Steely Dan
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Whale of a tale! 40-ton mammal lands on yacht
Massive animal leaves behind 'blubber and barnacles' and a broken mast
by Jennifer Carlile
msnbc.com
updated 7/21/2010 10:04:05 AM ET
A South African couple was out sailing near the country's infamous Robben Island when a 40-ton whale breached and crash-landed on their yacht.
"We were watching the whale flipping its tail for about half an hour," said Cape Town Sailing Academy Administrator Paloma Werner, who was enjoying a Sunday sail with her boyfriend and sailing instructor, Ralph Mothes.
"It reached about 100 to 200 meters from us, then it disappeared under water and reappeared about 10 to 20 meters from the boat, but we didn't think we were on a collision course," she told msnbc.com.
The young Southern Right Whale was longer than their 10-meter yacht most likely between 11 and 14 meters Werner said.
"My boyfriend told me to go to the other side of the boat," she said, explaining that they thought it would dive under their vessel.
"All I heard him say was 'Oh sh*&,' and I saw the whale come out of the water and crash against the mast of the boat....
