In May 2009, the provincial and federal government announced support for a major restoration of the Bluenose II. The project is valued at $14.8 million. In July 2010, the Nova Scotia government awarded a $12.5 million contract for the restoration of Bluenose II to a consortium of three Nova Scotia shipyards. When the ship was finally relaunched in 2012, after major delays, the final cost was closer to 16 million dollars, just from the Nova Scotian government.
This restoration was not without controversy. Tourism, Culture and Heritage Department sources stated that the restoration was “not intended to create an authentic replica of the original Bluenose” and that the builders would not be using the plans. Large portions of the hull were chipped while other small pieces were given away at the rebuilding site in Lunenburg NS. The masts, sails, booms, gaffs, deck boxes, rigging, and some ironwork will go back onto the vessel upon completion. This has led Joan Roue, a descendant of the first Bluenose’s designer William Roue and current rights-holder of the design, to question whether this should even be considered the same ship. As almost all of the ship, even the keel has been remade. It can be argued that the Bluenose II had so many rebuilds and repairs over the years since she was built in 1963 by the Oland’s, that it has not been the same ship for quite some time. The current rebuild aims to have the schooner look more like the original Bluenose with smaller deckhouses and more deck space, as the Bluenose II was built with yacht accommodation as opposed to the layout of a fishing schooner.
After more than 25 months of reconstruction, Bluenose II was relaunched into Lunenburg Harbour in September 2012 from the Lunenburg marine railway followed by festivities at the nearby Fisheries Museum of the Atlantic, however due to repairs not completed, the vessel was pulled back onto land for more work. The vessel was returned to the water, a year later, in September 2013 and was to undergo dock and sea trials before being handed over to the province for tourist duty. As of June 2014, the vessel is currently tied up at the Lunenburg Foundry wharf in Lunenburg, Nova Scotia. Much controversy surrounds the vessel in recent months due to over spending on the “refit” and falsified documents.
Read the Parent post HERE…
Sailing With Devious, 2014 