Bluenose II - arrival armada

 This year marks the 100th anniversary of the launch of the original schooner Bluenose. To commemorate the event the controversial, and much rebuilt (but still beloved) replica Bluenose II will be touring Atlantic Canada. It will not be spending much time in Halifax, with today's visit to an anchorage off Bedford as its only Halifax call. Due to COVID restrictions imposed earlier in the year all sail tours were cancelled, although there will be "open deck" at some port calls. See the 2021 schedule here

The Bluenose II's arrival in Halifax today was a foggy drizzly affair, but there were some spectators on the waterfront. The more interesting aspect, at least to me, was the flotilla of harbour craft on hand to greet the schooner.

Scotia Pilot, inbound from an assignment joined the party.

HMCS Oriole went out earlier in the morning to greet the arrival.

YDT 325 Defender is a Canadian navy "Cutter, Area Command" a 32 footer built by ABCO as a patrol and workboat, and works under the Fleet Diving Unit Atlantic.

The harbour tug Atlantic Oak also went out to great Bluenose II and accompany it inbound.

Dominion Enforcer is one of the two new tugs built in the Netherlands for Dominion Diving Ltd.

Sister tug Dominion Rumbler  also joined the party.

Ocean Seeker owned by Kraken Robotics, and based at the C.O.V.E. in Dartmouth has been conducting seabed mapping in the area in recent weeks. It is the former RCMP Murray.

Alutasi is Canada's first hybrid diesel / battery - electric powered 12 plus passenger boat. The former Peggy's Cove Express has been retrofitted with lithium-ion batteries and now carries out some of its fishing tours using slow speed (and quiet) electric power.

Carrying the identifier 1C-2870 this RHIB is operates as a private patrol boat by Sma'knis Maritime Safety + Security Inc, based at the C.O.V.E. in Dartmouth.

Local  builders Rosborough Boats turns out a wide variety of craft (such as the RHIB in previous photo). This twin hull centre console is a new type to me. Outboard motors, as they increase in power for small size,  are becoming more popular as a means of propulsion where inboard used to be the norm.

The Coast Guard lifeboat Hare Bay was part of the flotilla. Delivered by Chantier Naval Forillon in Gaspe in May, the boat is temporarily assigned to Sambro while the local boat is in refit. Hare Bay will be assigned to Bonavista Bay, Newfoundland and Labrador.

CCGS Ann Harvey returning from SAR East patrol brought an end to the escorts. On loan from the Newfoundland region while Halifax based boats are in refit or are reassigned, it has now been joined by the George R. Pearkes also from Newfoundland.

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Non-commercial traffic

 While Shipfax tends on focus on the commercial aspects of Halifax harbour traffic, there were two ships of significance in Halifax July 2, that were not essentially commercial in nature.

Refueling at Irving Oil Woodside, the German research vessel Maria S. Merian was catching a break after few weeks of work off Nova Scotia.

Financed by the German government and operated under the direction of the German Research Fleet Coordination Centre, Hamburg, by the well known commercial operators Briese Schiffahrts, the ship is used as a platform by many researcher organizations. It will be spending the summer off Canada, but periodically returning to Emden. It has bunker stops scheduled for St.John's August 1 and Halifax October 18.

Built by Maritim Shipyard in Gdansk, Poland and completed in Germany in 2006, the 5573 gt ship is one of three ships of its class.

Another non-commercial arrival today is CCGS Ann Harvey. Although based in St.John's, Newfoundland, the ship sometimes works in Nova Scotia for Search and Rescue patrols and  Navaids work when Nova Scotia ships go to Newfoundland. Such is the case as the Halifax based CCGS Earl Grey is working in the Northern Peninsula area of Newfoundland.

CCGS Ann Harvey passes its "birthplace" in bound to the Bedford Institute on a drizzly morning.

The ship was built at Halifax Shipyard in 1987, the last of the Martha L.Black class of light icebreaker. Following a serious grounding in 2015, the ship was extensively rebuilt as a Vessel Life Extension project by Newdock in St.John's. It has the classic profile with its cargo boom mounted and controlled from the superstructure.

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