1984 (7) - Scrimshaw

Scrimshaw by Othon Silveira.  Internet photo.

To go to the beginning of this book, Tropic Moon: Memories, click HERE.

When I look back on our time in the Azores, what I'll remember most are the days I spent at Othon Silveira's shop.  Many yachties - American, French, British, and German - ended up making the trip along the bay road.  Othon's very small basement shop was generally jammed with people.  Othon spoke Portuguese, French and English fluently, and knew some Spanish and German.  His scrimshaw work - whaling scenes, square-rigged sailing ships, dolphins, and the like, were really beautiful.

Detail from one tooth.  See Othon's name?  Between the whale's tail
and the ship.  Internet Photo.

While in Antigua, about four years before, we had met a British couple, Jill and David, aboard their 28-foot sailboat, Different Drummer.  Jill was helping support them by selling her scrimshaw work - carvings on whale's teeth.  I bought a pendant from Jill.  In conversation, Jill had mentioned she and David had met a man in the Azores, who had taught her the art of scrimshaw.

My pendant, carved by Jill White.

I asked Othon if he knew Jill White. 

"Jill? She is like a sister to me, and David is like a brother!  Do you know them?" 

So I told him my story; the next time I visited I wore Jill's pendant to show him.  I brought Ed with me to place our order.  Another time I brought Krystal, a friend from the yacht Coeur de Lion.  Each visit Othon said to me, as he did to everyone, "Come back anytime, no need to buy.  Just visit.  Why don't you try scrimshaw?"  The fact that I couldn't draw didn't seem to faze him.  Krystal and I soon became students, at no cost for either lessons or materials.  We learned to cut and polish the whale's teeth, as well as do the etchings. 

The bird I carved - with a fair bit of help from Othon!

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My other carved pendant.

Lunch on the patio with Othon and his wife, Zita - and whatever other folk were in the shop - became a daily ritual.  Krystal and I contributed home-baked breads, salads, and desserts to go with Zita's meals of fresh tuna, fresh fried sardines, local sausage, omelets, cheese, tomato salads, and the local wine from Pico, the neighboring island.

I bought two pendants, and one tooth, from Othon. 
I loved this beautiful sailing ship!

As the summer season drew to a close, and most of the boats continued on to Europe, Othon began to relax after the pressures of a very busy few months.  Krystal and I continued as students.  Krystal's husband often came along with us, to cut and polish the teeth, as well as help Othon consume copious amounts of the Pico wine.  One time Othon decided to demonstrate the alcoholic content of the wine, and poured a large puddle of it on the basement floor.  He lit it with a match.  We had quite a fire burning in a basement cluttered with benches, cupboards, and stacks of newspapers and magazines!  Luckily, we didn't burn down the house.

Dolphin, carved by Othon.

Another day, Othon decided to go through his inventory of old whale's teeth.  We pulled out boxes and boxes of teeth from under the benches, and dragged them to the patio that opened off the basement.  Someone - probably Othon - got the crazy idea of burying him with the teeth, like one might bury someone in the sand at the beach.  When we had finished the job, Othon - tucked into a corner wall of the patio - was buried under a mound of whale's teeth up to his neck, with only his head still showing.

The tooth Othon carved for us.  He added Tropic Moon's name.

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A second view of the tooth.

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Detail.