Bluenose (AM1447) Length 19-1/2″/ Height 17″ / Scale 1:100

The Bluenose was a fishing and racing gaff rig schooner built in 1921 in Nova Scotia, Canada. A celebrated racing ship and fishing vessel, Bluenose under the command of Angus Walters, became a provincial icon for Nova Scotia and an important Canadian symbol in the 1930s, serving as a working vessel until she was wrecked in 1946. Nicknamed the “Queen of the North Atlantic”, she was later commemorated by a replica, Bluenose II, built in 1963. The name Bluenose originated as a nickname for Nova Scotians from as early as the late 18th century.

She was constructed by Smith and Rhuland in Lunenburg, Nova Scotia. The schooner’s keel was laid in 1920. The Governor General the Duke of Devonshire drove a golden spike into the timber during the keel-laying ceremony. She was launched on 26 March 1921, and christened by Audrey Smith, daughter of the shipbuilding Richard Smith. She was built to be a racing ship and fishing vessel, in response to the defeat of the Nova Scotian fishing schooner Delawana by the Gloucester, Massachusetts fishing schooner Esperanto in 1920, in a race sponsored by the Halifax Herald newspaper.

The ship was completed in April 1921 and performed her sea trials out of Lunenburg. On 15 April, the schooner departed to fish for the first time. Bluenose, being a Lunenburg schooner, used the dory trawl method. Lunenburg schooners carried eight dories, each manned by two members of the crew, called dorymen. From the dories, lines of strong twine up to 2.5 kilometres (1.6 mi) long which had 0.91-metre (3 ft) lines with hooks on the end spaced every 3 metres (9.8 ft) were released, supported at either end by buoys which acted as markers. The dorymen would haul in the catch and then return to the ship. This was done up to four times a day. The fishing season stretched from April to September and schooners stayed up to eight weeks at a time or until their holds were full.

Her captain and part owner for most of her fishing and racing career was Angus Walters. As Walters only had master’s papers for home waters, Bluenose in some international races was sometimes under the command of the deepsea Lunenburg captain George Myra until the schooner reached the racing port. The crew of Bluenose during her fishing career were mostly from Lunenburg but also included several Newfoundlanders.[16] Crew were paid either by the size of the catch when they returned to port or some took a share in the vessel, known as a “sixty-fourth”.

Amati’s plank on bulkhead kit uses laser cut basswood for keel, stern reinforcements, hull supports and other components. Thin flexible basswood strips are used for hull and deck planking. Trim pieces are beautiful dark walnut. Fittings consist of true-to-scale Britannia metal, brass and hardwood parts. Two diameters of rigging line, cotton sailcloth and colorful Canadian flag. Detailed plans and step-by-step illustrated instruction manual from start to finish.