{"id":162207,"date":"2026-03-13T09:38:07","date_gmt":"2026-03-13T09:38:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/162207\/"},"modified":"2026-03-13T09:38:07","modified_gmt":"2026-03-13T09:38:07","slug":"duke-energy-lawsuit-wants-iconic-boats-off-lake-norman","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/162207\/","title":{"rendered":"Duke Energy lawsuit wants iconic boats off Lake Norman"},"content":{"rendered":"

A woman is fighting Duke Energy\u2019s demands in federal court to remove her two famous big boats<\/a> from Lake Norman.<\/p>\n

Thousands enjoyed romantic dinner cruises over decades on Deborah Harwell\u2019s Catawba Queen and Lady of the Lake boats at the former Queens Landing entertainment complex on N.C. 150 in Mooresville.<\/p>\n

The site is beside the McCrary Creek Access Area<\/a>, a longtime public boat launch.<\/p>\n

Harwell found a spot to anchor the boats side-by-side between two islands on the lake in 2023 when a South Carolina developer bought the 6.5-acre Queens Landing property but not the iconic boats.<\/p>\n

The Catawba Queen, a Mississippi River paddle wheel boat, and the 93-foot Lady of the Lake luxury yacht continue to draw curiosity from the boating public. A man posted photos of the boats near sunset Tuesday on the Lake Norman Boaters<\/a> Facebook page, prompting a range of replies.<\/p>\n

One woman called the boats \u201ceyesores, environmental hazards, attractive nuisances and most of all, astoundingly inconsiderate.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSad,\u201d another woman posted. \u201cWe had our wedding reception dinner on\u201d one of the boats. \u201cBrings back memories.\u201d<\/p>\n

Now Duke Energy wants them removed.<\/p>\n

\"Boater Boater Dustin Metz of Denver took this photo of the Lady of the Lake and Catawba Queen boats anchored and tied together at marker D5 south of Stutts Marina on Lake Norman in 2023. Dustin Metz Dustin Metz \u201cUnauthorized vessels\u201d<\/p>\n

The boats \u201cpose potential hazards to safety, navigation, and public health,\u201d Duke Energy Carolinas LLC says in its lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Statesville in October.<\/p>\n

\"In In this August 1998 file photo, passengers board the Catawba Queen sightseeing boat in Mooresville for a ride on Lake Norman. Jeff Siner jsiner@charlotteobserver.com <\/p>\n

The lawsuit calls the boats \u201cunauthorized vessels\u201d that have at least once \u201cbroken loose from their anchors.\u201d The boats \u201ccontinue to present potential safety and environmental hazards,\u201d should they break away again or leak fluids, according to the complaint.<\/p>\n

Strangers could board and jump off the boats, endangering themselves, or vandalize the craft, the lawsuit says.<\/p>\n

\u201cDespite repeated requests,\u201d Harwell and her Lake Cruises Inc. have not made the boats available for inspection by Duke Energy, let alone remove them, the company said.<\/p>\n

\u201cTrespassing, wrongful abandonment\u201d claims<\/p>\n

The lawsuit says Harwell anchored the \u201cencroaching Unauthorized Vessels … on lands and waters owned or controlled by Duke Energy without Duke Energy\u2019s permission.\u201d<\/p>\n

The \u201cwrongful abandonment\u201d of the boats amounts to trespassing on Duke Energy property, the company says.<\/p>\n

In filing a motion to dismiss the lawsuit Tuesday, one of Harwell\u2019s lawyers, Benjamin Axelman of Charlotte, says trespassing claims belong in state, not federal courts. So the complaint should be dismissed, he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe true dispute at issue is one for trespass to private land, a matter which is properly and quintessentially governed by state law,\u201d according to Axelman\u2019s filing.<\/p>\n

Reached by phone Thursday, Axelman said he couldn\u2019t comment about the lawsuit until he contacted Harwell for permission. Harwell couldn\u2019t be reached by the Observer.<\/p>\n

Duke Energy statement<\/p>\n

In a statement to the Observer, Duke Energy lawyer Joshua Spencer of Greenville, S.C., said the company \u201cis obligated under its Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) licenses to maintain the safety, environmental integrity, and operational compliance of our licensed hydroelectric lakes.<\/p>\n

\u201cDespite repeated outreach to attempt to resolve concerns related to the unauthorized anchoring of the two river cruise vessels on Lake Norman, the vessels remain, raising serious concerns about public safety and environmental risks,\u201d according to the statement.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo resolve the issue, Duke Energy has filed suit seeking the removal of the vessels from the area, though remains committed to continuing to work to resolve this matter cooperatively,\u201d the Duke Energy statement said. \u201cDue to the ongoing litigation, we will not be making additional comment.\u201d<\/p>\n

What happened to Queens Landing?<\/p>\n

Columbia-based developer Arnold Companies<\/a> bought Queens Landing, a Lake Norman landmark, for $7.5 million in August 2022 from the estate of longtime local owner Jack Williams, The Charlotte Observer previously reported, citing Iredell County public tax records.<\/p>\n

\"Fencing Fencing bars entry to the closed Queens Landing entertainment complex on Lake Norman in Mooresville on June 27, 2023. Charlotte <\/p>\n

Williams died in 2016, according to his obituary. Known as \u201cCaptain Jack,\u201d he bought the 149-passenger Catawba Queen in 1992 with friend Bud Lancaster, owner of Big Daddy\u2019s Restaurant and Oyster Bar in Mooresville. Lancaster died in 1997.<\/p>\n

They built what Williams\u2019 obituary called \u201cthe largest complex on Lake Norman,\u201d with a restaurant, two miniature golf courses, bumper boats, tennis courts, a floating dock bar and marina.<\/p>\n

Harwell, a Mooresville and Myrtle Beach resident, took ownership of the boats as the executor of Williams\u2019 estate, public records show. Harwell has never publicly discussed what she intends to do with the boats, and their fate remains unknown.<\/p>\n

Related Stories from Charlotte Observer<\/p>\n


\n \"Profile
\n <\/a><\/p>\n

Joe Marusak<\/a><\/p>\n

The Charlotte Observer<\/p>\n

Joe Marusak has been a reporter for The Charlotte Observer since 1989 covering the people, municipalities and major news events of the region, and was a news bureau editor for the paper. He currently reports on breaking news.
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