As most who visit Nantucket know, the history of this small island is incredible.  The first “non-native” settlers found a spot where they could farm, be with family and be away from the turmoil of the rest of the world.  Many of us who call Nantucket home share this sentiment again today. Nantucket is a refuge from the much of the world today with endless opportunities to get away or to find your peace.

In the years in between though, there was an incredible culture to the island based on Whaling, and surviving with the support of the Sea.  Nantucket has many stories of sacrafice, shipwrecks, loss and despair centered around these years, but none as famous as the loss of the Essex showcased in the famous American Classic Novel Moby Dick.  The contemporary version of Moby Dick is a wonderful Novel by nathaniel Philbreck called In the Heart of the Sea.

Those interested in a quick visual history of the  Essex and its impact on the island should watch this 20 minute documentary.  It is Excellent.