Around the same time, the brewing firm of Oland and Sons was planning to build a replica of a Nova Scotia fishing schooner to help promote their new product, Schooner Beer. So it was that Bluenose II was born. She was built from the original plans in the original shipyard by some of the same craftsmen who had given Bluenose her magic. The keel was laid on February 27, 1963, and she was launched in Lunenburg on July 24 of the same year.
Even if competitors of her sort could be found, Bluenose II would not be allowed to race. It was decided at the outset that she would never jeopardize the reputation of the original Bluenose. However, ships will occasionally test her speed by assuming the same course when she is seen passing; like her namesake, she moves like the wind. Her interior however is very different, having comfortable quarters, a chart room and a spacious salon in the areas where salt and fish were originally stowed.
In 1971, the Oland family sold Bluenose II to the province of Nova Scotia for the amount of one dollar. She has become the province's most recognized symbol and one of her greatest treasures, and has served as an ambassador for both the province and country at many international events and ports - a role in which she continues today. Read more...
