Whaling Remnants

Pardon me for shouting, but I was only trying to get your attention. Occasionally I wonder whether anyone is reading this as I send my pointless ramblings into the bottomless void otherwise known as the internet. It doesn't really matter... I'll still be at the bottom of the stairs, screaming.

Talking about bottoms... a shipwreck was discovered on the bottom of the sea, 600 miles off the coast of Hawaii. The ship was a whaler named Two Brothers and just happened to be captained by George Pollard, Jr., a man cursed with a habit of sinking ships, apparently. He was captain of the Essex which sank in 1820 due to a collision with a giant sperm whale, thus generating the story that was the inspiration for Moby Dick. A few years later, in 1823, he was captain of the Two Brothers and promptly sank it near the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. Needless to say, he quit whaling after that. Two Brothers was discovered in 2008, but no one was sure which ship it was. Just a few days ago the wreck was announced to be the long-lost whaler of the unlucky Captain Pollard.

Remnants of the whaling days in Hawaii can be seen around the islands. Here is a try-works pot that sits peacefully in a park, its blubber-boiling days being long over - note the flat sides that were used for lining up the pots on the cramped ships.

The whaling days are over, but the whales are not, thank goodness. I love to spot them out in the ocean, spouting and splashing in the warm tropical waters. They'll be here for a couple more months maybe before they head back up north.

 

Yes, I do know it's Valentine's Day - you don't have to keep reminding me.