Hi!
We are writing for asistance. While doing 3 fundraisers for our community, our vessel intended to be our home, a fresh start and hopefully a place to recover from critical illness was vandalized & deliberately sunk. Everything of ours was destroyed. Our losses were vast.
We worked five years on this majestic vessel so rich in stories and history and now have to start all over with little to nothing.
We are dealing with some very deep rooted City corruption and are now financially devastated as a result of this horific act, which has touched all aspects of our life.
In a nutshell, after refusing to pay-off a corrupt city employee/dock master for privileges we should already have our vessel was deliberatyely sunk. the city in an attempt to concela the corruption, negligence and harassment has slapped us with a fabricated charge of code violation and we are now being forced to move this vessel as a means to swep us under the rug.
This warm souled vessel is a 1921 43 foot 2-level pilot house Trumpy sty;le Motor yacht. The vessel was built by E. Miles and a crew of Greek boat builders in Tarpon Springs Florida and the floor plan is the exact design of
a Trumpy. We are told that he (E. Miles) purchased the design from John Trumpy and built this wood vessel constructed of Dade County Pine, Cypress and white oak as means to obtain his captain's license. the original name was Kanuk and this strong and majestic vessel remained in Tarpon Springs for
8 years. We visited Tarpon Springs and met 90 year old men who played aboard her and were brought to the site where she was built which is now a parking lot. From Tarpon Springs she went to Tampa and became Pom Pom after the prominet Cigar company.
She then traveled to Panama and to Cuba where she became a private dinner charter vessel geared towards couples. She later went to the Bahamas and served in the same fashion as a dinner charter vessel. she traveled the Intercoastal waters and eneded up in Mc Gallister Georgia where she was named Cotton in Augusta--meaning Money in the bank, as if you had the leading crop of Cotton in Augusta you had prosperity--wealth. She later traveled throughout the Florida waters and raised girls upon her. One who we met Alice age 50 now told us many storiies. She spent an extensive amount of time on the St. John river in florida and was later owned by a dock master in West Palm beach. She was a commercial vessel along the eastern coastline of Florida and then harbored at Loralei Restaurant as a back country charter vessel.
She then arrived in key West and was there for 14 years and we then found her. It was love on first sight and when we went aboard her and entered the state room it felt as though someone hugged us. It could be no other boat and this was to be our home-- a place that I could hopefully recover from illness. The love we feel for this vessel cannot be described.
She has had 13 owners including a Florida state senator,a doctor, a surgeon, a dock master, an author, and others and of course us involved in the arts, construction and music among other things.
We desperately need help.
The engine, generator, water heater, entire electrical system, battery system etc etc were destroyed. Including all our clothes, appliances, air conditioner, refrigerator, freezer, my daughter's baby pictures, art and all Gabe's tools, our career & livilhood materials, food etc etc. all destroyed.
We have endured a gamut of hurricanes in addtion to this violation inflicted upon us.We need to get her moved immediately. We have had the rudder & prop removed and a diaper is being custom made for her.
We will relocate her to a nearby marina hopefully and later we would like to transport her to a boat yard in Pensacola.
We are currently being fined $300. per day by the City until the vessel is moved. The local Newspaper has done a story on us and due to a lack of lump sum of funds have been unable to retain an attorney.
We need to repalce the 3-53 Detroit Diesel Engine, we need a generator, doors, anchor, rope, fenders, frig., freezer, air conditioner, you name it we need it.
We need reasonably priced items or acts of charity. We need help with grants or funding or donations.
We need volunteers to assist us. We are working literally around the clock and while ill. we are tired and beat up and need help in all capacities. We need a reliable and inexpensive transporter or a transporter who can afford a charitable act.
We are hoping you might be able to do a story on us and our plight or help put the word out for help and donations or what ever you can do.
We wish to bring her back to her full glory and that in itself will heal our hearts.
Thank you so much,
Salli Squitieri & Gabriel Butterfield
1107 Key Plaza # 335
Key West, Florida 33040
305-304-2226 & 305-304-6222
Fax: 305-292-4178
butterfieldsociety@hotmail.com
Date: June 12, 2005
