Save the Lady Stuart - Damages caused by Hurricane Milton

Rosemary Knight is organizing this fundraiser.

Donation protected

This is Captain David and Rosemary Knight, co-owners of the Lady Stuart Fishing Boat, and we are asking for your help.

One of the tornadoes that preceded Hurricane Milton came through the Hutchinson Island Marriott Marina, where the boat has been docked for the past 17 years. It caused significant damage to the Lady Stuart, snapped the lines that secured the vessel and pushed it miles away to someone’s dock – causing damage to that dock. As a result, the Lady Stuart will be out of commission until repairs can be completed, which can take a month or more.

Unfortunately, our current insurance policy has a hefty hurricane deduction. With no revenue coming in for over a month, it will be a challenge to pay for those repairs while also paying our monthly bills.

So we are asking you to help us cover the deductible of our insurance policy so that we can quickly repair the Lady Stuart.

Your donations will help with repairs such as:

Completely rebuild the wheelhouse

Repair the helm

Replace and repair railings

Repair parts of the lower deck

Repair and/or replace one propellor

Replace damaged life raft

Replace radios/antennae

Any amount would help. But for those who can donate a little extra, we will send you the following items:

For a minimum $50 donation, you will receive a complementary Lady Stuart foam koozie (beverage holder)

For a minimum $250 donation, you will receive a gift certificate good for one 5-hour trip fare

For a minimum $500, you will receive a gift certificate worth two 5-hour trip fares.

Thank you in advance for all your help!

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The Lady Stuart has been an institution for over 50 years on the Treasure Coast. Many people have grown up fishing on the Lady Stuart and have then taken their children and even grandchildren fishing on her as well.

We purchased the original Lady Stuart in December 2004. We replaced the original boat with a fiberglass boat in 2006. We moved the boat to the Hutchinson Island Marriott Marina in 2007, where it has been docked ever since. During that time, we have come to know so many people who have enjoyed fishing on our boat. We have personally watched young men and women grow up right before our eyes. And, unfortunately, we have also experienced the loss of a few anglers whose time on this earth came to an end.

Our business survived and even thrived through multiple hurricanes and tropical storms, the Great Recession, and COVID-19. Unfortunately, it took a tornado that preceded a weak hurricane to cause a major dent.