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Woman's floating retirement home sinks into California bay

SAN LEANDRO, Calif. — A California woman who was buoyed by the idea of a floating retirement home watched her life savings sink to the bottom of a bay, KGO reported.

Debbie Herbstreit had paid $25,000 for the boat to use as a home and had owned it for a month. Sunday, she received an urgent call from the harbormaster at the San Leandro Marina, informing her that the boat was taking on water..

“I dropped everything and came here and I was praying a little prayer that it would be an inch of water or something,” Herbstreit told KGO.

It was worse than that. The boat was half-submerged and leaking fuel.

“My entire life savings,” Herbstreit told KGO. “This was going to be my retirement home, because I cannot afford a house in San Francisco and I love the city.”

Herbstreit said she was unaware of any defects in the boat and has no idea why it sank.

“It was beautiful. Hardwood floors, dishwasher, washer and dryer, a whirlpool bathtub,” she told KGO. “I had friends say to me, ‘wow!’

“They didn’t even think they were on a boat.”

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