Path Of The Whalers

Path Of The Whalers

Introduction: Soon Historical Note

Essentially in the island of Pico, over all after the strong volcanic eruptions of Capelinhos volcano between 1718 and 1720, the emigration, that before if exerted of legal form, for Brazil, started to exert itself by the emigrations of lots of people. This was possible during the months of summer had started to appear in the seas of the Azores, the called “ baleeiras” whale ships, proceeding from the coast east of the United States of America. They arrived in port of the Horta to replenish water and to replenish cool genres.

Melville, in its book “Moby Dick”, relates: “A non small number of whalers preceded to Azores, (...) to complete, with farmers of these islands, its crews (...)”. And is thus that the Pico people had opted to this type of clandestine emigration, using to advantage rock peaks that the coast of the islands offered to them to jump for the small boats that carried them to the whale ships, where the work conditions were precarious and the bad remuneration of the workers. After one year on board they disembarked almost always in New Bedford, from there they went looking for places where for different ratios they understood that they would have to fix. How many had followed its task on board, in principle motivated by the taste, for the life of the sea, being recognized for its shining career. But it still had others that had been never gotten rid of the initial dream to come back to the islands. They had been the ones that had started the first attempts of the hunting the whale. The whaler boats (canoes), even so following the strings of the Americans, were of bigger dimensions, magnifying its crew for seven men.

Although not simultaneously, this activity finished for if exerting in all the islands of the Azores, but it was in the islands of the Faial and Pico that this drudgery it exerted with bigger incidence and per more than a century. It is essentially in the south coast of Pico that the hunting it develops is activity of professional character. Only in Lajes do Pico they have been formed seven companies.

We can say in one alone period of whaling between 1870 and 1982, even so with two phases. One of 1870 significantly the 1925/1930, where he prevailed to an array of the cooperative type, or either the whalers hunted the cetaceous towed them in the whaler boats (canoes), melted them in land and commercialized its products, nominated: oils, flours and amber.

In one-second phase of 1925/30, the idea appeared that the partner of a whale company could be not whaler.

Among others we can say that in Ribeiras (in Pico island), had appeared the “Medinas”, in Calheta (in Pico island) “Captain Anselmo”, in São Roque (in Pico island) the “Cristianos”, in Horta (City of Faial island) the “Samuel and George Dabney”.

The first motor boats (the “gasolinas”) very rudimentary, destined to the tow of the canoes and the animals appear thus during the Twenties, alleviating the fatigue and occupation of the whalers.

But it is in the end of the decade of thirty that the whale industries are installed and appear the actuary’s motor boats with powerful engines, but always known by “gasolinas”.

Thus if they distinguish in Cais do Pico “Jose Cristiano de Sousa”, giving origin to Armações Baleeiras Reunidas Lda. (“Scaffoldings Congregated Whaleboats Lda.”), with activities in S. Mateus in Pico, Calheta in Pico, Porto do Comprido in Faial, Graciosa island, São Jorge island and in Terceira island. Without it doubts the biggest ship owner whaler of the Azores. In Faial the society Reis & Martins Lda..

The best ports located of these three islands of the triangle had been without a doubt of Porto-Pim, Comprido(Capelo) and Salão. In São Jorge island the Topo and in Pico the Calheta de Nesquim.

But with the eruption of the volcano of Capelinhos in 1957 an important whaler port is destroyed, there the activity suffered its first blow, therefore is registered a strong emigration from people to the United States of America, with the cause of the victim of the volcano. Next surges a promising piscatorial activity appears: tuna fishing. The first trawlers are made. E we cannot here leave to relate its pioneer: the master João Alves, from Ribeiras (in Pico). The first industries of the conserve are constructed and this activity enters in tip march what it strong contributes for the dismotivation of our whalers for the hunting á whale.

The end of this activity has happened in the Calheta de Nesquim, the fleet was reduced whaleboat the four whaler boats and three motor boats (Medina, Maria Manuela e Nossa Senhora de Fátima).

The last blow of a already dying activity was given with the for the Decree-law nº 95/81, of 23 of July, the Relative Conversation to Conservation of the Wild Life and the Natural Habitats of the Europe: The Convention of Berna.

Whale Activity: Attempt of Conversion

Is in this context that in 1987 the European Member Prof. Vasco Garcia had dislocated to Pico, congregating ship owners and whalers in the direction of if conjugating all the efforts so that the activity was reconverted into tourist scanning: “…in order to proportionate to the tourism a vision of the isolated animals and its behavior in group and/or, when detected by “traditional watching points”.”

They argued the eventual communitarian brackets for the new activity, eventual payments to the inactive staff and to make face to the existing degradation already it has height, of the whaler patrimony.

Ratios had, so that such attempt did not avenge. And wasn’t only our mobile and immovable patrimony that it degraded almost total. But also the true human patrimony, formed by these “wolfs of the sea” (the whalers).

We can remember the whalers:

- In the Calheta de Nesquim: the “Faidocas”, the “Machadinho”, the “Caçoilha”, the “Graxinhas”, the “Alfaiate”, the “Rachas”, the Capitão Jose Medina, etc…

- In the Ribeiras: the “Folião”, the “Batatas”, the “Capão”, etc…

- In the Lajes do Pico: the “Tiaguinha”, the “Bogas”, the “Vintém”, the “Papuda”, the “Lélé”, the “Experientes”, etc…

- In the São Mateus: the “Gatinho”, the “Chilica”, the “Silvinos”, etc…

- In the Cais do Pico: the “Fula”, the “Caneca”, the “Peixe-Rei”, the “Pé-Leve”, etc...

- In the Porto-Pim: the “Cabritas”, the “Chá Preto”, the “Semilhas”, etc…

- In the Capelo: the “Rosairinha”, the “Rafael”, the “Tocinhos”, the “António da Carolina”, the “Batata”, etc...

- In the Salão: the “Espadas”, the “Rufino”, etc…

- In the Velas: the “João Pão Quente”, the “Manuel da Josefa”, the “Nicomédes”,

etc…

- In the Topo: the “Manuel da Baleia”, the “Augustus”, the “Oscar”, etc...

In the certainty however that these are only some and so alone some that of soul and heart had exerted in shining form this activity and today aged, still keep in its veins this blood of whaler.

In the construction of motor boats and small boats we can remember the names of some naval constructors.

In that it respects to the motor boats, we have:

- Mestre António of the Fonseca, in the Lages do Pico, that constructed the first

“gasolina” of Pico:

-“Margarida” in 1921; “Ribeiras” in 1932 and “Aliança” in 1935.

- Mestre Janeiro (its name Manuel Jose de Silveira), in the Cais do Pico, with the construction of the motor boats:

- “Maria de Fátima”, in 1935;

- “Maria Manuela”, in 1936 (in phase of restore);

- “Horizonte”, in 1936;

- “Marota”, in 1938;

- “Borboleta”, in 1941;

- “Cachalote”, in 1943;

- “Ladina”, in 1948;

- “José Alexandre”, in 1954 (restored).

- Mestre Manuel Joaquin de Melo, in Santo Amaro do Pico, with the construction of the motor boats:

- “Cetáceo”, in 1948, (today to the job of the J.A.P.H., already with another pattern);

- “Carapacho”, in 1946;

- “Estrela Açoriana”, in 1942;

- “Picarota”, in 1941.

- Mestre Jose Costa, in Santo Amaro do Pico, with the construction of the following motor boats:

- “Espartel”, in 1948;

- “Ilha Branca”, in 1949;

- “Medina”, in 1950 (restored);

- “Maria Medina”, in 1955;

- “Garota”, in 1953 (restored).

- Mestre Manuel Maria Gambão, in the Velas de São Jorge, with the construction of the following motor boats:

- “Açoriana”, in 1947 (restored);

- “Walkiria”;

- “Isolda”;

- “Maria of the Conceição”, in 1943;

- “Cigana” (restored).

- “Nossa Senhora de Fátima”, (already restored but still without motor and accessories).

- Mestre Francisco Joaquin Machado, in the Lages of Pico; with the construction of the following motor boat:

- “Rosa Maria”, in 1953 (restored).

In the construction of small boats, we cannot forget the illustrious lajense: Francisco Jose Machado, known for “Experiente”, to which is attributed the first construction of the whaler boat of Pico.

Another on lajense in construction of whaler boats was the mesre António da Fonseca, with the construction of sixteen whaler boats.

In the Ribeiras, the masters of the Aguada, brothers João and Manuel Oliveira.

Whaler Patrimony: Its Exploitation

We only go relate the mobile and immovable patrimony to it since most valuable: the human being is practically impossible to keep (even so converted for an activity with another objective). On the other hand it was the continuation of the age of the oldest whalers, for another one was the situation that it arrived, for not having itself used to advantage the conversion of the activity, as was said.

How much to the mobile patrimony, had restored some boats, nominated “gasolinas” and whaler boats, but not always was remained faithful traces it original.

About the immovable patrimony we cannot leave to relate to the hashing of the old whale industry in the Cais do Pico in Museum of the Whaler Industry. The creation of the Museum of the Whalers, in the Lajes of Pico, in a related placed with the activity - house of the whaler boats and tent of the blacksmith- and the conception of a new adequate to the museologic purpose. The good condition of conservation where it finds the House of the Whaler Boats in the Calheta de Nesquim and the Ribeiras.

In the Faial the recent exploitation of the old whale industry, keeping however its original equipment.

Project objectives :

Project “Rota dos Baleeiros”(Route of the Whalers), aims at to recoup more religiously possible (even so fulfilling actual imperative legal), part of the whaler estate, mobile and immovable. In this scope, we recently acquire one of the oldest and famous motor boats: “Maria Manuela”, that it finds in phase of restores. Next will be restored a whaler boat (canoe), remaining itself the same criteria of construction and materials to use that they were adopted for the motor boat.

Obviously that project”Rota dos Baleeiros” consubstantiates only to backup and exploitation for marine-tourist ends of a “gasoline” and a whaler boat. So that project either possible in its total dimension some abutments in land are necessary. But so that if it keeps this source of originality becomes imperious that these abutments are not modern store of sale the tourist, but yes and always that possible old houses of whaller boats or other constructions related with then activity.

About the Faial we thought about one old house of the whaller boats together to the “Porto do Comprido”, in the Capelo .

In that it respects to Pico we think that such backup is not placed.

Project “Rota dos Baleeiros” aims at to provide beyond the eventual whale and dolphins watching, a visit to all the ports where the activity were exerted. In the island of Pico it is intended to not only widen this visit to the ports with also to the museums. In one second phase and so that the program encloses the islands of the triangle -as it is its objective- it will have to be included in script, visits to the ports of São Jorge island, related equally with the activity, nominated the “Porto das Velas” and the “Porto do Topo”.

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