The Island Princess could set sail away from Orillia.
The co-owner of the boat, Wendy Stiperski, has listed the vessel on Facebook Marketplace for $275,000.
She and business partners from Georgian Shores Catering purchased the boat in 2020. They turned it into a restaurant and bar called the Island Princess Tiki Barge while it stayed anchored at the Orillia waterfront despite the original plan of moving it near Pettersen Park in Midland.
Allan Lafontaine, executive director of the Orillia District Chamber of Commerce and harbour master for the Port of Orillia, says he wishes the owners well in their quest to find a buyer.
“It’s been a pretty difficult business this year considering tourism is down a little bit,” he said. “Orillia really does need a tour boat. The No. 1 thing tourists ask for at the Port of Orillia is how can they go for a ride.”
Lafontaine points to a combination of bad weather and construction on Centennial Drive as why the taco, ice cream, and bar business didn’t work out for the owners.
“Every weekend this summer, I think, it’s rained,” he said. “I think long-term thinking for Orillia is it’s going to be really busy down at the waterfront once all the construction is done and it will be well worth it.”
He hopes whoever buys the vessel will keep it anchored at the spot it has called home since 1984.
“It is a great tourism asset,” he said. “We hope whoever buys it will consider staying and turning it into a tour boat.”
If the Island Princess leaves the port, Lafontaine hopes to see another boat take its place.
“We would be seeking someone who would come and operate another boat,” he said.
He acknowledges it will be challenging for another boat to take its place with new Transport Canada rules and insurance policies.
“I think that’s a modern-day phenomenon,” he said. “I think the reason we don’t have boat rentals here anymore is because government regulations have become so tough and insurance is always a challenge for operators.”
Lindsay Earle, history programming co-ordinator for the Orillia Museum of Art and History, says the city has a strong boating history that has included the Island Princess for decades.
“It’s sort of symbolic in a way,” she said. “We have had boat-building establishments along this waterfront, and those are long gone. This is a bit of a vestige of the time of steamship travel.”
While she says the Island Princess has become a symbol of Orillia’s growth due to tourism, she doesn’t think the boat is irreplaceable.
“The Island Princess has been a staple for a long time and it’s a part of so many people’s travel photos. It’s a real fixture,” she said. “I think if another boat took its place, that could be a good thing, too.”
Stiperski did not accept numerous requests for comment from OrilliaMatters.