Bluenose II

It was a bit of a drive, but we did have to get back to Lunenburg. Today was the only day that we could book a cruise on the Bluenose II.

The original Bluenose was a working and racing schooner. She was designed to be fast because the first ship onto port gets the best prices. In 1921 she entered and won the "International Fisherman's Race". This was a race for fishing ships sailed by fishing. For 18 years, she won every trophy and was recognized as the fastest ship in the world.

Bluenose hit a reef and sank off Haiti in 1946.

The Bluenose II was launched in 1963. It was built in the same shipyard using the same methods and the same materials and many of the same workers as the original Bluenose.

If you want to read a, follow this link: History

The man with the brown sweater is the captain. Crew members took turns at the helm.

At times the helm did take some muscle power.

The mainsail and the foresail were hoisted by winch.

The jumbo and the jib (the triangular sails at the front) were the only ones that required manpower to hoist.

Wooden rings hold the sails to the mast.

Shipshape

When the sails were set and the wind was blowing, the ship heeled over. I believe we were sailing at about 12 knots. The ship's fastest speed is 16 knots.

A quiet moment on watch at the bow.

One of the crew members told us that that we had sailed farther and faster than any harbour cruise this season. The sky was grey and the winds were howling. The captain couldn't wipe the grin off his face.

There were three sails that were not set or our cruise. Full rigging would also include two topsails and a flying jib. We did just fine.