Bluenose

“Now I know why I love this boat so much,” I told Jim. “She was launched the same year as I was. We’re twins.” We were looking at a ship’s engraved brass bell. Finally, after months of admiring her from afar – we were actually standing on the Bluenose.

The Bluenose II is officially known as Nova Scotia’s Sailing Ambassador – but she’s Lunenburg’s baby. We’ve been watching her since we arrived there in September. Winter was spent with her deck wrapped in white plastic. At Christmas she was strung with lights. Spring was time for repair and painting, and then the adding of the sails. Finally she was ready for the sea and a summer season of cruising tourists, civic celebrations and good-will visits.

Early in June Jim and I decided to go for a paddle. We thought we’d visit the Bluenose with our kayaks as she was tied to the wharf. The crew was on deck with mops and buckets. A fella stood at the end of the jetty and called out to me.

“Are you a Traveller or a Tourist?” the conversation commenced.

After a while of shooting the breeze I had to ask him a question.

“Are you from the Bluenose?”

He nodded in reply.

“Are you the Captain?” He laughed. “Yes I am – that’s why I’m talking to you and they’re swabbing the decks.”

The Bluenose is central to Nova Scotia’s identity – she was built as a matter of pride. When Nova Scotia sailors lost the ‘International Fisherman’s Trophy’ to the US, the “Bluenose” was designed and built to win it back. For the rest of the series of races – 18 seasons in all – the “Bluenose” was undefeated. As “Queen of the North Atlantic Fishing Fleet” her image has appeared on the Canadian Dime since 1937, yet she was sold out of Canada and sank on a Caribbean reef in 1946. Less than 20 years after that sinking, the Bluenose II was built from the identical plans and in the same Lunenburg shipyard as the original.

Now it was our turn. We had blue skies, sunshine and a gentle breeze. It had been 10 months. We were actually going to sail on the Bluenose.

Old Sailing vessels love their horns, and as we left the dock, the Bluenose II gave a big “TOOT” to the town. The ‘Theresa Connor’ answered with a toot of her own. We motored out into the bay and turned to face the wind. It was time for the sails to go up.

These are big sails. The Bluenose II is recognised to have the largest working mainsail in the word – over 4000 square feet. The Mainmast rises 125 ft from the deck. For the crew, the raising of the sail seemed like a well-practiced dance. They raised four of them.

“We’ve had all eight of her sails up once this season. We were on our way from Halifax to Lunenburg.” It was my buddy the captain speaking to us. “That was a great day,” he said with a smile.

When the boat takes guests she holds about 50 of them. We heard accents from all over the world as we listened to the excited chatter.

“When we pull into the jetty and everyone is getting off, just hang back,” the Captain quietly said to Jim and I. “I’ll take you both on a tour of the living areas down below deck.”

The big canvas sails slowly filled with breeze. The boat moved gently - at about three knots. I looked up at the sails and the sun and smiled. I was in Nova Scotia. I was on the Bluenose. Life just doesn’t get much better.