Just in time for the 2024 sailing season, the Edmonton Riverboat has new owners.
Two local couples — Eric Warnke and Megan Karius, along with Rob Davy and Brittany Anderson — bought the vessel, “with a shared vision of preserving its legacy and creating a unique venue for the city’s residents and visitors.”
“We’re excited to continue the tradition of the Edmonton Queen Riverboat,” Davy said in a news release Monday morning. “Our goal is to create an experience that delights customers and showcases the best of what Edmonton has to offer.”
Warnke and Davy met about 20 years ago, when they both worked for Nexopia — a local social networking site.
Warnke stayed in the tech sector, co-founding Edmonton tech startup Mover, which was acquired by Microsoft in 2019. Davy and Anderson are the owners Laser City, of a chain of laser tag facilities in Alberta.
The new owners said they are well positioned to continue the legacy of the riverboat because of their experience as entrepreneurs.
“We’re excited to bring our experience from hosting thousands of families every year in our laser tag facilities to the riverboat,” Davy said. “While there won’t be any laser tag on the boat (for now) we’ll be creating amazing memories of a different kind with every sailing.”
“I’ve been looking for a new opportunity for a while now, and rather than starting another tech company, I was very excited when I heard the riverboat was for sale and I could continue an Edmonton institution, preserving it for my kids’ generation,” Warnke said.
Davy admits the marine stuff is pretty new to them, but adds they know how to operate a business.
“We know a lot of things about a lot of stuff but we’ve been learning a lot over the last few weeks about marine and regulations and crewing and everything like that. I’m still struggling with starboard and the other one,” he laughed.
“How to run businesses, how to make sure people have a great time – that, we’re pretty well-versed in. And we’ve got a really good team around us that know everything there is to know about boats.”
The Edmonton Queen Riverboat went up for sale earlier this year. Former owner Jay Esterer bought the ship for $553,000 in 2016. It’s not known what the new owners paid for the Edmonton Queen.
While a popular summer attraction for Edmontonians, it hasn’t always been smooth sailing over the past few years.
In July 2019, hundreds of passengers were rescued from the boat by firefighters when the vessel got stuck on a sandbar at Accidental Beach.
Later that year, in December 2019, the boat was damaged when it was pushed up on some ice along the short of the North Saskatchewan River.
In April 2020, part of the riverboat became submerged in the water on the river’s shore due to unusually rapid water level fluctuations.
Davy said the previous owner put a lot of time and money into the vessel and assures Edmontonians it’s in great shape.
“That boat is in amazing condition. We’ve had it inspected, we’ve talked to a tonne of people much smarter about boats than we are – it’s in great shape,” he said.
“We’re ready now to focus on making sure it’s a great experience.”
The pair has big plans for the vessel, which include a variety of dining options, live entertainment and special events throughout the year.
Warnke and Davy want to stress the importance of community in their new business venture.
“It’s an Edmonton institution. It’s been here since 1995 and we’re hoping it can be here for the next 30 years, the next generation,” Warnke said.
“My hopes and dreams are to make it more accessible for more Edmontonians. There is the sort of upper-scale dinner cruises and the parties, but in the back of my mind I have field trips in mind for children and bringing families out on a summer afternoon as an affordable and easy thing to do.”
“The riverboat is one of those Edmonton icons,” Davy said. “You’ve got the zoo, the Muttart, Fort Edmonton and the riverboat. And we want it to be on that list so when you’ve got the in-laws coming into town, you’re looking for a date night, you’re looking for something quintessentially Edmonton to do, come on down to the boat.”
The new owners plan to start sailing the vessel on June 1 and continue into September. Existing gift certificates and credits from previous seasons will be honoured.
Brunch, dinner and late-night sunset cruises will be offered. The riverboat will also be available for corporate events, private parties and weddings. Tickets for this season start at $36 and are now available on the riverboat’s website.
The new owners are still looking to hire a few people, including deckhands, officers, bartenders and kitchen staff. More information on the open jobs can also be found on the riverboat’s website.