Bluenose 1:65 Scale (BB576)

Billing Boats Bluenose 1:65 Scale kit is a faithful replica of the original ship. The kit contains all of the wood and fittings you will need as well as instructions and diagrams. While this kit is one of the companies less complicated builds, we highly recommend looking at the instructions and diagrams here and here prior to purchasing the kit as many find the instructions to be similar to IKEA’s and not easy to read.

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.

After a season fishing on the Grand Banks of Newfoundland under the command of Angus Walters, Bluenose set out to take part in her first International Fisherman’s Cup. The International Fisherman’s Cup was awarded to the fastest fishing schooner that worked in the North Atlantic deep sea fishing industry. The fastest schooner had to win two out of three races in order to claim the trophy. The Canadian elimination race to determine who would represent Canada in the 1921 International Fishermen’s Trophy race off Halifax, Nova Scotia took place in early October. A best two-out-of-three competition, Bluenose won the first two races easily. Bluenose then defeated the American challenger Elsie, for the International Fishermen’s Trophy, returning it to Nova Scotia in October 1921. The following year, Bluenose defeated the American challenger Henry S. Ford, this time in American waters off Gloucester. Henry S. Ford had been constructed in 1921 based on a design intended to defeat Bluenose.

In 1923, Bluenose faced Columbia, another American yacht newly designed and constructed to defeat the Canadian schooner. The International Fishermen’s Trophy race was held off Halifax in 1923 and new rules were put in place preventing ships from passing marker buoys to landward. During the first race, the two schooners duelled inshore, the rigging of the vessels coming together. However, Bluenose won the first race. During the second race, Bluenose broke the new rule and was declared to have lost the race. Angus Walters protested the decision and demanded that no vessel be declared winner. The judging committee rejected his protest, which led Walters to remove Bluenose from the competition. The committee declared the competition a tie, and the two vessels shared the prize money and the title. The anger over the events led to an eight-year hiatus in the race.

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