Historic schooner with ties to Castine sinks in New York harbor

The Victory Chimes was captained by Castine resident Boyd Guild in the late 1950s

July 8, 2026

By Steele Hays

The U.S. Coast Guard issued an urgent marine broadcast after receiving reports that the century-old wooden vessel was taking on water. Photo courtesy of Penobscot Marine Museum.

NEW YORK CITY–The Victory Chimes, a historic 128-foot, three-masted schooner with ties to Castine and one of the oldest surviving former cargo schooners in the U.S., sank over the Fourth of July weekend in New York while moored and awaiting restoration.

Built in Delaware in 1900, the ship had many owners and functional roles during its 126 years of life. It served as a cargo schooner on Chesapeake Bay until 1946, when it was converted to service as a passenger windjammer in Maine, sailing out of Rockland.

Between 1959 and 1984, the Victory Chimes was captained by Castine resident Frederich Boyd Guild, who also owned a share of the schooner during that time. The ship is featured on the Maine state quarter issued by the U.S. Mint in 2003 and was called “the queen of the Maine windjammer fleet” by Down East Magazine.

The ship was owned by Domino’s Pizza chain founder Tom Monaghan in the late 1980s. During that time, Monaghan financed a significant restoration effort of the vessel at Sample's Shipyard in Boothbay Harbor. He rechristened it “Domino Effect,” but the name was later changed back to Victory Chimes.

The vessel was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1996. It was designated a National Historic Landmark the following year.

Restaurateurs Miles and Alex Pincus purchased Victory Chimes in 2023. The brothers, who operate floating restaurants through their company Crew, said they intended to convert the schooner to a restaurant but it had been moored in the Henry Street Basin on Brooklyn’s waterfront since 2023. The vessel was reportedly in poor condition. It sank after a strong storm hit New York on July 3.

During its days as a cruising windjammer, the vessel had 21 cabins and could carry up to 43 passengers.