The
lot of a whaler was a hard one and rowing the boats to reach the
whales one of the hardest parts. More frequently than not the boat
would reach where the whales were too late and have to row again
to where they surfaced. This was an example of a situation
where row boats were at an advantage however as they could
approach the whale quietly by careful dipping of the paddles in
the water.
Also whales have their relatively very small
eyes on the sides of a very wide head and it is possible to
approach them either head-on or tail-on (depending on the species
of whale) and take them by surprise. The work wasn't over once the
whale was dispatched however as the next job was to row back to
the ship with the whale in tow, a journey that in itself could
take many hours.
An engraving from "The
cruise of the Cachalot"
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