they all have one shared goal: protect and share their way of living on the water.