"of all pursuits it [whaling] has preserved, to the greatest degree its original picturesqueness"..... sperm whaling remains the same as it has been for a century."
In 1854 one hundred and thirteen whaling ships sailed from the port in
New Bedford MA. By the turn of the century there were only five remaining ships.
For all of those years, the day of sailing was one of sadness, anticipation and for many reluctance and denial.
Each of the ships that sailed from any port had an agent. Agents were responsible for securing and delivering the crews to the ship. This often, was a case of herding those crew members from their life on shore to their departing ship. Some reluctant crew members failed to show at all.
Ashley describes a typical scene at one agents office, a room in the rear of the agents clothing and outfitting establishment.
"the front office was crowded and noisy, but the real hubbub was in the small back room. Here the sailors, howling and pounding, were locked up when caught, and held till the return of a wagon to take them to the waterfront."
Many had excuses to avoid the inevitable. One forgot to say goodbye to his mother yet another had left his overcoat home. The agents rushed frantically about rounding up each man, not once, but for some, a half a dozen times.
With this picture in mind lets get ready to gather our crew, The crew of the bark Tropic Bird for there up coming 30 month voyage to the South Atlantic. The master for this voyage Owen H. Tilton.
Each man including the Captain had agreed to his compensation for the voyage. Ashley explains the system of "a lay" used rather than that of wages. Each man earns a portion of the gross earning for the voyage. The captain might receive as much as one seventh and the cabin boy as little as two hundred and twenty fifth or the long lay.
So on this May 3, 2009 133 years after the original voyage of the Tropic Bird we invite you along on this voyage as we read each log entry.
