The odyssey of the entrepreneur who bought an old cruise ship, spent a million dollars on its restoration and was unable to enjoy it

Not all the projects of those who dream of having their own boat come to fruition. A few days ago we learned the story of Clyde Stires, who built a huge yacht at his home. The story of Chris Willson is equally interesting. Unlike Stires, Willson bought an old cruiser of German origin and spent a fortune restoring it. After years of effort, his plans quickly fell apart.

It all began 16 years ago when our protagonist was surfing the web and came across an unusual ad: someone was selling an ocean liner that he found moored on Decker Island, California. Without thinking twice, this tech entrepreneur decided to invest in the vessel. After closing the acquisition in 2008, he moved his new boat to the Rio Vista to be able to restore it.

Restoration, problems and loss

Willson now had a ship with quite a bit of history. The cruise ship had been built by the Blohm and Voss shipyard in 1955. Passengers traveled from one continent to another on a long-haul vessel. 72 meters in length which had 85 cabins, various lounges, dining areas and galleries. Not only did it excel on its transatlantic voyages, but it also appeared in the James Bond film ‘From Russia with Love’.

As reported by the man christened the boat “Aurora” after spending his first night on board. “I woke up to one of the most brilliant sunrises I had ever seen in my life,” he said. But not everything about the project was so perfect. Willson was forced to move the boat several times while carrying out the restoration work, although he was clear that he wanted his boat to be in shallow waters.

For more than a year, Willson and several volunteer collaborators did all kinds of works in an “artisanal” way to upgrade the boat. Things, however, began to change in recent years. Aurora was moored at Herman & Helen’s Marina in Little Potato Slough when some locals and local authorities began lobbying for the boat to be moved elsewhere. They feared it would sink.

An old minesweeper called HMCS Chaleur had long been in the area, and a 1940s-era military tug had recently sunk, raising concerns about environmental pollution. With an evacuation order looming, Willson assessed the cost of removing the ship, but needed to spend close to $1 million on river works to complete the task.

It was simply an amount of money that was impossible to assume. Willson had received donations to continue with his project, partly because the popularity of his YouTube channelThe only apparent solution was to sell it in the hope that a new owner could continue the project. This was not possible either. The identity of the new owner is unknown, but his investment is failing.

San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office announced that Aurora was sinking“The ship has been found to have a leak,” officials said, adding that a diesel fuel spill had also occurred, prompting the intervention of several agencies to contain the problem. All indications are that Aurora will never sail again.

Images | San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office | Aurora Restoration Project

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