Visit our Popular Forums

alansmith · 27-09-2015, 09:35

Magnificent creatures and live to hear them signing, chortle, squeak, low bass vibratos. Fishing on a charter boat for a week in the Glacier Bay with my Dad before he passed was something I will never forget. Every afternoon while we waited for the tides to change the skipper wool drop the mike into the water and we would listen to dozens of whale's conversations. Fascinating, so graceful , and so powerful dinizens of the King Neotune. Love them.

Cheechako · 27-09-2015, 10:27

I think whales are more oblivious to boats more than we like to imagine. Breaching humpbacks land on kayaks , sailboats etc. I've sailed with a group of whales all around me and they seemed oblivious to me. We just happened to be going the same direction. I've had near collisions with a Killer whale when we approached head on after sighting him a couple miles ahead. He never changed course and we passed maybe 6 feet apart. Whales are T boned by freighters. The evidence to me indicates they don't even know or care we are around much of the time.

redhead · 27-09-2015, 10:36

One time off Cape Breton we were surrounded by 6-10 whales - I think they were Minke. They stayed with us for an hour or so, not much breeze so we were ghosting along. One by one they would approach and roll on their side with one eye up to look at us, then descend. In a minute or so - another. I was elated and terrified at the same time. The fact I couldn't catch my breath meant either I was gob smacked or having a cardiac event. I was in a 36' boat (blue bottom so I guess I was safe). Now, years later I can look at that event with one thought in mind:

"Thank God I'm not Swedish".

**Paul Elliott** · 27-09-2015, 10:38

Quote:

Originally Posted by goat

There was an interesting thread earlier about hull colour and whale collisions.
Condensed version; to whales, the colour red looks like a school of fish or patch of krill. They're not seeing your hull as a solid object.
Solution; blue bottom paint.

Interesting to see what colour the Swedes' bottom paint was.

goat

We have blue bottom paint and we hit a whale in 2008 (video here

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WYJt1ka7HHM

However, the whale didn't attack us -- we just both ended up at the same place at the same time.

I've known a few boats who have hit or been hit by whales. Damage ranged from none, to sinking. It's usually humpbacks or sperm whales, but we've had close encounters with other types too. I recall one evening ghosting along by the Farallon Islands (24 miles offshore from San Francisco), when we were surrounded by humpbacks. We could hear and smell them breathing, and every so often one would come alongside and spyhop to take a close look at us.

captlloyd · 27-09-2015, 11:48

Maybe pay-back for some of their relatives having a huge metal spear shot into them by idiots????

Cottontop · 27-09-2015, 11:53

I've wondered before if keeping your depth sounder turned on might disperse whales in your path.

**Paul Elliott** · 27-09-2015, 12:12

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cottontop

I've wondered before if keeping your depth sounder turned on might disperse whales in your path.

I've also wondered about that, but in my case the sounder was turned on. We were sailing fast, too, so we were making plenty of noise as we moved through the swells.

I could conjecture that the whales don't take any special action when they hear noises that don't match the significant things in their lives: other whales and their prey.

In 2014 I finally heard whales in the water! We were getting close to Hawaii and I was belowdeck, when I heard this strange squeaking sound. I started searching for this new sound, opening cupboards, etc, but I couldn't find the source. Then one of the on-deck crew shouted "Whales!", and we saw a few small whales pacing our boat and getting quite close (within a few feet). I couldn't identify them, but they were much larger than the dolphins we often see. They stayed with us for about ten minutes, and continued to squeak to each other the whole time.

El Pinguino · 27-09-2015, 12:41

Leaving aside the fact that I guess they have to sleep sometime hence the ship strikes.....

Last trip I had maybe four close encounters of the Fin kind including the one below which played ( more like practiced his torpedo runs... not for nothing are they called the Greyhound of the Sea) with us for about two hours....that included maintaining station below and behind (about a foot off the rudder ) for minutes at a time just because he could.
The others involved fast passes from astern about half a metre off the side and one that matched boat speed v close to port and then went down and under to come up equally close to starboard.
I've also had a big orca leave a small pod of young orca to come over and check out the boat. Same same with two adult dolphins that came out of a feeding pod including young ones to inspect me in my little Achilles

Quote:

Originally Posted by StuM

It's balanced out by the millions of other million to one events which haven't happened. It's just that you never here about them

I think that's neither hear nor their...

Captain Bill · 27-09-2015, 14:01

A couple of weeks ago while going into Province Town, MA I had a huge fin whale surface about 50 feet off my beam and blow. We had just taken our sails down and it had started to rain so visibility wasn't so hot. A few seconds later I noticed another group about 100 yards or so off the starboard bow just as the sounded. Since they appeared to be coming towards us perpendicular to our course I popped the engines out of gear. About 30 seconds later three fin whales surfaced directly in front of the boat. I threw the boat into full throttle reverse and got it stopped just short of the largest one which I'm estimating was 70 feet. I was guessing 4 feet away, but my wife, who was on the bow, said 10 feet. The whales gave no hint that they even noticed two screaming engines 40 feet away. I do know that from my point of view 1/2 of the back of that whale disappeared under my bow. My initial reaction was "Holy S@&t" followed almost immediately by "how Cool". The front 1/3 of my cat barely draws any water at all and most certainly would have ridden right up on that whale's back if I had not gotten the boat stopped. I would not have wanted to test the whales response to that happening. If was my fist time seeing Fins up close and it was an awesome experience. This year was the best whale watching year we've ever had. We probably saw at least 100 Between Province Town an Maine.

Nicholson58 · 27-09-2015, 17:57

Quote:

Originally Posted by ArmyDaveNY

"There was an interesting thread earlier about hull colour and whale collisions.
Condensed version; to whales, the colour red looks like a school of fish or patch of krill. They're not seeing your hull as a solid object.
Solution; blue bottom paint.

Interesting to see what colour the Swedes' bottom paint was."

That is very logical. It's too bad since I like the red bottom with a blue hull. I guess I'll keep the red bottom on the coastal boats and use blue for the boat I am sailing on extended trips!

How about this combo? As long as there are no red & gray whales around we should be OK. GO BLUE!

I hope to never hit one but I have often thought our encapsulated keel & skeg mounted rudder would be a bit tougher than a fin keel & cantilevered spade rudder.

**Jim Cate** · 27-09-2015, 19:00

Quote:

Originally Posted by somedayy

2 boats in the same yard in the south pacific getting repairs for whale damage. Some of you armchair sailors have insinuated that this is a 1 in a million chance? What is your answer if any?

I'm confused: what nay is it that you think we are saying?? What is the question that we are maybe gonna answer?? Help us out a bit somedayy, and we (or at least I) will try to work out an answer or say a yea or nay as required.

Jim

El Pinguino · 27-09-2015, 19:08

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nicholson58

How about this combo? As long as there are no red & gray whales around we should be OK. GO BLUE!

I hope to never hit one but I have often thought our encapsulated keel & skeg mounted rudder would be a bit tougher than a fin keel & cantilevered spade rudder.

I wouldn't have thought whales were a problem in Michigan....

I don't think I would choose blue... to great a risk of a randy Blue Whale getting a bit too friendly...

stillbuilding · 27-09-2015, 19:49

Recall a solo sailor on a 32' who pulled into Coffs Harbour white and shaking. Reckoned he had been chased in by one over-enthusiastic whale for several miles from South Solitary Island. I can believe it, having them cavort around me on occasion.

Sent from my iPhone using Cruisers Sailing Forums lily hhrn