Capt. Phil Watson, Captain of the Bluenose II
I’m happy to land the ship’s log here on the Barnacle pages.
The crew of Bluenose II are all gathered in the bow with the Bosun and Chief Mate. After six weeks of hard work, scraping, painting, and varnishing, it is time to climb aloft and look across Lunenburg and down at their tiny ship. Since 1963, when the Smith and Rhuland yard launched Bluenose II for the Oland family, through 1971 when she was gifted to the province, past the time of the Bluenose II Preservation Trust and now to the Fisheries Museum of the Atlantic, this ritual of spring and rite of passage for young people has been repeated over and over. In many ways, the crew have more in common with those early crews and indeed even the youngsters of Angus Walters’ time than you might think. There are, of course, some very obvious societal changes that are reflected on the vessel, as there should be. As is quoted to the crew every year, “the ocean does not care for race, gender, creed or even your name. The ocean does {sometimes} care about attitude and work ethic.” The young men of the 1920s and 30s sought adventure as many youngsters do. Some were sent to sea out of necessity, some because that was the family business.
These days, schooner living is much easier than the time of the Grand Banks schooner fishery. Better food, better conditions, and maybe most importantly, better forecasts and regulations. However, the thrill of passing Battery Point lighthouse for the first time, or returning home and watching the town reveal itself from behind the Point, is just as exciting.
The other thing that hasn’t changed is the work required to get a schooner ready to go to sea. For the current crew, every day is spent painting, sanding, and varnishing the entire ship. Remove old loose paint, new primer, new paint, move to the next bit of wood. The evenings are filled with workshops and lessons. The mates take turns teaching both the technical skills the crew will need, but also the history and culture that made Bluenose such a Canadian icon. From the races to the postage stamp to the dime, the importance of Angus Walters, his ship and crew are explored. Can you imagine living aboard a replica steeped in Canadian history?
None of this happens without support. The director, Maggie, and assistant director, Colin, run the shore side of things. Janet and her store staff have everything ready to go in the Company Store. We rely on a host of local businesses as well. All in all, we use over 40 different companies in the run of a year. We also have over five different inspectors looking at the ship and crew, from medical supplies to radios.
