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A Utah man spent $1 million renovating a cruise ship he bought on Craigslist, only to have it sink.
In an interview with CNN TravelTech entrepreneur Chris Willson admitted that he and his partner Jin Li spent 15 years renovating a 293-foot boat called the Aurora after purchasing it on Craigslist in 2008. From a swimming pool to an indoor theater, the ship boasted plenty of amenities and tons of space for guests, with 85 cabins.
After learning more about his story, such as his original name Coat of arms of Hamburg, Built in Germany after World War II and featured in the 1963 James Bond film. From Russia with love, Willson fell in love with the idea of restoring the ship to its former glory.
Willson was able to “get a really good deal” on the boat and set about his passion project, first docking it for a year in Rio Vista, California, then at Pier 38 in San Francisco for three years and docking it for a year at Herman & Helen’s Marina in Stockton, California. However, he ended up selling the boat in 2023 after locals had issues with the vessel.
But by then, he had already made significant renovations to the ship, with the ultimate goal of transforming it into a museum. During those 15 years he spent renovating, he gained more than 12,000 followers on the Aurora Restoration Project Facebook page, as well as 80,000 subscribers to the project’s YouTube channel. Supporters praised him for restoring the ship, with some even traveling from far away to visit the project in California.
“We had come a long way. I think we had 10 areas meticulously restored and redecorated,” he recalled. “They were important areas, so we were very proud of that. We were doing a good job. We had naval engineers involved.”
Although the identity of the Aurora's last owner has not been revealed, the U.S. Coast Guard announced that the ship had begun “sinking in 13 feet of water and discharging pollution.”
“Extensive studies suggest there is no recoverable oil remaining on board. No oiled animals were observed during the response,” the U.S. Coast Guard news release added, noting that the city of Stockton had “hired contractors to maintain pumps inside the vessel to address potential water ingress and monitor the vessel.”
According to the San Joaquin County Sheriff's Office in a Post on XOfficials have determined that “the vessel has sustained a leak and is taking on water and is currently leaking diesel fuel and oil into the Delta Waterway.”
The following month, Unified Command hired contractors to refloat the Aurora and remove “approximately 21,675 gallons of oily water, 3,193 gallons of hazardous waste and five 25-yard containers of debris.”
Since then, there has been an ongoing dispute over the ownership of the cruise ship, with Stockton city officials claiming it had “no clear ownership.”
However, in a recent post on the Facebook group page dedicated to the Aurora restoration project, Willson told his followers that the “new owner has been in constant communication with all relevant agencies, fervently proclaiming his ownership status and has provided unequivocal legal documentation confirming his ownership.”
Willson and Li are now looking for a new exciting project, preferably something on land, but they will always have a soft spot for Aurora.
“It was a very well-known boat,” Willson said. “And it won everyone’s hearts.”
