Bluenose II in Lunenburg, 1 October 2003 |
|
| Career (Canada) | |
|---|---|
| Name: | Bluenose II |
| Launched: | 24 July 1963 |
| Status: | in active service, as of 2012[update] |
| General characteristics | |
| Displacement: | 246 tonnes (271 short tons) |
| Length: | 46 m (150 ft 11 in) o/a 34 m (111 ft 7 in) lwl |
| Beam: | 8 m (26 ft 3 in) |
| Draft: | 5 m (16 ft 5 in) |
| Propulsion: | Sails 2 auxiliary 250 hp CAT diesel engines |
| Mainmast, height from deck |
38 m (124 ft 8 in) |
| Foremast, height from deck |
36 m (118 ft 1 in) |
| Sail area | 1,036 m2 (11,150 sq ft) |
| Mainsail area | 386 m2 (4,150 sq ft) |
| Speed: | 8 knots (15 km/h) (engine) 16 knots (30 km/h) (under sail) |
| Crew: | 5 Officers, Chief Cook, 12 Deckhands |
Bluenose II is a replica of the fishing schooner Bluenose which serves as Nova Scotia's sailing ambassador. Bluenose II was launched at Lunenburg on July 24, 1963, built to original plans and by many of the same workers. The original Bluenose captain Angus J. Walters took the helm of the new replica for her maiden voyage. She was built by the Oland Brewery for $208,600 as a marketing tool for their "Schooner Beer" brand. Her popularity led to the schooner being sold to the government of Nova Scotia for the sum of $1. After a number of years of managing the schooner directly, the province gave possession of the ship to the "Bluenose II Preservation Trust". The trust's mandate was to restore the ageing schooner to full operational status and continue to operate her for the people of Nova Scotia. Over the winter of 1994–95 the ship’s hull was restored and she was recommissioned in May 1995. The trust maintained and operated Bluenose II until 31 March 2005, when the government of Nova Scotia placed the vessel under the management of the Lunenburg Marine Museum Society at the Fisheries Museum of the Atlantic. In a controversial move the head of the Trust, Senator Wilfred Moore, has so far refused to release approximately $600,000 raised by the trust in the schooner's name to the current operators of Bluenose II.[1]
The Bluenose II serves as a goodwill ambassador, tourist attraction in Lunenburg, and symbol of the province. During the summer, she visits ports all around Nova Scotia and frequently sails to other ports on the eastern seaboard. In honour of her predecessor, Bluenose II does not officially race.
In May 2009, the provincial and federal government announced support for a major restoration of the Bluenose II. The project is valued at $14.8 million.
In July 2010, the province of Nova Scotia awarded a $12.5 million contract for the restoration of Bluenose II to a consortium of three Nova Scotia shipyards.[2]
This restoration is not without controversy. Tourism, Culture and Heritage Department sources have stated that the restoration is "is not intended to create an authentic replica of the original Bluenose" and that the builders would not be using the plans. Although the unwanted pieces of the vessel such as the bilge were chipped, a substantial amount of the wood was given away for a small donation. Leaving the masts, sails, booms, gaffs, deck boxes, rigging, ironwork, etc... as original pieces that will go back onto the vessel upon completion. This has led Joan Roue, a descendant of the first Bluenose's designer William Roue and current rights-holder of the design, to question whether this should even be considered the same ship.[3]
Bluenose II's mainsail measures 386 m² (4,155 ft²) and she has a total sail area of 1036 m² (11,150 ft²).
Funds for the operation of the ship are raised through charging for passage on the vessel, public donations, and sales in the Fisheries Museum Gift Shop (in Lunenburg), run by the Lunenburg Marine Museum Society.
In October 2009, Rick Mercer sailed on Bluenose II as part of a segment for his Rick Mercer Report program.