While the sinking of a ship is seldom something to celebrate, a thrilling new pen commemorates the bicentenary of an epic battle. Victory of the Whale is a collaboration between Montegrappa and Sea Shepherd that marks a rare moment in history when natural justice prevailed.
Almost two hundred years ago to the day, the crew on-board the Essex must have thought their luck was finally in when they spotted a pod of whales 1,200 nautical miles west of Galápagos. But 20 November 1820 was destined to be the whaler’s last day at sea. Two crushing blows from the mighty head of a sperm whale bull dispatched the Essex to the Pacific floor.
Her crew’s escape was lucky – at least until the cannibalism started. The incident made world headlines at the time, and would go on to inspire Herman Melville’s Moby-Dick – but, for most, their fate has largely faded from view.
Not so for Captain Paul Watson – charismatic founder and frontman of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society. The Canadian repeated history – in a manner of speaking – when he used his first ship as a battering ram against the Sierra in Lisbon Harbour in 1979. Rather than forfeit his own boat to compensate the whaler’s owners, Watson scuttled it.
The ocean vigilante has never looked back. Aided by vast army of volunteer ‘shepherds’, Watson has launched countless missions to rescue whales from predatory hunting. Some call Sea Shepherd’s actions eco-piracy, but their leader remains convinced that direct action is the only option when national navies cannot – or will not – enforce conservation laws. Significantly, 43 years of activism have not resulted in a single injury or loss of life.
Half a world away, on the banks of the Venetian river Brenta, Montegrappa occupies less torrid waters. But it likes a seaman’s tale as much as any company that traces its roots to Ernest Hemingway. The artisanal pen-maker has operated from the same factory since 1912, using ever-increasing amounts of creativity and artistry to ensure fountain pens never go extinct.
Mavericks and strong personalities tend to gravitate towards elaborate pens, so Montegrappa was only too pleased to be invited to partner with Sea Shepherd. To toast the new relationship, the luxury maker has immortalised the fate of the Essex in the design and materials selected for Victory of the Whale.
Handmade from mahogany, vintage bronze and vivid Mazzucchelli celluloid, each is nostalgic in stature but revolutionary in posture. A top-tier fountain pen and rollerball are each made in limited editions of 200 hundred pieces to mark the bicentenary of the Essex sinking, and the unsung whale that brought about her demise.
A sperm whale provides the all-Italian design with the motif for a pocket clip suspended above a raging sea of sculpted bronze. For the casting of these signature elements, Sea Shepherd helped Montegrappa recover material from the propeller of its former flagship – the M/Y Steve Irwin. The incorporation of recycled bronze is a tactile link to years of front-line activism. Beneath, a black band flies the group’s notorious Jolly Roger ensign – a defiant last line of defence between whale and whaler.
Available from prestige pen dealers and Montegrappa’s own boutiques, Victory of the Whale promises swashbuckling writing performance, but delivers a statement of solidarity with the ocean’s defenders. Proceeds from the edition proudly support Sea Shepherd.
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At The Pleasure of Writing, we hope that you love what you ordered. In the event that you are not satisfied, however, we have policies in places for returns, refunds, and repairs.
Upon receiving your order, be sure to carefully handle and inspect merchandise for any damage or defects; should there be a physical problem with the order, let us know as soon as possible by either calling us at 831-626-8828 or via email at info@thepleasureofwriting.com. The window for notifying us is within 30 days of receipt your order. Return requests received following day will be judged on case-by-case basis and may incur a restocking fee.
At The Pleasure of Writing, we hope that you love what you ordered, but if something is amiss with your order, let us know right away. Upon receiving your shipment, be sure to carefully handle and inspect pens for damage or defect.
Should there be a defect, we will work with you on a solution. In certain cases we can work with the distributor or manufacturer to replace the merchandise, in which case all shipping and handling will be covered. In the event that a refund is wanted for defective items, we will refund 100% of the sale to the payment method.
If the reason for return is based on preference, i.e. you received the item and didn’t like some aspect of it though it is fully functional, we will work with customers on a case-by-case basis to determine the best options. In some cases we may offer either store credit or refunds to payment method less a 15% handling fee (to cover the fees we incur from such returns); either way, we are always happy to work with our clients to help them find exactly the right writing instrument.
Once the necessity of a return has been determined, we will issue a Return Merchandise Authorization (RMA) number, which you should write clearly on the outer box. Return shipping charges will be the responsibility of the customer (except in the case of damage/defect); we recommend shipping via insured ground service with a tracking number.
Returns must be received in their original state, and include all original packaging (warranty papers, cartridges and converters, etc.), and of course if you need to return a product because it is damaged or defective, we will apologize for the inconvenience and make it right.
Note that all returns are at the discretion of The Pleasure of Writing.
Once your return is received and inspected, we will send you an email to notify you that we have received your returned item and the status of your refund; if approved, your agreed-upon refund will be processed, and a credit will automatically be applied to your credit card or original method of payment within 10 days. Note that some refunds can take time to process depending on banks and credit card companies; if you haven’t received an expected refund, contact your financial institution first.
Note that we are unable to accept returns on any item that came free with another product or was purchased on sale, closeout, or other discounts; additionally, we cannot accept returns on any special-order products that can take many months to prepare, or on pens or nibs that have been modified in any way. Neither can we accept returns on used ink, paper, journals, sealing wax, or other supplies.
Note that we accept inked or dipped fountain pens for return or refund with the 30-day window, but these will incur a 15% fee as we can no longer sell them as new merchandise.
