After months of quietly hoping that the waterfront relic, Captain John’s Restaurant, would just go away, Toronto Port Authority officials have now told the ship’s owner to stay put or face a $50,000 fine.

The legal ultimatum was delivered recently to “Captain” John Letnik out of fear he was about to sell the ship to a Hamilton businessman who planned to tow it to the Steeltown waterfront and convert it into a casino or restaurant.

Harbour Master Angus Armstrong issued the “detention order” citing outstanding berthing fees owed by Letnik for the watery slip where the 300-foot ship, Jadran, has sat for decades at the foot of Yonge St.

“I thought they just wanted to tow me to the middle of the lake and sink the ship,” quipped Letnik who owes some $800,000 in back taxes, berthing and other fees to the City of Toronto, the Port Authority and Waterfront Toronto who, he claims, are no longer taking his calls.

The city shut off water to the ship last summer and then ordered the restaurant shut down. Waterfront Toronto intends to turn the parking area where the ship’s gangplank now rests into a public park surrounding waterfront condos well under construction.

But clearly that’s on hold for now.

“The vessel must remain where it is until certain issues have been addressed,” said Pamela McDonald, director of communications for the Port Authority in an email to the Star.

That includes having a marine engineer examine the hull “to ensure that it can be moved safely and without environmental damage” and that it is insured first in case it breaks up or sinks along the way.

“The City, the Toronto Port Authority and Waterfront Toronto remain hopeful that Mr. Letnik will come up with a viable plan that will allow him to address his financial obligations,” said McDonald in her email.

She said the city, Port Authority and Waterfront Toronto remain open to “legitimate written offers” for the ship — which civic officials have yet to move to seize — but none have been received.

Hamilton businessman Don Maga, who floated the idea of moving the ship to Hamilton last month, said he’s still keen to buy it, but has been shocked to find there are outstanding mortgages as well.

He called the ship’s financial situation “a fiasco” but declined to say how much money Letnik owes in total.

In the meantime, Toronto entrepreneur Branko Kavcic said he’s yet to hear anything since he sent civic officials a letter of intent to buy the ship last August and followed up with repeated emails and phone calls.

“It seems like they are completely deaf,” to the offer, said Kavcic in an interview Friday, saying the deal was conditional on getting a 15-year lease from the Port Authority on a new watery slip to the east or west of the existing site.

Kavcic said his offer, crafted by his accountant, included a plan to repaint and refurbish the rusting ship and get it running again as a restaurant.

“This icon belongs in Toronto, not Hamilton,” said Kavcic.

McDonald was unable to comment on Kavcic claims.

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One ship expert who spoke to the Star on condition his name not be used, said scrappers who’ve toured the Jadran told civic officials the ship is “a total disaster.”

They also warned the Jadran isn’t worth enough to cover the outstanding monies and, in fact, could cost waterfront officials at least $80,000 just to tow to a place where it could be cut up as scrap.

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