Hosted once again by Randy & Maggie Komar, the West Coast of Canada regional meeting of the Captain Cook Society had 33 people in attendance from all over the globe—Germany, Belgium, New Zealand, Australia and, of course, Vancouver Island and other areas up and down the West Coast of North America.  It is always delightful to welcome our fellow “Cookies” from around the world!

Vancouver Island historian and author Catherine Gilbert introduced her forthcoming book about the history of whaling, Walrus:  The Remarkable Life of Eco-Warrior David Garrick.¹  Catherine has been a guest speaker on a few previous calls, and always has wonderful slides to bring to life the history she speaks about.  Her talk this time included the environmental legacy of whaling, and some very interesting facts about David Garrick’s off‑grid life.

The Last Whalers by Doug Bock Clark² was among the books Catherine recommended in connection with whales and conservation writing.  Others were by Farley Mowat and Dr Paul Spong.  Peter Freuchen, a Danish sailor and author of Book of the Seven Seas,₃ was cited for his accounts of early whale hunters and years spent in Greenland.

Catherine spoke about early Basque whalers in the Bay of Biscay, and the severe depletion of whale populations by about 1500.  She also said whale oil was used for lamp fuel, soap, and lubrication, while baleen (whalebone) had many domestic uses, such as in brushes and women’s corsets.  So, whales’ mouths were seen as valuable resources.  Catherine also spoke about whale biology and behaviour, and the importance of the activism that Greenpeace took on in order to save whale populations. 

Some interesting facts that we noted.

• Whales can hear boats, but have difficulty identifying their exact location when engines are running constantly.
• Sperm whale oil is an especially good lubricant.
• Whale vocalizations and responses to music, particularly flutes and classical music, were mentioned.
• Greenpeace members discovered whales responding to music and used such insights in anti‑whaling campaigns, including actions against Russian and Japanese fleets in the 1970s, which helped disrupt commercial whaling for a time.
• Taiji in Japan is identified as a whaling centre, where there are ongoing campaigns against whaling to emphasize the critical status of Right Whales.

After the talk and discussion, Clair Stones of the Captain Cook Memorial Museum in Whitby, spoke about the possibility of the Endeavour replica sailing to northeast Britain in 2028.  There were suggestions that it might turn into a scientific voyage, and also involve indigenous communities.

Randy Komar informed everyone that the ferry Uchuck III has already been booked for a trip to Nootka Sound for the first weekend in September of 2028. 

Maggie and Randy Komar

References

1. Gilbert, Catherine Marie.  Walrus: The remark­able life of eco-warrior David Garrick.  Ronsdale Press.  2026. 
2. Clark, Doug Bock.  The Last Whalers: Three years in the Far Pacific with a courageous tribe and a vanishing way of life.  Little Brown & Co.  2019.  
3. Freuchen, Peter.  Book of the Seven Seas.  Lyons Press.  2013. 

Originally published in Cook's Log, page 6, volume 49, number 1 (2026).