I am about to publish an historical fiction novella about Captain Henry Green, a whaler from Sag Harbor, New York. Henry was an ordinary man who lived an extraordinary life. His whaling life was one of adventure and overcoming hardships of being at sea for a year or more at a time. Yet, he, like many other sea captains, led a full life on a ship and later on land. However Henry was involved in spotting the Amistad, an infamous slave ship, and being a part of the Gold Rush.
Sag Harbor and whaling in the 1800's seemed to go together, so this book depicts life there and what it meant to be a whaler.
I have spent two years researching this interesting man. I went to visit Sag Harbor just to see where he lived and walk the area to get a feel for life back then. I could see why whaling and the sailing vessels took over the town. Standing on the Long Wharf and looking out over the water reinforced to me why it was a whaling center. I could smell the sea air and feel the mist as I walked around. A beautiful place to be back then and today.
101 Glimpses of the North Fork and Islands
The Wampum Exchange