Captiva Cruises’ Lady Chadwick sets sail for the first time since Hurricane Ian

Reporter: Annalise Iraola
Published: Updated:

In another step forward for Southwest Florida’s recovery from Hurricane Ian, Captiva Cruises’ Lady Chadwick set sail for the first time since Hurricane Ian.

The beloved flagship boat pushed off from the dock around 10 a.m. on Tuesday.

Captiva Cruises CREDIT: (WINK News)

It traveled to Cabbage Key, letting passengers explore the scenic destination.

Bob Rando, co-owner of Captiva Cruises and captain of the Lady Chadwick said it hasn’t been an easy process getting the boat back in the water.

Crews gutted the interior and fixed the exterior, which suffered lots of cosmetic damage after the storm.

“Being away from it for a year, a little more than a year now, it’s great to be back on the water behind the wheel of the Lady Chadwick,” Rando said.

Staff of the on-island restaurant greeted guests coming off of the boat to celebrate its reopening.

Captiva Cruises’ Lady Chadwick being loaded onto the dock (WINK News)

It was a welcome return for Cabbage Key restaurant owners and passengers like Linda Coin.

“It’s just a little more relaxing to be on the large boat,” Coin said. “And when they told us when we checked in that this was going to be their maiden voyage post-Ian, we were very excited.”

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