Everyone loves a good mystery, which is what’s unfolding in Hampton, N.H., where an unmanned, unfinished 75-foot yacht — with no engine or rudder — that had been adrift in the harbor is aground.
The so-called ghost boat, named Guest List, has become a tourist attraction during the past few weeks, with onlookers flocking to the shoreline to see the vessel firsthand and ponder the story behind her vagabond ways.
“They’re still coming. Dozens have come down,” Alicia Preston, who owns property on the harbor, told The Hampton Union.
Local officials told the newspaper that the boat was intentionally beached until June, when its owner would have access to marina space in nearby Newburyport, Mass. Trouble is, officials couldn’t reach the owner, who was home in Brazil, while the boat was floating in the harbor. The owner had told officials he planned to have the yacht finished and live aboard in Florida.
Guest List reportedly has sat for more than three months, and storms and tides have pushed the yacht closer to homes. It also has become a popular spot for drinking parties, The Hampton Union reported earlier.
Meanwhile, speculation in town includes rumors that the yacht will be transformed into a restaurant, used as a movie prop to be exploded in a climactic scene or even that the living quarters are being used as a pornography studio, the paper reported.
“At the end of the day if the boat’s removed and no one’s hurt in the process and the marsh [isn ‘t permanently damaged], then I’m happy,” Preston said. “I hope it’s resolved.”
