Bluenose II
Bluenose II in Lunenburg, 1 October 2003
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| History | |
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 Canada
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| Name: | Bluenose II |
| Builder: | Smith and Rhuland |
| Launched: | 24 July 1963 |
| Status: | in active service |
| General characteristics | |
| Tonnage: | 191 gross, 96 net |
| Length: | |
| Beam: | 8 m (26 ft 3 in) |
| Draft: | 5 m (16 ft 5 in) |
| Propulsion: |
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| 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: |
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| Crew: | 5 Officers, Chief Cook, 12 Deckhands |
Bluenose II is a replica of the fishing schooner Bluenose, and was built in 1963 as a promotional yacht for Oland Brewery. It became Nova Scotia's sailing ambassador in 1971.
Bluenose II was launched at Lunenburg on 24 July 1963, built to original plans and by some of the same workers at Smith and Rhuland. The original captain of Bluenose, Angus J. Walters, was consulted on the replica's design. The replica was built by Oland Brewery for roughly $300,000 (in 1963 Canadian dollars) as a marketing tool for their Schooner Lager beer brand.
Bluenose II was sold to the government of Nova Scotia in 1971 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 aging 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. During this time Bluenose II was involved in the Sponsorship scandal when the federal government allocated $2.3 million for the schooner through a consulting firm but only a small amount of the money reached the vessel. 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, refused to release over $600,000 raised by the trust in the schooner's name to the current operators of Bluenose II. Moore agreed to turn over the trust's assets to the province in July 2012 but did not release the financial records from the trust.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. Bluenose II has one of the largest mainsails in the world, measuring 386 square metres (4,150 sq ft). She has a total sail area of 1036 m² (11,150 ft²). In honour of her predecessor, Bluenose II does not officially race. 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.
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