After five years of steady craftsmanship, tireless dedication, and deep respect for tradition, the Schooner Hindu has been fully restored and is once again under sail. Originally launched in 1925, this beloved wooden schooner has been brought back to life plank by plank, honoring her original spirit while ensuring she remains strong, seaworthy, and stunning for generations to come. You can learn more about the journey below.
Now sailing from Provincetown, Massachusetts, the Hindu invites guests to experience the magic of a true wooden yacht under sail. From day sails and sunset cruises to private charters, weddings, and milestone celebrations, she is once again a living, working vessel. Graceful, powerful, and full of stories. Her rebuild was a labor of love, and her return to the water is an open invitation to step aboard and become part of her next century. View sailing charters here.
ABOUT THE HINDU RESTORATION:
After a 3am strike with a submerged sabotaged vessel in the Long Island Sound, there was no longer an option: the Schooner Hindu, nursed along through the years by multiple stewards, had to be scrapped, or thoroughly restored.
Aside from the stem being whacked out of alignment by the maritime incident, the Hindu’s smile (sheer) was gone, her decks had leaked for years, and her frames and keel were rotting out with age and iron sickness.
Josh Rowan, the Hindu’s captain and steward since 2011, knew this moment would come, and had been planning accordingly. Josh, and his partner, Captain Erin Desmond began the project of saving the beloved and beleaguered Hindu. Over the course of five years (2020-2025), Josh, Erin and a team of skilled shipwrights, apprentice shipwrights, and volunteers took apart and rebuilt the Hindu.
Over 20 species of wood were used for the restoration of the Schooner Hindu including Angelique, Iroko, Purple Heart, Green Heart, Hackmatack, Teak, Douglas Fir, Live Oak, and Mahogany; each species chosen for its grain structure, durability, and beauty in it’s function in the vessel.
Hindu’s keel, and keel stack, originally white oak, were replaced with purple heart carefully selected and milled for the project. Hindu’s frames, also originally white oak, were replaced with black locust, located, cut and milled for the project. Planking and ceiling boards were replaced with Douglas Fir trucked from one dead standing tree, visible from Josh’s childhood window, felled at property owned by the Rowan family in Molalla OR. All of Hindu’s fasteners, originally iron, were replaced with silicone bronze.
Recognition for the artistry of the restoration lands squarely on Danish shipwright Simon Larsen; American shipwright Brian McClellan; American woodworker Eli Ellis; and Captain and engineer Josh Rowan. Project consultation, as well as primary galley build and miles of caulking credit belong to 5th generation Gloucester ship builder Harold Burnam.
During the course of the restoration, the non-profit Sail As You Are was organized to aide in project funding, awareness, and future community programming. In addition to a Provincetown Community Preservation award, over 500 individuals donated and sent messages in support of the Hindu’s restoration. You can learn more about our non-profit and make a donation here. Sail As You Are: https://sailasyouare.org/
A Wooden Schooner Is Reborn
Watch The Restoration HAPPEN
View Some Of The Media Coverage Below
Articles:
We have had the pleasure of being interviewed by some great reporters over the course of this project! Below are some of the articles that have been written thus far:
Soundings Magazine, April 2021 Issue
