Fee hikes give boaters sinking feeling

They are retirees — schoolteacher, electrician and funeral director — who drive old cars and don't travel for vacation. They also own boats docked in Chicago harbors.

Dozens of these types of boaters — who say they're not rich and work hard to afford a boat — complain they are being priced out of the city's harbors by the Chicago Park District, which has raised harbor rates every year as far back as memories can reach. The effect could be chilling, boaters said, transforming Lake Michigan from a lake for the people to an exclusive retreat for the rich.