Cortez Classic Yacht Guild works to keep historic ship floating

Two men take deep pride in restoring Italian craft with the goal of creating an educational platform.

By Katie Johns
| 6:00 a.m. February 8, 2017

Rick Stewart and Herman Kruegle have spent the past two years trying to fund the restoration of the San Francesco, which is in the water at the Seafood Shack in Cortez.

Longboat Key
Neighbors

Duette resident Rick Stewart and Whitney Beach resident Herman Kruegle are no strangers to 2 a.m. wake up calls.

For the past two years, the two have taken care of a 70-foot European pine, oak and teak schooner. The boat, the San Francesco, was built in Italy in 1870 as a cargo ship to transport marble and granite to ports on the Mediterranean Sea.

Part of the caretaking means checking on the ship when a high-water alarm sends alerts to their phones.

Once, Stewart, who manages FISH (Florida Institute for Saltwater Heritage) BoatWorks, mistook a phone ringtone in a Houston airport for the warning. The hair on his neck stood up.

Another time, Kruegle’s wife called police to check on him in the middle of the night, fearing he had fallen overboard while checking the vessel.

After Stewart visited the boat in Clearwater throughout 2014, the previous owner donated it to him and Kruegle, a retired engineer who volunteers at FISH. The two formed the Cortez Classic Yacht Guild to help with its restoration.

The pair brought the boat down from Clearwater in December 2014 and docked it at the Seafood Shack in Cortez. When they gained ownership, they had to hire an admiralty attorney to work with the Panamanian government because the previous owner owed money on the vessel. With all that settled, the San Francesco officially flies the U.S. flag.

The San Francesco has been docked at the Seafood Shack in Cortez since December 2014. Stewart had hoped that the restoration would be complete in three years.

Now, the San Francesco simply is trying to stay afloat — literally and figuratively. Stewart and Kruegle are trying to raise the money to restore the boat.

“I’ve never been more invested in anything in my life,” Stewart said. “It’s the largest project I’ve ever attempted to undertake. It’s the love of my life. It’s what I do. It’s what I live for.”

The problem? Money is short and the San Francesco is partially underwater. Stewart thought the community would jump at the chance to help restore the boat, but he hasn’t had much fundraising luck. The guild needs $4,200 to get the boat floating again. Then, $20,000 is needed to bring the boat from the Seafood Shack to FISH BoatWorks and gather the right equipment.

Once floating, the boat will go to NE Taylor Boatworks and then FISH BoatWorks, where volunteers will work to restore it. Stewart said having the boat at FISH will bring more volunteers, allowing more people to touch a piece of history.

The goal is for the boat to be an environmental attraction and educational venue from the time it gets to FISH until it is relaunched.

Once restored, Stewart hopes to find the boat a homeport where it can venture around the area teaching youngsters seamanship, craftsmanship and environmental stewardship.

“I think that will instill a lot more in their brains than any average-Joe boat,” he said. “It has some historical significance.

“I do this for zero [money] because I have to. I don’t have any choice. Somebody has to do this to take this into the next generation. That’s why I’m doing it.”

Stewart and Kruegle have reached out to public and private entities, including Manatee County, for help. Most said the boat needs to be at FISH undergoing restoration before any monetary help can come.

“It has to be here, that’s the key,” Kruegle said. “They’ve been open and receptive, but I guess their hands are tied, or there are other projects.”

To help with the efforts, the pair has created a GoFundMe Page for the San Francesco. Visit gofundme.com/cortezclassicyachtguild for information on how to donate.