Welcome aboard the "MV Fintry
Queen", a 326 passenger ship on
Okanagan Lake. Today the ship
lies at anchor waiting for the
next
chapter in her life story. For
more than 60 years she was part
of Kelowna
's downtown
waterfront, carrying more than
25,000 passengers during the
summer months. A new plan is
underway to have the ship
operate in the South Okanagan
between the lakefront
communities of Penticton,
Naramata and Summerland, while
also visiting parks, wineries
and resorts situated along the
shoreline, similar to the
services provided by the
historic CPR paddlewheelers many
years ago.
Originally named the "M.V.
Lequime", the Fintry Queen was
built in Vancouver in 1948 and
shipped by rail in sections to
Kelowna, where she became one of
three car and passenger ferries
crossing Okanagan Lake. The
smallest ferry, the Pendozi, is
now the Clubhouse for the
Westbank Yacht Club. The third
ferry the "Lloyd Jones" was
taken back to the coast by BC
Ferries where she continued to
work for many years before being
sold in 1998 to the Dominican
Republic.
In the wake of Arthur Bailey’s
vision in the 1960’s, the "Lequime"
was transformed into the "Fintry
Q
ueen"
to transport travelers and
tourists to the new development
of Fintry Estates. "Art was a
dreamer" said his wife Ingrid,
"and a few years ahead of his
time." The ship was built as a
paddlewheeler to reflect the
sternwheeler tradition on
Okanagan Lake. Ingrid remembers
housing and feeding more than 30
shipwrights for two years while
they converted the vessel on the
beach at Fintry - complete with
multi-colored paddlewheel.
The original Fintry Queen was
all open deck. Passengers were
issued with raincoats for the
first few years. Fortunately
times have changed and today the
ship can carry 325 passengers in
comfort with over 9000 sq ft on
3 decks and 5 distinct function
areas to host multiple events at
the same time.
The enclosed Main Deck is both
heated and air conditioned,
featuring a commercial galley,
an indoor Forward Lounge that
seats 80 and a rear Main Dining
Room with bar and dance floor
for another 120 seated guests.
On the Upper Deck, there is a
sheltered outdoor seating area,
open Sun Deck, barbeque, snack
bar and kids playroom.
The ship has hosted conferences,
banquets and weddings for up to
325 guests, formerly holding a
food liquor license for 280
patrons and a pub license
for
225 passengers, where minors
were permitted. Two fuel
efficient turbo diesel engines
power the ship at an average
cruising speed of 6-8 knots. The
ship was designed as an
all-season ferry with an extra
thick hull for breaking through
the ice and a unique bow shape
that enables her to get close to
shore for landing passengers
using the bow boarding ramp.
Update:
Current development plans call
for the construction of landing
sites in the South Okanagan,
linking the communities of
Summerland, Naramata and
Penticton. To initiate this
project, the Fintry Queen is
offering up to 1,000,000 shares
of the Company (49%) at a $1.00
per share, to qualified
investors through the BC
Investment (“EBC”) Program.
Individuals receive a 30% BC tax
credit to a maximum of $60,000
($180,000 investment cap) or
unlimited for corporations, to
be utilized anytime over the
following 5 years.
Shareholders
must retain their position for
all that time, following which
the Company will offer to “buy
back” those shares at a value of
$2.00 per share. Following this
initial 5 year period, the
Company will transition into a
“Community Contribution
Corporation” (CCC) which is
defined as a “for profit”
corporation that gives back the
majority of profits (60%) to the
community. Shareholders who wish
to remain will share 40%.
The deadline for applications is
December 31, 2022. Those
interested should consult their
financial advisors and
information provided by the BC
Investment “EBC” Program.
Update: Related Documents (in
pdf format):
FQ SUM Project Outline Nov 2022
-
FQ Pen Project Outline Nov 8
2022 -
OLBC EBC Termsheet 2022
