Bluenose II is currently anchored in Princes Inlet near the Lunenburg Yacht Club in support of the Mobility Cup. This annual regatta sailed by persons with physical disabilities is in Nova Scotia year. We last attended the event at the Northern Yacht Club in North Sydney. Of course their hospitality was in true Cape Breton style and it was an honour to be a part of. Lunenburg County is holding up their end this year and the welcome has been great!

I was given the honour of speaking at the opening ceremonies this year. It is humbling to be asked to speak in front of a group of sailors who inspire me and so many others. I know they don’t always see it that way or are given platitudes about inspiring others but it is true. We often get caught up in our own lives and our daily struggles and don’t observe others and what it takes for them to get on the water. I spoke with an athlete last evening who books and takes a bus for an hour each way to the facility where she can sail. Another athlete and former Bluenose II crew has been on the water this week and plagued with technical issues. Despite this, the smile on his face while telling his sea yarns and the joy of being on the water and sailing again is infectious.

On Thursday we had the great joy of sailing in Lunenburg Bay with the HMCS Oriole. She has been sailing along the coast of Nova Scotia this summer and showing the flag in a similar program to Bluenose II. The exception is that her crew are professional navy sailors and will benefit immediately and immensely from time spent under sail. Do you know that Bluenose designer William Roué designed a hull like Bluenose for the Canadian Navy? She was built in Meteghan in 1939 with three masts. She served the navy as a training vessel and was decommissioned in May of 1943. Venture, renamed Alfred and Emily, sank after catching fire in 1945. I can not tell you how much I would like to sail the same vessel with three smaller sails instead of our huge 4000 square foot mainsail! Just the sail alone weighs 1000 pounds, the 81-foot Douglas fir boom underneath the sail weighs 3500 pounds. To have a chance to sail with a young crew and less heavy gear would be a treat!

This next week we will continue our public sails and open decks. If you are in Lunenburg for supper please visit our Company Store and then stroll the decks and meet our fine young crew. Or make a day of it and sail with us and visit the Fisheries Museum as well. The chance to visit the schooner Theresa E. Connor should not be missed!