We received that photo by text on Thursday, with the sender noting that theboat was sailing close to the Beach Drive SW shore, with someone on board photographing each house along the way. We speculated it might be on behalf of the King County Assessor’s Office, since their work valuing homes includes photos taken from the street. We contacted the Assessor’s Office to see if that might be it, and got a reply last night from Chief Deputy Assessor Al Dams, verifying, “You are correct — we use the Sheriff’s boat for waterfront property assessments.” Photos are part of field inspection of properties; here’s an FAQ about those inspections.