Bluenose II sailing cancelled due to steering problems

The Bluenose II cancelled its morning sailing today as crews try to fix a problem with the steering system.

The problem lies with the bearings in a component of the steering, Brian Taylor, spokesman for the Department of Transportation, said Thursday morning.

Wilson Fitt, project leader on the refit of Bluenose II, said the captain noticed a noisy steering wheel on Wednesday. The people who installed it took out the helm pump last night, took it apart at the shop, and discovered a failed bearing.

A replacement part was flown in overnight and was being installed Thursday.

"It'll be all back together again today. One of the issues with hydraulic systems is [if] the slightest bit of grit or metal filings gets into the system, it can cause damage in other components," he said Thursday afternoon.

Fitt said barring "a really unpleasant surprise" it will be back in service by the end of Friday.

He didn't know the cost of the repair, but said "it won't be an enormous amount of money."

"This is a one-time failure," he said.

Sailing ambassador rocked by troubles

Nova Scotia's sailing ambassador has been rockedby troubles during a multi-year, multi-million dollar refit. The restored vessel started its summer tour schedule on July 19.

"We can now say with confidence that the Bluenose II will be back as Nova Scotia's sailing ambassador this summer," Transportation Minister Geoff MacLellan said at the time.

In 2009, when the project was announced, the project's budget was set at $14.4 million. It has since grown to over $20 million.

The ship'swebsitesays it will be sailingJuly 19 to July31, Aug.20 to Aug.30 and Sept. 13 to Sept.30. It's due to travel to Sydney, Pictou, Port Hawkesbury, Shelburne, Yarmouth and Digby over the course of the summer.