Christopher Willson was curious to see a vintage 1955 German cruiser just over 89 meters long in the 2008 classifieds.
Touring the ship, despite the poor condition with junk everywhere, it was love at first sight: the (now) former programmer bought the ship. Since then he has dedicated himself to the restoration of the MV Aurora, as he christened it the year after it was bought.
During the trial, Willson did much research into the structure of Aurora and discovered that it had a richer and more interesting history than he had thought. Originally named the Wappen von Hamburg, the ship was built by the Blohm and Voss shipyard and was part of Germany’s first postWWII cruise line.
Still like coat of arms of Hamburg, between 1955 and 1956
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His curriculum only got fancier from there: the ship served as inspiration for the ’70s and ’80s produced series O Barco do Amor, in the film Moscow Against 007, which served as the headquarters for the Specter organization Sean Connery still in the role of James Bond.
It’s one of the most spectacular ships I’ve ever seen. The stairs are great. It’s like finding out you have a ’60s Corvette sitting in your garage. You can see the quality, but it’s been so neglected that it makes you feel bad,” Willson told CNN.
Part of the restored interior of the ship, renamed Aurora
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Though originally designed as a yacht, all that baggage pushed Willson to release his Aurora to the public at the end of the process. “I would like to turn it into a museum and let people take guided tours.”
However, making this dream a reality is no easy task. Moored in several California ports over the past 14 years, he realized it had to be a fulltime investment: With his partner Jin Li, he left his home in Santa Cruz from where he first contemplated trips to the ship…until about three hours by car and made Aurora her permanent address.
“When I boarded the ship, many of my friends and family members were in disbelief. It was a big lifestyle change. But I see it more as an upgrade, even though we’ve kind of strayed off the map and using so many generators and power boards. sun,” he admitted.
The hull before renovation
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Willson estimates the cost of the renovation at $3 million, or 14.1 million reals. “The scale of the project is enormous. It’s like rebuilding 15 houses by yourself.” However, the former programmer no longer faces his mission with just Jin Li at his side. Today, Aurora has volunteers bringing her back into the entertainment industry.
The help takes the strain off his manpower, but the costs are still high for Willson. He has received few donations over the years and funds some of the work by buying items at auctions and thrift markets, as well as working as a consultant on other historic ship projects and selling tshirts with the ship’s logo.
And the hull after repair
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Hoping to speed things up, he launched a YouTube channel called “Aurora Restoration Project” in February, which shows the group’s progress and already has 76,600 subscribers. Since then, he has “hundreds” of volunteers who have offered to help.
He also recently received an important donation: furniture from the Island Princess, one of the ships on which The Love Boat was actually filmed. But the work is far from over.
A team of volunteers assisted Christopher Willson in salvaging the ship
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Aurora has 85 cabins, an upscale lounge with private deck, swimming pool, theater and large kitchen. “We have restored a small number of cabins, but we have many more to come. Soon we will offer the public the opportunity to sponsor the restoration of a cabin,” he announced.
Willson and his team hope to complete the kitchen and dining area restoration by the end of 2022, but there is no end date for the project.