When returning across the Atlantic between Bermuda and the Azores with the leg almost finished, I was awakened from a light nap one afternoon, by the ship’s cat ’Skunky’. He jumped down onto me in my quarter berth, looking rather like a hedgehog with his hair standing on end, very frightened.
I immediately jumped out of my berth, out through the hatch into the cockpit, to see what had frightened him. Thinking, that it might be a big ship about to run us down, a perpetual fear lurking in the minds of all single-handed sailors.
Luckily there were no ship’s about, but I was just in time to see the massive tail fin of a whale, as it slipped back into the ocean after blowing! There were two whales I realised looking at the churned-up surface of the sea. Releasing the self-steering gear, I turned my little 22 ft. boat to starboard 30 degrees, roughly in the same direction as their track. Hoping I might see them again, even though the whale I had seen, looked more than twice the size of my boat!
Reaching down through the hatch for binoculars, after a few anxious moments about 300/400 yards away they came to surface again, two big Humpbacks. Their third appearance was difficult to see well, but I felt very grateful to my cat, that I’d seen them at all!
‘Skunky’ himself, didn’t appear to share my pleasure, putting himself to bed and not emerging again for a couple of days, until we had made landfall on the high mountain of Pico.
He normally spent all calm weather days on deck, watching the birds, fish and dolphins which particularly excited him. Poor fellow must have been bricking it, when he first saw two massive cetaceans surfacing close to the boat.
The next day we were anchored in the harbour at Horta. After dealing with the formality’s immigration, customs etc. and while having a beer at Café Sport, I heard that the two whales had been spotted close to Pico.
Having read that the Azorean’s still hunted whales traditionally in boats powered by oars, I crossed to the island of Pico by ferry the next day, hoping to see this unique spectacle. Although no fan of whale hunting, it would be a sight that wouldn’t happen for much longer (indeed it doesn’t exist now anywhere in the world).
Along with several other yachtsmen from Horta I watched from aboard a small fishing boat, as two long whalers rowed out from the shore, to hunt for the Humpbacks. Each whaler a beautiful wooden double ended skiff about 30 ft. long, with nine men from Pico manning each boat, eight rowing and the boat captain steering.
One of the humpbacks was finally spotted and the two boats gave chase. When the first boat got close, the steersman ran forward grabbed the harpoon throwing it at the whale. Nothing seemed to happen for a second or so then the whale’s tail fin caught the whaler smashing some of the oars and capsizing the boat, dumping the crew in the water.
I realised then, this was a dicey way, of hunting whales. The second boat gave chase and eventually hit the target with the whale disappearing under the surface. A massive amount of thin line on the harpoon disappeared out of the boat very quickly, then whale boat started moving rapidly, towed by the whale. This lasted a considerable period and distance, until finally the whale surfaced exhausted. Finally, being dispatched, then towed into the shore and winched up. Where a rather bloody flensing process began.
It was not I sight I’d like to see again, but the duel between man and whale, was much more equal than the modern harpoon gun.
Later, I heard that that they’d killed the second whale, and a few days after that the Pico islanders rowed their boats over to Horta to celebrate and recount their tales of daring, they were easy enough to recognise, being the largest men to be seen in town.
Their tradition, dating from the days, when the whaling provided much needed wealth for the islands. Horta, itself had been a base for the American whaling fleet (see photograph) less than 100 years ago, but has turned now to a popular stopping place for long distance cruising yachtsmen There was still a wonderful scrimshaw artist at a work on Faial then, but I didn’t have the heart, to buy any of his work having been so thrilled to see the two humpbacks in the open ocean.
The Azores have become a centre for whale watching, when I visited more recently, a far healthier spot for those magnificent mammoth creatures.
‘Skunky’ himself had kept a good lookout!
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