OWNER and operator of the EMV Rubeena, Alan Lewis, has announced he is selling the beloved boat that picks up passengers from the Port of Sale.
The boat is 111-years-old, and has had many owners and upgrades during its lifetime.
Mr Lewis has run the ‘Port of Sale Heritage Cruise’ to go through the Gippsland Lakes since 2013, but has said now is the time for a new owner.
“It’s going to take a lot of work to get (the number of passengers) back to where it was before,” Mr Lewis said.
“And I don’t know at my age whether I’ve got the stamina. It’s coming up to over a decade now.”
Mr Lewis will be 82 in November, and is planning to take a more relaxed approach to life. He told the Gippsland Times that no buyers had approached him as of yet.
“It’s a very profitable business if it’s owner-operated,” he said.
“I’ve trained and employed staff, but you need to be operating in the business personally, otherwise the bills are too high.”
Currently, the staff are semi-retired people who do not want to work full-time but enjoy showcasing the cruise. The business’s website suggests that 8000 is the “realistic maximum number” of passengers annually.
For now, Mr Lewis will be running the cruises on weekends until a buyer comes along.
Passengers on the boat learn how important Sale is, where it gets its name from and how it came into existence.
As the Rubeena was built in 1912, it means it has been on the water longer than the Titanic has been under it.
For more information, head to saleheritagecruises.com.au/salenotice/
Alan Lewis.
