Atlantic Ocean: Selecting Boat Crews

2) Selecting Boat Crews
Atlantic Ocean, November 2, 1844

A) Good Morning!
The second day begins bright and sunny, and every man is expected to perform his duties to the fullest. The Keeper may spend some time “checking in” on each player character, allowing them a few moments of individual roleplaying to show how they’re settling in. Coffin, Beckett, and Redburn are confined to the watch system, and have likely been engaged in sailing the ship. Morgan, Dixon, and Quakaloo may be checking their tools, while Lowell is getting used to his new living arrangements. And of course, Rachel’s in her cask!

B) Selecting Boat Crews
One of the early rituals in a whaling voyage is the selection of boat crews. Each whaleboat requires an officer, a harpooneer, and four additional crewmen to handle the oars. The four boats on the Quiddity are headed by Captain Joab with Quentin Shaw as his harpooner, Mr. Pynchon with Quakaloo, Mr. Coffin with Ulysses Dixon, and Mr. Whipple with Matty Shoe. (See “The Whaleboat” and “Hunting Whales” for details on boat crews.)

At noon, Mr. Pynchon assembles all hands on deck. The three mates, with some tentative help from their boatsteerers, cheerfully question the men on their eagerness to join a boat crew: “Who among ye is willing to butcher some whales? Who loves danger? Who despises the chimney corner and cries, ‘Sweat and blood for me!’ Who among ye is willing to row a goddamn boat ‘til your eyes pop out?” Of course, while bloodthirsty enthusiasm is welcome, the mates are looking for strength, reliability, and the ability to work in a team. Starting with Mr. Pynchon—who also picks for Joab—each mate selects a man in round-robin style until all four boats are filled. The remaining men are assigned the job of shipkeepers, and help the idlers maintain the Quiddity when the boats are lowered.

Assigning Crews
Truth be told, this process is largely a formality, as most officers have selected their crews in advance. The Keeper should discuss this process with Coffin’s player, sounding him out for which player characters and NPCs he’d like in his boat. Furthermore, because Joab rarely lowers for a whale, his boat crew is essentially symbolic, so Pynchon populates it with greenhorns and older sailors. If Mocha Dick is sighted, well—Joab takes whatever crew he damn well pleases! For all these reasons, the selection process may be played loosely, as Coffin and the Keeper “already know” who they’re going to pick. As with dividing the watches earlier, if Coffin’s player decides to throw a curveball, it may have consequences on NPC morale. (This may not be a bad thing, and can lead to some juicy roleplaying!) In the end, Joab and Whipple’s crews should be more or less as follows, with Coffin’s and Pynchon’s crews decided more organically:

Joab’s Boat
Boatheader: Captain Joab
Bow Oarsman: Peter Veidt
Midship Oarsman: Oonaloo
Tub Oarsman: William Crow
Aft Oarsman: James Cabot
Boatsteerer: Quentin Shaw

Whipple’s Boat
Boatheader: P.H. Whipple
Bow Oarsman: Suresh Joshi
Midship Oarsman: Pig Bodine
Tub Oarsman: Henry Swain
Aft Oarsman: Virgil Caine (or Ricardo Reis)
Boatsteerer: John Mattashunama

Ideally, a boat crew should have a certain amount of chemistry, and mates sometimes make adjustments after the first few hunts. As one might expect from men bonded by danger and hardship, each boat crew becomes a close-knit team, and there’s plenty of friendly rivalry between crews. (To maintain track of the boat crews, “Boat Crew Worksheets” should be filled out for each whaleboat.)

White Leviathan, Chapter 2—Atlantic Ocean
[Back to Encounter 1, The First Day | White Leviathan TOC | Forward to Encounter 3, Joab’s Binding Oath]

Author: A. Buell Ruch
Last Modified: 25 February 2022
Email: quail (at) shipwrecklibrary (dot) com
White Leviathan PDF: [TBD]