The Last American Whaler: A Somewhat Fictional Account of a Seafaring Pioneer

Once there were as many as 750 American whaling ships plying the oceans searching for their mighty prey. In those days whaling was a substantial part of the economies of such New England communities as Nantucket and provided the base for some of the great American stories of adventure on the high seas.
By the middle of the twentieth century, the whaling industry dwindled down to a precious few whaling adventurers along the northwest coast of California. This is a story of one of those adventurers, Captain Gib Hunter, a true American whaling and fisheries pioneer of the twentieth century as seen through the eyes of his oldest son.
The book contains vivid descriptions of whaling which by today’s standards might seem barbaric, but please remember that whaling was indeed an important part of our history.
In 1971, the United States government called for an end to American whaling. Therefore, on December 1971, when Gib Hunter stepped off the deck of the whaler ＂Dennis Gayle,＂ he became known as the Last American Whaler.
The idea for this book actually came to me in the winter of 2006 when my wife, Karen, gave me a video camera and suggested that I go over to my dad’s house and interview him about the colorful life he was living. However, a few days later before I could follow through, my father passed away at the age of 88.
Years later, after the strong urging of my family, I sat down to write this story with only fading memories, some imagination, editing help from my wife Karen and some research to guide me. Most of the book is based on actual events and experiences on the whaler ＂Dennis Gayle＂. Except for my younger brother, Bill, there is no one to say things didn’t happen exactly as I described. I’ve changed the last names of some of the characters in the book to protect the privacy of their families.

Dennis Hunter joined Coast Central Credit Union in 1995 as Vice President, Marketing, after successfully owning and operating his own regional advertising agency in Northern California for 22 years. Prior to his advertising business, he was Promotion Director for KCRA-TV, Sacramento, California and KBTV, Denver, Colorado and news anchor for KVIQ-TV in Eureka, California. Hunter retired in July 2013.

Hunter was elected as a Commissioner on the Humboldt Bay Harbor, Recreation & Conversation District in 1989 and was re-elected to four terms, serving as President, Vice President and Secretary of the Board. He retired from the Board in December, 2009. He also served on the Redwood Region Economic Development Commission (RREDC) from 1992 to 2007, where he served twice as Chairman of the Board and served on its Executive Committee of RREDC.

He served on the board for Easter Seals of Northern California where he was President of both the State and local chapters. Other community involvement includes three terms on the board of the Greater Eureka Chamber of Commerce where he served as its President in 2008, a member and Past-President of the Rotary Club of Eureka, and former board member of KEET-TV, the American Cancer Society, the Civil Air Patrol, Ingomar Club and the Humboldt Convention & Visitors Bureau. He joined the Eureka Elks Lodge in 2013, serving as its Exalted Ruler in 2018-1019. He is now serving as Association Vice President of the California-Hawaii Elks Association.

He resides in Eureka with his wife, Karen and their four-legged kids Buster and Posey. He, Karen and dogs plan on spending a great deal of time traveling. After years of writing 30-second and 60-second commercials, this is his first venture into writing at greater lengths.