Boatworks crew brings kayak back to life for raffle

A wooden kayak will be on display and up for raffle at the 41st Annual Cortez Commercial Fishing Festival on Feb. 18-19.

BY LESLIE LAKE SUN CORRESPONDENT | llake@amisun.com

CORTEZ - This will be the best $5 one lucky raffle winner has ever spent.

That’s the price to take a chance at the upcoming Cortez Commercial Fishing Festival on a wooden kayak beautifully restored by volunteers of the Florida Institute for Saltwater Heritage (FISH) Boatworks.

“Someone is going to be very lucky to win this,” Boatworks supervisor Joe Egolf said.

The kayak was donated to FISH a year ago by Dr. John Lanning, who lives on Anna Maria Island, Egolf said. It has been a restoration project for Egolf and volunteers Chuck Fellows, Jim Foley and Bill Curto.

“It was in pretty sad shape when we got it,” Egolf said. “But it’s shining now.”

Egolf said the kayak is approximately 18 feet long and is made of cedar with mahogany trim.

“We sanded it and put about 10 coats of marine spar varnish on it,” he said. “The hull was roll and tip painted.”

The kayak comes with oars and a wooden plaque that says, “F.I.S.H. 2023. Restored by The Boatworks Crew.”

The kayak will be on display at the 41st Annual Cortez Commercial Fishing Festival on Feb. 18-19 on 46th Avenue West at the end of 123rd Street West in the historic fishing village of Cortez.

Raffle tickets will be on sale at the festival for $5 each or $20 for five.

The festival features seafood, live music, arts and crafts, environmental exhibits and children’s activities.

“The money raised at the festival will support the continued restoration of the FISH Preserve,” FISH board member Jane von Hahmann said.

The preserve covers over 95 acres of environmentally sensitive land immediately east of the village.

Egolf said the folks at the Boatworks are already looking toward next year’s festival and are hoping someone will donate another wooden boat to be refurbished and raffled off.

“We need someone to donate a wood boat for next year,” he said.

The Boatworks is located just west of the FISH Preserve behind the Cortez Cultural Center. Boats in various stages of restoration are being worked on inside and behind the facility.

“We have one boat here that was stick built from the ground up,” Egolf said. “Another boat is a 1957 Lyman. That is a beautiful boat.” Egolf said he’s been playing with boats since he was 9 years old. Volunteers at the Boatworks are always welcome. The volunteer crew works on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

“We can always use people to come here and play with boats,” he said. “Men and women are welcome to join FISH. Some of our best workers have been women.”

Boat donated to Cortez Cultural Center

The eye-catching old boat will draw attention to the Cortez Cultural Center.

BY LESLIE LAKE SUN CORRESPONDENT | llake@amisun.com

CORTEZ - It may no longer be seaworthy, but with the help of volunteers, a donated old boat is being repurposed into an eye-catching advertising vehicle for the Cortez Village Historical Society’s (CVHS) Cortez Cultural Center.

Bob Hopper, a CVHS volunteer, is putting his handyman skills to work in refurbishing and painting the 14-foot skiff, which will be placed in front of the Cultural Center at 11655 Cortez Road W.

“This boat has a rotted floor and can’t be used on the water anymore, but I’m replacing floorboards and painting it white and blue and it will be used for plants,” Hopper said.

He said an art class from Manatee High School will be painting the boat to help attract attention to the Cultural Center.

“The boat was donated to FISH (the Florida Institute for Saltwater Heritage) and they gave it to us,” Hopper said. “It was decided to put it here to bring attention to the Cultural Center.”

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AMI Rotary welcomes Slicker to club

From left, AMI Rotary President Jim McDaniel welcomes Bob Slicker, owner of Slicker’s Eatery in Cortez and the recent winner of the Anna Maria Island Chamber of Commerce’s Small Business Person of the Year award, as the newest member of the Rotary Club of Anna Maria Island.

COVID-19 in Manatee County

JAN. 30

Cases 301

% Positivity 13.37%

Deaths 0

% Eligible population vaccinated 74.5%

New hospital admissions 21

FEB. 6

Cases 314

% Positivity 12.94%

Deaths 0

% Eligible population vaccinated 74.5%

New hospital admissions 38

Source: Centers for Disease Control

Manatee County community level of COVID-19 transmission

The COVID-19 booster vaccines aimed at fighting the omicron subvariants are available at local pharmacies, including CVS and Walgreens in Holmes Beach.