Classic Nova Scotia Plastic – Bluejacket 23

May 10, 2017

When I used to race on Bluenose Class sloops years ago, it was always an education in the evolution of yacht design when we came across a Bluejacket. Roughly the same size and weight as the Bluenose sloops, the Bluejacket could work its way by us on any point of sail and stay drier doing it.

The Bluenose Class sloop (a lovely boat!) was designed by William Roue in the 1940s and the Bluejacket 23, by C&C in the late 60s, when fin keels and spade rudders were the newest thing.

The Bluejacket 23s were built by PaceshipYachts in Mahone Bay from 1967 until the 1970s. Their fin keel and spade rudder design weighed in at 2,000 pounds. The boats were available as a daysailer and as a MORC version. The MORC boat was modified to meet the requirements of the Midget Ocean Racing Club rules, with positive flotation, and small enclosed cuddy and a self-bailing cockpit.

Even 50 years after they were designed and built, the Bluejacket 23makes a very attractive daysailer with its roomy cockpit, stability and good sailing qualities. Today a Bluejacket can be purchased for a very modest price and is a wonderful way to get into keelboat sailing or a great boat for someone looking to slow down and simplify. A few other boats were built in Ontario to the same basic design, including the Classic 22 and the Viking 22.

Paceship Yachts was the only volume production boat builder Nova Scotia and we hope to have a brief history of the company in an upcoming newsletter Bluejacket, courtesy of John Meisner
-GC

Pursuit S268 Sport CC

By Andy Adams

The Pursuit S 268 Sport centre console is a do-it-all kind of boat with a solid sense of style. Centre console designs have been developed for the southern blue water sport fishing enthusiasts (and this boat would raise fish with the best of them) but the Pursuit S 268 Sport centre console offers far more utility and enjoyment than just fishing.

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Destinations

Bayfield Marine Turns 40 with Big April Events

*(l to r) Holly, Adam, Pat, Ron, Shelley*

Ron and Pat Reder started out in October 1984 across the road from where they are right now on the Bayfield River in Bayfield ON. The store front was about 10 x 20 and the rest of that side of the building was a stock room, wood finishing room, then behind that was more back stock and the lunchroom. Expanding every few years for the store front, then moving over to this new building five years ago, this year with Adam, Shelley, and Holly are carrying on the business.

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