"This was undoubtedly the same Captain Robbins who wrote the book entitled 'The Gam'... Whale ships were seldom painted white, probably for the reason that they would get discolored so quickly. Possibly she was painted a light yellow as was done at times, and the color faded to a whitish color."
See Allan Forbes, Whale Ships and Whaling Scenes as Portrayed by Benjamin Russell. Presenting Reproductions in Color of the Paintings of the Foremost Artist in That Field (Boston: Printed for the Second Bank-State Street Trust Co, 1955), 59.