Sailing & Whaling in Bequia
Sailing has been an important part of Bequia culture for many generations. After sugar cultivation ended in the mid-1800s, islanders looked to the sea for survival. Salvation came in the form of whaling with a connection to the United States.
At this time, the United States of America was the foremost whaling nation with ships around the world.
In 1855, William Wallace, a first generation Bequian of Scottish parents, went to sea on one of the US whale ships which frequented the waters around Bequia. He was 15.
A decade later, he returned to Bequia with a young New England bride. "Bill" also returned with a dream to set up whaling on Bequia as a means to economic survival.
In the early 1870s, Bill acquired a second-hand whaleboat called the "Iron Duke." This is how whaling came to Bequia.
And from this first whaleboat, the double-ender form of construction spread throughout the Grenadines and became the tradition.
Today, double-enders are still used for fishing and whaling. But the largest class, the 28-footers, are now used mostly for racing, competition among the sailors to determine bragging rights for the ensuing year - a human trait common throughout the world!
Articles:
The Whale Hunters by Sebastian Junger, Outside Magazine, Oct 1995
Alone in the Caribbean by Frederic Fenger, historical text
Book:
"Blows, Mon, Blows! : A
History of Bequia Whaling" by Nathalie Ward
http://www.amazon.com/Blows-Mon-History-Bequia-Whaling/dp/1891694022/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1195685534&sr=1-4