OOH …Here’s One Thing
by Jim Johnsen,
Managing Director, Johnsen, Fretty & Company
I am sure, but not all of you have heard of the term Nantucket Sleigh Ride. So here is your 2 minutes of education for a Monday morning (directly from Wikipedia):
“A Nantucket sleighride is the dragging of a whaleboat by a harpooned whale while whaling. It is an archaic term from the early days of open-boat whaling, when the animals were harpooned from small open boats. Once harpooned, the whale, in pain from its wound, attempts to flee, but the rope attached to the harpoon drags the whalers’ boat along with it. The term refers to Nantucket, Massachusetts, the center of the American whaling industry, as well as the speed associated with riding in a horse-drawn sleigh. The term wasn’t used by whalemen themselves, but was probably invented by a late 19th-century journalist.[1]
A Nantucket sleighride was extremely dangerous. The speed would vary depending on the species of the whale; for example, humpback whales provided a faster ride. The sperm whale caused the most extended drag events, reaching speeds of 23 mph (37 km/h).[2] The length of the drag lasted until the animal had no more energy. Fin whales and blue whales were the most dangerous species, as they would dive scores of fathoms deep, trying to take the whaleboat and its occupants beneath the surface. Once the whale had exhausted its energy, the sailors pulled in the rope, killed the animal, and rowed it back to the whaling ship, where they would butcher the carcass, remove its blubber, and render its oil.
Towards the turn of the twentieth century, the development of the whaling industry led to large factory ships with a fleet of steam-driven whale catchers armed with harpoon guns. Sailors no longer needed to risk their lives in whaleboats, and so the Nantucket sleighride came to an end. A few countries still allow aboriginal whaling, which takes place from small boats.”
Johnsen, the obtuseness of your brain never ceases to amaze me. I am afraid to ask this week.
Okay, at the risk of offending anyone, has anyone else felt like they’ve been on a Nantucket Sleigh Ride over the last couple of months? I mean, just white knuckling business, the stock market, and the daily news? I am going to leave it there and let the 4 Non Blondes fill in the gaps (and just for the record, I am a conservative):
“I go to my room to turn on the TV
I sit myself down
And I start laughing hard
‘Cause this man he’s asking for money
He says “if you send me lots of cash I’ll send you
Stuff to make you rich fast”” (4 Non Blondes)
At the very least, I hope it brings some adrenaline for a Monday morning—and Happy Early April Fools’ Day.
Securities transacted through StillPoint Capital Member firm FINRA/SiPC
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