On 19 September 2024, Maine’s Front Street Shipyard announced on Facebook:
“Bittersweet send-off to the 1901 steam-powered yacht Cangarda that has been with us for almost a decade. She has been purchased by a European owner and is heading across the Atlantic to join a classic yacht museum’s collection.”
This poignant moment was captured in a YouTube video showing Cangarda being launched and carefully loaded onto a 345-foot cargo ship in Belfast Bay.
A legacy born in the Edwardian era
Cangarda was constructed in 1901 at the renowned Pusey and Jones shipyard in Wilmington, Delaware. Commissioned by Michigan lumber magnate Charles Canfield and his wife Belle Gardner, her name is a portmanteau of their last names. Measuring 126 feet (38 meters) in length, the steel-hulled yacht was one of the most opulent vessels of her time, boasting Tiffany glass skylights, Cuban mahogany interiors, and intricate deck joinery.
During her early years, Cangarda epitomised luxury afloat. The Canfields used the yacht for entertaining and leisure until 1905, when she was sold to George Taylor Fulford, a Canadian senator and businessman. Renamed Magedoma after his wife and children, she became a hallmark of the Fulford family’s lifestyle. Docked at Fulford Place, their grand mansion in Brockville, Ontario, Magedoma hosted illustrious guests, including the Prince of Wales (later King Edward VIII) and British Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin during a 1927 dinner cruise.
Service and survival during wartime
During World War II, the yacht was loaned to the Royal Canadian Navy for use as a training vessel. However, the war left her in a state of significant disrepair. After the conflict, she returned to the Fulford family but was eventually sold to Frederic Burtis Smith, who lived aboard her in Rochester, New York. Despite Smith’s best efforts to maintain her, the yacht gradually deteriorated.
An attempted restoration in the 1980s saw her original steam engines sent to England for refurbishment, and her intricate wood paneling placed in storage. Unfortunately, the project faltered, leaving Cangarda partially disassembled in Boston Harbor. In 1999, her gutted hull sank—a tragic turn that could have marked the end of her story.
A remarkable restoration
In 2004, Cangarda was salvaged and taken to Rutherford’s Boatshop in Richmond, California, for a meticulous restoration funded by her new owner, Bob McNeil. The restoration combined cutting-edge technology and traditional craftsmanship, with every detail painstakingly considered. Laser mapping and CAD modeling guided the rebuilding of her hull and keel. Original features, including seven steam engines, mahogany woodwork, and Tiffany glass skylights, were refurbished and reinstalled.
By 2009, Cangarda was back in service as a private yacht. She made a celebrated voyage to Brockville in 2011, where the public was invited to tour the vessel, with proceeds supporting the restoration of Fulford Place National Historic Site.
Modern care in Maine
After a decade in service, Cangarda arrived at Front Street Shipyard in Belfast, Maine, in 2015. Over the next nine years, the shipyard maintained the yacht during winters while she cruised around the Maine islands during summer.
In 2024, she was acquired by Turkish tycoon Rahmi Koç, founder of the Rahmi M. Koç Museum in Istanbul. Cangarda now joins the museum’s maritime collection, which includes vessels like Kısmet, the sloop of Turkish circumnavigator Sadun Boro, and other historic boats.
A dual identity: Museum artifact and functional yacht
While Cangarda will serve primarily as a museum exhibit, Rahmi Koç has indicated she may still be used as a private vessel. This dual role ensures she continues to showcase her Edwardian elegance and engineering prowess. Her interiors remain a testament to maritime grandeur, with features like a smoking lounge, a separate dining room, and four guest cabins.
The journey of Cangarda from her Edwardian origins to her role as a Turkish museum piece underscores her resilience and historical significance. As one of only three remaining Victorian-era steam yachts and the sole surviving U.S.-built example, she stands as a relic of maritime innovation and luxury.
Visitors to the Rahmi M. Koç Museum will experience not just a yacht but a floating time capsule that has navigated decades of history, from hosting royalty to surviving shipwreck. For maritime enthusiasts, Cangarda is more than a yacht; she is a living testament to the artistry and resilience of classic yachts.
