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The Harbor Town Belle excursion boat could be seized and sold off to pay a local salvage company's bill for towing the stranded 125-passenger vessel to port last year after its engines cut out.
The Harbor Town Belle, a locally built replica of the paddlewheel steamers that famously plied the Mississippi River a century and a half ago, is operated by Harbor Town River Boat Co. Inc. Since 1998, it has offered catered cruises and special-event charters on the Genesee River, Lake Ontario and Irondequoit Bay.
Starting in June and continuing until sometime in October, the boat embarks from Charlotte on two-hour cruises, setting sail up to three times a day as weather permits.
Jakob Van Reenen filed papers in U.S. District Court last month claiming a right to put a lien on the 80-foot vessel and "all her engines, tackle, apparel, furniture, equipment and all other necessaries."
Van Reenen runs Rochester Marine Service, a boat towing and salvage firm based in the Port of Rochester.
His rescue last fall of an incapacitated Harbor Town Belle as it was battered by heavy weather and pulled by treacherous currents...