The Nagging Question Renovation Island Fans All Have

HGTV's "Renovation Island" has a delectable premise; central couple Bryan and Sarah Baeumler, and their four adorable children, seek to renovate and refurbish a forgotten gem, located on a picturesque island in the Bahamas. It's a wild dream, one that's difficult to get behind but also impossible to resist when we're watching the Baeumlers from home, secretly wishing we, too, could give up our day jobs and relocate to a tropical paradise. 

As Bryan recalled to The Wrap, the couple actually stumbled upon the resort, which had been out of action for years, while on holiday in the Bahamas. Although it seemed like an impossible project, something about it spoke to them and Bryan and Sarah knew they had to do it. And, despite setbacks including a hurricane and the COVID-19 pandemic — which forced them to close just a short while after opening — the Baeumlers regret nothing. 

As they acknowledged, in an interview with Distractify, HGTV didn't initially get the concept when it was first pitched to them, reasoning fans wouldn't be able to relate to their struggle. The show's popularity has obviously proven them wrong, but greater fan engagement also means more attention to moments the central couple would probably rather forget, including Bryan's mysterious sunken ship. 

Bryan and Sarah Baeumler are impressively open about everything it took to make their dream of running a luxury resort in the Bahamas come true. In fact, we even know how much the Baeumlers really spent on HGTV's "Renovation Island." Hence why fans are so flummoxed by the couple's silence on what happened to their boat. As Meaww points out, during Season 2, Bryan was told his boat had sunk despite being docked on the shore.

Every major piece of equipment was destroyed after being submerged in saltwater for too long, but Bryan couldn't understand what had happened since there were no recent, major weather occurrences. Worse still, the Baeumlers' insurance didn't cover it, paying out only a minimal amount. Bryan and Sarah were clearly stressed out by the situation, especially since there didn't seem to be a reasonable explanation for it, but the subject never came up again. 

In fact, in the very next episode, the couple was back to work as normal. Fans were confused, with one responding to an Instagram post by demanding to know why nobody was "talking about why the boat sank" anymore, while another admitted, "I really thought you would give more details about how your boat sunk." On Twitter, a commenter cheekily quipped, "Kind of safe... wasn't your ship sunk by someone in the harbour?" in response to Bryan writing, "A ship in harbour is safe...but that is not what ships are built for."

We might never get all the gory details about Bryan Baeumler's mysterious boat sinking, but it's not necessarily because he and his wife Sarah are hiding something. The "Renovation Island" stars have been irrevocably changed by island life and no longer stress out about stuff over which they've no control. As Bryan explained to The Wrap, "We've been through such a difficult, uphill charge that the everyday problems and logistics that people in society... have just paled in comparison."

The HGTV star continued, "Partaking in this project for us has really changed our perspective on what is a problem. Things just seem so simple back on the mainland. No matter what happens, I can't see it being more difficult than the easiest day on the island." He and Sarah encountered a plethora of issues while renovating the dilapidated South Andros resort that's now up and running, as Caerula Mar Club, many of which had to do with how isolated the island itself is. 

When People asked what their biggest challenges were, Sarah revealed, "Logistics have probably been the most challenging part of the project." Because of their chosen location, the Baeumlers are limited to smaller planes and semi-regular deliveries on larger ships for all their supplies. They have to plan everything well in advance and, if something is missing, chances are they'll be a little while waiting on it.