• Untitled Document

    Join us on March 29rd, 7pm EST

    for the CBEC Virtual Meeting

    All EYO members and followers are welcome to join the fun and get to know the guest speaker!

    See the link below for login credentials and join us!

    March Meeting Info

    (dismiss this notice by hitting 'X', upper right)

Nearly got hit by a whale!

Alan Gomes

Sustaining Partner
My friend and I were having a great sail back from Avalon (Catalina Island) yesterday when we were almost struck by a whale!

My friend was at the helm and I was in the forward part of the cockpit when we both heard what sounded like a very loud snort or expulsion of air off to port. We both turned to see a whale certainly no more than two feet from the port side, slightly aft of mid ships, moving almost perpendicular to our course! Maybe about 15' of its back was out of the water and I believe I could see its blow hole. It was a very dark gray whale and it seemed certain that it was about to t-bone us!

My friend, who doesn't have a great deal of sailing experience, said "Take the helm!" I grabbed the helm from him, though there was nothing I could have done anyway. We expected a crash within seconds but the crash never came. It's clear that the whale must have dove under the boat--though based on how close it was to us and its direction of travel, I'm amazed that it cleared us. We kept looking to see where the whale went but we never spotted it after that.

Well, that scared the #$%%^ out of us! I've been crossing that channel for almost my whole time sailing (49 years) and never had an encounter that close. Before this one, the closest situation of which I am aware is when I happened to glance astern and see a whale traveling eastbound about 50' off of my transom, when I was heading northbound. (Those are the same relative directions as in this case.) That one shook me up too, but that distance was huge in comparison to yesterday's. This guy was so close that I could have easily jumped off of the boat and on to its back!

Well, I hope I'm good for another 49 years before that happens again!
 
Last edited:

Shelman

Member III
Blogs Author
Dang! That's crazy Alan, that would have scared the pants off me too. Id hate to see what the damage would have looked like from a direct hit like that.
 

Alan Gomes

Sustaining Partner
Dang! That's crazy Alan, that would have scared the pants off me too. Id hate to see what the damage would have looked like from a direct hit like that.
Yup. Scared the stew out of me. I'm still trying to figure out how it didn't hit me. It seems like it would have had to make a very steep dive to miss me given how close it was.
 

toddster

Curator of Broken Parts
Blogs Author
Let's hope they never figure out that keels make good back-scratchers. :0
 

Alan Gomes

Sustaining Partner
Let's hope they never figure out that keels make good back-scratchers. :0
Funny you should say that. Some whales have figured that out, apparently.

It was years ago and I don't remember all the specifics, but in one of the sailing publications (Latitude 38, I think) someone recounted their experience of being anchored in Mexico when a whale swam in to where they were anchored and, for some time, was rubbing itself against the underside of their boat! It hung around for quite some time (though I don't remember exactly how long it was). It never struck the boat violently nor did any damage, but they could clearly hear the scraping sounds of the whale against the boat bottom. Eventually it just swam away without incident.

Wish I could remember the specifics of that account. If I find it I'll provide the link.
 

Mark F

Contributing Partner
Blogs Author
Hi Allen,

That does sound scary. Up here in the Monterey Bay we have frequent encounters with whales. There used to be distinct seasons for them but it seems they are around all year anymore. If I see a whale on a collision course I'll bang a winch handle on the wheel hoping to alert the whale that I'm there! Did you get to smell his breath? :0
 

Alan Gomes

Sustaining Partner
Hi Allen,

That does sound scary. Up here in the Monterey Bay we have frequent encounters with whales. There used to be distinct seasons for them but it seems they are around all year anymore. If I see a whale on a collision course I'll bang a winch handle on the wheel hoping to alert the whale that I'm there! Did you get to smell his breath? :0
No, didn't smell his breath--but I sure heard it! The snort was very loud!
 

bgary

Advanced Beginner
Blogs Author
Scared the stew out of me.

I can relate.

Years ago I was cruising up the west side of San Juan Island hoping to see some Orcas on the way to Roche Harbor. Saw a pod and, as the law requires, stopped and stayed several hundred yards away. Well, I did but *they* didn't... two of them swam over and started swimming around and under the boat. Which is... a little terrifying, knowing that they are nearly as long as the boat, heavier than the boat, and... carnivorous. It occurred to me, several times, that I was *not* at the top of the food chain in that scenario.

Sat there for about 10 minutes, transfixed by their presence, and then they moved off. It was magical... and scary.
 

toddster

Curator of Broken Parts
Blogs Author
I've been "stalked" by Orcas before. Or more accurately, I was diving in kelp by Lime Kiln Lighthouse, when two Orcas made a sweep to herd seals out of there, presumably to where the rest of the pod was waiting off shore. All of a sudden, seals started shouldering past me and swimming rapidly into the distance. A couple of them gave me nervous glances over their shoulder. I didn't see the Orcas until I heaved myself out of the water onto a rock ledge and turned around. The kelp just... parted and two fins came cruising past about 20 feet away. I'm not sure if they even knew I was there.
 
Last edited:

toddster

Curator of Broken Parts
Blogs Author
Yeah, I know what that seal was thinking... "I don't have to outrun an Orca. I just have to outrun you."

LOL! I just did a google search for pictures of Lime Kiln Light, and there are a dozen photos of orcas in that exact same spot. Well now I know.
 

footrope

Contributing Partner
Blogs Author
I've been "stalked" by Orcas before. Or more accurately, I was diving in kelp by Lime Kiln Lighthouse, when two Orcas made a sweep to herd seals out of there, presumably to where the rest of the pod was waiting off shore. All of a sudden, seals started shouldering past me and swimming rapidly into the distance. A couple of them gave me nervous glances over their shoulder. I didn't see the Orcas until I heaved myself out of the water onto a rock ledge and turned around. The kelp just... parted and two fins came cruising past about 20 feet away. I'm not sure if they even knew I was there.

Exciting stuff. If you encountered southern resident orcas, then you would be safe. They eat salmon, mostly. We do get transient pods through the Salish Sea and they probably would find a diver nice and chewy, if not good tasting. My most impressive encounter with orcas was years ago off Turn Point, Stuart Island, in the San Juans. Big pod passing through the kelp beds.
 

Alan Gomes

Sustaining Partner
I can relate.

Years ago I was cruising up the west side of San Juan Island hoping to see some Orcas on the way to Roche Harbor. Saw a pod and, as the law requires, stopped and stayed several hundred yards away. Well, I did but *they* didn't... two of them swam over and started swimming around and under the boat. Which is... a little terrifying, knowing that they are nearly as long as the boat, heavier than the boat, and... carnivorous. It occurred to me, several times, that I was *not* at the top of the food chain in that scenario.

Sat there for about 10 minutes, transfixed by their presence, and then they moved off. It was magical... and scary.
Swimming around and under the boat? Yikes! :0 Very scary.
 

Alan Gomes

Sustaining Partner
That's wild. But it is good to know they at least see us coming and can do something about it.

I never took whale collision seriously until this,a few years ago:

http://www.petethomasoutdoors.com/2...-a-sudden-there-was-this-great-big-crash.html
Yeah, I had read about that one too, Christian. That one had a relatively happy ending. This one not so much: http://www.latitude38.com/lectronic/lectronicday.lasso?date=2009-10-29#.V1XPZvkrK7M (Well, the people made it through alive, so I guess that qualifies as "happy." But the boat was lost. :()
 

Kevin A Wright

Member III
Hey you should try fishing for them. Just be sure to have your Makah fishing license on board. A little hard to get in the net, but you only have to catch one.

Kevin Wright
E35 Hydro Therapy
attachment.php
 

Attachments

  • gray whale.jpg
    gray whale.jpg
    99.9 KB · Views: 98
Top