Did You Know the Visionary Behind the “Whole Earth Catalog” Lives on a Century-Old Tugboat?
Decades after he launched the revered counterculture almanac, Stewart Brand and his wife, Ryan Phelan, turned a derelict ship into a home on San Francisco Bay.
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It’s a silvery winter morning in Sausalito, California, and the docks of Waldo Point Harbor are still slick from last evening’s showers and the cool coastal mist. Lights flicker on as I walk past rows of handcrafted houseboats and spot Stewart Brand waving from the deck of the Mirene, the 1912 tugboat on which he’s lived with his wife, Ryan Phelan, for over 40 years.
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Mike Chino
Mike Chino is Dwell’s senior design editor. For the past 15 years, he’s written, edited, and produced forward-looking stories that show how good design improves quality of life for individuals, communities, and the world at large.
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