This is a hand-carved creation by St. Augustine, Florida resident Tim Kings, a yacht designer who has been managing sailing yacht and mega-yacht construction projects in the U.S. and abroad for the past 35 years.  His father, a career naval photographer and boat builder drew the original template for this wood, from which a whale is created.  He had made a whale-shaped name-board for hanging outside the family house in Innerarity Point, Florida.

This name-board hung outside their Canal Drive house from 1969 until 2002. Facing the Intracoastal Waterway, this ¼” marine plywood whale endured many hurricanes, summer squalls, and played witness to a whole variety of yachts, fishing boats, tug boats, and marine traffic east and west along the canal.

While living at boatyards all across the U.S., in a variety of yards in China and Taiwan, Tim busied himself by carving whales from his dad’s template; each whale born from a special piece of wood ~ mahogany, teak, cherry, walnut ~ wood that had played a role in each yacht project he was involved with and had then been set aside to be transformed through the art of Tim’s whalin’ & whittling.

The Kings Whale is inspired by the rich history of St. Augustine and an appreciation for what the whaling industry meant to the foundation of this great nation. The influence of the whaling industry, culminating in this art piece, is both a tribute to Tim’s father and an expression of empathy for all the whales that suffered the years of this great onslaught of a species.

 “For whatever reason, we don’t know, Dad had drawn a sperm whale, so that is the influence in the shape you see here.” 

Detailed and finished on both sides, this whale makes a perfect window hanging, a bar hanging feature, or perhaps adorning a fireplace.  It is a catcher of warm memories.