I spent $2 million restoring a cruise ship I bought on Craigslist. The project took over my life, but I don't regret it.

Courtesy of Christoper Willson

• In 2010, Christopher Willson bought a deteriorating historic cruise ship off of Craigslist.
• He poured his heart and what he estimated to be about $2 million into renovating the boat.
• Last year, he made the tough decision to walk away from the project. Now the ship is sinking.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Christopher Willson...