The Schooner Firefly has long blended maritime tradition with comfortable cruising. Her construction began in 1960 on Deer Isle by Reginald Eaton in his Backyard Shop. She was 38 feet in length with a 12 foot beam and a 5 foot draft.
Under construction. Image from Nov. 9, 1996 issue of Portland Press Herald.
The boat was purchased by Jim Nisbet in 1966, where she was temporarily christened the Mercy Me while being outfitted for the windjamming trade. She was completed by the Wayfarer Marine Corp in Camden according to plans created by naval architect Grant Howes, and outfitted with sails by E. S. Bohndell and Sons of Rockport. She eventually joined the Maine Windjammer Cruises fleet as the Mistress and spent decades sailing the waters of Penobscot Bay.
The Mistress off Monheagan. Photo courtesy of Robert Whitehurst.
In 1992, the Mistress underwent a complete rebuild, including a dramatic redesign that lengthened her stern by six feet. She continued sailing with Maine Windjammer Cruises for another twenty years before being sold into private ownership in 2023.
Becky and Nathan Sigwright acquired the vessel in 2024. By then, years of shifting ownership had taken a toll: the vessel needed significant care, and her interior had been stripped in preparation for a rebuild that was never completed. Becky and Nathan spent a year planning out the next steps to rebuild her and return her to the windjammer trade. She will rejoin the Maine windjammer fleet in 2027 under her new name: the Firefly.
The Firefly measures 42 feet on deck and 60 feet overall, carries an auxiliary diesel engine, and accommodates up to six passengers.
