Whaling Preperation

The season has started.  Some of the Inupiaq people are prepping to head to the ice while others have been there since late last week.  Last night I had a brief opportunity to look closely at a whaling boat.  The frames of the boats are long-lasting, and passed through families over time.  As we left the middle school band concert, there was a whaling boat on its sled being readied to hit the ice.  We spent some time looking at it.  The frame was passed to this man from his father.  The most traditional boats use seal skins, looks like 4-6 per boat, as the hull.  This one was instead covered in a white heave tarp-fabric material. The seal skins last 2-3 seasons while this material has been on the boat for 10 years now.  It cost them about $2000 dollars the captain told me.  The frame was about 50 years old.  They wait on the ice for a lead to open, a fizzure or crack to open water.  Then their boat goes in and they look for whales.  The whales are migrating north in the strong currents.  They surface at the leads for air, and at this point the whalers try to pull along side.  They harpoon them first with a barbed swivel harpoon with a buoy attached.  Then the use a second harpoon with a metal cylindrical bomb on the point.  Once this impacts the whale, it ignites.  About 5-10 seconds later it launches the bomb into the whale, instantly killing the animal.  The crew somehow puts a rope or cable around the tail and begins the task of getting the whale in.  A ramp is chiseled to the open water (before hand?) and then used to haul the whale up.  On the ice, they place stakes in the firm ice and then haul the whale with a block and tackle system.  Not sure if we'll get to see this process.  But wow...it must take amazing strength and ingenuity to pull this off.  22 whales are allowed this season...