First Steps

Rebuilding a schooner comes with a long to-do list.

History of the Boat

The Firefly was initially built as Mistress in 1960 in Deer Isle, Maine. She was bought in 1966 by Jim Nesbit and sailed for decades with the Maine Windjammer Cruises fleet. During that time, she had many captains, including Captain Becky Sigwright, who now owns and operates the schooner Lewis R French with her husband, Nathan.

In 2023, the boat was sold into private ownership and moved to Connecticut. She needed a major rebuild– something all wooden boats need every 20-30 years. Her new owner began the work, but decided to sell her mid-project.

how we got here

Captain Becky Sigwright and her husband, Nathan, bought the Mistress in 2023 with the intention to return her to the windjamming trade. Their decision was driven both by sentiment and practical assessment of the industry. In addition to being Captain Becky’s first command, the Mistress was one of the few windjammers with a hired captain. This makes an important stepping stone for newer captains hoping to get more experience running a windjammer before taking on the responsibility of owning a boat and a business

The first order of business was getting the boat back to Maine. At this point, the Mistress was 200 miles down the coast and in rough condition. With the Lewis R French as their first priority, Becky and Nathan had to rely on hired crew to manage the transit. Throughout the spring of 2024, they made careful preparations and purchased the necessary equipment. The crew arrived in Mystic, Connecticut in early May to begin rigging and outfitting the boat.

The three week transit saw more than a few hiccups. Poor weather conditions kept the boat in harbor for days at a time. The engine was on it’s last legs, and needed constant coaxing. At one point, while the crew was seeking advice from a shipyard in Gloucester, the boat blew a seam and needed to be hauled out.

Becky and Nathan were committed to getting the Mistress back to Maine by any means necessary, and as problems mounted they began laying plans to truck her north. Luckily, things took a turn for the better once the boat got past Gloucester, Massachussets. The Mistress and her crew arrived safely in Rockland harbor a week later, looking a little worse for wear with lead patches on her seams.

The Mistress remained at anchor in Rockland harbor until the Fall, until the sailing season concluded and Becky and Nathan were finally able to step away from the Lewis R French. They downrigged the boat, pulled the masts, and arranged for her to be hauled out at North End Shipyard. In those few weeks, they settled on a new name for the boat: The Firefly. The Firefly has remained on the hard at North End for the last year, while Becky and Nathan carefully planned out their next steps.

In summer of 2025, Alex Kelly decided to join Becky and Nathan on the project. Alex had been sailing on Maine windjammers for years, and had been working as the first mate on the Lewis R French with Becky and Nathan for two seasons. After getting her captain’s license, she felt that helping to rebuild and run the Firefly was a natural next step in her career.

Making Preparations

This fall has been busy for everyone working on the Firefly. From web development to financing to preparing the boat itself, the days have been long.

The first steps to preparing the Firefly for her rebuild was to remove the protective winter cover Alex and Nathan had built over her the year before. Then, the engine and other large pieces of hardware had to be disconnected and removed.

The next step is putting up a temporary building around the boat, so that it is sheltered from the elements over the next few months.

Once the plastic is stretched and secured, the real work begins.

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