LSA Sponsors 2012 Antigua Classic Yacht Regatta, Concours d'Elégance

NEW! The Lunenburg Shipyard Alliance is proud, once again, to be the sponsor of the Concours d'Elégance. The wealth of maritime skills and traditions of Nova Scotia, especially the Lunenburg area, makes LSA a perfect partner to sponsor this part of the Regatta.

The medallion was sculpted by talented local Antiguan artist, Scrim (aka Michael Stralkowski) and using a newly developed lost wax technique Laura at LIFE successfully created the mould for the solar furnace casting. Each medallion is stamped with the date of pour and mounted on a piece of Iroko used in the building of Bluenose II's frames. They look amazing! We'll post a picture of the finished award after the Classic's.

Below is a sample of Lance Rowley's photography of the castings.

2012 Antigua Programme

Click the lower right-hand corner to flip through the pages of the program below and take a look at the the world class events that grace the shores of Antigua, April 19-24, 2012. Don't forget to check out pages 4, 13 and 32.

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Making every piece count

Woodworker Jason Cullen making the most of restoration remnants

Artist Jason Cullen, of One Stop Wood Shop, has been tasked to create unique and amazing pieces of beautiful and practical art from remnants of the restoration of Bluenose II. For more information about what Mr. Cullen has been able to create from wood left over during the restoration of Bluenose II, click here.

Flashback - Bluenose II in New York, 1974

TORO Magazine featured an image of Bluenose II in New York, amid fog, in 1974.

The image, seen below, was reproduced on May 10, 2011, by New York Times/TORO Magazine online, along with a caption referring to the iconic original Bluenose, the Bluenose II and the current restoration project.

Bluenose II in New York Harbour, circa 1974.

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Legacy - rebuilt, refurbished

But is it still the Bluenose?

MAY 13, 2011 - AS PUBLISHED IN THE GLOBE AND MAIL

BY Oliver Moore

Above the hubbub of excited schoolchildren rises one voice: “Whoa, this is awesome.”

The visiting boy and his classmates, each wearing a little hard hat and safety glasses, are awestruck at the wooden behemoth towering over them. Plank by plank, spike by spike, a hand-built new version of the legendary schooner Bluenose is taking shape on the harbourfront of this historic fishing community.

Thousands have come to enjoy the sweet smell of cut wood, revel in the romance of classic boat-building and see history in the making.

But the project has also raised eyebrows since it became known that much of Bluenose II was scrapped last fall. Some of the old material will be available for souvenirs, but little of it is being incorporated into the new project.

Given that, the decision to retain the name Bluenose II is generating debate about the difference between a restoration, a copy and a next-generation ship. Critics say this is really Bluenose III – or at least, according to wags, Bluenose 2.5.

But the province says that Transport Canada has determined the ship will carry on the name Bluenose II and keep the same hull-registration number.

“There’s no question that it is Bluenose II that will be returning to sailing,” said Michael Noonan, spokesman for the Nova Scotia’s Department of Communities, Culture and Heritage.

The previous versions of this ship occupy a key part of local and national history. The original Bluenose, a working fishing schooner and unbeaten ocean racer featured on the Canadian dime, sank decades ago. Another version was launched in 1963 as a promotion by the beer company Olands and later sold to Nova Scotia.

The aging Bluenose II eventually developed a problem known as hogging – when the bow and stern droop. The provincial and federal governments came together for this $14.8-million project, with most of that being borne by Nova Scotia.

“She’s very important to the province,” said shipwright Ralph Anderson, who worked on Bluenose II and its latest reincarnation. “I took a lot of pride in the old one and I’ll take a lot of pride in this one.”

CONTINUED HERE

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Garboard plank installed

New phase of Bluenose II restoration begins

MAY 9, 2011 - AS REPORTED AT WWW.CBC.CA

The restoration of Nova Scotia's most famous sailing ship will enter a new phase of construction Monday.

Lunenburg Shipyard Alliance workers restoring Bluenose II will lay the garboard plank, the board closest to the keel on the outside of the hull.

"It's a significant step in the construction of any boat to have that plank attached," said Michael Noonan, spokesman for the Nova Scotia Department of Tourism, Culture and Heritage.

The vessel is a replica of the famous fishing schooner depicted on the Canadian dime. The original Bluenose was launched in Lunenburg in March 1921 and won sailing races throughout the 1920s and 1930s. It was sold and eventually wrecked.

Nova Scotia owns the Bluenose II, which is used to promote tourism and trade in the province.

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Farfarer arrives

Frank Blair's schooner docked in Antigua awaiting the chance to race

APRIL 14, 2011

FALMOUTH HARBOUR, ANTIGUA -- At noon on today, the Covey Island Boatworks-built Farfarer was docked at the Antigua Yacht Club Marina in Falmouth Harbour, Antigua.

According to Captain Frank Blair's blog, the schooner was in the vicinity overnight but elected to wait for fuel and daylight before proceeding into the harbour.

"We arrived off of Falmouth at about Midnight last night. As tempting as it was, the thought of entering this very crowded harbor at night, anchoring for the first time in Farfarer, with no engines, just didn’t seem like a great idea. So we behaved like Nelson when he was here and tacked back and forth between Antigua and Montserrat (volcano burping away), watching for smugglers."

At about 9a.m. on Thursday morning, Al Hutchinson of the Lunenburg Shipyard Alliance came out in a borrowed outboard with 20 gallons of diesel.

"We picked up the fuel, filled up, purged the engines, dropped the sails and motored in to find our snug place along the dock," Capt. Blair reported.

Farfarer was subsequently registered with the race committee, having cleared customs, and her crew was ready to relax until tomorrow’s race.

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Antigua underway

Single-handed race and Concours d'Elegance kick off the 2011 Antigua Yacht Regatta

APRIL 14, 2011

 FALMOUTH HARBOUR, ANTIGUA -- As the registration desk closed last evening the committee confirmed that this year's regatta is the largest ever, and, with more than 65 entries, the Antigua Classic Yacht Regatta is officially the biggest regatta of its kind in the Caribbean.

Hosted by the Antigua Yacht Club, the regatta is the first of nine classic-yacht regattas sponsored worldwide by Panerai as the Panerai Classic Yachts Challenge.

The judges of the prized Concours d'Elegance competition had a tough job and some agonizing decisions to make while assessing the overall condition, effort made by crew and owners, and provenance of the 21 yachts competing for this much prized honour.

The judge's job was made even harder this year under the overcast conditions and passing showers whilst the proud owners and crew stood by with shammies to hand in the event of any rain spots marring the sparkling brightwork.

The overall winner -- the beautiful, Latifa -- was finally chosen and announced at the trophy presentation party, held on the Antigua Yacht Club lawn and kindly sponsored by the Lunenburg Shipyard Alliance.

Following the judging of the Concours d'Elegance, the 24 competitors entered in the 12th annual single-handed race left the dock for a 2 p.m. start this afternoon to race around a 12-mile course off Falmouth Harbour. The single-handed race features two classes: Large Classics (over 45 feet) and Small Classics (45 feet and under).

Each yacht is skippered by one sailor, with a second person on board to help only in the event of an emergency. The largest to leave the dock under cloudy skies and in light winds was the 109' staysail schooner, Kairos.

The winner of this competition will be announced Friday evening, following the first of the four races in the Antigua Classic Yacht Regatta schedule.