10/14/2026
The famous 136-foot historic 100-year-old schooner ROSEWAY
has been sold for just $1 to a 25-year-old American shipwright.
The schooner Roseway previously used as an educational vessel by the World Ocean School in Boston was facing astronomical restoration quotes—including one as high as $10 million from Mystic Seaport. The school could no longer afford her upkeep.
A subsequent owner, Bruce Bott, sailed her 500 nautical miles to Lunenburg for repairs. When personal medical and financial issues prevented him from moving forward Bott posted an ad on "Facebook Marketplace" listing the ship for sale for $1.
A young shipwright based out of Union, Maine, Johannes Nightingale, saw the ad and decided to take on the monumental project, officially purchasing the massive vessel for a single dollar. Johannes patched up the Roseway’s leaks and shored her up in Lunenburg and will sail her back down to Maine. He plans to tie her up for the winter, and for a “haul out" in the spring to start the restoration. Because Nightingale is a skilled shipwright he plans to do the bulk of the heavy structural work himself and expects to bypass millions in professional shipyard labor costs, paying only for the raw lumber and materials.
News story from the "Chronicle Herald", Nova Scotia.
