Sailing on the Bluenose II
We have a lovely breakfast at the Mariner King, then walk to the Maritime Museum to inquire about tickets for a sail on the Bluenose II, one of the "tall ships" that are based in Lunenburg. We get on the list for the afternoon sailing and are told to come back between noon and 1 PM to purchase our tickets. We are not ready to give up our fabulous room at the inn so we go back to sit in the window seats and read till check out time. We then go strolling down Lunenburg's streets, doing a little shopping and taking photos. We are checking into the Lunenburg Inn for the next two nights so we stop by to confirm our reservation and leave the car in their lot before walking down to the dock for our tickets and some lunch.
The Bluenose II is 161 ft. long with 8 sails and a crew of 19. We only use four sails today and get up to 10 knots. We are told that the ship can lean up to 90 degrees before "tipping over," but glad we do not have that experience! It is beautiful out on the ocean and we have a great view of town from the boat. We sail for about two hours; it is a little chilly at times but lots of fun.
The Bluenose II is an exact replica of the famous fishing schooner Bluenose, which was known for its exceptional speed. The original was built in Lunenburg in 1921 and retained the racing title in the annual International Fisherman's Trophy race for 18 years straight. The Bluenose II was built in 1963 from the same plans, in the same shipyard, and even by some of the same workers. It is owned by the Province and sails as Nova Scotia's "seafaring ambassador."
Upon returning from our sail, we check into the Lunenburg Inn, where we will spend the last two nights of our Nova Scotia trip. We again have the third floor attic suite with a kitchen, living room, bedroom, bath and an outdoor deck on the second floor. It's very nice, though I am still partial to the room we had last night! :) We are given homemade cookies when we arrive, yummy! And they are nice enough to make me a pot of hot tea.
The internet works here so we have to catch up on our tripdiary and emails before going to dinner at Risser's. We meet a couple from Plano, Texas, of all places, though they have recently moved to Virginia.
The Bluenose II
The mast rings
Leaving port
Held together by wood, rope and metal
Furling the sail
What are all these ropes for?
Lighthouse on rocky point
Leaning into the wind
Returning to the dock
fishing boats and tall ship
The Lunenburg Inn
The porch
Lunenburg mural
9/5/2007 :
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