On 26 March 1921, a great Canadian tradition was launched into the waters off Lunenburg, Nova Scotia . . .
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She was built to fish the Grand Banks, and to win back some important bragging rights. After losing a big race to the Americans in 1920, a group of Halifax businessmen commissioned Bluenose with the intention of winning speed races, while simultaneously making a living as a top fishing schooner. She was undefeated for a generation.
From the deck of Bluenose during her first elimination race. – Beside holding the record for the largest catch of fish brought into Lunenburg, Bluenose dominated the International Fishermen’s Race for years. She won the Fishermen’s Trophy in 1921, 1922 and 1923, and again in 1931 and 1938. – Photo courtesy of W. R. MacAskill Photos
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Rivalry and camaraderie between Lunenburgers and Gloucestermen served to salt and sharpen the racing.
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In the 3rd International Fishermen’s Cup race in 1922, Bluenose (here on the left) defeated the American schooner Henry Ford to retain the prize.
– W. R. MacAskill Photos
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During the summer of 1920 the final race of the America’s Cup was cancelled after a 23-knot wind threatened to swamp the expensive, top-heavy contestants. Seasoned Grand Banks fishermen considered it a race for ‘delicate’ yachts in ‘tender weather’. Their own fishing schooners regularly worked in such conditions and their hardy crews thought nothing of it.
During the fishing season, schooners competed to be first to reach the Grand Banks to fish and the first to get home and start selling their catch. Informal races, which had been held for years were formalized in 1921 with the first ‘International Fishermen’s Race’. Bluenose was built with one eye on that challenge.
A century ago the original Bluenose represented Nova Scotia’s prominence in fishing and international trade as well as superb marine design and the outstanding workmanship of Nova Scotia shipwrights and courageous crews.
A century ago Bluenose she was a gritty salt-bank schooner.
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Today Bluenose II serves as a cultural ambassador for the province and a major participant in Nova Scotia’s important tourism and hospitality industries.
Bluenose’s 100th Anniversary is intricately tied to Nova Scotia’s long maritime and fishing history. Here Bluenose II sails off the lighthouse at Peggy’s Cove.
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The original Bluenose hit a reef and sank while hauling bananas and rum near Haiti in 1946. Almost twenty years later people in her home port of Lunenburg decided to build a replica of the great schooner. Bluenose II was launched in 1963. The Oland Brewery paid for the project and used the ship to advertise Schooner brand beer. In 1971, the government assumed ownership and launched Bluenose II on a new career as the province’s star tourist attraction.
Bluenose II at the wharf at Lunenburg, Nova Scotia
When not at dockside in Lunenburg or Halifax, or taking visitors on harbour cruises, Bluenose II joines parades of tall ships to visit ports along the Eastern Seaboard and the Great Lakes. She ventured through the Panama Canal to attend the 1986 world’s fair in Vancouver. Her elegant lines and distinctive triangular sails are a magnet for crowds. During one visit to Toronto an estimated 100,000 people walked her gleaming decks in a matter of days.
– All photos by Len Wagg except where indicated
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On the deck of Bluenose II with a bit of fog.
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Even when not fighting gales on the Grand Banks, life is hard for a wooden ship. Repairs piled up and by the late aughts Bluenose II required a total rebuild. The government of Nova Scotia faced a tough decision: patch up the worst of the damage (as had been done many times before) or invest the millions needed to keep Bluenose II sailing for another 50 years.
The solution was expensive and problem-plagued but after being refurbished with painstaking attention to detail, much gnashing of teeth and the investment of a king’s ransom, Bluenose II passed its sea trials and began public cruises in 2015. You can visit the Bluenose II website to see the current sailing schedule and follow its journey in real time.
This is a working sailing ship with a crew of 18: five Officers, a Chief Cook and 12 Deckhands. Think you have what it takes to crew a schooner for the summer? Apply here after reading the long list of requirements and responsibilities demanded of a Bluenose II deckhand. It’s a paid position. Room and board are provided.
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When I see her heeling over like this my first reaction is “Hey, take care of that thing, it’s gotta last another 50 years at least!”
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Modern navigation and communications equipment aboard Bluenose II.
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Established in 1972, the Lunenburg Marine Museum Society, a volunteer group, operates the Fisheries Museum of the Atlantic (on Bluenose Drive in Lunenburg of course) and the schooner Bluenose II on behalf of the Province of Nova Scotia so that these key pieces of Lunenburg history can be showcased and preserved.
On deck on Bluenose II. Talk about running at tight ship? This place is way cleaner than my living room.
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Lunenburg, Nova Scotia (population: 2,300) is home port to Bluenose II. Lunenburg is considered the best surviving, planned British colonial town in North America and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Well maintained historic homes and inns around an active fishing wharf make it a great place to watch the world go by from your table at a local seafood restaurant.
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Located at the Smith and Rhuland boatyard on the historic Lunenburg waterfront, the Big Boat Shed was built in the 1930s and served as a boat-building factory for decades. Dozens of vessels were built in this shipyard, including the Bluenose I and the Bluenose II. During this time the Big Boat Shed served as a workshop for generations of skilled craftsman. The renovated facility will reopen to mark the 100th anniversary of the launch of the Bluenose. There will be space for new interactive exhibits and a traditional boat building workshop starting this summer.
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Since 2009 the old Thomas Walters Blacksmith shop has provided a home for Ironworks Distillery in Lunenburg.
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Also, if you’ve been shopping online as much as I have recently, you are going to want to know about the Bluenose II Company Store, home of the Official Bluenose II brand. For $10 you can fly the colours with a Bluenose 100 Face Mask.
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Check out the Bluenose Centennial Events schedule.
A Heritage Minute brought to you by Historica Canada.
A National Film Board Canada Vignette: Bluenose 1921-1946.
Please check for any COVID-19 restrictions or requirements while planning your trip to Nova Scotia.
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Great story! A century of the Bluenose. I had heard about the ship for most of my life, but I didn’t know there had been two of them. Or that Lunenburg was a World Heritage Site. Or that an old ironworks had become a distillery. Those Nova Scotians are creative!!
A wonderful piece by Glenn that documents a significant and live artifact of Canadian history. The Bluenose will be attending the TMAC
(Travel Media Association of Canada) AGM in Yarmouth,Nova Scotia on June 23 & 24.