Old Man Lives on Floating Fortress on the California Delta

Deep in the California delta are members of the Super Secret Ship Club, a loose fraternity of men and women who’ve wanted nothing more than to hold out on the water. Most are just legends today — but Bill Conner, 89, is alive. Once an active-duty U.S. Marine, he has flown an American flag above his floating compound on a secluded arm of the San Joaquin River for four decades. He and his wife once owned what used to be a family resort, called Lost Isle. After years of entertaining summer boaters on a spit of palm trees and sandy riverbanks, they sold the property. It became a party destination for the muscle-boat set with thatched-roof bars and wet-T-shirt contests — until a fatal stabbing presaged its shutdown. After they sold, Conner’s wife moved to the mainland. He moved to a barge. Since 1981, that barge has morphed into a convoy of anchored boats and platforms outfitted with tiki decor that Conner has called home. The peculiar river fortress houses fern gardens, an exercise bike, a propane stove, musical instruments and a 55-gallon plastic drum to collect drinking water. “You do a little gardening, you get tired, you take a nap,” said Conner, forced by recent surgeries to spend time resting at a marina outside Stockton. “A lot of people would like to do this: have your own island and live happily ever after.” Credit: Carlos Avila Gonzalez Read more: https://bit.ly/3lkSXzY Subscribe to our channel: http://bit.ly/2Svdkii — The San Francisco Chronicle delivers the Bay Area’s best journalism every day. Our mission is to tell the story of San Francisco — the city whose people change the world. We will inform, inspire and provoke while being honest, fearless and startlingly original. You can support our newsroom by signing up for a membership at http://SFChronicle.com/subscribe.