We have a great respect and appreciation for Dick Lotz’s many years of service to Mystic Seaport and Sabino. He was an outstanding captain, and we share his deep commitment to the vessel and what she stands for. However, we feel it is necessary to clarify some of the statements he made in his guest commentary a week ago (“Seaport Ignored Sabino’s Needs,” January 24, 2016).

While the long-term viability of the vessel’s boiler has been a matter of concern for a number of years, the full extent of the necessary work could not be determined until it had been removed from the hull, disassembled, and examined by a certified boiler inspector. The inspection indicated that a completely new boiler would be required. That began a broad search for a manufacturer who could design and fabricate a boiler that would be both historically accurate and pass the standards for approval of the United States Coast Guard and the National Boiler Inspection Code. Sabino’s boiler is now a one-of-a-kind example of an archaic design, which made this a long and difficult process. It was only at the very end of 2015 that we located an independent designer and a firm who could do the work.

It is important to note the boiler is only one aspect of a project that addresses a wide range of structural and mechanical needs for a vessel her age, including a great deal of work on her wooden hull and superstructure.

We rely on private and public support to fund all of our major projects and Sabino is no exception. To date, we have raised $622,000 for the vessel, including grants of $149,000 from the Institute of Museum and Library Services, $172,125 from the State of Connecticut’s Historic Restoration Fund, and $199,806 from the National Park Service/Maritime Administration’s National Maritime Heritage Program — not $2 million as erroneously cited in the Lotz commentary. The balance has come from private sources. All of these funds are being spent on the vessel’s restoration as required by the grantors and donors.

At this moment, we do not have the funds on hand to commission a new boiler. We need to secure another $200,000 to move forward and are fervantly engaged in that objective.

Mystic Seaport remains committed to returning Sabino to operation under steam power. She is a National Historic Landmark and an important fixture on the Mystic River. We are actively raising funds to complete the restoration and encourage those who care as deeply as we do about the experience of riding on an authentic steamboat to join us in helping make that possible for generations to come.

Steve White is the president of the Mystic Seaport.