Following Vincent's death in March 2005, the authorities sought to dispose of the vessel and attempted to find a buyer for Nomadic, if no buyer was found, she risked being sold for scrap value.
The campaigns, however, gained political and governmental support, and on 26 January 2006, the Northern Ireland government Department for Social Development bought the vessel at auction[REF] for €250,001 (the reserve price being €250,000).