Embracing life on sea, new opportunities
It’s been a busy two weeks aboard Bluenose II. The new crew are settling in and learning the ropes.
It’s not easy to be in a new atmosphere with new people and an unfamiliar language and to be expected to learn a new skill at the same time. Maybe an insight to a sailor’s life in the past when sailors from all over the world joined deep sea ships and the fo’c’sles were a miniature UN.
Our last trip away was a quick jaunt to Halifax to attend the International Congress of Maritime Museums, hosted by the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic. 2022 is the 50th anniversary for the conference and this is the first time it has been hosted in Canada. It was a great honour for Bluenose II to be invited to participate in welcoming the attendees. The chief mate, Erin, and I attended the opening ceremonies and met some of the delegates. The following day we
toured two groups in quick succession around the harbour for a brief look at the Halifax and Dartmouth waterfronts.
Being a provincial ambassador is work that we take very seriously. At home or while travelling, Bluenose II can tell stories across a broad range of subjects. Using the racing history of Captain Angus and his crew, we attended six regattas this summer. From local fleet regattas, like the Schooner Association Race Week, to Canadian or even world championships, Bluenose II can speak directly to competitors and their communities at home.
As a tour boat, Bluenose II shares our history with visitors and locals alike. Sailing past Battery Point Lighthouse aboard a big schooner while looking at the colourful houses of Lunenburg nested on the hill enables one to imagine being a schooner hand and having the excitement of returning home from sea.
When we travel away from Nova Scotia, we are proud to use Bluenose II to promote the province. We talk about our history and our future to the public and the media. Our last trip away to the
Great Lakes we had more than 100,000 visitors to the ship and did over 100 media interviews. Our social media feed was viewed by millions and millions of people. We are able to promote the latest strategy by Tourism Nova Scotia and use popularity of the ship to bring tourists and business to the province.
And let’s not forget that hurricane season now brings endless studies of weather charts and discussions by the meteorological gurus.
Capt. Phil Watson has been onboard Bluenose II for 36 years and this is his 21st year as captain. Follow along as he chronicles the 2022 Bluenose II season. Visit bluenose.novascotia.ca for more information on Bluenose II.