[C38] Whale of a story

[Max Soto]

Best moment ever for a video camera!

2011/5/17 Steve Smolinske <SSmolinske at rainierrubber.com>

> Now that's amazing!! My wife would never have gotten back on the boat.
>
> Steve Smolinske
>
> Sent from my iPhone
>
> On May 17, 2011, at 12:58 PM, "Joseph Launie" <jlaunie at cox.net> wrote:
>
> Steve,
>     Several years ago we were racing from Marina del Rey around Santa
> Barbara Island in our Islander 33 which had a full keel and no bottom paint.
> A whale surfaced just to weather so close to the cockpit its spray landed in
> the boat. It dove and my late wife Trudie who was on the tiller said, "the
> whale is hitting the boat." I replied, "so the whale is hitting the boat,
> what do you want me to do about it?" I decided we wanted a happy whale so I
> was not going to frighten it by starting the engine. The whale set up a
> pattern, surface just to weather, blow and cause the cockpit crew to gag,
> then disappear, rub its back on our keel, and surface to leeward.  The whale
> was around 40 feet long. The crew conversed in hushed voices. We did not
> want to frighten the whale who seemed quite happy with its back scratcher.
> Trudie maintained course and speed on the helm. Periodically Trudie flipped
> her wrist at the whale and softly said, "shoo." The wind was light, the boat
> and the whale continued our course toward Santa Barbara Island at about 3
> knots. Finally, after over two hours of back scratching, the whale
> disappeared.  I guess Southern California whales are more mellow than those
> up north. Joe Launie/Macavity
>
> On 5/15/2011 10:56 PM, Steve Smolinske wrote:
>
> Don't know how many of you heard the news this last weekend from the Oregon
> Offshore.  L'Orca a Beneteau 35 got demasted by a breaching whale!  It
> breached about a foot from the bow on starboard went up the mast to the
> first spreader and took out the rig, lifelines, toerail and lots of cracks
> on the deck.  Miraculously no one was injured!  They were next to us at the
> start and having problems controlling their spinnaker in the 20 knots of
> breeze.  So we changed course to give them room as they had already
> rounded up a number of times.  As we settled in I heard a call from another
> competitor to the race committee and looked over my shoulder to where they
> were and saw their head sail down and thought what a bunch of
> wimps withdrawing already, then looked behind me to see they were headed to
> about four other boats and what looked liked a power boat.   Then it dawned
> on me that was a sailboat without a mast,   As I had my hands full with
> the boat I had the crew check it out and they confirmed the power boat was
> indeed a sailboat.   We hailed the boat that had taken the lead in
> coordinating the rescue and the coast guard and offered helped, they had it
> under control and told us to stay in the race.  We heard the next day that
> it was a whale attack.  Now Gerry is a friend and competitor so I can say
> although this is a whale of a story, it surely was no fluke and we are all
> thankfull that no one was injured or krilled and how ironic that a boat
> named L'Orca would get demasted by a whale and it all happened off of Cape
> Disappointment.
>
> BTW Larry a big Thank you!!  Shannon is AWESOME!! Glad to have her on board
> for Transpac!
>
> Steve
> #312 Peregrine
> Seattle
>
>
>
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-- 
Max Soto
C38 #198 ESTANCIA
Puntarenas, Costa Rica
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