Last fall, the popular Wisconsin River cruise boat, the Wilderness Queen, ended it's run as the owners, Patti and Ben Zastrow, sold the boat to interests in Delavan. But the boat is still parked on land at the City of Rhinelander Pelican Rapids boat landing.
Recently, City Attorney Carrie Miljevich updated the common council on the situation.
She says an employee of the new owners at Delavan found the boat to be heavier than first thought...
"...He indicated they were on track to get it removed. They had to build a trailer for that. They were told by somebody that the Wilderness Queen weight about 22,000 pounds. That's how heavy of a trailer they built. When they got up here they determined that it's way heavier than that. They estimated at 50,000 pounds...."
Miljevich says the new owners are fitting a trailer that will handle the much heavier load.
The Zastrows bought the Wilderness Queen six years ago from Tom and Chris Tiffany, who operated Wisconsin River Cruises on the Willow Flowage from 1991 to 2007. In 2007 the boat was relocated to where it is now. The boat traveled from the west city limits of Rhinelander down the Wisconsin River to the Hat Rapids Dam south of Rhinelander and back.
