Progress is fine, but it's gone on for too long.: Yacht Cangarda

During a walk through Front Street Shipyard in Belfast, Maine, we came upon an unusually shaped boat, with that sleek 126 foot shape and a smokestack, this was not a trawler or the typical yacht, but the shrinkwrap hides most details.

A quick Google brought up the story, the name Cangarda is derived from the owner Charles Canfield and wife Belle Gardner's last names. Charles Canfield was a 19th C lumber baron in Michigan, he had this luxurious steam powered steel-hulled yacht commissioned, built by Pusey and Jones in Delaware. Canfield's ownership was cut short by his divorce and the boat went to its second owner Senator George T Fulford of Brockville, Ontario. It remained with the Fulford family till WW2. when it did a stint with the Canadian navy. After the war it was returned to the owner but was soon sold to an American owner who moved it to Rochester. Greatly deteriorated, was rescued in the 1980s and restoration was started in Boston. By 1999 with much of the machinery and interior removed, it had sunk in Boston Harbour. It was rescued again and has been fully restored inside and out, and is due to be launched again in "late spring" 2022.

One of the interesting things about this yacht is that despite being well over a hundred years old, it is still steam powered, with its original Sullivan triple expansion steam engine and an upgraded oil-fired boiler. It is one of three yachts of this type remaining in the world, the others having been converted to diesel power.

Story of the yacht, here. Another, here.

Update August 2024. The owner Bob o'Neil passed away recently nd the yacht has been sold. The yacht is still at the Front Street Shipyard but the shrinkwrap has been removed, (bottom images). Hope to see it in the water soon.