Saving Bluenose II
On October 31, 1994, the volunteers who were to comprise the Bluenose II Preservation Trust Society received the keys to Bluenose II from the Department of Tourism, and so began our possession of the ship and our responsibilities for her. Prior to that date the ship had been operated by the Nova Scotia Department of Tourism. The Trust maintained and operated the Bluenose II for 10 years under an agreement with the Province of Nova Scotia, and continues to support the Bluenose legacy as now represented by Bluenose II. Commencing with the 2005 sailing season, the ship has been operated by the Lunenburg Marine Museum Society.
When the Trust volunteers took possession of the Bluenose II, she was tied up at the wharf of the Fisheries Museum of the Atlantic in Lunenburg. She had been stripped of everything except her two Caterpillar diesel engines and generators. The ship’s hull had been let deteriorate to the point that she was no longer certified to sail. The consumption of alcohol was permitted onboard and she was known as a party boat; there were unsavory law cases involving her crew; her reputation had been sullied. The Department of Tourism had decided to scuttle her.
The Trust restored the ship’s hull over the winter of 1994 - 1995,
and she was recommissioned on 28 May, 1995. The cost of this work was $500,000.
To commence its work the Trust borrowed $100,000, personally guaranteed by
two of our directors, and raised the needed funds from government (Atlantic
Canada Opportunities Agency $300,000 - 70% federal, 30% provincial), and
donations from citizens and companies across Canada. So for $90,000 the
Province of Nova Scotia received a fully restored and certified sailing ship.
Clearly, this represents a return of huge value on those $90,000 for Nova
Scotian taxpayers. Built in 1963 by the Oland family of Halifax at a cost
of $250,000, Bluenose
II is insured for $6 million dollars today. The Trust paid those premiums
while we operated the ship.
In her inaugural year under the Trust, Bluenose II enjoyed a busy sailing season, visiting 20 ports in Nova Scotia, and Boston. She also served as the host vessel for the 1995 Economic Summit of the leaders of the G7 countries in June at Halifax. In establishing the ship’s sailing schedule, our Trust was very sensitive to important events and festivals taking place in Nova Scotia, as well as those outside our waters. For example, in the 2004 sailing season, the last year during which our Trust operated the ship, Bluenose II participated in the “Tall Ships 2004" program along the eastern seaboard of the United States of America, and the port of Halifax, and attended numerous Acadien celebrations in our Province.
Bluenose II became a dry ship under our watch. There is a zero tolerance regarding alcohol onboard the ship. The crew complement of Bluenose II is 17, made up of five officers and twelve deckhands (8 male, 4 female). While it operated the ship, the Trust annually offered two sail-training berths to the Canadian Navy. The Navy, which does not have a sail-training vessel on the East Coast, was pleased to provide enlisted personnel, who received traditional seamanship training onboard Bluenose II.
The Bluenose II is a fully registered commercial vessel of just under 200 tonnes. She undergoes annual inspection and certification, and qualifies for a Home - Trade Voyage, Class IV Certificate of Transport Canada under the Canadian Coast Guard Regulations. The ship is permitted to carry a maximum of 90 passengers.
She is a living, working ship. Her dedicated officers and crew of young Nova Scotians comply with the Standard of Training and Certification of Watchkeepers Conventions, and while we operated the ship we encouraged them to enhance their certifications. Our Trust paid for those training expenses, thereby encouraging crew members to pursue seagoing careers. Off-shore sea time onboard Bluenose II is applied against the requirements for various levels of certification being pursued by crewmembers. Many master mariners and officers got their start sailing in Bluenose II. More than a tourism symbol, this national icon is a home and a feeder and a tall ships leader.
The ship draws large numbers of visitors to her decks, and remains a powerful economic generator in the ports that she visits.
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