Bluenose II

Type

Schooner

Period

20th Century

Nation

Canada

Overview: Bluenose II is a faithful sailing replica of the famous 1921 Grand Banks fishing and racing schooner Bluenose, built in 1963 at the same Lunenburg, Nova Scotia shipyard, Smith and Rhuland, that built the original. She now serves as Nova Scotia's sailing ambassador rather than as a working fishing vessel or racer. Specifications: The vessel has an overall length of about 46 m (150 ft 11 in), a beam of 8 m (26 ft 3 in), and a draft of 5 m (16 ft 5 in), with a gross tonnage of 191. She carries a huge sail plan of 1,036 sq m (11,150 sq ft), including one of the largest mainsails in the world at 386 sq m (4,150 sq ft), and is fitted with two 250 hp diesel engines for auxiliary propulsion, reaching about 16 knots under sail. Service History: Commissioned by Sidney Culverwell Oland as a promotional vessel for Oland Brewery's Schooner Lager, Bluenose II was launched at Lunenburg on 24 July 1963 and built to the original Bluenose plans by many of the same craftsmen, with input from original captain Angus J. Walters. Oland donated the ship to the Government of Nova Scotia in 1971, after which she has toured the Atlantic seaboard and Gulf of St. Lawrence each summer as a goodwill and tourism ambassador, deliberately not racing in honor of her predecessor's undefeated record. Notable Facts: The original Bluenose (1921–1946) was a legendary undefeated racing and fishing schooner nicknamed the "Queen of the North Atlantic," commemorated on the Canadian dime, before she foundered on a reef off Haiti in 1946. Bluenose II has undergone extensive rebuilds over the decades, including a major restoration using rot-resistant angelique and iroko tropical hardwoods, and reportedly still incorporates some original masts, rigging, and ballast lead from the first Bluenose, making her a rich subject for modelers wanting to depict either the original racer or the modern replica.