Category: whales

ORCAS AT PLAY

Can you imagine steering to Bermuda with this show on the stern? Many thanks to AJ Evans who forwarded the link.

Killers at play: extraordinary photos of orcas chasing down yacht

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Orcas surf in the wake of a fishing boat off the coast of Loreto, Baja, Mexico.Click for more photos

Killer whales play in yacht’s wake

Orcas surf in the wake of a fishing boat off the coast of Loreto, Baja, Mexico. Photo: Loreto Cast N’ Reel Charters

  • Orcas surf in the wake of a fishing boat off the coast of Loreto, Baja, Mexico.
  • Orcas surf in the wake of a fishing boat off the coast of Loreto, Baja, Mexico.
  • Orcas surf in the wake of a fishing boat off the coast of Loreto, Baja, Mexico.
  • Orcas surf in the wake of a fishing boat off the coast of Loreto, Baja, Mexico.
  • Orcas surf in the wake of a fishing boat off the coast of Loreto, Baja, Mexico.
  • Orcas surf in the wake of a fishing boat off the coast of Loreto, Baja, Mexico.
  • Orcas surf in the wake of a fishing boat off the coast of Loreto, Baja, Mexico.
  • Orcas surf in the wake of a fishing boat off the coast of Loreto, Baja, Mexico.

Extraordinary pictures of orcas surfing the wake of a boat off the coast of Mexico show the marine mammals playing in jet bubbles and chasing down a yacht.

A fishing company from Loreto, Mexico, runs charters off the Baja Coast. Cast ‘n Reel owner Ashley Ross said it was “magical” to be able to snap the shots they did about a month ago.

“As far as we know this is the first time orcas have surfed the wake of a boat here in Loreto.

“They never played so closely to us. They usually keep their distance until we turn the engines off. Then they circle the boat and even swim underneath,” she said.

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“The orcas that we find here are magical. To see them so happy in their natural state is priceless.”

New Zealand orca expert Jo Halliday said it was not uncommon for orcas to play in the same way dolphins did.

While orcas were normally found in cooler waters near both poles and in the Pacific, Halliday said they were quite happy in temperate waters as well.

While there was no evidence of orcas attacking humans, people should still keep their distance, Halliday said.

While commonly called “killer whales”, orcas are actually large dolphins.

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/environment/whale-watch/killers-at-play-extraordinary-photos-of-orcas-chasing-down-yacht-20120725-22ptl.html#ixzz21jg0YHPG

random events in the world.

Whoever thought a whale would breech and land on a sailboat. I have had a number of close encounters with whales. Never anything like this.
Encountering turbulence on an airplane, this must have been really unexpected.
How does an event where dinghys capsize due to wind make national news?
    The RNLI is one of the best and most efficient rescue services anywhere. 
   The real story of the hour is how DUE PROCESS was not accounted for in the story of Shirley Sherrod losing her job. This is one of the most essential elements of our system of government, innocent until proven guilty. 

Date: 19/07/2010
Author: Tamsin Thomas, Divisional Media Relations Manager
Volunteer lifeboat crews from Sennen Cove and St Mary’s, Isles of Scilly, were launched in the early hours of yesterday morning (Sunday 18 July) following reports that a yachtswoman had fallen overboard 50 miles north west of Land’s End. Just before the lifeboats arrive on scene, the extremely fortunate sailor was found by another yacht and airlifted to hospital.
The racing yacht Buccaneer was returning from Cork Week Regatta in Ireland when the woman went overboard in fresh south westerly winds and a moderate sea. Another yacht, Jaguar Logic, relayed a message to Falmouth coastguards and the two lifeboats were launched, along with the rescue helicopter from RAF Chivenor.
The RNLI crews on Sennen Cove Tamar class all weather lifeboat and the St Mary’s Severn class all weather lifeboat headed for the scene at top speed. But just 12 or so miles from the scene, news came that the woman, who had been in the water for two hours, had been found alive and was being winched onboard the helicopter. She was then flown to the Royal Cornwall Hospital at Treliske in Truro, Cornwall.
The Sennen Cove lifeboat crew onboard City of London III, arrived home at 5am in the morning after an 80 mile round trip, while the crew onboard the St Mary’s relief lifeboat Beth Sells, were back in the islands at around the same time.
Terry George, RNLI Coxswain at Sennen Cove, says the woman was extremely fortunate:
‘The yachtswoman was very lucky to survive several hours in the water and in the pitch dark. Fortunately there were other yachts in the area that responded immediately and search and rescue assets were launched very quickly too. It happened a long way out but this is why the RNLI position fast response all weather lifeboats like our Tamar, at key places around the coast.’
BELMAR, N.J. – July 19, 2010 — A sudden storm capsized boats being used in a youth sailing class on the shallow Shark River on Monday, shaking up the novice sailors inside but seriously injuring no one.

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The 36 students, ranging in age from 7 to 16, were all wearing life jackets. The only injury was to a volunteer instructor who suffered minor scrapes on his knee and foot.
Belmar Mayor Ken Pringle said the wind knocked over 25 to 30 of the small sailboats being used in a learn-to-sail program run by the Belmar Recreation Department.
“It was a little scary while it was going on, but we determined pretty quickly everyone was accounted for and OK,” he said.
Police, fire and rescue groups from around the area responded and took the children back to shore. A dozen lifeguards left a beach about a mile away to help with the water rescues.
The Shark River is a generally shallow waterway that collects tidal sediment washed in from the ocean. Some scientists say it’s more like a tidal basin or a bay, particularly the part where the students were boating.
The students, who were enrolled in a two-week class, were sailing in three groups: one closest to the shore in very shallow water, and two others farther out.
(Copyright ©2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)


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whale tale
This one is almost hard to believe, and in fact it sort of is…

We had been taking some pictures and had just decided to head back when a Southern Right whale, between 11 – 14 m long, breached about 100 meters away from us. It then suddenly breached about 10 meters from us and then – right on us! We were sailing so had no engine and we could not even take any action. Scary!” Read on and see the resultant picture. Thanks to the Portfolio Travel Blog. Jump in the discusion.

07/20/10

HITTING WHALES



The Volvo boats are racing from Boston to Galway, Ireland. Ericsson 3 hit a whale. I have raced across the Atlantic 7 times never at the speeds of these boats. I have hit whales twice in those crossings.

In 1971 we had been sailing in thick fog for several days, I will remind you that navigation then was a sun sight, star sight and /or dead reckoning. As we had not seen anything for a while, we were relying on dr which put us more or less 20 miles south of Sable Island. There is a current which sets you north towards the island. It is a graveyard of ships. There are more than 100 wrecks there.
I was in my bunk when we hit the whale. We were running under spinnaker and it was night. I was panicked that we were going aground on the island. We hit him twice, once with the forefoot of the boat and a second time with the keel. Scrambling up the companionway just in time to see the whale pop up astern, losing him in the fog very quickly.
The next encounter was in 2005 aboard “Tempest” the 80 foot S&S design. At dusk this time. I was steering under spinnaker at about 15 knots. Suddenly, it was as if we had hit a sandbar. I hardly had time to look over my shoulder to see him, as conditions were a little squirrelly.
Finally I had a near miss in the 2004 Bermuda race. It was early morning. We were sailing into a hot rising sun. Jack, who was trimming the spinnaker said oh look there’s a whale. I had no idea where it was. When I did see it. I had to decide which end to go around. We were sailing at 10-11 knots with the spinnaker up. I chose to head up going around his head; as the shadow of the spinnaker passed over him it seemed to startle him and he lurched forward, I gasped, he dove straight down and it was over before anyone else noticed.