Right whale breaches onto sailboat

We will never forget our experience with breaching humpback whales in Alaska. We just hoped that the whale knew where we were and didn’t want to hit us. The yacht Intrepid was not so fortunate.

A whale leapt out of the water and crash-landed on the deck of a boat off the coast of South Africa July 21, 2010. Sailing near Robben Island off the coast of Cape Town, Paloma Werner, 50, of the Cape Town Sailing Academy, and her partner Ralph Mothes watched the whale move toward their 10-meter vessel and breached 20 meters away. The whale disappeared under the water, before reappearing in the air. “Then I just saw this huge whale crash onto our yacht,” Werner said. Fortunately, no one was injured, though the boat suffered damage. (Paloma Werner)