World War II Adventures of Canada’s Bluenose, by Andrew Higgins and Jesse Spalding III, published by the West Indies Trading Company, P.O. Box 3353 Newport Beach, CA 92659-8353. $25 plus $5 shipping and handling in the U.S. or $7 in Canada. paperback.

Most Americans and perhaps some Canadians as well are unaware of the story behind the schooner pictured on the reverse side of the Canadian dime. But even in-the-know Canadians have probably never heard the sequel to the ‘old sea story’ about the renowned Bluenose schooner, a sequel that Andrew Higgins and Jesse Spalding III tell in American Adventures of Canada’s Bluenose.

The Bluenose was part of the fishing fleet that worked the Grand Banks, off the coast of Newfoundland, in the 1920s. The trade was highly competitive, and substantial financial rewards awaited the crews of the first boats to complete their catch and return to port. Out of this stiff business competition, which was particularly fierce between American and Canadian fishermen, arose a more sportsmanlike challenge–the International Fisherman’s Cup races. Americans won the first of these races in 1920, inspiring the Canadians to design and build a better and faster boat. The resulting vessel, the Bluenose, went undefeated in subsequent competitions spanning a career of 17 years, and brought both fame and pride to the Canadian fishermen.

After her racing days ended, the Bluenose was sold to two Americans, Jesse Spalding and Thomas Higgins. As far as most Canadians knew, her story ended there. This new book by one of the American co-owners and the other’s son, tells for the first time the story of the amazing second career of the famed racing schooner. During the Second World War, the Bluenose braved U-boat infested waters to carry war supplies along the coasts of North America, the West Indies, and Central and South America. Through personal photos and family papers, the authors reveal a story of adventure involving the likes of the Duke and Duchess of Windsor and Ernest Hemingway, gunfights in the streets of Havana, and run-ins with German submarines.

The unpresumptuous volume, clearly a labour of love by the authors, fills in a previously unknown chapter in the maritime heritage of eastern Canada.

Bruce Heydt

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