Be a deckhand for a day on Bluenose II

For the first time, the Bluenose II is offering the experience of being a deckhand for the day.

Lucky landlubbers can sign up to help crew Nova Scotia's sailing ambassador on an eight-hour cruise of the islands of Mahone Bay.

A chance to swab the decks or take a turn at the wheel of the storied schooner comes at a cost of $495.

While the price tag may faze some sailing aficionados, it didn't stop David Carnes for a second.

"It's once in a lifetime," he said.

Carnes was the first person to buy a ticket, getting the jump on his friend David Malby, who was second to sign up.

The two travelled from Ontario to Nova Scotia this week — Carnes with his wife Loretta — for the chance to be a deckhand aboard the Bluenose II.

They set out on a sold-out sail Thursday morning.

'It's the call of the sea'

Carnes says his parents sailed aboard the Bluenose II and it's always been a dream of his too.

He was in Lunenburg four years ago when the schooner was being built.

"[I] got a tour then and had to come back and sail her," he said. "It's the call of the sea."

Taking the helm

Malby says he's been enchanted with the Bluenose and Bluenose II since he was 15-years-old.

He watched them lay the keel for the new hull and flew back for the relaunch.

He's looking forward to taking the steering wheel from the hands of the schooner's captain.

"He's going to have to pry my fingers off that helm to get me away from it," Malby said. "It will be absolutely awesome."

Sailing the Bluenose II isn't a breeze

At sea, Bluenose II operates 24 hours a day based on four-hour watches.

And being a deckhand is hard work on any day.

"They're the muscle of the ship," said Bluenose II Captain Phil Watson.

He started out as deckhand in 1987, and still remembers the people he sailed with back then.

The Bluenose II now has 12 deckhands recruited from around the province and across Canada.

Swab the decks, shine the brass

Newbie deckhands who pay to get a taste of what the crew does for the day will be expected to attend morning muster at 8 a.m.

They will be given a safety orientation and a brief talk about the history of the Bluenose.

Once on board, tasks could include swabbing the decks, shining the brass, keeping look-out, taking a turn at the wheel, handling the sails, and helping to properly anchor the 300-tonne schooner.

Lunch will be held in a traditional fo'c'sle below the decks.

10 deckhands per day

"Hopefully we can give them a great day, have great weather, have some great sailing," said Alan Creaser, acting director of operations of Bluenose II.

"The whole day on board the ship is probably priceles."

Two hour harbour cruises on the Bluenose II, which run $52 for adults and $32 for children, are mostly sold out until the end of August.

There are a few spots left to be a deckhand for a day for two more dates this summer: July 31 and September 4. You can sign up online. Sails are from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The Bluenose II will take up to 10 new deckhands per day trip.