At the height of New Bedford's Whaling time, the waters were filled with wooden whaleboats that would attach to the sides of the great whaling vessels.
When a ship encountered a whale out in the open waters, a small portion of the crew would board the whaleboat and descend toward the great beast. Then, a harpooner would launch his weapon toward the whale, and once it spiked its prey, the crew would hang on for dear life until the whale died and it could be hauled back to the ship.
These days, whales aren't hunted, they're "watched." And big diesel motors take people out to them. Gone are the days of whaleboats, where a crew must work of one mind and row in unison if they wished to accomplish their task.
However, Whaling City Rowing, based off Pope's Island in New Bedford, is doing what it can to keep the whaleboat tradition alive. This past Saturday, they held their fifth annual Youth Whaleboat Challenge in New Bedford Harbor, designed to teach high school students about the history of the whaleboats while giving them a chance to experience an outdoor endeavor that falls outside the normal athletic opportunities.
"Some kids aren't All-Stars in baseball or soccer or sports like that, and they might be intimated to try them," said Pattie McMillen, events coordinator for Whaling City Rowing. "This gives them something to participate in where it doesn't matter how athletic you are, as long as you can work together. That, and it gives the kids an entirely different view of the city, when you look at it from out in the harbor."
Students from eight SouthCoast schools participated in the Whaleboat Challenge, with two teams from Bishop Stang, two from Old Rochester, two from Old Colony Voc-Tech, one from Tabor Academy and one from St. Vincent's in Fall River. Teachers from each school served as the steerers, and none of the faculty members or students had any previous experience before they began practicing for the Challenge just a few weeks ago.
"Training started at the beginning of April, but with all the rain, most of the kids only had a few practices before the competition," McMillen said. "We were all surprised at the skill level they displayed. They showed a lot of great teamwork, and that's what rowing is about, more than anything. It's working together and listening."
Stang's "Whitecaps" team were the winners overall, and they'll get to hold onto the silver New Bedford Cup for a year for their efforts. There were also winners in three different events, including circumnavigation, a "figure-eight" race," and a harpooning event that had them aiming for rings in the water.
In addition to the annual event, McMillen said Whaling City Rowing is also looking to add more youth programs, including working with area schools. They'll also hold their annual Independence Day Whaleboat Races as part of the city's SummerFest on July 7.
WCR has three authentic whaleboats in its fleet—the Skylark, the Flying Fish and the Herman Melville. They were built by Edey & Duff, Ltd of Mattapoisett, funded by area businesses, corporations and individuals. They are authentic replicas of those once built at the Beetle Boat Yard in Clark's Cove during the mid-1800s, according to the WCR's website.
Anyone who would like to participate in Whaling City Rowing's activities should visit whalingcityrowing.org.
Tim Weisberg covers youth sports for the Standard-Times, reach him at tweisberg@southcoastinaction.com
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