Tenants from the RV lot said their goodbyes and live-aboard boat owners set sail. Their leases expire at midnight.
After 60 years Pete's Harbor will close to make way for a luxury residential complex. Boat slips will only be available to the new tenants.
Pete Uccelli's widow Paula is selling their 11 acre property to the developers.
"Change is hard for people but its time and we hope that new beginnings open up new chapters in peoples' lives," Adam Alberti, the Uccelli family spokesperson, said.
But for many of the live-aboards, ending the old chapter is difficult.
"This has been a safe wonderful place to live that's provided beauty to so many people," Karisa Centanni said.
Centanni and her husband Tim Rahn have lived aboard their 37 foot sailboat for a couple of years. They're preparing to leave. Most tenants have already left. Yellow tapes mark the empty slips.
Only about 20 boats are still left out of nearly 90 which were moored here in August. Many need repairs and are unable to push off. Others say they'll stay until all their legal options are exhausted.
There are two harbors on the property. The Uccelli family owns the inner harbor and the adjacent RV lot. They lease the outer harbor, which faces the slew, from the state. The defiant boat owners are fighting the developers plan to privatize the outer harbor, which is now open to public berthing.
That's where Paul Supplee's boat is moored.
"We don't have any problems with the owners developing the property on the upland or inner harbor but this belongs to the people of California and that's what we're concerned about," he said.
So what happens after the midnight deadline?
"We're going to have to use the legal proceeding available to us, an unlawful detainer process to resolve this," Alberti said.
About seven boat owners have requested to stay beyond the dealine. Alberti says the requests are being considered.
