The Taj Mahal sinks.

[Ted Hoppe]

Famed Sausalito Waterfront Landmark ‘Taj Mahal’ Sinks

One of the more unusual casualties of (last) Tuesday’s bomb cyclone was the sinking of the renowned Sausalito houseboat known as the Taj Mahal. There aren’t many sailors on San Francisco Bay who haven’t sailed by this well-recognized waterfront landmark that has resided just inside the Sausalito Yacht Harbor breakwater for over four decades. As Heather Richard’s video showed in our Wednesday story, Sausalito was one of many areas to get pummeled by wind and waves. Apparently, the Taj Mahal flooded and began going down. The building has been a private residence since real-estate developer and vineyard owner Bill Harlan built it after a trip to India in the ’70s. It is reported to be beautifully appointed with marble floors, a wine cellar, a top-level solarium, sauna and more. It has always been a treat to sail by this palace on the water. Harlan sold the Taj Mahal many years ago.





The Taj Mahal reported raised after sinking during Tuesday’s bomb cyclone.© 2023 Paul Dines




Not a pretty picture to come home to.© 2023 Paul Dines


It’s a sad sight to see such a magnificent piece of Sausalito architecture suffering from the recent storms.© 2023 Paul Dines

The Taj Mahal is one of the most famous houseboats in Sausalito, amongst the unique Sausalito houseboat community. We hope she can be returned to her former glory and continue to be a “landmark” for all to see while sailing along the Sausalito waterfront.

Shortly after we wrote the words above we received the photo below from Sandra Bushmaker in Sausalito. Sandra wrote, “My boat is on A dock at Sausalito Yacht Harbor. I took this photo yesterday of the sunk Taj Mahal. I heard today that she will be scrapped as they cannot refloat her. Very sad loss of a Sausalito Waterfront icon and neighbor.”
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sad new indeed. Paul and I talked about this on Saturday night at the Spaulding Center. She meant so much to so many. A delight to see along that beautiful waterfront.

[Spin_Drift]

So very sorry she sank. She was beautiful and interesting. We motored our Orca past her several times.

[wizbang 13]

Hippies out …. Billionaires in

[LeeG]

Hippies left long ago

[Ted Hoppe]

Hippies left long ago

Hippies are trying to hold on. Each year more and more of the Sausailto waterfront is changing. The industries of the waterfront are making a brave stand but at the current 10,000 dollars a square foot along the shore it is only a matter of time.

[LeeG]

yikes. I did a fair amount of paddling out from where SeaTrek operated.

[Ralphie Boy]

I find it interesting (and ironic) that many of the places which were once Hippy strongholds are now exclusively home to the super rich.

[Breakaway]

I find it interesting (and ironic) that many of the places which were once Hippy strongholds are now exclusively home to the super rich.

A-hem!

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Kevin

[Keith Wilson]

I could come up with a pair of pictures of me and my wife much like that. We're about a decade younger, but my hair was quite a bit longer (about 1974).

That's sad about the Taj Mahal. A standard date for Ann and me was to go out to dinner, then walk the Sausalito docks, from Wander Bird to the Taj Mahal.

[Breakaway]

I could come up with a pair of pictures of me and my wife much like that. We're about a decade younger, but my hair was quite a bit longer (about 1974).
.

I was just pointing out that some hippies could still afford to the live in the area. Bill and Hill aren't alone in that; they are simply recognizable.

Kevin

[paxtonm]

I know a fair number of the old hippie guard from Sausalito, and the stories are priceless. They fled to my home town years ago. Now, sadly, it's getting too expensive for committed counter-cultureistas. Gentrification creep.