The return of an Okanagan ferry is closer than ever before. Here's why

Nearly one year ago, the man behind the helm of an iconic Okanagan marine vessel was hoping to have it back up and running in time for the summer of 2023.

However, Fintry Queen owner, Andy Schwab has found there are still a few roadblocks hampering his goal to get the 1948-built vessel back into commission.

“I’ve been working at this a long time, and I have tried many different things,” Schwab told Kelowna10. “It's like a white elephant in a sense, because it's so big and so large and so unique that it has certain requirements.”

His current goal is to bring the ship closer to Kelowna, where it can be more easily accessed for servicing and repair. For more than 60 years she was part of Kelowna's downtown waterfront, carrying more than 25,000 passengers during the summer months.

Though he is seeking to have the ferry run and managed by a society, he is still looking for investors to help get the project out of the water.

It has proven to be easier said than done.

“It's not on dry land. It's not got a real estate value attached to it,” he explained. “So, there isn't a bank that's going to give you a mortgage.”

He said there are B.C. tax credits that have been made available to him, which he hopes will incentivize investment in his project.

But for the time being, he is focused on simply getting the craft moved.

“I am going to be approaching the city in the next few weeks,” he said. “And so that is my plan just to approach them, to try and bring it to Kelowna by perhaps October sometime mid or late October, and so that we can start the social marketing and the fundraising campaign to support it with work going on in the spring.”

Schwab said the ultimate goal is always to have it running as soon as he possibly can.

Anyone interested in getting involved can contact Schwab by email at andy@fintryqueen.ca.