Owner sad to part with two iconic Lake Norman cruise boats. ‘Beautiful memories’
The owner of Lake Norman’s two iconic dinner cruise boats said Tuesday she has a buyer for one of them on another North Carolina lake and a new spot on Lake Norman for the other vessel that’s now also for sale.
“It’s been a long trail out here, going to every marina,” Mooresville resident Debbie Harwell told The Charlotte Observer about her search for new sites and owners for the Catawba Queen, a Mississippi River paddle wheel boat, and the 93-foot Lady of the Lake luxury yacht.
Thousands enjoyed romantic dinner cruises and family entertainment on the boats at the former Queens Landing entertainment complex on N.C. 150 in Mooresville.
The site is beside the McCrary Creek Access Area, a longtime public boat launch.
Duke Energy lawsuit
The boats were suddenly homeless in 2023, when a South Carolina developer bought the 6.5-acre Queens Landing property but not the landmark boats.
Harwell found a spot to anchor and tie them together, between two islands at marker D5 south of Stutts Marina in Mooresville, The Charlotte Observer reported.
In November, Duke Energy Carolinas LLC sued Harwell to remove the boats, saying the vessels “pose potential hazards to safety, navigation, and public health.” The case is still pending in U.S. District Court in Statesville, court records show.
Harwell said she’s finalizing a contract to sell the Catawba Queen to someone who owns a restaurant on another lake. She declined to name the buyer and lake until the sale is complete, she said.
“They’re going to take it into a warehouse and renovate it into something upscale that everybody will be really proud of,” she said.
Harwell said she finally found a commercial marina on Lake Norman that may be acceptable to Duke Energy to berth Lady of the Lake, with changes to its dock. The marina awaits Duke Energy approval, she said.
Harwell had six other potential sites for Lady of the Lake, but Duke rejected each of them because they couldn’t adequately fit the vessel to the company’s liking, she said. Only the former Queens Landing site was large enough to accommodate the boats, she said.
Duke Energy manages Lake Norman and other Catawba River lakes under federal license.
Lady of the Lake can be yours
On Monday, Harwell announced on social media that Lady of the Lake is for sale.
“FOR SALE … The beautiful Lady of the Lake yacht is looking for a new home,” Harwell wrote. “Two story, 134 (passenger capacity), two heads, large galley, heat/air, Diesel.”
“Requirement is to have a 90’ yacht slip on Lake Norman or move her to another lake,” Harwell wrote.
Responding to a man who asked for the sale price, Harwell replied, “Make any offer.” She declined to name a price range when asked by the Observer.
Parties interested in the yacht should email Harwell at adobepalm@aol.com.
Harwell said former Lady of the Lake staff regularly contact her expressing interest in their former jobs back because they loved the work so much.
Both vessels remain in good shape, she said.
Harwell said she’s sad to part with the boats because of the “beautiful memories” they hold. But it takes being on the boats seven days a week to run them successfully, and maybe it’s time for new leadership and new ideas, she said.