A historic icon of Okanagan Lake transportation has been rescued from the scrap heap and given a new purpose. The Okanagan Luxury Boat Club has purchased the Fintry Queen from previous owner Andy Schwab. Details on the purchase price were not revealed but the ferry was reported earlier this year on the market for $550,000.
Originally providing a ferry service between West Kelowna and Kelowna before the floating bridge was opened in 1958, the new owners plan to move the Fintry Queen to a new Kelowna dock location and restore the exterior to its original state. While Max Standen, spokesperson for the ownership group, was unavailable for comment to the Capital News, he did speak to other local media last week about the purchase. He said the future plans for the 40-metre long ferry include a new restaurant being opened on board, but indicated the future use of the boat are still being worked out with the hope the Fintry Queen will be back in operation by next summer.
Schwab had spent many years trying to find a permanent dock home for the Fintry Queen under his ownership, first in Kelowna and then in Penticton with little success. He had moved the ferry to the north end of Okanagan Lake after the City of Kelowna declined to renew its lease in Sutherland Bay in 2016. His most recent vision had been to dock it on Penticton's foreshore and operate it at the south end of the lake, connecting Penticton, Naramata and Summerland.
In 2018 in an interview with the Capital News, Schwab out.
