Regardless of what you think about the ancient tradition of hunting whales, you have to admit that it’s an
impressive feat worthy of a Hemingway novel. Of course, Papa never wrote about this act of man v. beast, but in a
classic and superb Outside Magazine article Perfect
Storm author Sebastian Junger tries to do it justice. (Hey, what’s Junger up to these days, anyway? haven’t heard
from him in a while.)
He travels to Bequia, one of 32 islands that make up the southern Caribbean nation of St. Vincent and the Grenadines,
where grizzled men pursue humpbacks as part of a centuries-old tradition. You will read the story of
Ollivierre, who, unlike his kindred spirits in places like Greenland, Alaska, and
Siberia, takes down whales the old fashioned way: using a sailboat and a hand-thrown harpoon.
Again, you may find the idea of killing harmless cetaceans repulsive and anachronistic (I do), but if you read this
story, you will at the very least find a modicum of respect for Ollivierre, who
heads out to sea to take on the earth’s largest animal with nothing but guts and simple tools.