Arushi A.

The Bluenose: A Voyage of The Past

Arushi A.
Cape Breton Victoria Regional
Sydney, NS

The Bluenose was designed by William J. Rouè on March 6th 1921 and built by Smith and Rhuland Shipyard on March 26th 1921. Captain Angus J. Walters decided to participate in races. The Bluenose started racing in 1921 and participated in many races. There was The Canadian Elimination Race in 1921, and then the next year against Henry S. Ford in 1922, then against Colombia in 1923, against Haligonian in 1925, against Gertrude Thebaud in 1930, against Gertrude Thebaud again in 1931, and against Gertrude Thebaud in 1938. The Bluenose was sold to the West Indies Trading Company in 1942. It sank in 1946. A model of Bluenose was built in 1963 called Bluenose 2 and works as a sailing ambassador and is used for tourism to this day. My final response to my inquiry question was: “ That boat on the Canadian dime that you see everyday, everywhere is a reminder of the excellence in fishing and shipbuilding industries all across Nova Scotia, and the strength of Canadian seamen.

What sources and evidence did you consult for your project? What different perspectives did they provide on your topic?

Some sources that I used were a book that I got from the library and a site about Bluenose from the Nova Scotia Archives. The book is called Sailing for Glory: The Story of Captain Angus Walters and the Bluenose. The different perspectives that they gave me was that the book gave me all of the explanations with all of the facts about captain Angus J. Walters’s life with the Bluenose (like the kinds of races that they participated in). The other perspective from Nova Scotia Archives gave me all of 

the detailed information with all of the ideas about Bluenose (like descriptions about what Bluenose was made out of). I collected some recent and some old articles on the stories of Bluenose from the archive. 

What is the historical significance of your topic?

Even 100 years after Blunose’s first race, there were big celebrations in Canada and even then, people celebrated Bluenose because of its fame and importance. Lots of newspaper articles were published that day and commemorative and circulative coins and stamps were made. Bluenose inspired many marine architects to build better, faster, and stronger ships. 

Why did you choose this topic? 

I chose this topic because it symbolizes so many Canadian things, especially the Canadian dime. I think that it is important for people to know about all of the obstacles that Bluenose went through to reach its fame and how important it is to Nova Scotia.