The Bluenose

During our stay in Nova Scotia we took a drive out to Mahone Bay and Lunenburg, both small fishing towns that are beautifully picturesque.

Mahone Bay

Lunenburg

However, Lunenburg is more than just a pretty fishing village, its claim to fame is that it is home to the Bluenose (the sail boat on the Canadian dime since 1937). Actually, the original Bluenose, the one on the dime, is long gone but many of the same builders worked to build Bluenose II which now docks in Lunenburg. We were under the impression that it was not in port but we ended up being very lucky. Whether it was gone for the day or just returning from a trip we don't know but our timing was perfect as we actually got to see it come into the harbor.

I won't bore you with Bluenose II facts but it is a fascinating boat that held the record for a long time of having the world's largest working mainsail measuring over 4,100 square feet. For those of you interested some other facts are shown below.