Residents of Shilshole Marina's 225 liveaboard boats have been jockeying dock to dock for three years to accommodate the $80 million reconstruction project.

Unsettling, considering their occupants' slips are their home addresses. This February the dust will settle as the dock phase of construction concludes, and an agreement just reached with the Port of Seattle will allow the boats to anchor to their assigned slips for another 10 years. A review in five years is in place to discuss any issues that may arise.

Through attrition, 75 liveaboard boats have vacated since clanging of construction began. Those 75 precious spots will open in February. While living full-time in a cabin's cramped, bobbing quarters is not for everybody, the demand for liveaboard slips is much greater than the supply. There are currently 600 hundred boats on Shilshole's growing liveaboard waiting list. The slip space "count" is based on numbers of boats, not occupants.

Shilshole's pre-construction slip count totaled 1,480 for all boats, both liveaboard, and non-liveaboard. Two docks will be added, but will result in 69 fewer slips because of an increase in slip-size options. Still, the liveaboard cap will remain at 300 vessels.

Friction between those living permanently on their boats and the Port of Seattle started in the late 1980's. Finally, in 1997, both sides reached a 10-year agreement allowing liveaboards to stay for an extra monthly fee, in addition to the same fees charged for non-liveaboard craft, now about $12-$14 per foot per month. The new agreement is modeled after the old one, with few changes.

Al Hughes is president of the 15-member Washington State Liveaboard Association. He clarified modestly of the lofty post, "I usually just say I'm the president of the 'Shilshole Liveaboard Association.' With 300 liveaboard slips, we're the gorilla around here, and my dealings are mostly with Shilshole."

He recalled his liveaboard lifestyle was threatened in the late '80's and early 90's.

"Our association worked with the Port of Seattle, not against them. We agreed on guidelines as far as pump outs, fees, and generally keeping the place clean. Liveaboards pay roughly $55 to the Port, with a 3 percent annual increase. Nobody here wants to pay the fee, but the Port wanted more. I guess if both sides are a little upset it's probably a good agreement. The biggest thing is we don't have to argue again for another 10 years."

Hughes, 54, has lived on his homemade 39-foot sailboat in Shilshole with his wife, Louise for 26 years. They named their black Labrador/coonhound, Gus, after their boat. Hughes attended the United States Coast Guard Academy in New London, Connecticut and served eight years.

"My lotto draft number (for Viet Nam) was 99, so I stayed in the Coast Guard. I loved it."

He served on the icebreaker, the Polar Star, and the 378-foot cutter, Munro. He was engineer, and marine inspector for ferries, barges, tugboats, and tankers.

"I was going to be transferred out to sea on the East Coast, so I said 'adios.' I'm happy doing what I'm doing." Hughes makes his living repairing boats in his nautical neighborhood.

In addition to serving as Liveaboard president, Hughes is on the Communication Committee of the Washington State Liveaboard Association with neighbor, Gail Luhn. She lives with Dwight Kruger, and "Isabelle the Wonder Dog" on their 79-foot pleasure craft/troller, the "Infinity."

Once you own a boat you're not rich anymore," said Luhn, a maritime attorney. Kruger is a test manager at Microsoft. They have done major refitting to their 1100-square-foot rig.

"We can't cut loose for cruises for months and months anymore, but we're always in a position to drop lines and decompress. We have the best of both worlds, independence and social community," she said.

Luhn said liveaboards are misunderstood.

"There is a false perception that our waste goes into the water," she said. "We don't want to put waste in our own backyards, and our boat has monthly pump outs. Some marinas take the position we are a burden, but Shilshole sees that we add value. I give them credit for being as progressive as they are."

Luhn points out that because of the stability of the liveaboard community, it can keep an eye on things, like during last year's windstorm. "We were running around A-Dock tightening lines and adjusting fenders, she recalled."

Sharon Briggs is general manager for recreational boating for the Port of Seattle, which includes Bell Harbor and Harbor Island Marina, as well as Shilshole Marina.

"Shilshole is a community, not a country club," said Briggs, who represents the Port when negotiating with the liveaboard population. She agrees with Luhn that liveaboards have incentive to keep their alternative way of life clean.

"Most liveaboards see this marina as their home, so why would they want to pollute the air and water around them?"

Briggs facilitates quarterly "dock meetings" to iron out issues with liveaboards should they arise. She said she personally admires Hughes. "I don't think they could find a better representative. We don't always see eye to eye, but that's OK. We trust him."

Fulvio Casali, 41, shares the Communications Committee post with Hughes and Luhn. A software developer born in Italy, he moved his Catalina 34-foot sailboat from Shilshole to Stimsen Marina, also in Ballard, six months ago.

"Shilshole is pretty, but cut off, especially at night," he said. "I don't have a car. I can walk to a Flexcar, the bus stop, and grocery store. Stimsen is cheaper, but more industrial, and you have to get through the locks."

Because he is not docked at Shilshole he does not benefit directly from its agreement with the Port of Seattle. He agreed with Luhn that liveaboards carry a stigma.

"The liveaboard lifestyle is under threat," he said. "San Diego and other West Coast cities' liveaboard population is getting smaller and smaller."

Other ports' liveaboards lean on Hughes and the Shilshole agreement as a template for what they hope will be used as a guideline in their marinas, including those in Everett, Bellingham, and La Conner, which decided to grandfather in its current liveaboard community while not accepting new ones.

Mike Beste is a neighbor of Hughes, and lives on "Bamboo," his 47-foot Skookum sailboat. He recently scheduled Hughes to fix his hydraulic steering leak.

"When I turn the wheel it goes 'glug glug glug.' My diesel heater isn't running right, either, so I'll be using an electric blanket for a while," he reported without regrets. "I picked it up for a sweet deal," he said of his 16-ton floating home.

"I'm basically a geeky network guy," said Beste, a Cisco infrastructure network engineer. He has lived in town, but loves to have his home in the water.

"When I figured out what sailing was all about it changed me."

Steve Shay may be reached at steves@robinsonnews.com