A group in Nova Scotia, wants to keep the Bouny legend alive. The consortium have indicated they intend to build another replica of the famous three masted ship.
The group calls itself, the Tall Ship Bounty Development Project Ltd.
The original Bounty was the subject of an infamous mutiny, led by Fletcher Christian, in the south Pacific in 1789. The original ship was burned on Pitcairn Island in 1790.
In the 1960’s Hollywood wanted to make a feature film of the mutiny starring Marlon Brando. They called upon the expert sailing vessel building skills in east coast Lunenburg, Nova Scotia to create an exact replica. This 1962 Bounty was actually slightly larger to accommodate filming needs, but was enlarged to scale to keep the proportions of the original.
This Bounty was tragically lost off the US coast during Hurricane Sandy in 2012. Fourteen of the crew were rescued by the US Coast Guard, but the captain, Robin Wallbridge was never found, and Claudene Christian a descendent of the master of the original HMS Bounty, was drowned.
Much like the ill-fated Bounty replica, plans would be for the new replica to participate in tall ship events, movies, and as a training vessel and offer a tall-ship experience to handicapped and disadvantaged individuals.
Some important names have joined the consortium to build a new replica. The include custom yacht builder Covey Island Boatworks, which is one of the companies rebuilding Bluenose II, Michele Stevens Sailloft and tall ship block-and-tackle-maker A. Dauphinee & Sons Ltd.
McGowan Marine Design of Annapolis Royal is also committed to the project, and the law firm Boyne Clarke is representing the society.
However, when contacted by reporters, Lunenburg Mayor Rachel Bailey was unaware of the project but said it was a wonderful idea, and that local craftsmen were highly skilled in the old art of wooden shipbuilding..
The consortium website had said earlier that “Lunenburg is one of the only places in the world where wooden sailing vessels are so well built,” but this time around, the vessel will also incorporate modern technology”.
However as yet no official announcement has been made, and the website today was not functioning.
The cost to build such a ship is another question. The Bluenose II schooner project for example is two years behind schedule and over budget. It was originally budgeted at $12.5 million, but costs to date are almost $17 million and expected to rise.
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