CORTEZ — A new non-profit in Cortez has formed with the goal of restoring and preserving historic wooden boats. The Cortez Classic Yacht Guild recently towed their first project to harbor; one of the oldest floating boats in North America, the San Francesco is a wooden schooner built in Italy in 1870. Founders Rick Stewart and Herman Kruegle hope that the project can help preserve the tradition of wooden boat building in Bradenton's historic fishing village.
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| A crew prepares the boat for tow |
Named after the patron saint of sailors, the San Francesco was built for the purpose of transporting marble, though the rise of the steam engine would soon make her obsolete for such purposes. At that time, she fell into the hands of pirates who used the glorious ship to haul contraband until she was eventually confiscated and bounded.
That could have been the end of her story, but in 1965, a wealthy Italian family had her restored for pleasure use. After decades of sailing the Mediterranean, the San Francesco eventually wound up rotting in place in a Clearwater marina, where it had fallen into what Stewart called “a state of serious disrepair.”
“I want to save her life," said Stewart in a video documentary of the ship's tow south to Cortez. “This is a rescue attempt.”
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| The San Francesco during its recent tow from Clearwater |
Stewart, Kreugle and the rest of the folks at CCYG plan to spend two years and $2 million restoring the San Francesco to its former glory at the F.I.S.H. Boatworks in Cortez, where Stewart is the manager. The ship is currently docked at the Seafood Shack, and their next goal is to raise enough funding to get it on land and into the Boatworks facility — before hurricane season.
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| The San Francesco being towed into Sarasota Bay |
Kreugle, an electrical engineer by trade, says Stewart's artisanal passion and skilled craftsmanship are what inspired him to become more involved. He said that he had always preferred working with wood, but despite owning two O'Day Mariner 19's (one here and the other in New Jersey where he splits his time), Kreugle had never put the two hobbies together until visiting the F.I.S.H. Boatworks and began restoring a craft under Stewart's direction.
"I was so inspired with his capabilities, it made me want to get more serious about it," said Kreugle.
Despite the ambitious nature of their first project, the San Francesco's potential is obvious. From the ornate carvings on her upper hull to the rustic luxury of her mahogany-lined cabin, the San Francesco calls to mind the golden age of sailing. It takes little imagination to envision the mildewy wood polished to a radiant sheen, the original allure of the button-tuck leather benches restored, or the shine radiating from the decorative fleurs-de-lis that line her cabin walls.
Stewart and Kreugle will be assisted in the restoration by volunteer students from educational institutions, along with other volunteers and boating professionals. The CCYG says its restoration project will provide hands-on teaching and educational classes to teach students and volunteers the woodworking craft.
After restoration is complete, the San Francesco will return to the water in its new home, where it will sail the Sarasota Bay in Cortez to teach the maritime experience, as well as for charity fundraising and other special non-profit events, and for public viewing. The CCYG says the ship will be docked at accessible seaside locations in Manatee and Sarasota Counties.
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| Ornate designs grace the boat's hull |
The Cortez Classic Yacht Guild (CCYG) is seeking funding through existing non-profit 501(c)-3 organizations or private donors. It is also looking for volunteers for the restoration project. Anyone interested in helping can contact Rick Stewart at 941-580-1036, by email at teakwoodisgood@gmail.com, or by postal mail at Cortez Classic Yacht Guild, 5726 Cortez Road West, #127, Bradenton, FL 34210.
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