VANCOUVER ISLAND, B.C. – One of BC Ferries’ most venerable ships could be yours – if you’re willing to shell out the cash.
The starting bid for the Howe Sound Queen was $5,000, and as of Monday afternoon, there were 72 bids on the ship that has the capacity to carry 300 passengers and 52 vehicles.
The highest bid to date is $63,000.
There’s still some time to get your bid in. The auction ends at 2 p.m. PST on April 30th.
According to GovDeals.ca, the Howe Sound Queen is currently in operation until the first week of June, when” it will be removed from service and kept warm and in operational state until ownership change.”
The Howe Sound Queen currently sails the 25-minute Salt Spring Island (Vesuvius Bay) – Crofton route.
The reason for the ship being auctioned is that it is scheduled for replacement.
For full specifics on the ship, click here.
Built in 1964 at Quebec’s Marine Industries Ltd., the ship is the only BC Ferry built in Canada outside of B.C., according to West Coast Ferries.
She was previously named Napoleon L. and operated in Quebec until 1971 and was purchased by B.C. Ferries that year for $350,000.
Upon arrival on the coast, the Howe Sound Queen underwent a $250,000 refit and was then placed on the Bowen Island – Horseshoe Bay route.
On that route she was not-so-affectionately nicknamed the “Hound” for her lack of amenities and poor handling of heavy seas, West Coast Ferries noted.
