Whale vs. Boat, Advantage Whale

Last week, a 40 foot yacht, which was participating in a race from Los Angeles across the Pacific Ocean, ran into a whale (or several) and began to take on water. The four men aboard the boat escaped into their life raft, and were picked up by a cargo ship approximately 11 hours later off the coast of Hawaii. Full story here from KITV in Hawaii.

Safety note: the crew had both an emergency homing device and a satellite phone which they used to call for help. Follow their example, even if you're not racing across the ocean.

Race note: Until the boat collided with the whales, it was supposedly winning the race.

Fudgy note: The story did not mention what became of the whale(s) with which the boat collided.

Reality check: In a more tragic story a few days later off Australia, officials believe it was more likely a wave than a whale that caused a 16 foot aluminum boat to capsize leaving only half of the 4 fishermen aboard to survive.