There was a ship that sailed from Nantucket to the South Pacific in the 1820's which got attacked by a whale. Some of the crew rowed to South America about 4000 miles away, and there was some cannibilism involved. Some say Melville's novel was inspired by this event.
One of the survivors was asked if he knew Starbuck, a common name for Nantucketers at the time. He replied, "know him, I ate him"!