The 125-foot Cangarda is the last of the sailing steam-powered yachts built in the U.S. during the gilded age of yachting. The yacht was built in 1091by the Delaware ship yard Pusy & Jones for the Michigan lumber baron Charles Canfield.
Cangarda has had a storied life. She cruised widely under a series of owners and has entertained the powerful, royalty and world leaders. During World War II, the Canadian Navy used her as a training ship. She even spent 18 month under water when. In 1999 she sank in Boston Harbor, Massachusetts, and lay submerged until 2020.
But there is life in this beautiful old girl yet. Now owned by Turkish businessman R.M. Koc, she was shipped to Istanbul, Turkey, where the prominent ship yard RMK Yachts undertook a complete refit.
Cangarda is now on permanent display in the Rahmi Koc Maritime Museum in Istanbul. The refit by RMK yachts focused on a complete and faithful restoration of the yacht with as many original materials and fittings as possible.
The director of RMK said in a statement, “From the very beginning, we approached Cangarda not as a refit project, but as a responsibility towards global maritime heritage. Our goal was to protect her spirit, not to reinterpret her.”
The yacht is a stunning example of designs from the turn of the 20th Century. Drawn by naval architect C.H. Wintringham, she has an elegant sweeping sheer, a long bow sprit and a large raised salon. Her yellow funnel marks her as steam powered.
The steam power plant was revolutionary for the time and RMK took great pains to rebuild it with complete fidelity to the original, despite her long sojourn at the bottom of Boston Harbor.
“All interventions were carried out with a museum-grade conservation mindset rather than a modernization approach,” adds Okcu. “Wherever technically feasible, original elements were preserved, including Cuban mahogany joinery, brass and bronze fittings, deck outfitting, interior layouts, and numerous mechanical components.”
If you are ever in Istanbul, a visit to the Rahmi Koc Museum and the classic Cangarda will be time well spent.
