Cangarda

The "Cangarda" is a 126 foot long luxury motor steam yacht built in 1901, at the Pusey and Jones Shipyard in Wilmington, Delaware.

In the late nineteenth and early twentieth century, huge fortunes were made prior to US income taxation. Opulence in homes and yachting reached a peak; many small private steamships like "Cangarda" were produced in the US, Britain and Germany for the very wealthy. However, "Cangarda" is the last surviving US-built steam yacht in the US, and one of only three left in the world.

After years of service in roles from opulence to indignity, the yacht sank in the Boston Harbor in 1999 in poor repair, but has since been completely restored at Richmond, California for use as a private yacht and periodic museum ship. She will be a part-time feature of the maritime museum at Mystic, Connecticut.

History

"Cangarda" was named as a combination of the last names of the original owners, Michigan lumber mogul Charles Canfield and his wife Belle Gardner. In 1904, George Taylor Fulford, a wealthy member of the Canadian Parliament, bought the boat and renamed her "Magedoma", which was a combination of syllables from the names of his wife and children. The boat was docked at [http://www.heritagefdn.on.ca/userfiles/HTML/nts_1_8830_1.html Fulford Place] , his 20,000 square foot mansion on the St. Lawrence River.

After Fulford's death in 1905, the yacht remained in the family and in 1927 his wife hosted the Prince of Wales, Duke of Kent, and the Prime Ministers of both England and Canada, Stanley Baldwin and William Lyon Mackenzie King respectively, onboard.

During World War II, "Cangarda" was donated by the family to the Canadian Royal Navy, to be used as a training vessel. After the war the ship was returned to the Fulford family, but in poor condition. The ship was sold, and slowly went into disrepair under several owners, until the early 1980s when an attempt was made to restore her. The ship was disassembled in Boston and an effort was made to rebuild the hull, but the project failed and in 1999 the gutted hull sank in Boston Harbor. Fortunately, these efforts preserved the interior and machinery for later use.

Present day

In 2004, after years of efforts by historians and yachtsman, Jeff Rutherford of Richmond, California began a full restoration, funded by Marin, California resident Bob McNeil. The "Cangarda"’s original hull was damaged beyond repair, so it was meticulously measured including laser scanning. A new hull was reverse-engineered, using modern welding techniques rather than the original rivet style of fastening. The original boiler was replaced with a safer modern equivalent. However, the elegant Victorian interior was reinstalled, using the original Cuban mahogany woodwork. The restoration was completed in 2008.

References

* [http://powerandmotoryacht.com/features/0203cangarda/index.aspx Cangarda] , By Ben Ellison, February 2003, Power & Motoryacht magazine
* The Golden Century, Classic Motor Yachts, 1830-1930, by Ross MacTaggart, W. W. Norton & Company, 2001, ISBN-10: 0393049493
* [http://www.norwalkplus.com/nwk/information/nwsnwk/publish/News_1/Historic_steam_yacht_to_be_home-ported_at_Mystic_Seaport1235.shtml Historic steam yacht to be home-ported at Mystic Seaport] by Mystic Seaport staff, Norwalk Plus magazine (online) Published: Apr 28, 2008
* [http://www.sname.org/newsletter/UCB1206.pdf The Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers Newsletter] University of California chapter, December 2006.
* [http://www.blockislandtimes.com/articles/2008/07/21/news/news35.txt Block Island Times] July 21, 2008
* [http://www.thegoldencentury.com/savetheseyachts.html Can These Yachts be Saved] thegoldencentury.com
* [http://www.richmondca4business.com/news/documents/RichmondsMaritimeIndustryOct07.pdf Historic Steam Yacht Sails Again] Richmond Office of Economic Development (City of Richmond California) page 21
* [http://www.baycrossings.com/dispnews.asp?id=2013 Richmond’s Hidden Waterfront Jewel] San Francisco Bay Crossings magazine (online archive)
* [http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4176/is_20070825/ai_n19491203 Millionaire's yacht nearly capsizes] Oakland Tribune, Aug 25, 2007 by Doug Oakley

ee also

*Photos of Cangarda at: [http://www.tricoastal.com/Cangarda/source/historic.htm www.tricoastal.com/Cangarda]
*Photos of retored Cangarda being launched 2008 [http://www.groupxk.com/launch.htm www.groupxk.com]