Did you know that Nantucket was the inspiration for the novel Moby Dick? During the 1700’s to mid 1830’s, Nantucket was the Whaling Capital of the World. The most prized catch was the sperm whale, which was very large and difficult to harpoon. It had blubber far superior to that of other whales, providing a bright and clean-burning light. Its head contained a vast reservoir of even better oil, called spermaceti (which resembles seminal fluid, hence the name). Spermaceti was used in ointments, cosmetic creams and fine quality candles.
The International Whaling Commission placed a moratorium on commercial whaling in 1986. Prior to whaling, there were about 1 million sperm whales. Today, there are approximately 300,000…and the population is slowly increasing.
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- Going on the whale, as they said.
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- Diving from the ceiling—mouth open, teeth menacing—is the skeleton of a 46-foot male sperm whale. It died in 1998 after floundering for two days in the surf, much to the dismay of the heartbroken community.
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- Scrimshaw is engravings, and carvings done in bone or ivory. Typically it refers to the artwork created by whalers, engraved on whale’s teeth.
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- Mike getting a closer look at the Scrimshaw artwork.
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- Early tries at life preservers – made of cork.
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- Longfellow said it best.
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- Doing my part…at the Sankaty Head Lighthouse.
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- Enjoying the sunshine, New England style!
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- Elliott and Simon putting a little pizzaz into the daily bike route briefing.
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- Our trusty e-bikes did a fine job on this trip!
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- The boys went out for a swim, so I helped them with a little editing.
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- There once was a gal from Nantucket. Drove her car on the sand and then stuck it! Despite holler and shout, the car wouldn’t come out. So she finally said, “Just forget about it”!
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