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• MLA 8TH EDITION
• Marsh, James H.. "Bluenose". The Canadian Encyclopedia , 19 November 2021, Historica Canada . www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/bluenose. Accessed 16 March 2024.
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• APA 6TH EDITION
• Marsh, J. (2021). Bluenose. In The Canadian Encyclopedia . Retrieved from https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/bluenose
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• Marsh, James H.. "Bluenose." The Canadian Encyclopedia . Historica Canada. Article published February 07, 2006; Last Edited November 19, 2021.
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Article by James H. Marsh

Updated by Jon Tattrie

Published Online February 7, 2006

Last Edited November 19, 2021

Built to Race

The Bluenose was launched at Lunenburg , Nova Scotia in 1921. It was named with the common nickname – first used by T.C. Haliburton – applied to those born in Nova Scotia .

The schooner was designed by William J. Roue to fish for cod on the Grand Banks off Newfoundland , at a time when such work was done from the decks of wooden tall-ships powered by sail. The Bluenose was also designed to race on the open ocean. It was the first time the self-taught Roue had designed a working fishing schooner, rather than a recreational or racing vessel.

Speed was essential to both of the Bluenose’s tasks. Obviously, the faster boat wins the race, but the faster fishing vessel also gets back to port quickest, guaranteeing its crew will get the best price for its catch.

Victor Cavendish , the governor general of Canada, travelled to Lunenburg to drive the golden spike that would mark the ship’s completion. He swung the big iron hammer at the spike, but failed to connect – he’d just been to another function and evidently enjoyed a bit too much drink. Someone else helped him out, and the spike was finally driven.

Queen of the North Atlantic

Skippered by Captain Angus J. Walters against the fastest American schooners, many of them from Gloucester, Massachusetts, the Bluenose crew set its sights on winning the International Fishermen’s Race. The event pitted working fishermen in their regular schooners, competing for the Fishermen’s Trophy.

The Bluenose achieved that goal, and more. It won the Trophy – emblematic of the sailing championship of the fishing fleets of the northwest Atlantic – in 1921, 1922 and 1923. Its only defeat was by the Boston schooner Gertrude L. Thebaud in the Lipton Cup in 1930, but it outraced the Thebaud for the Fisherman's Trophy in 1931 and 1938.

The Bluenose also held the record for the largest catch of fish brought into Lunenburg.

Nicknamed the "Queen of the North Atlantic," the Bluenose represented Nova Scotia around the world. It appeared at the Chicago World Fair in 1933 and crossed the Atlantic to England in 1935 to attend the silver jubilee of King George V.

Caribbean Grave

Despite its international fame, the Bluenose came to an ignominious end. As the salt fishery declined, and sailing schooners were replaced by engine-powered ships on the Grand Banks , the Bluenose was sold in 1942 to the West Indies Trading Company. Captain Walters , the ship's last Nova Scotian owner, stood at the waterfront in Lunenburg and wept as the Bluenose sailed away for the last time.

In the Caribbean, the Bluenose carried rum, sugar, bananas and war supplies to the United States. The ship had a close call while running aviation fuel and dynamite near Havana, Cuba, when a German U-boat surfaced right beside it. The submarine captain asked the Bluenose captain what he was doing – he answered that he was fishing. According to one account, the German recognized the Bluenose and let it sail off.

In 1946, while hauling freight near Haiti, the Bluenose hit a reef and sank.

Namesake Replica

Twenty years after the original Bluenose sank, people in her home port of Lunenburg decided to build a replica of the great schooner. The Oland Brewery paid for the project and used the ship to advertise its beer.

The Bluenose II was built in the same Smith and Rhuland shipyards in Lunenburg as the original, and was launched in 1963 amid nostalgia for the lost golden age of sail. The builders used Roue’s original plans, with some minor alterations. Captain Walters sailed on the maiden voyage.

In 1971, the Bluenose II was given as a gift to the province of Nova Scotia. It began its life as Nova Scotia’s sailing ambassador, based in Lunenburg, but regularly travelling to represent the province, and carrying tourists on day cruises.

Second Rebuild

In 2009, the Nova Scotia government decided to restore the aging, 50-year-old Bluenose II . The ship was suffering badly from "hogging" – which happens when the hull becomes distorted due to the the up-pressing water and the downward pull of gravity.

In 2010, many were surprised to learn that the project appeared to be less a restoration than a complete re-build of virtually a new ship. Almost the entire Bluenose II schooner had been put through a wood chipper and dumped in a landfill. The only preserved parts were the rudder, the boom and part of the prow. The Lunenburg Shipyard Alliance, the group handling the work, said it still qualified as a rebuild, and not an entirely new boat.

After lengthy delays, the rebuilt Bluenose II was launched into Lunenburg harbour in the spring of 2015. The work was years later, and several million dollars over budget. The province's sailing ambassador – a reminder of the original icon – resumed regular duties in June 2015.

In 1937, artist Emanuel Hahn’s sculptured profile of the Bluenose was stamped on the Canadian dime.

Did you know? The Bluenose was the first non-human inductee in Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame . The Bluenose and Captain Angus J. Walters were inducted in 1955.

Later, in 1978, the Bluenose would be further immortalized in a song of the same name, by folk music legend Stan Rogers .

In 2021, the Royal Canadian Mint and Canada Post released commemorative coins and stamps to mark the 100th anniversary of the launch of the Bluenose. The Royal Canadian Mint issued Canada’s first-ever coloured dimes designed by the Nova Scotian artist Yves Bérubé. These commemorative dimes are doubled-dated “1921-2021.” Meanwhile, Canada Post released a new pair of se-tenant (joined) stamps to mark the 100th anniversary of the schooner’s launch. These stamps feature the art of Michael Little, who drew inspiration from the paintings of William E. deGarthe.

• shipbuilding
• Nova Scotia

External Links

Canada Vignettes - Bluenose 1921-1946 Watch a brief video about the legendary Canadian schooner Bluenose. From the National Film Board on YouTube.

Bluenose II This site offers the latest news and videos about the relaunch of the Bluenose II schooner in Lunenburg, Nova Scotia. Also offers an illustrated history of the original "Bluenose."

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Angus walters.

Emanuel Otto Hahn

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• Sailboat Guide

Bluenose is a 23 ′ 5 ″ / 7.1 m monohull sailboat designed by William J. Roué and built by McVay Fiberglass Yachts Ltd. starting in 1946.

Rig and Sails

Auxilary power, accomodations, calculations.

The theoretical maximum speed that a displacement hull can move efficiently through the water is determined by it's waterline length and displacement. It may be unable to reach this speed if the boat is underpowered or heavily loaded, though it may exceed this speed given enough power. Read more.

Classic hull speed formula:

Hull Speed = 1.34 x √LWL

Max Speed/Length ratio = 8.26 ÷ Displacement/Length ratio .311 Hull Speed = Max Speed/Length ratio x √LWL

Sail Area / Displacement Ratio

A measure of the power of the sails relative to the weight of the boat. The higher the number, the higher the performance, but the harder the boat will be to handle. This ratio is a "non-dimensional" value that facilitates comparisons between boats of different types and sizes. Read more.

SA/D = SA ÷ (D ÷ 64) 2/3

• SA : Sail area in square feet, derived by adding the mainsail area to 100% of the foretriangle area (the lateral area above the deck between the mast and the forestay).
• D : Displacement in pounds.

Ballast / Displacement Ratio

A measure of the stability of a boat's hull that suggests how well a monohull will stand up to its sails. The ballast displacement ratio indicates how much of the weight of a boat is placed for maximum stability against capsizing and is an indicator of stiffness and resistance to capsize.

Ballast / Displacement * 100

Displacement / Length Ratio

A measure of the weight of the boat relative to it's length at the waterline. The higher a boat’s D/L ratio, the more easily it will carry a load and the more comfortable its motion will be. The lower a boat's ratio is, the less power it takes to drive the boat to its nominal hull speed or beyond. Read more.

D/L = (D ÷ 2240) ÷ (0.01 x LWL)³

• D: Displacement of the boat in pounds.
• LWL: Waterline length in feet

Comfort Ratio

This ratio assess how quickly and abruptly a boat’s hull reacts to waves in a significant seaway, these being the elements of a boat’s motion most likely to cause seasickness. Read more.

Comfort ratio = D ÷ (.65 x (.7 LWL + .3 LOA) x Beam 1.33 )

• D: Displacement of the boat in pounds
• LOA: Length overall in feet
• Beam: Width of boat at the widest point in feet

Capsize Screening Formula

This formula attempts to indicate whether a given boat might be too wide and light to readily right itself after being overturned in extreme conditions. Read more.

CSV = Beam ÷ ³√(D / 64)

Beginning in 1946, the first 77 boats were built of wood (most by Barkhouse Boatyard Ltd. of Nova Scotia). The designer, W. J. Roue, granted McVay that rights to build the boat in fiberglass which began in 1960 and continued until 1972. The fiberglass version was given a small cuddy immediately behind the mast. A few keel/cb versions were built. A later builder (2010) is Herring Cove Marine. www.herringcovemarine.com. Thanks to Jack Gutter, BLUENOSE owner, and boat historian, for updated updated information and photo. Current builder: (2010)

Herring Cove Marine Ltd. 19 Wharf Lane HERRING COVE, Nova Scotia B3V 1H2 CANADA Telephone: (902) 477-8010 Fax: (902) 484-6889 www.herringcovemarine.com

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The Bluenose

The Bluenose , launched on March 26, 1921, became a symbol of shipbuilding excellence.

Written by Mark Collin Reid

Today it’s a national icon featured on the Canadian dime and a symbol of Nova Scotia’s legacy of shipbuilding excellence.

But on the brisk and blustery morning of March 26, 1921, the newly launched Bluenose entered the waters off Lunenberg, Nova Scotia, carrying the hopes and aspirations of an entire province. That was because the sleek schooner had been created with one purpose in mind — to defeat the swift New England schooners that at the time dominated the international sailing circuit.

Bluenose was designed by William J. Roué, a local marine architect, built by Smith & Rhuland Shipyard of Lunenberg, and captained by local sailor Angus Walters. A working schooner, Bluenose and its crew headed to the Grand Banks off Newfoundland to fish in the summer of 1921, all the while focusing on the schooner’s first major test — the International Fishermen’s Race slated for October of that year.

Bluenose not only found glory at that race but went on to dominate international sailing racing for the next decade.

In the 1930s, the vessel found further fame, representing Canada at the 1933 world’s fair in Chicago and taking part in the 1935 silver jubilee of King George V. Here, it’s seen winning the final leg of the 1938 International Fishermen’s Trophy series to capture the championship over the American schooner Gertrude L. Thebaud , which sailed out of Massachusetts.

Sadly, there was one opponent Bluenose could not defeat — time. With the age of sail at an end, Bluenose was fitted with diesel engines and sold in 1942 to ply the waters as a tramp schooner in the Caribbean. It was reported that Captain Walters stood on the dock at Lunenberg and wept as his newly sold ship departed Nova Scotia for the final time.

In 1946, during a January squall, it ran aground on a coral reef and then sank off the coast of Haiti.

In 1963, a replica of the schooner was built. Gifted to the province of Nova Scotia in 1971, Bluenose II continues to act as an ambassador both for the province and for Canada.

This article originally appeared in the April-May 2021 issue of Canada’s History .

Themes associated with this article

• Environment & Geography
• Transportation

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The Bluenose is a 23.42ft fractional sloop designed by W. J. Roué and built in wood or fiberglass by McVay Fiberglass Yachts Ltd. since 1946.

180 units have been built..

The Bluenose is a moderate weight sailboat which is a very high performer. It is stable / stiff and has a good righting capability if capsized. It is best suited as a racing boat.

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BLUENOSE fishing schooner

The most beautiful and accurate model of the famed Canadian schooner  

The most famous schooner of all time is the Canadian schooner Bluenose.  This beloved vessel won the annual International Fishermen's Trophy race for Canada numerous times in the period between the two world wars. 

In 1920, an America's Cup race was cancelled because a wind of 23 knots was considered too dangerous for the racing yachts of the time, which were made fragile by the towering sails they carried. The fishermen of the New England and Maritime fleets considered this a disgrace and resolved to hold their own competition for men and ships who were ready and able to face the sea.

The Halifax Herald newspaper donated a cup and established the rules for the contest, and in the years that followed, the International Fishermen's Trophy would become a source of considerable national pride as ships from the great fishing fleets of Gloucester, Massachusetts and Lunenburg, Nova Scotia vied for the title. Nova Scotia was the home of the greatest deep-sea fishing fleet in the world, and proud of its shipbuilding and fishing heritage. Its rival was Gloucester, Massachusetts, which shared the same kind of pride. For generations, the "Yanks" and the "Novies" had delighted in racing each other to the fishing grounds. The prospect of formalizing those races excited both towns.

In 1920, the first competition for the Trophy was won by a vessel from Gloucester. To the tremendous chagrin of the Lunenburg fleet, a design was commissioned from William J. Roue, a young naval architect from Halifax, for a schooner that would meet the high standards of the Lunenburg fishing fleet but that could also capture the Trophy.

Learn more about Bluenose here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bluenose

request a call from steve fischer I am available and happy to answer any questions

Email steve fischer I am available and happy to answer any questions

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