Not to be outdone by the relentlessness of water, Rick Stewart and a local salvage crew put the pumps on high Dec. 28 and raised the schooner San Francesco before another year began.
The century-and-a-half-old Italian schooner took on water while tied to the dock at the Seafood Shack, 4110 127th Street W., Cortez, the last day of August 2016 — as Tropical Storm Hermine barreled through the area.
After two years as “the pirate ship” at the Seafood Shack, crabs, fish, barnacles and scallops had settled into the water-filled hull, and restoration hopes were squelched after a November salvage attempt failed.
Johnny Smith of Emergency Dive Services of Sarasota led the charge this time around and, with the assistance of former U.S. Navy Seabee diver Daniel Braithwaite, managed to get the vessel up and floating Dec. 28 after a long day of patching, wrapping and pumping.
“I’m baby-sitting the pumps all night,” Stewart reported by text message after 10 p.m. Dec. 28. “We’re up and floating!” the text continued.
Dawn found the ship still afloat, and patching efforts continued into the afternoon of Dec. 29.
“We are racing against the clock to get the patches on to keep her floating,” Stewart later said. “I’m hoping to go home to sleep tonight.”
It’s all been a labor of love for Stewart, albeit a long, frustrating one. He plans to soon be able to tow the schooner and haul it out of the water to dry dock for restoration at the Florida Institute for Saltwater Heritage Preserve in Cortez.
Stewart’s plans include a full restoration, enlisting volunteers in the effort that he plans to accompany with lessons in wooden boat-building for school children. He then hopes to sail the San Francesco in local waters, promoting the boat’s history and environmental issues.
For now, the main goal is to keep the 142-year old wooden vessel from sinking again.
“We’ll keep her afloat, clean her up and go from there,” Stewart said of the year’s end, toasting his successful effort to raise the San Francesco.