THE PRESENT SURVIVAL OF OPEN BOAT WHALING 327 



fasten a whale. But a motor-boat would normally never attempt the harpooning, and the event must 

 be rare for I have not heard of an instance. On the other hand lancing is occasionally carried out from 

 the motor-boat when the circumstances are suitable. Time to the kill can be saved thereby, for a 

 fastened whale running at the surface can be overtaken by a motor-boat before it has tired sufficiently 

 for the fast-boat to draw close enough to lance it. Also a whale which can scarcely be approached by 

 the whaleboat because it has turned ' ugly ' with flukes or jaw, may be attacked from a motor-boat 

 using tosses of the lance combined with approaches and retreats at speed. Typically, however, the 

 motor-boat, a towing and escort craft, does not take part in lancing: the lance may be looked upon as 

 emergency equipment like the harpoon. The deck of the motor-boat also carries three waifs for 

 signalling, corresponding to those carried in a whaleboat. Finally, there are a boat-spade and a boat- 

 hook, for the reeving of the towing-strap is not uncommonly executed by the motor-boat, particularly 

 when there are plenty of whales and the whaleboat can best be employed in resuming the chase. 



Whale hunting 



My experience of the Azores hunting methods is got from two days of twelve hours each spent whaling 

 from the boat station at Capelo, Fayal, on 1 1 and 13 August 1949. The first day was spent in a motor 

 tow-boat and the second in a whaleboat, and since these were profitable excursions for the whaling 

 fleet, yielding one Sperm whale on the first day and thirteen on the second, the 16-mm. cine-film made 

 at this time includes all aspects of whale hunting. I feel especially privileged to have sailed in a whale- 

 boat since the presence of an eighth man increases the difficulties and dangers of the chase. 



A personal account of the Azores whale hunt has been published elsewhere (Clarke, 1949). In the 

 present report it has been necessary to describe some part of the technique of hunting in the previous 

 pages, so as to explain the construction and employment of whaleboats, gear and motor tow-boats. 

 These should be read in conjunction with the following remarks which attempt to record in their 

 proper sequence the details of procedure and the events of the hunt. 



Alarm and departure. As soon as the cliff look-outs raise a blow (Az. bio), usually in the clear light 

 approaching sunrise, a rocket is fired and within a few minutes, amidst shouts of ' Baleia, baleia! ', the 

 whalemen are running down to the boat-slip or manhandling the boats from their sheds. Since they 

 can expect a whole day at sea they commonly bring personal provisions, bits of bread and cooked fish 

 and bottles of water, and stow these with their jackets and jerseys in the boat ceiling or under the box 

 or the cuddy. The boats are launched and sculled towards the motor tow-boats which sidle in to meet 

 them. When the towing-warps are fast, the launches, each with two or three whaleboats astern, start 

 at speed towards the reported blow, at any distance between 3 and 30 miles from the coast. The time 

 between the warning rocket and departure is not usually more than ten minutes. 



Whilst they are being towed, each boat's crew removes the covers from the tubs, arranges the line, 

 and bends on the live irons, making everything ready for the chase. If it is sailing weather the mast 

 is stepped and stayed. 



At intervals of a quarter of an hour or so, a motor-boat equipped with radio-telephone will call up 

 the watchers on the cliffs and ask for any revision of the bearing, and for any change in the number of 

 blows sighted. Motor-boats not so equipped watch the cliffs to keep in line the sheets placed there as 

 markers. As she approaches the reported position a motor-boat sends the look-out to her masthead, 

 and as soon as he raises the low, rounded blow, the motor-boat makes towards it, but stops when about 

 a mile away lest the sound of engines should alarm the whale. Immediately she casts off the towing- 

 warps of her whaleboats. 



Chasing. According to what wind there is, the boats hoist sail or man the oars, and the chase from the 

 whaleboat begins (Plate XV). The interval between leaving the launch and fastening the whale with the 



