Angus became captain of a ship in 1905 at the age of twenty-four, when many modern young people are still deciding what they want to do for a career.
His first ship was the Minnie M. Cook, and his first voyage was to Puerto Rico in the Caribbean Sea with a load of lumber. Angus enjoyed fast sailing (“carrying sail”) and practiced on the voyage.
It was not long before he owned his own ship, in 1908. He managed this by the common practice of selling shares to raise money. The shareholders would co-own the ship and take profits from his catches. He named the schooner after his sister, the Muriel B. Walters. The ship’s first voyage was under charter (meaning it was hired to deliver cargo).
During the off-season, captains made money by going on voyages carrying freight, items like Prince Edward Island potatoes and produce and Newfoundland herring. Some also took cargos of fish to the West Indies, the main market for Nova Scotia salted fish. Sometimes trips were taken even farther afield.
A share in the Bluenose Schooner Company, formed in 1921