The Island Princess, which had been offering tours of Lake Simcoe out of Orillia for the past 40 years, is now sitting at the public docks in Barrie, patiently awaiting its future.
Darick Battaglia, a local mortgage broker who purchased the iconic boat about three weeks ago, says the historic vessel will ultimately be relocated at his waterfront property in front of the new Lākhouse condo building on Dunlop Street East, in the city’s downtown.
Battaglia says he has owned the lakeside property for approximately 25 years and has been waiting for the “right opportunity” to develop it.
“The Island Princess came up for sale, and I thought … here was this great opportunity. It comes with a liquor licence (and is) Transport Canada approved for 400 passengers,” he said.
Battaglia says he spent a few weeks making the boat seaworthy, as made its way to Barrie from Orillia on Aug. 7.
Although the boat comes with built-in business opportunity, Battaglia says he isn’t entirely settled on exactly how he plans to use it, and is also considering a variety of other options.
“Right now, I am thinking about Airbnb, converting it into multiple rental units. That’s one possible use for it. Plus there will be remaining lands that are developable in the future,” he said.
Battaglia says he’s also been approached by several other local businesses interested in having access to the bay via his property.
“There’s lots happening out in the bay right now," he added. "Thankfully for me, I do have access because I own (property along) the shoreline in front of Lākhouse.”
The Island Princess began offering tours and cruises at Orillia's waterfront in 1984. It was purchased by Georgian Shores Boat Tours in 2020, which turned it into a waterfront restaurant and bar called the Island Princess Tiki Barge.
Battaglia says although the restaurant is fully functional and everything is up to date, he’s just not sure maintaining it as a tour boat and restaurant is the “right use.”
“For now, I am just going to moor it in front of my property and see what happens,” he said. “There’s lots of potential. It’s just taking my time, one step at a time. The first step is to get it over to my property and get it out of the water permanently. I am working on that right now.”
Battaglia, who has created an Instagram page to share plans for the boat, says he’s not ready to rule out any ideas yet about how to best utilize the boat.
“Having this boat moored permanently in downtown Barrie on a private lot is unusual. Certainly the other unusual things we’ve seen are the businesses popping up in the middle of the bay, but I think you will see that as an ongoing trend now along all the waterways in Canada,” he said, pointing to a floating Tim Hortons store in Muskoka and an ice-cream hut in Kingston as examples.
“The only difference is I own (along) the shoreline and have direct access for people who are walking by on the Northshore Trail and for those who want to come in by boat," Battaglia added.
Battaglia says use of the property doesn’t have to be limited to just the Island Princess, adding although he’s not 100 per cent sure what those will be, based on the current zoning of the property, he believes there are plenty of possibilities.
“There are so many different types of commercial uses that are part of that shoreline," he said. "If someone has an idea and wants to approach me, I am very open to discussing something that is unique. I am not going outside of any regulatory authorities, just simply covering one base at a time.
"I want to do the right thing. The right thing will be something that works for the citizens of Barrie and that works for me,” Battaglia added. “I know that area really well and I am excited for what I can bring to the downtown.”
