“Bluenose” ~ 1921

15 x 10 inches, signed by the artist, signature edition.

Little did anyone know when she glided down the ways, that she was very Possibly the fastest and most beautiful saltbanker to ever sail in the North Atlantic fleet. Designed by W. J. Roue, the legendary Bluenose was launched from the Smith and Rhuland shipyards at Lunenburg, Nova Scotia in March 1921. She was 143 feet in length, with a beam of 27 feet and a depth at the main hatch of 11 feet, 6 inches. She carried over 10,000 feet of sail.

Throughout her long and distinguished career Bluenose sailed to the Banks as a fisherman, carried cargo to the West Indies and raced in American and Canadian waters. Under the command of Captain Angus Walters, Bluenose was the five-time Winner of the International Fishermen’s Races. She lost only once to the Gertrude L.Thebaud in an exhibition race in 1930.

Along with Gertrude L. Thebaud, the Bluenose voyaged to Chicago in 1933 as one of the main attractions at the World’s Fair.

In 1935, she was invited to England to take part in the Silver Jubilee celebration of the coronation of HRH King George V and HRH Queen Mary. The Bluenose received from King George a new, lighter mainsail from the royal yacht Britannia.

Her end came tragically, when on 29 January 1946 Bluenose ran upon a reef off the West Indies island of Hispaniola and was totally wrecked.

The painting shows the Bluenose pushing the wind in most splendid form. With a Gloucester fishing schooner closing ground, she is shaping her course around the last buoy to a superb finish. The grace of this fleet-winged Lunenburg fishing schooner has never been surpassed.

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