Bluenose II captain celebrating 25 years of steering historic ship

Bluenose II captain Phil Watson is pictured. (Source: Phil Watson)

Phil Watson has been captain of the Bluenose II for 25 years. How did he do it?

“You sit there and refuse to leave,” he said with a laugh.

Watson is preparing for another busy season on the historic ship that will take him around Nova Scotia and into its many harbours this summer.

“We’re in the middle of the spring refit,” Watson said. “The crew is here with the mates and they’re living onboard. We’ll do that for two months.

“We lay hands on everything from the waterline to the top of the mast. It’s all gone over.”

Watson’s history with the Bluenose II stretches back to 1987 when he was offered the chance to be a deckhand on the vessel. He stuck with the ship, earning new roles until he was appointed captain in 2001.

“I was told I had the Canadian equivalent of driving the Statue of Liberty around,” he said. “It’s a pointed reminder you’re driving a Canadian icon.”

The Bluenose II was launched in 1963, 17 years after the original Bluenose struck a reef in Haiti. The ship was gifted to the Nova Scotia government in 1971, serving as a sailing ambassador for the province.

Watson is responsible for ensuring the vessel continues to act as an ambassador, bringing it to docks and wharves up and down the Nova Scotia coast.

“Every summer is different and that’s the incredible thing,” he said. “We prefer a harbour with a wharf, but we can go in a harbour and just anchor.

“We hear all kinds of stories from people. We get to go places that people don’t always get a chance to go to. When we sail into Lunenburg harbour, it takes you back to when it was a way of life.”

Every year, Watson welcomes a new crew aboard the Bluenose II, teaching them how to scrub the deck, get into a life raft and more.

“We put the ship through its paces,” he said. “Workwise, it’s seven days a week for six-and-a-half months. It’s relentless.

“There’s so much good about it. We love the ship and what we do.”

As he marks a quarter century with the Bluenose II, Watson said he’s in no hurry to step away from the steering wheel.

“I’ve got a while left yet,” he said. “I’m not rushing to the end.”

Watson will be discussing his time with the Bluenose II at the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic in Halifax on Tuesday from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Admission is free.

For more Nova Scotia news, visit our dedicated provincial page