The original Bluenose, launched in 1921 was a Grand Banks fishing schooner that also raced against other fishing boats on the Atlantic coast of North America. Famously, in the final 17 years of its career, Bluenose never lost a race. The original Bluenose was eventually wrecked in the Caribbean in 1946. A replica, the Bluenose II, was launched in 1963 and for many years was a great ambassador for Lunenburg and Nova Scotia drawing many tourists and visitors to the area. Bluenose II was scrapped in 2010 due to "hulling" where the bow and stern of an old wooden boat droop below the centre. Since the Bluenose II was so successful, the authorities decided that another Bluenose needed to be built and that's when things started to go horribly wrong.
Firstly, they decided that the new vessel wouldn't be a replica at all but just a cartoon lookalike. In order to ensure the new vessel lasted a longer time than Bluenose II, it would be built from a heavy hardwood. This then required a larger hull volume in order for it to sit properly in the water. The only parts retained from Bluenose II would be the masts and spars and some of the deck furniture. Bizarrely under the circumstances it was decided not to call it Bluenose III but to retain the Bluenose II name.
Dogged by delays and budget over-runs, the current project has currently cost in excess of $16M and this is not the final total. Compare that to the cost of the Bluenose II of $300,000 which (according to the Bank of Canada inflation calculator) in 2013 prices is equivalent to no more than $2.5M! $2.5M seems to me to be a reasonable ball park figure for a vessel of this size. $16M is clearly outrageous. There have been mutterings about the misappropriation of funds but nothing has yet surfaced officially. Maybe it will once the dust has settled.
The vessel was finally launched in September of 2012 and fitting out began. On November 27th 2012 whilst sitting at the dock, a bilge pump hose was inadvertently left over the side of the vessel. With the pump turned off and no check valve in the line, water siphoned into the bilge for over an hour, flooding the vessel. The individual compartments in the vessel were supposed to be watertight which would have minimised the flooding but significant leakage occurred between all of the compartments indicating both a construction flaw and inadequate testing. To fix the problem, requires many internal fittings (and the engines) to be removed causing more delay and further expense.
The ship was launched without a rudder. The rudder anyway needed to be redesigned and built from metal instead of wood in order to pass certification. As a result of this and to fix the bulkhead problems, the vessel was hauled back onto the slipway where she still sits. This despite recent promises from project management that sea trials would begin before the end of July and that the boat will be handed over to the province in August. Instead it is quite likely that the known problems could result in the vessel being denied certification to carry passengers. It is very unlikely that any sea trials will begin before next spring, if ever.
Perhaps the best thing that can happen now would be a mysterious fire on board the vessel whilst it is out of the water. That way we can get rid of the embarrassment and recoup some of the money through insurance payouts. If then the government decide to try again to build a replica, here are a couple of pointers they might like to consider:
- Build the hull out of fibreglass, not wood. This will make it long lasting, robust and easier and cheaper to build. Let's showcase our up to date shipbuilding skills and not wallow in past skills that have largely disappeared simply because hardly anyone wants wooden boats any more.
- Get a professional project management team in to run the project with accountants to oversee and publicly account for the cost at every stage.
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