Teri-Lynn Janveau - Sailing for Glory. The Story of Captain Angus Walters and the Bluenose

Sailing for Glory

The Story of
Angus Walters

The Story of Angus Walters

by

Teri-Lynn Janveau
and Allister Thompson

Illustrations by Samantha Thompson

Napoleon Publishing

Text copyright 2006 Teri-Lynn Janveau and Allister Thompson

Illustrations copyright 2006 Samantha Thompson

All rights in this book are reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying or otherwise, without the prior written consent of the publisher.

Napoleon Publishing acknowledges the support of the Canada Council for our publishing program.

Printed in Canada

10 09 08 07 06 5 4 3 2 1

Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication

Janveau, Teri-Lynn, 1974

Sailing for glory : the story of Captain Angus Walters and the Bluenose / Teri-Lynn Janveau, Allister Thompson.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN 1-894917-09-X

1. Walters, Angus, 1882-1968--Juvenile literature. 2. Ship captains--Nova Scotia--Biography--Juvenile literature. 3. Bluenose (Ship)--History--Juvenile literature. I. Thompson, Allister, 1974- II. Title.

VK140.W25J35 2006 j387.5092 C2006-905613-7

Whenever you look at a Canadian dime, you see an exciting piece of history. A sailing ship called a schooner flies across the water with its sails full of strong ocean winds. In 1937, the government of Canada commemorated the deeds of this famous ship and its legendary captain on this coin, and the image is still in use today.

From 1921 to 1938, Captain Angus Walters of Lunenburg, Nova Scotia, guided Bluenose to victory in five international sailing races, going undefeated for an incredible seventeen years. The story of Angus Walters and his ship is in many ways the story of every fisherman on the shores of Atlantic Canada, where many men made their living on the ocean, fishing on the shallow banks in rough and fair weather. It was a hard and dangerous life, but one of pride and dignity as well.

A sense of pride was what the achievements of Angus Walters and Bluenose gave to their province, and to all Canadians, as they brought glory to their country.

Lunenburg was, and still is, one of the largest and most beautiful communities on Nova Scotias South Shore. It is located about ninety-two kilometres south of Halifax, the capital and largest city of Nova Scotia. The town was settled by Germans, Swiss and a few French people. It was named after the Duke of Braunschweig-Lneburg, who became king of England in 1727. The royal family of England has German origins. Settlers were promised free land if they would come over to the New World.

All kinds of people could be found passing through the town, from places like France, Scandinavia and Newfoundland, which would not become part of Canada until 1949.

The town was prosperous, and from the beginning, much of its industry was focussed on fishing and shipbuilding. Lunenburg was probably the most prominent fishing community in the province, and it spawned many generations of hard-working sailors and captains.

Legend has it that the name was used for Maritimers because of blue-coloured potatoes which were shipped to the United States in the eighteenth century. Another suggested origin is that it described the colour of Nova Scotians noses in winter!

The main street of Lunenburg around the turn of the twentieth century

There were many jobs that had to be performed to make the fishing industry run properly. Shipwrights worked on building the fishing boats, blacksmiths made the hooks, gaffs (a free-swinging spar, or pole, attached to the top of the sail), spikes and iron fittings. Coopers made barrels for salt, water and the ships other supplies. Sail makers made the sails, and rope makers wove ropes for the ships.

The women of the community prepared foods for the long voyages, which had to be specially dried to last. They also knitted sweaters and mittens for protection against the powerful, freezing North Atlantic winds. They tended vegetable gardens and ran inns and boarding houses for fishermen visiting from other places.

Fishing was the focus of life in Lunenburg. From April to September every year, the boats went out to provide a livelihood for the community.

During the fishing season, schooners would go to the fishing banks, staying up to eight weeks at one time, or until their holds were full of cleaned and salted cod.

Captains looking for crews went to the bars (grog shops) to recruit sailors. They might try to lure sailors to sign up with them by getting them drunk and impairing their judgment. In the same way, in England, press gangs were sent out to capture unlucky men and force them to join the navy.

The Lunenburg fishing fleet at the docks