More Bluenose II sailings cancelled due to 'delayed steering' problem

The Bluenose II has another problem with its $700,000 custom-built hydraulic steering system, resulting in delayed responses from the rudder.

On Tuesday the crew noticed a problem with the steering. When the wheel was turned, the heavy steel rudder was slow to respond. The ship was able to be brought back to harbour without using the backup steering system, a government official says. 

The custom steering system was designed by Kobelt Manufacturing. A technician from the company is being flown to Halifax from Vancouver to assess and fix the problem.

The technician will arrive tomorrow evening, resulting in more cancelled sailings.

To date, all sailings on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday have been cancelled. In all, about 200 reservations have been cancelled.

Public visits on board the ship are still ongoing while it is docked in harbour.

Tourist Sarah O'Donnell was disappointed she couldn't go out on the ship.

"We are disappointed a little bit because we're Australian and we're only here for a little while, but it's so spectacular here, so full of atmosphere, but, that's what happens at sea," she said.

Paula Roy is from Ottawa and said the crew couldn't give a specific time when the ship will sail.

'It's worth pursuing'

"The timeframe, they tell me on board right now, is very much up in the air as to when they will be sailing again."

Roy says despite the money already spent on Bluenose II, the project can't stop now.

"I think because so much money has been invested on these upgrades, it's worth pursuing it and continuing it until she is seaworthy and 100 per cent reliable," she said.

"She's an excellent ambassador for Nova Scotia and Canada as a whole so I'd like to see her sailing for a long time to come."

Wilson Fitt, one of the current project leaders, said the repairs to the steering system are expected to be covered by Kobelt Manufacturing, not by the province.

A failed bearing in the steering system on July 30 also forced the cancellation of tours.

Earlier this year, Transportation Minister Geoff MacLellan said the hydraulic steering system needed to control the schooner's three-tonne rudder would cost around $700,000 — double what was originally budgeted.