The Bluenose SchoonerThe original Bluenose Schooner was designed by William Roué and built in Lunenburg, Nova Scotia. She was launched from there on March 26, 1921, as both a working fishing schooner and a racing ship. Her primary goal, once the fishing season was over, was to win back the racing title from the International Fishermen's Race for working schooners.
The results of Roue's efforts was a sleek looking craft, designed to meet the race rule specifications of 145 feet overall maximum length. After her first season fishing on the Grand Banks, she showed herself to be a fine sailing boat, and at the end of the fishing season, she ran against and defeated the Elsie, a schooner from Massachusetts, returning the International Fishermen's trophy to its home in Nova Scotia. And for the next 17 years of racing, no challenger, American or Canadian, could win back the trophy from her. With that unblemished record, the Bluenose Schooner earned the title "Queen of the North Atlantic". Then she finally met her watery grave hauling freight near Haiti in 1946. Many feared it was the end of an era. The Fisheries Museum of the Atlantic on the Lunenburg waterfront. Bluenose Schooner Replaced by the Bluenose II SchoonerIn the early 1960's the brewing firm of Oland and Sons built a replica of the Nova Scotia fishing schooner to help promote their new product, Schooner Beer.
The result was Bluenose II, built from the original plans in the original shipyard by some of the same craftsmen who had built the original Bluenose. The Bluenose II Schooner was then sold to the government of Nova Scotia for $1 where it serves as a goodwill ambassador and a tourist attraction in Lunenburg. But the Bluenose II is not allowed to race. It was decided from the beginning that she would never jeopardize the reputation of the original Bluenose Schooner.
The grand image of the Bluenose II Schooner has decorated the Canadian dime since 1937. She has been depicted on three separate postage stamp issues and appears on the Nova Scotia license plate. The Bluenose legacy lives on! Each summer,the Bluenose II gives cruises to the public and also travels to special events near and far. For more information on the Bluenose II Schooner including the current sailing and visitation schedule please visit
the Bluenose II website
Return from Bluenose Schooner to Lunenburg
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