[Sca-cooks] Sperm Whales

[Phil Anderson]

Stefan asks:

> I guess going after them in a longship
> type vessel isn't any more hair-raising than in a whaleboat, but not
> something I would willingly do. (actually, for more reasons than the
> just the hazard). Perhaps the whales were more common, and came in
> closer to shore such that you didn't need a large ship to act as a home base.

I don't know about period techniques, but shore-based whaling was
practiced well into the 20th century -- up to 1964 in New Zealand,
for example. Large whales will come fairly close inshore if the water
is deep.

Edward Long-hair
Southron Gaard, Caid