Whale - near miss

[Fimacca]

During a Roscoff trip from Plymouth on a night passage last week I was sprayed with salt water as a large fish 'blew' near to me. A smell of rotted fish then pervaded. This was maybe 20 miles from the French coast. It was such a loud noise I fell off my seat, and then checked for damage. I was positive from the experience until I read more into whales sinking small vessels. I don't want to start yet another orca type thread - but if these are becoming more common (one sighted falmouth last month) what , other than having a liferaft and plb at the ready, can you do -
or maybe it is a risk we just live with as whales and dolphins are always to be encouraged and blessed.

Some hours later a 50ft humpback whale was sighted in the same area in daylight.

Playing loud rap music may help to scare ! Nooooo! Suicidal after 1 hour of that.


'There have been about 1,200 reports of whales and boats colliding since a worldwide database launched in 2007, said Kate Wilson, a spokeswoman for the International Whaling Commission'.
Ship Strikes

 

[kof]

The whale (some) populations are increasing now that we've almost stopped all hunting so it's going to get a little more crowded out there. Not sure what can be done - During daylight they are fairly easy to spot but at night it's a big problem. Slow down/Heave to (sacrilegious as a prior racing sailor) when in the known migration routes?

Don't really have an answer.

 

[Neeves]

Its a big worry in Australia - we have thousands commuting up the east coat of Oz, now - and then they all come back later in the year. They are a canny bunch, heading north they swim inshore and on the return - a bit more offshore - to take advantage of the EAC. Guess what yacht owners do at the same time of year?

It has been suggested that using a radio, no definition of what is being broadcast, might be a sensible precaution but I have never seen any evidence.

We once sighted a whale off our bow, in daylight, about 0.5nm ahead but it seemed to be moving - out of the way - so we held out course. When we got nearer to the whales location it surfaced and the swam directly under us - scared the pants off me. It weighs 30t - we are around 7t.

I've never seen one at night.

Jonathan

 

[zoidberg]

About 350nm west of Brittany, heading gently south in an 'Antigua' catamaran, I was watch-keeping in the saloon with a 300 degree view, and a book. A sudden, very loud 'Whoosh!' outside startled me, and I scrambled into the cockpit... to see a huge curved grey back slide slowly past the starboard side.... oh, maybe 15' away.

Gawd, my heart was thumping! Then another 'Whoosh!', this time on the port side. And another..... One by one, a large family of Sei whales was coming close past to have an inspect. I thumped on the cockpit side, shouting down to my mate asleep below - 'Get up! Get Up!'

He stumbled into the cockpit, in dressing gown and slippers, looked where I excitedly pointed, at the next huge whale-back arching past, grunted 'Huh!' and went back below....

 

[eebygum]

During a Roscoff trip from Plymouth on a night passage last week I was sprayed with salt water as a large fish 'blew' near to me. A smell of rotted fish then pervaded. This was maybe 20 miles from the French coast. It was such a loud noise I fell off my seat, and then checked for damage. I was positive from the experience until I read more into whales sinking small vessels. I don't want to start yet another orca type thread - but if these are becoming more common (one sighted falmouth last month) what , other than having a liferaft and plb at the ready, can you do -
or maybe it is a risk we just live with as whales and dolphins are always to be encouraged and blessed.

Some hours later a 50ft humpback whale was sighted in the same area in daylight.

Playing loud rap music may help to scare ! Nooooo! Suicidal after 1 hour of that.


'There have been about 1,200 reports of whales and boats colliding since a worldwide database launched in 2007, said Kate Wilson, a spokeswoman for the International Whaling Commission'.
Ship Strikes

When I was sailing from the Scillies up to Arklow 10 days ago, a few miles south of Tuskar a solitary Orca came up alongside me a couple of times on the port side, then swam under the boat (that’s when I saw it’s white markings) and came up on the starboard side a couple of times begore dropping and following me for a minute or two which is when I caught it on video, here is a still frame.

Definitely looked bigger than my 10m boat which was under sail at the time ! It was beautiful to see but a little disconcerting.

 

[Frank Holden]

Had a big fin whale and calf pass when we near the Tuamotos. About an hour later the calf re-appeared and would swim alongside about a metre off then under the boat and appear on the other side. Kept this up for maybe an hour before heading back to mum.
The following day another juvenile decided to spend a few hours doing speed runs at us. I could see why Fin whales are called the 'greyhounds of the sea'.

The two marks on its shoulder are where my towed Aquagen took a bite out of it.

 

[john_morris_uk]

…..He stumbled into the cockpit, in dressing gown and slippers, looked where I excitedly pointed, at the next huge whale-back arching past, grunted 'Huh!' and went back below....

That’s because he’d forgotten his pipe and he realised you were wearing his smoking jacket.