whale sinks sailboat video

• International edition
• Australia edition
• Europe edition

Sailing crew rescued after giant whale sank 44ft boat in Pacific Ocean

Whale collided with sailboat 13 days into group’s three-week sailing trip from Galápagos Islands to French Polynesia

A giant whale sank a sailing crew’s boat in the Pacific Ocean before the group was rescued at the end of an ordeal that could have come out of a novel.

Rick Rodriguez of Tavernier, Florida, and three friends spent 10 hours on a lifeboat and dinghy after a whale sank the crew’s 44ft sailboat Raindancer, the Washington Post reported on Monday.

The group had planned a three-week sailing trip from the Galápagos Islands to French Polynesia, about 3,500 miles away in the south Pacific . But on 13 March, only 13 days into the crossing, disaster struck. At about 1.30pm, Rodriguez was enjoying a vegetarian pizza for lunch with the others when he heard a loud noise.

“The second pizza had just come out of the oven, and I was dipping a slice into some ranch dressing,” Rodriguez said to the Post during an interview over a satellite phone. “The back half of the boat lifted violently upward and to starboard.”

Other members of the crew were thrown by the large impact, but each saw from different angles that a whale had smashed into the boat.

“I saw a massive whale off the port aft side with its side fin up in the air,” Alana Litz said.

Five seconds after the whale’s collision, an alarm sounded, warning that the boat was filling with water. Rodriguez said the crew members, who each have experience boating, quickly sprang into action.

Rodriguez placed a mayday call on a VHF radio and dispatched the emergency position indicating radio beacon, a distress signal that is connected to a worldwide rescue network.

The Peruvian coast guard later picked up Rodriguez’s distress beacon and notified a US Coast Guard station in California that oversees American ships in the Pacific Ocean.

While saltwater spilled into the vessel, others in the boat gathered food, emergency equipment and other gear, as well as fresh water.

The crew launched their lifeboat and a dinghy. They had grabbed their safety supplies but didn’t have enough time to get their passports.

On the lifeboat, the group had sufficient water for about a week. The crew also had a device that catches rainwater as well as food for three weeks.

Now stranded, Rodriguez and the crew had a phone, satellite wifi hotspot and an external battery that were all minimally charged.

Rodriguez first messaged his friend and fellow sailor Tommy Joyce about the situation. Joyce was sailing the same route as Rodriguez about 180 miles behind.

“Tommy this is no joke,” Rodriguez typed. “We hit a whale and the ship went down.”

Rodriguez sent a similar message to his brother, Roger, adding: “Tell mom it’s going to be OK.”

Rodriguez then asked his brother to send a message to Joyce on WhatsApp because he checked the social messaging app more frequently. After turning off the wifi hotspot for two hours to save battery power, Rodriguez received a reassuring message from Joyce: “We got you bud.”

Hours later, Rodriguez and his crew joined the Rolling Stones, a 45ft boat captained by Geoff Stone.

Stone had received one of Rodriguez’s mayday calls from a friend and coordinated a rescue of Rodriguez’s group with Joyce and the Peruvian officials.

The crew should land in French Polynesia on Wednesday. Rodriguez told the Post he is grateful to be safely onboard the Rolling Stones but misses the Raindancer, a boat he was living on and had retrofitted for the trip.

“I feel very lucky, and grateful, that we were rescued so quickly,” said Rodriguez. “We were in the right place at the right time to go down.”

• Pacific islands

Most viewed

Rescued at sea: After a whale sank their sailboat, Florida crew stranded in South Pacific

• A 44-foot sailing ship, Raindancer, was hit by a whale on March 13, sinking the boat in the South Pacific.
• The four people on board were adrift in a life raft and dinghy with a satellite phone and some supplies.
• Phone calls, texts and social media helped lead another ship, the Rolling Stones, to rescue the castaways in about 10 hours.

A lifelong dream sailing trip turned into a potentially life-threatening ordeal for a four-person crew after a whale shipwrecked their boat.

Rick Rodriguez, owner of the sailing ship Raindancer, and three crewmembers onboard were amidst a voyage of more than 3,000 nautical miles to French Polynesia in the South Pacific. The 44-foot cruising boat had left the Galapagos at the end of February, after passing through the Panama Canal three weeks earlier.

The crew would make it to French Polynesia, but not in the manner expected.

More than halfway to the Marquesas Islands, disaster struck: They were eating homemade pizza for lunch "when it felt like we ran into a concrete wall," Rodriguez recalled in a note posted March 14 on the Facebook Boatwatch Group .

"I heard a loud crashing noise simultaneous with a metal clanking. I heard (crewmember) Alana (Litz) yell, 'we hit a whale,' then I looked to port and saw a huge whale, and blood gushing out of the side of it as it began swimming down."

"It felt like a scene out of a movie," Litz told NBC's Today show during an interview posted Wednesday . 

'Doing the right thing': Slovakia becomes first Western nation to send fighter jets to Ukraine. Live updates

Scottish dry dock accident: Ship dislodges, tips over in Scotland dry dock; dozens injured

A whale of an emergency in the South Pacific

A former professional yacht captain, Rodriguez saw that the collision "opened up multiple holes (and) cracks near the stern of the boat and the water was up to the floorboards within about 30 seconds. Maybe less," he said in a post on Instagram .

About the boat, which he purchased in 2021 and had lived on, Rodriguez said, "I made attempts to save the boat but I was, unfortunately, unsuccessful."

The crew quickly gathered safety equipment, some supplies including water, emergency gear and  electronics including a satellite phone, satellite Wi-Fi hotspot and a power bank. The dinghy was launched and loaded. Rodriguez used a VHF radio on board to make a mayday call and set off an emergency beacon, he told The Washington Post .

Before Raindancer "took her last breath about 15 minutes after she got hit," Rodriguez said, the crew were in a dinghy and a lifeboat was deployed. "I’m proud of the way our crew handled the situation, and the first priority on any boat is always the safety of the crew and passengers," he said on Instagram.

Rescue mission: Wisconsin man sailing around the world rescues castaway crew in South Pacific

Now adrift, seafarers awaited rescue

Rodriguez, 31, of Tavernier, Florida, activated a Globalstar SPOT tracker, which regularly transmits its location, and continued sending a mayday call hourly on the radio, The Post reported.

Meanwhile, the crew's distress signal had been picked up by officials in Peru, who alerted the U.S. Coast Guard, The Post reported. 

A commercial ship 90 miles to the south changed course toward the castaways after getting an urgent broadcast from the Coast Guard and there were also about two dozen boats participating in an around-the-world yachting rally sailing a similar route, the Post reported.

With the crew in the dinghy and life raft, Rodriguez sent a text message to friend Tommy Joyce, a sailor whose boat was about 180 miles behind on the same route, as a safety precaution..

“Tommy this is no joke,” he typed. “We hit a whale and the ship went down.”

“Tell as many boats as you can,” Rodriguez said. “Battery is dangerously low.”

Rodriguez also texted his brother, Roger, in Miami, to let him and his mother know the situation. He also asked his brother to relay their location via WhatsApp to Joyce. 

Online lifeline helps save South Pacific castaways

Joyce also posted a note about the incident on the Facebook page for  Boatwatch , a volunteer network of amateur radio operators who search for missing boats and people lost at sea.

"It was the Boatwatch group that ended up having somebody on there who knew" a 45-foot catamaran called the Rolling Stones was the closest boat, Joyce told Today.

"I think we were about 60-65 miles away when we realized that we were the closest boat," the boat's captain Geoff Stone told Today. 

Stone of Muskego, Wisconsin, was circumnavigating the globe aboard the Rolling Stones, he told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel , part of the USA TODAY Network.

When they learned about the boat's dilemma, the crew didn't hesitate. "It was going to take us a while to get there, but we were going to change our course," said Mark Moriarty, Stone's father-in-law, who was also on board.

When Rodriguez turned on the satellite radio and hotspot two hours later, there was a message from Joyce: “We got you bud.”

Rescue ship used beacon, coordinates for nighttime recovery

Just more than nine hours later, the crew on Rolling Stones saw the flashing light of the dinghy and rescued the castaways. As the Rolling Stones approached, they spotted a beacon and a flare and the crews communicated via radio.

"I thought for sure the hardest part was going to be locating them," Stone said. "Luckily with the new technologies ... the latest coordinates we were given was all very accurate."

What's everyone talking about?: Sign up for our trending newsletter to get the latest news

Earthquake: At least 9 killed as quake in Afghanistan, Pakistan sends people fleeing from homes

Stone, reached on his vessel on the way to an island in French Polynesia, told the Journal Sentinel the last few days have been "a real humbling experience."

"The right place at the right time to help them out was just by chance," he said. "I'm really glad and happy that we were able to do that."

Rodriguez mourned the loss of his ship, Raindancer, on Instagram, saying it "had all my belongings on it … it was my ticket to exploring the world, she was my refuge, my rock, the one place I could be where I felt myself, she was my friend, I would give to her and she would give back memories, lessons, and stories. … In the end, she was lost at sea, and left myself and the crew with one last incredible story."

Contributing: Bill Glauber of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

Follow Mike Snider on Twitter:  @mikesnider .

• Today's news
• Reviews and deals
• Climate change
• 2024 election
• Fall allergies
• Health news
• Mental health
• Sexual health
• Family health
• So mini ways
• Unapologetically
• Buying guides

Entertainment

• How to Watch
• My watchlist
• Stock market
• Biden economy
• Personal finance
• Stocks: most active
• Stocks: gainers
• Stocks: losers
• Trending tickers
• World indices
• US Treasury bonds
• Top mutual funds
• Highest open interest
• Highest implied volatility
• Currency converter
• Basic materials
• Communication services
• Consumer cyclical
• Consumer defensive
• Financial services
• Industrials
• Real estate
• Mutual funds
• Credit cards
• Credit card rates
• Balance transfer credit cards
• Business credit cards
• Cash back credit cards
• Rewards credit cards
• Travel credit cards
• Checking accounts
• Online checking accounts
• High-yield savings accounts
• Money market accounts
• Personal loans
• Student loans
• Car insurance
• Home buying
• Options pit
• Investment ideas
• Research reports
• Fantasy football
• Pro Pick 'Em
• College Pick 'Em
• Fantasy baseball
• Fantasy hockey
• Fantasy basketball
• Download the app
• Daily fantasy
• Scores and schedules
• GameChannel
• World Baseball Classic
• Premier League
• CONCACAF League
• Champions League
• Motorsports
• Horse racing
• Newsletters

New on Yahoo

• Privacy Dashboard

Sailing adventure ends in dramatic rescue after whale sinks boat in the Pacific

What started as a sailing adventure for one man and three of his friends ended in a dramatic rescue after a giant whale sank his boat, leaving the group stranded in the middle of the Pacific Ocean for hours and with a tale that might just be stranger than fiction.

Rick Rodriguez and his friends had been on what was meant to be a weekslong crossing to French Polynesia on his sailboat, Raindancer, when the crisis unfolded just over a week ago.

They had been enjoying some pizza for lunch when they heard a loud bang.

"It just happened in an instant. It was just a very violent impact with some crazy-sounding noises and the whole boat shook," Rodriguez told NBC's "TODAY" show in an interview that aired Wednesday.

"It sounded like something broke and we immediately looked to the side and we saw a really big whale bleeding,” he said.

The impact was so severe that the boat's propeller was ruptured and the fiberglass around it shattered, sending the vessel into the ocean.

As water began to rush into the boat, the group snapped into survival mode.

"There was just an incredible amount of water coming in, very fast," Rodriguez said.

Alana Litz, a member of the crew, described the ordeal as "surreal."

"Even when the boat was going down, I felt like it was just a scene out of a movie. Like everything was floating," she said.

Rodriguez and his friends acted fast, firing off mayday calls and text messages as they activated a life raft and dinghy.

He said he sent a text message to his brother Roger in Miami and to a friend, Tommy Joyce, who was sailing a "buddy boat" in the area as a safety measure.

“Tommy this is no joke," Rodriguez wrote in a text message. "We hit a whale and the ship went down."

"We are in the life raft," he texted his friend. "We need help *ASAP."

Raindancer sank within about 15 minutes, the group said. Their rescue took much longer that, with the four friends out on the open waters for roughly nine hours before they could be sure they would live to tell the tale.

Peruvian officials picked up the group's distress signal and the U.S. Coast Guard was alerted, with its District 11 in Alameda, California, being in charge of U.S. vessels in the Pacific.

Ultimately, it was another sailing vessel, the Rolling Stones, that came to the group's aid after Joyce shared the incident on a Facebook boat watch group.

Geoff Stone, captain of the Rolling Stones, said they were about 60 or 65 miles away when his crew members realized that their vessel was the closest boat.

After searching the waters, they were eventually able to locate the group of friends.

“We were shocked that we found them," Stone said.

The timing of the rescue, which unfolded at night, appeared to be critical as the Stones' crew members were able to see the light from the dinghy bobbing in the darkness.

Rodriguez lost his boat and the group of friends said they also lost their passports and many of their possessions, but they said they were just grateful to be alive.

The severity of the injuries sustained by the whale were not immediately clear.

Kate Wilson, a spokeswoman for the International Whaling Commission, told The Washington Post, which first reported the story, that there have been about 1,200 reports of whales and boats colliding since a worldwide database launched in 2007.

Collisions causing significant damage are rare, the Coast Guard told the outlet. It noted that the last rescue attributed to impact from a whale was the sinking of a 40-foot J-Boat in 2009 off Baja California. The crew in that incident was rescued by a Coast Guard helicopter.

One member of Raindancer's sailing crew, Bianca Brateanu, said the more recent incident, however harrowing, left her feeling more confident in her survival skills.

“This experience made me realize how, you know how capable we are, and how, how skilled we are to manage and cope with situations like this,” she said.

In an Instagram post, Rodriguez said he would remember his boat "for the rest of my life."

"What’s left of my home, the pictures on the wall, belongings, pizza in the oven, cameras, journals, all of it, will forever be preserved by the sea," he said.

"As for me, I had a temporary mistrust in the ocean. But I’m quickly realizing I’m still the same person," Rodriguez wrote. “I often think about the whale who likely lost its life, but is hopefully ok. I'm not sure what my next move will be. But my attraction to the sea hasn’t been shaken."

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com

Recommended Stories

Broncos, jets, lions and texans have new uniforms. let's rank them.

Which new uniforms are winners this season?

Jamie Dimon is worried the US economy is headed back to the 1970s

JPMorgan's CEO is concerned the US economy could be in for a repeat of the stagflation that hampered the country during the 1970s.

Based on the odds, here's what the top 10 picks of the NFL Draft will be

What would a mock draft look like using just betting odds?

Luka makes Clippers look old, Suns are in big trouble & a funeral for Lakers | Good Word with Goodwill

Vincent Goodwill and Tom Haberstroh break down last night’s NBA Playoffs action and preview several games for tonight and tomorrow.

Dave McCarty, player on 2004 Red Sox championship team, dies 1 week after team's reunion

The Red Sox were already mourning the loss of Tim Wakefield from that 2004 team.

Everyone's still talking about the 'SNL' Beavis and Butt-Head sketch. Cast members and experts explain why it's an instant classic.

Ryan Gosling, who starred in the skit, couldn't keep a straight face — and neither could some of the "Saturday Night Live" cast.

These are the cars being discontinued for 2024 and beyond

As automakers shift to EVs, trim the fat on their lineups and cull slow-selling models, these are the vehicles we expect to die off soon.

Ryan Garcia drops Devin Haney 3 times en route to stunning upset

The 25-year-old labeled "mentally fragile" by many delivered the upset for the ages.

Chiefs make Andy Reid NFL's highest-paid coach, sign president Mark Donovan, GM Brett Veach to extensions

Reid's deal reportedly runs through 2029 and makes him the highest-paid coach in the NFL.

Arch Manning dominates in the Texas spring game, and Jaden Rashada enters the transfer portal

Dan Wetzel, Ross Dellenger & SI’s Pat Forde react to the huge performance this weekend by Texas QB Arch Manning, Michigan and Notre Dame's spring games, Jaden Rashada entering the transfer portal, and more

Yankees' Nestor Cortés told by MLB his pump-fake pitch is illegal

Cortés' attempt didn't fool Andrés Giménez, who fouled off the pitch.

Here’s when people think old age begins — and why experts think it’s starting later

People's definition of "old age" is older than it used to be, new research suggests.

NBA playoffs: Who's had the most impressive start to the postseason? Most surprising?

Our NBA writers weigh in on the first week of the playoffs and look ahead to what they're watching as the series shift to crucial Game 3s.

Donald Trump nabs additional $1.2 billion 'earnout' bonus from DJT stock

Trump is entitled to an additional 36 million shares if the company's share price trades above $17.50 "for twenty out of any thirty trading days" over the next three years.

Retirement confidence in the US ticks up; new rule for financial advisers is set to start

Two-thirds of Americans reported that they feel confident they have enough money for a comfortable retirement, up a notch from last year.

These are the fastest-selling new cars of 2024

iSeeCars found that a handful of brands sell new cars much faster than others and noted that EVs are taking longer to sell than hybrids.

Report: Red Bull Racing chief designer Adrian Newey to leave Formula 1 team

Red Bull and Max Verstappen have dominated Formula 1 since new car rules were implemented in 2022.

WNBA Draft winners and losers: As you may have guessed, the Fever did pretty well. The Liberty? Perhaps not

Here are five franchises who stood out, for better or for worse.

Charlie Woods, Tiger Woods’ 15-year-old son, fails to advance in U.S. Open qualifier

Charlie Woods shot a 9-over 81 in the first stage of U.S. Open qualifying on Thursday in Florida.

2024 NFL mock draft: With one major trade-up, it's a QB party in the top 5

Our final 2024 mock draft projects four quarterbacks in the first five picks, but the Cardinals at No. 4 might represent the key pivot point of the entire board.

Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

UK Edition Change

• UK Politics
• News Videos
• Paris 2024 Olympics
• Rugby Union
• Sport Videos
• John Rentoul
• Mary Dejevsky
• Andrew Grice
• Sean O’Grady
• Photography
• Theatre & Dance
• Culture Videos
• Food & Drink
• Health & Families
• Royal Family
• Electric Vehicles
• Car Insurance deals
• Lifestyle Videos
• UK Hotel Reviews
• News & Advice
• Simon Calder
• Australia & New Zealand
• South America
• C. America & Caribbean
• Middle East
• Politics Explained
• News Analysis
• Today’s Edition
• Home & Garden
• Broadband deals
• Fashion & Beauty
• Travel & Outdoors
• Sports & Fitness
• Sustainable Living
• Climate Videos
• Solar Panels
• Behind The Headlines
• On The Ground
• Decomplicated
• You Ask The Questions
• Binge Watch
• Travel Smart
• Watch on your TV
• Crosswords & Puzzles
• Most Commented
• Newsletters
• Ask Me Anything
• Virtual Events
• Betting Sites
• Online Casinos
• Wine Offers

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in Please refresh your browser to be logged in

‘Tommy this is not a joke’: Friends send mayday message as boat sinks in Pacific after being hit by whale

Rick rodriguez and crew of three spent 10 hours on a lifeboat and dinghy after collision, article bookmarked.

Find your bookmarks in your Independent Premium section, under my profile

The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday

Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the us, thanks for signing up to the evening headlines email.

A group of friends had to be rescued from the Pacific after their 44ft sailing boat sunk after being struck by a giant whale.

Rick Rodriguez and three friends spent 10 hours on a lifeboat and dinghy after the bizarre reported accident took place on 13 March.

Mr Rodriguez, who is from Florida, was 13 days into a three-week and 3,500-mile crossing of the South Pacific from the Galápagos Islands to French Polynesia when the whale collision took place.

He told The Washington Post that he had been eating vegetarian pizza onboard the boat Raindancer when it ran into the huge whale.

“The second pizza had just come out of the oven, and I was dipping a slice into some ranch dressing,” Mr Rodriguez said in a satellite phone interview with the Post .

• Judge wants plan to protect humpback whales from fishery
• ‘Trophy hunters’ behead rare shark found on beach by TV historian
• Bird flu found in dead seals on UK beach as public urged to stay away from animal corpses

“The back half of the boat lifted violently upward and to starboard.”

Crew member Alana Litz added that following the collision she saw “a massive whale off the port aft side with its side fin up in the air.”

And within seconds alarms began sounding warning the group of friends that the boat was taking on water.

Mr Rodriguez says that he issued a mayday call on the boat’s VHF radio and sent out their position in an emergency distress signal. The crew then gathered enough food and water for around a week, as well as emergency equipment before launching the lifeboat and dinghy.

In the rush, they left their passports behind.

Using a phone and satellite hotspot, Mr Rodriquez messaged his friend and sailor Tommy Joyce, who was on the same route but around 180 miles behind them.

“Tommy this is no joke. We hit a whale and the ship went down,” Mr Rodriguez says he messaged his friend.

He also sent a message to his brother Roger urging him to: “Tell mom it’s going to be OK.”

He also asked his sibling to try to contact Mr Joyce on WhatsApp to try to reach him faster.

After turning the wifi hotspot off for two hours to conserve battery life, he finally received a message back from Mr Joyce, saying “We got you bud.”

The crew was eventually rescued hours later.

The Peruvian coast guard had picked up the distress signal and relayed the information to the US Coast Guard station in California.

But, in the end, it was another boat which reached the group first.

The Rolling Stones, captained by sailor Geoff Stone, had heard the mayday call from the Raindancer and coordinated with Mr Joyce and Peruvian officials.

“I feel very lucky, and grateful, that we were rescued so quickly,” added Mr Rodriguez. “We were in the right place at the right time to go down.”

While the crew of the Raindancer should have completed their journey on Wednesday – and had to say goodbye to the Raindancer – the group has no plans of quitting.

Now, they will complete their journey to French Polynesia onboard the Rolling Stones.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article

Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.

New to The Independent?

Or if you would prefer:

Want an ad-free experience?

Hi {{indy.fullName}}

• My Independent Premium
• Account details
• Help centre

clock This article was published more than  1 year ago

Sailboat crew rescued in Pacific after abandoning ship sunk by whale

Four people aboard the raindancer were stranded in the pacific ocean for 10 hours.

His circumstances sounded straight out of “Moby-Dick,” but Rick Rodriguez wasn’t kidding. In his first text messages from the life raft, he said he was in serious trouble.

“Tommy this is no joke,” he typed to his friend and fellow sailor Tommy Joyce. “We hit a whale and the ship went down.”

“Tell as many boats as you can,” Rodriguez also urged. “Battery is dangerously low.”

On March 13, Rodriguez and three friends were 13 days into what was expected to be a three-week crossing from the Galápagos to French Polynesia on his 44-foot sailboat, Raindancer. Rodriguez was on watch, and he and the others were eating a vegetarian pizza for lunch around 1:30 p.m. In an interview with The Washington Post later conducted via satellite phone, Rodriguez said the ship had good winds and was sailing at about 6 knots when he heard a terrific BANG!

“The second pizza had just come out of the oven, and I was dipping a slice into some ranch dressing,” he said. “The back half of the boat lifted violently upward and to starboard.”

The sinking itself took just 15 minutes, Rodriguez said. He and his friends managed to escape onto a life raft and a dinghy. The crew spent just 10 hours adrift, floating about nine miles before a civilian ship plucked them from the Pacific Ocean in a seamless predawn maneuver. A combination of experience, technology and luck contributed to a speedy rescue that separates the Raindancer from similar catastrophes .

“There was never really much fear that we were in danger,” Rodriguez said. “Everything was in control as much as it could be for a boat sinking.”

It wasn’t lost on Rodriguez that the story that inspired Herman Melville happened in the same region. The ship Essex was also heading west from the Galápagos when it was rammed by a sperm whale in 1820, leaving the captain and some crew to endure for roughly three months and to resort to cannibalism before being rescued.

Coast Guard saves overboard cruise passenger in ‘Thanksgiving miracle’

There have been about 1,200 reports of whales and boats colliding since a worldwide database launched in 2007, said Kate Wilson, a spokeswoman for the International Whaling Commission. Collisions that cause significant damage are rare, the U.S. Coast Guard said, noting that the last rescue attributed to damage from a whale was the sinking of a 40-foot J-Boat in 2009 off Baja California, with that crew rescued by Coast Guard helicopter.

Alana Litz was the first to see what she now thinks was a Bryde’s whale as long as the boat. “I saw a massive whale off the port aft side with its side fin up in the air,” Litz said.

Rodriguez looked to see it bleeding from the upper third of its body as it slipped below the water.

Bianca Brateanu was below cooking and got thrown in the collision. She rushed up to the deck while looking to the starboard and saw a whale with a small dorsal fin 30 to 40 feet off that side, leading the group to wonder whether at least two whales were present.

Within five seconds of impact, an alarm went off indicating the bottom of the boat was filling with water, and Rodriguez could see it rushing in from the stern.

Water was already above the floor within minutes. Rodriguez made a mayday call on the VHF radio and set off the Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon (EPIRB). The distress signal was picked up by officials in Peru, who alerted the U.S. Coast Guard District 11 in Alameda, Calif., which is in charge of U.S. vessels in the Pacific.

The crew launched the inflatable life raft, as well as the dinghy, then realized they needed to drop the sails, so that line attaching the life raft didn’t snap as it got dragged behind the still-moving Raindancer.

Rodriguez grabbed his snorkel gear and a tarp and jumped into the water to see whether he could plug the holes, but it was futile. The area near the propeller shaft was badly punched in, he said.

Meanwhile, the others had gathered safety equipment, emergency gear and food. In addition to bottled water, they filled “water bottles, tea kettles and pots” before the salt water rose above the sink, Rodriguez said.

“There was no emotion,” Rodriguez recalled. “While we were getting things done, we all had that feeling, ‘I can’t believe this is happening,’ but it didn’t keep us from doing what we needed to do and prepare ourselves to abandon ship.”

Rodriguez and Simon Fischer handed the items down to the women in the dinghy, but in the turmoil, they left a bag with their passports behind. They stepped into the water themselves just as the deck went under.

Rodriguez swam to the life raft, climbed in and looked back to see the last 10 feet of the mast sinking “at an unbelievable speed,” he said. As the Raindancer slipped away, he pulled a Leatherman from his pocket and cut the line that tethered the life raft to the boat after Litz noticed it was being pulled taut.

They escaped with enough water for about a week and with a device for catching rain, Rodriguez said. They had roughly three weeks worth of food, and a fishing pole.

The Raindancer “was well-equipped with safety equipment and multiple communication devices and had a trained crew to handle this open-ocean emergency until a rescue vessel arrived,” said Douglas Samp, U.S. Coast Guard Pacific area search and rescue program manager. He cautioned that new technology should not replace the use of an EPIRB, which has its own batteries.

Indeed, the one issue the crew faced was battery power. Their Iridium Go, a satellite WiFi hotspot, was charged to only 32 percent (dropping to 18 percent before the rescue). The phone that pairs with it was at 40 percent, and the external power bank was at 25 percent.

Rodriguez sent his first message to Joyce, who was sailing a boat on the same route about 180 miles behind. His second was to his brother, Roger, in Miami. He repeated most of what he had messaged to Joyce, adding: “Tell mom it’s going to be okay.”

Rodriguez’s confidence was earned. A 31-year-old from Tavernier, Fla., he had spent about 10 years working as a professional yacht captain, mate and engineer. He bought the Raindancer in 2021 and lived on her, putting sweat equity into getting the boat, built in 1976, ready for his dream trip.

Both he and Brateanu, 25, from Newcastle, England, have mariner survival training. Litz, 32, from Comox, British Columbia, was formerly a firefighter in the Canadian military. Fischer, 25, of Marsberg, Germany, had the least experience, but “is a very levelheaded guy,” Rodriguez said.

Rodriguez gave detailed information on their location and asked his brother to send a message via WhatsApp to Joyce, who has a Starlink internet connection that he checks more frequently than his Iridium Go. Because of his low battery, he told his brother that he was turning the unit off and would check it in two hours.

Rodriguez also activated a Globalstar SPOT tracker, which transmitted the position of the life raft every few minutes, and he broadcast a mayday call every hour using his VHF radio.

When he turned the Iridium Go back on at the scheduled time, there was a reply from Joyce: “We got you bud.”

As luck would have it, the Raindancer was sailing the same route as about two dozen boats participating in a round-the-world yachting rally called the World ARC. BoatWatch, a network of amateur radio operators that searches for people lost at sea, was also notified. And the urgent broadcast issued by the Coast Guard was answered by a commercial ship, Dong-A Maia, which said it was 90 miles to the south of Raindancer and was changing course.

“We have a bunch of boats coming. We got you brother,” Joyce typed.

“Can’t wait to see you guys,” Rodriguez replied.

Joyce told Rodriguez that the closest boat was “one day maximum.”

In fact, the closest boat was a 45-foot catamaran not in the rally. The Rolling Stones was only about 35 miles away. The captain, Geoff Stone, 42, of Muskego, Wis., had the mayday relayed to him by a friend sailing about 500 miles away. He communicated with Joyce via WhatsApp and with the Peruvian coast guard using a satellite phone to say they were heading to the last known coordinates.

In the nine hours it took to reach the life raft, Stone told The Post, he and the other three men on his boat were apprehensive about how the rescue was going to work.

“The seas weren’t terrible, but we’ve never done a search and rescue,” he said. He wasn’t sure whether they would be able to find the life raft without traveling back and forth.

He was surprised when Fischer spotted the Rolling Stones’ lights from about five miles away and made contact on the VHF radio.

Once it got closer, Rodriguez set off a parachute flare, then activated a personal beacon that transmits both GPS location and AIS (Automatic Identification System) to assist in the approach. Although the 820-foot Dong-A Maia, a Panamanian-flagged tanker, was standing by, it made more sense to be rescued by the smaller ship.

To board the Rolling Stones, the crew from the Raindancer transferred to the dinghy with a few essentials, then detached the life raft so it wouldn’t get caught in the boat’s propeller.

“We were 30 or 40 feet away when we started to make out each other’s figures. There was dead silence,” Rodriguez said. “They were curious what kind of emotional state we were in. We were curious who they were.”

“I yelled out howdy” to break the ice, he explained.

One by one, they jumped onto the transom. “All of a sudden, us four were sitting in this new boat with four strangers,” Rodriguez said.

The hungry sailors were given fresh bread, then were offered showers. The Rolling Stones crew gave their guests toothbrushes, deodorant and clothes. None even had shoes.

Rodriguez said he had tried not to think about losing his boat while the crisis was at hand. But, the first morning he woke up on Rolling Stones, it hit him. Not only had he lost his home and belongings, but he also felt as if he’d lost “a good friend.”

“I’ve worked so hard to be here, and have been dreaming of making landfall at the Bay of Virgins in the Marquesas on my own boat for about 10 years. And 1,000 nautical miles short, my boat sinks,” Rodriguez said.

The Rolling Stones is expected to arrive in French Polynesia on Wednesday, and Rodriguez is glad that he’s onboard.

“I feel very lucky and grateful that we were rescued so quickly,” he said. “We were in the right place at the right time to go down.”

Karen Schwartz is a writer based in Fort Collins, Colo. Follow her on Twitter @WanderWomanIsMe .

A previous version of this article misstated the size of the J-boat that sank in 2009. It was 40 feet.

More travel news

How we travel now: More people are taking booze-free trips — and airlines and hotels are taking note. Some couples are ditching the traditional honeymoon for a “buddymoon” with their pals. Interested? Here are the best tools for making a group trip work.

Bad behavior: Entitled tourists are running amok, defacing the Colosseum , getting rowdy in Bali and messing with wild animals in national parks. Some destinations are fighting back with public awareness campaigns — or just by telling out-of-control visitors to stay away .

Safety concerns: A door blew off an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 Max 9 jet, leaving passengers traumatized — but without serious injuries. The ordeal led to widespread flight cancellations after the jet was grounded, and some travelers have taken steps to avoid the plane in the future. The incident has also sparked a fresh discussion about whether it’s safe to fly with a baby on your lap .

After giant whale sinks boat in the Pacific, Tennessee man helps with the rescue

Tommy Joyce was talking to his dad when an unknown number appeared on his phone.  

Moments later, the phone call with his father was dropped.

The spotty signal was expected, though. His father was in Dickson County, and Joyce was in the South Pacific, aboard a 45-foot sailboat named Southern Cross, halfway between the Galapagos Islands and French Polynesia, along with his wife, Katelyn, and friend Natalie Rudman. 

Joyce decided to call the unknown number back. 

Someone answered. He immediately heard an excited voice, uttering words he still remembers.

“You are friends with my brother Rick from Raindancer," the voice said. "This is not a joke, Raindancer just sank. They hit a whale and the boat sank. Rick says you know what to do.” 

Rick Rodriguez and three friends were on board Raindancer, on the same route as Southern Cross. They were “buddy boating,” to use sailing parlance. 

Joyce sent a message to Rodriguez: "We got you bud." 

The crew believes a Bryde’s whale crashed into Rodriguez’s boat . As the sailboat started to sink, the crew quickly grabbed supplies and boarded a lifeboat and dinghy. 

The Southern Cross was just under 200 miles away at the time. 

"As soon as we learned about the situation, we put a post on Facebook and set up a WhatsApp group," Joyce told The Tennessean. "Tried to contact every single boat they could." 

The story of the rescue has made national news.

“The sailing community is so tight," said Joyce, who is still sailing in the Pacific. "Everyone is trying to help everyone else." 

The closest boat was a 45-foot catamaran named Rolling Stones , captained by Geoff Stone. Stone’s brother saw a post in the social media group about the sinking boat. They changed course to help.

After 10 hours adrift in a lifeboat, the passengers from the Raindancer boarded the Rolling Stones.

‘Always wanted to do this big trip’

Joyce grew up in Dickson County, and his family owns Middle Tennessee Lumber. He was deputy assistant secretary for global energy security and multilateral engagement at the U.S Department of Energy until early 2021 when a new administration took office.

The Joyces saw an opportunity during the presidential transition. 

“We had always wanted to do this big trip,” Joyce said. 

So the couple set off on an adventure at sea. Along the way, they met Rudman, a freediving record holder from South Africa who teaches freediving and yoga in the Caribbean. 

Joyce, who is 40, said he reached his milestone birthday while crossing through the Panama Canal. 

Joyce said they have spotted whales during the trip. They’ve literally knocked on wood when talking about it, hoping to keep their distance. 

“We’ve seen a few in the Galapagos," he said. "We saw two a couple days after we left.”

Another emergency 

The whale wreck wasn’t the only issue the Joyces have encountered. 

About three days after the Raindancer went down, the Joyces heard another mayday call about a man who suffered a stroke on a boat.  

Joyce credits the power of the SpaceX-backed Starlink internet service for providing immediate communication in the Pacific. 

“This is out of the ordinary" he said. "We have a satellite internet that’s fast for the first time ever.” 

Once again, the Southern Cross crew began reaching out to nearby boats through social media and other methods.

“They were running out of fuel,” Joyce said. 

Ultimately, another boat rescued the man and brought him to shore. 

Joyce's father, Bill Joyce said the family worries about their son and daughter-in-law at sea. But they're able to temper their concern, knowing they are skilled sailors.

"When you are a parent and your children are at sea or war or battling some illness you spend a lot of time praying for their welfare," Joyce said. "We couldn’t be prouder of Tommy and Katelyn and their crew member Natalie in facilitating the rescue of their four friends on the Raindancer."

The crew has been sailing for more than three straight weeks now. But it won't be much longer before they complete their 3,000-nautical-mile journey to French Marquesas in French Polynesia. 

Tommy Joyce said they doesn’t expect to stop there. His crew has  chronicled much of the trip in a blog .

“Then we'll continue heading west to New Zealand or Australia,” Joyce said.

• March 22, 2023

Sailors speak out after whale sinks boat in middle of Pacific

Captain Rick Rodriguez and three of his crew mates were 13 days into three-week sail from the Galapagos to French Polynesia when their boat slammed into a whale.

Up Next in news

Whale sinks boat in the pacific, the 2024 total eclipse seen across north america, sandra day o'connor, 1st woman on supreme court, dies at 93.

• Share full article

Advertisement

Supported by

Their Boat Hit a Whale and Sank. The Internet Saved Their Lives.

After the collision in the Pacific Ocean this month, Rick Rodriguez and three other sailors were rescued by a fellow boater, with an assist from a satellite internet signal.

By Mike Ives

When Rick Rodriguez’s sailboat collided with a whale in the middle of the Pacific Ocean earlier this month, it sank within about 15 minutes. But not before he and his three fellow mariners had escaped with essential supplies and cutting-edge communications gear.

One was a pocket-size satellite device that allowed Mr. Rodriguez to call his brother, who was thousands of miles away on land, from a life raft. That call would set in motion a successful rescue effort by other sailors in the area who had satellite internet access on their boats.

“Technology saved our lives,” Mr. Rodriguez later wrote in an account that he typed on his iPhone from the sailboat that had rescued him and his crew.

People involved in the roughly nine-hour rescue say it illustrates how newer satellite technologies, especially Starlink internet systems , operated by the rocket company SpaceX since 2019 , have dramatically improved emergency communication options for sailors stranded at sea — and the people trying to find them.

“All sailors want to help out,” said Tommy Joyce, a friend of Mr. Rodriguez who helped organize the rescue effort from his own sailboat. “But this just makes it so much easier to coordinate and help boaters in distress.”

Starlink’s service gives vessels access to satellite signals that reach oceans and seas around the globe, according to the company. The fee-based connection allows sailors to reach other vessels on their own, instead of relying solely on sending distress signals to government-rescue agencies that use older, satellite-based communication technologies.

But the rapid rescue would not have been possible without the battery-powered satellite device that Mr. Rodriguez used to call his brother. Such devices have only been used by recreational sailors for about a decade, according to the United States Coast Guard. This one’s manufacturer, Iridium, said in a statement that the device is “incredibly popular with the sailing community.”

“The recent adoption of more capable satellite systems now means sailors can broadcast distress to a closed or public chat group, sometimes online, and get an instant response,” said Paul Tetlow, the managing director of the World Cruising Club, a sailing organization whose members participated in the rescue .

A sinking feeling

Whales don’t normally hit boats. In a famous exception, one rammed the whaling vessel Essex as it crisscrossed the Pacific Ocean in 1820, an accident that was among the inspirations for Herman Melville’s 1851 novel “ Moby Dick .”

In Mr. Rodriguez’s case, a whale interrupted a three-week voyage by his 44-foot sailboat, Raindancer , from the Galápagos Islands in Ecuador to French Polynesia. At the time of the impact on March 13, the boat was cruising at about seven miles per hour and its crew was busy eating homemade pizza.

Mr. Rodriguez would later write that making contact with the whale — just as he dipped a slice into ranch dressing — felt like hitting a concrete wall.

Even as the boat sank, “I felt like it was just a scene out of a movie," Alana Litz, a friend of Mr. Rodriguez and one of the sailors on Raindancer, told NBC’s “Today” program last week. The story of the rescue had been reported earlier by The Washington Post .

Raindancer’s hull was reinforced to withstand an impact with something as large and heavy as a cargo container. But the collision created multiple cracks near the stern, Mr. Rodriguez later wrote , and water rose to the floorboards within about 30 seconds.

Minutes later, he and his friends had all escaped from the boat with food, water and other essential supplies. When he looked back, he saw the last 10 feet of the mast sinking quickly. As a line that had been tying the raft to the boat started to come under tension, he cut it with a knife.

That left the Raindancer crew floating in the open ocean, about 2,400 miles west of Lima, Peru, and 1,800 miles southeast of Tahiti.

“The sun began to set and soon it was pitch dark,” Mr. Rodriguez, who was not available for an interview, wrote in an account of the journey that he shared with other sailors. “And we were floating right smack in the middle of the Pacific Ocean with a dinghy and a life raft. Hopeful that we would be rescued soon.”

‘Not a drill’

Before Raindancer sank, Mr. Rodriguez activated a satellite radio beacon that instantly sent a distress alert to coast guard authorities in Peru, the country with search and rescue authority over that part of the Pacific, and the United States, where his boat was registered.

In 2009, a U.S. Coast Guard helicopter rescued a sailboat crew whose vessel had collided with a whale and sank about 70 miles off the coast of Mexico. But Raindancer’s remote location made a rescue like that one impossible. So in the hour after it sank, U.S. Coast Guard officials used decades-old satellite communications technology to contact commercial vessels near the site of the accident.

One vessel responded to say that it was about 10 hours away and willing to divert. But, in the end, that was not necessary because Mr. Rodriguez’s satellite phone call to his brother Roger had already set a separate, successful rescue effort in motion.

Mr. Rodriguez’s brother contacted Mr. Joyce, whose own boat, Southern Cross, had left the Galápagos around the same time and was about 200 miles behind Raindancer when it sank. Because Southern Cross had a Starlink internet connection, it became a hub for a rescue effort that Mr. Joyce, 40, coordinated with other boats using WhatsApp, Facebook and several smartphone apps that track wind speed, tides and boat positions.

“Not a drill,” Mr. Joyce, who works in the biotech industry, often from his boat, wrote on WhatsApp to other sailors who were in the area. “We are in the Pacific headed that direction but there are closer vessels.”

After a flurry of communication, several boats began sailing as quickly as possible toward Raindancer’s last known coordinates.

SpaceX did not respond to an inquiry about the system’s coverage in the Pacific. But Douglas Samp, who oversees the Coast Guard’s search and rescue operations in the Pacific, said in a phone interview that vessels only began using Starlink internet service in the open ocean this year.

Mr. Joyce said that satellite internet had been key to finding boats that were close to the stranded crew.

“They were all using Starlink,” he said, speaking in a video interview from his boat as it sailed to Tahiti. “Can you imagine if we didn’t have access?”

Of course, there was one sailboat captain without a Starlink signal during the rescue: Mr. Rodriguez. After night fell over the Pacific, he and his fellow sailors resorted to the ancient method of sitting in a life raft and hoping for the best.

In the darkness, the wind picked up and flying fish jumped into their dinghy, according to Mr. Rodriguez’s account. Every hour or so, they placed a mayday call on a hand-held radio, hoping that a ship might happen to pass within its range.

None did. But after a few more hours of anxious waiting, they saw the lights of a catamaran and heard the voice of its American captain crackling over their radio. That is when they screamed in relief.

Mike Ives is a general assignment reporter. More about Mike Ives

• South Sound News
• North Sound News
• 7-Day Forecast
• Hour by Hour
• School Closings
• Pet Walk Forecast
• Weather 24/7 Stream
• Live Stream
• KIRO 24/7 News
• Weather 24/7
• KIRO 7 Live Studio (Opens in new window)
• The $pend $mart Stream
• Law & Crime
• Curiosity NOW
• KIRO 7 Investigates
• Seattle Seahawks
• Seattle Mariners
• Seattle Kraken
• Seattle Sounders
• Seattle Storm
• College Sports
• High School Football
• On Home Ice
• KIRO 7 Live Studio
• Discover Northwest
• Healthier Together
• Woodland Park Zoo (Opens in new window)
• Your Voices
• KIRO 7 CARES
• Washington Grown
• Back to School
• Seattle Pride 2023
• Share Your Pics!
• Steals and Deals
• Jesse Jones
• KIRO 7 Apps
• Newsletter Sign-ups (Opens in new window)
• KIRO 7 News Team
• Submit a news tip
• KIRO 7 TV Schedule
• Advertise With Us
• Closed Captioning
• KIRO 7 FCC EEO Report (Opens in new window)
• KIRO 7 Public File (Opens in new window)
• Visitor Agreement
• Privacy Policy
• Telemundo Seattle (Opens in new window)
• Jobs at KIRO 7 (Opens in new window)

Whale sinks sailboat stranding 4 on the open ocean

Whale sinks sailboat FILE PHOTO: A weeks-long voyage by sailboat was cut short when the vessel was sunk by a whale. (valio84sl/Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Four friends embarked on an epic sailing adventure and now have a whale-sized tale to tell.

>> Read more trending news

Rick Rodriguez and his three friends were on a weekslong trip to French Polynesia from the Galapagos by sailboat, The Washington Post reported.

They were having a quick pizza lunch when they heard a bang on March 13, 13 days into their three-week trip.

“It just happened in an instant. It was just a very violent impact with some crazy-sounding noises and the whole boat shook,” Rodriguez told the “ Today ” show.

The bang ended up being a large whale that hit Rodriguez’s sailboat, the Raindancer.

“The back half of the boat lifted violently upward and to starboard,” the sailor told the Post .

The impact broke the propeller and the fiberglass around the boat.

The whale didn’t go away unscathed either.

“It sounded like something broke and we immediately looked to the side and we saw a really big whale bleeding,” Rodriguez told “ Today .”

One of Rodriguez’s companions believed it was a Bryde’s whale that was about as long as the boat.

“I saw a massive whale off the port aft side with its side fin up in the air,” Alana Litz told the Post .

Another member of the group thought she saw a smaller dorsal fin of a whale another 30 to 40 feet from the craft, leading the group to believe there were two whales near their boat.

The 44-foot sailboat sank in about 15 minutes, but not before the four friends were able to get on a life raft in the middle of the Pacific.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Rick Rodriguez (@ricki_rod)

The Post reported that Rodriguez was able to text a friend, writing, “Tommy this is no joke. We hit a whale and the ship went down,” adding, “Tell as many boats as you can. Battery is dangerously low.”

The water flowing into the ship activated an alarm. Rodriguez also sent out a mayday call and the Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon. Officials in Peru alerted the U.S. Coast Guard in California about the sinking.

Rodriguez also put on his snorkel and grabbed a tarp to see if he could repair the damage, but it was too bad. Meanwhile, the rest of his crew grabbed emergency gear, food, safety equipment and water, filling whatever they could from the boat’s kitchen sink before the saltwater rose too high, the Post reported. They had enough food for about three weeks, water for about a week and a fishing pole.

But they didn’t need all of what they were able to grab.

About 10 hours later, and floating about nine miles from where the sailboat went down, a civilian ship spotted them and pulled them from the Pacific Ocean.

Geoff Stone, captain of the ship Rolling Stones, saw on a Facebook group about the sailboat sinking and realized he was about 60 miles away. He found their exact location and headed toward them, eventually meeting the life raft and lifting the four friends to safety, “ Today ” reported.

• Caleb Williams selected as No.1 pick in NFL draft by Chicago Bears
• Body of trucker missing since November found in farm field in Iowa
• Francis Scott Key collapse: Fourth temporary channel opens
• Kid Cudi cancels world tour after breaking foot at Coachella
• Babies named Johnny Cash, June Carter born same day at same hospital

Subaru’s Alleged Secret: Unintended Acceleration

Snohomish County woman urges safety changes after Tesla on autopilot crashed, killed fiancé

In-N-Out Burger considering second Washington state location

Police seeking information after reports of woman forced into truck near White Center

Woodland Park Zoo makes difficult decision to euthanize hippo

A 'massive' whale destroyed a sailboat in the middle of the Pacific, leaving 4 friends stranded for 10 hours

• Rick Rodriguez and his friends went on a boat journey from the Galapagos to French Polynesia.
• About two weeks into the trip, the group found themselves stranded for 10 hours in the middle of the Pacific. 
• Their sailboat had been struck by a whale and sunk, The Washington Post  reported. 

One of the first things Rick Rodriguez did after his boat started to sink was text his friend. "Tommy this isn't a joke," he wrote . "We hit a whale and the ship went down."

He really wasn't joking.

Rodriguez and three of his friends were on a three week sailing journey. They had started near the Galapagos Islands and were on their way to French Polynesia. Just shy of two weeks into their journey, however, they found themselves in a lifeboat, floating in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, The Washington Post reported.

They drifted for 10 hours before a civilian ship finally rescued them, Sail World Cruising, an online sailing publication, reported.

Rodriguez told The Post that him and his friends were eating pizza at about 1:30 p.m. on March 13 when they heard a loud bang. Some 15 minutes later, the boat sank. The friends quickly collected essential supplies like water, food, and documents, and then scrambled into the lifeboat, according to Sail World Cruising. 

Rodriguez, who fortunately still had some charge left on a portable wifi device, was able to reach out for help. "Tell as many boats as you can," he told his friend, who was also a sailor. "Battery is dangerously low."

Related stories

Alana Litz, one of the friends on the sailboat, told the Post she was the first to see what she now believes was a Bryde's whale that was at least 44-feet long — the length of the boat. Bryde's are a species of great whale,  similar to blue or humpback whales. 

"I saw a massive whale off the port aft side with its side fin up in the air," Litz told the Post.

Rodriguez said he saw it bleeding as it went back into the water.

Fortunately for the stranded crew, there were about two dozen ships sailing in the same direction — part of a yacht race known as World ARC, according to Sail World Cruising. 

"There was never really much fear that we were in danger," Rodriguez told The Post. "Everything was in control as much as it could be for a boat sinking."

It's not uncommon for boats and whales to collide, especially with the rise in the amount of cargo and cruise boat traffic. The Los Angeles Times reported that ship strikes have actually been a danger to whales in the Pacific. 

"Anywhere you have major shipping routes and whales in the same place, you are going to see collisions," Russell Leaper, an expert with the International Whaling Commission told the Times. "Unfortunately, that's the situation in many places."

The Maritime Executive , a magazine covering maritime issues, reported last week that a sailboat had to be towed to safety in the Strait of Gibraltar after three orcas knocked into it. The magazine reported that orcas have been slamming into boats in the area for years. 

A spokeswoman for the International Whaling Commission told the Post that since 2007, there have been 1,200 reports of boats and whales colliding. But according to the US Coast Guard it's rare for collisions to cause significant damage. 

• Main content

Main Content

• Back to School
• Decision 2024
• Pittsburgh Gets Real
• Clark Howard (Opens in new window)
• Weather App
• Interactive Radar
• Hour by Hour
• 5 Day Forecast
• WPXI 24/7 News
• WPXI Weather 24/7
• The $pend $mart Stream
• Law & Crime
• Curiosity NOW
• 11 Investigates
• The Final Word
• 11 on the Ice
• Jerome Bettis Show
• Steals and Deals
• Home Experts
• Care Connect
• Breaking the Stigma
• Advertise With WPXI
• Live Traffic Updates
• What's on WPXI
• Lottery Results
• Laff (Opens in new window)
• ME-TV (Opens in new window)
• Share Your Pics!
• Closed Captioning
• Internships
• Jobs at WPXI (Opens in new window)
• Our Region's Business
• UPMC: Community Matters
• UPMC: Minutes Matter
• Chiller Theater
• Visitor Agreement
• Privacy Policy

Whale sinks sailboat stranding 4 on the open ocean

Whale sinks sailboat FILE PHOTO: A weeks-long voyage by sailboat was cut short when the vessel was sunk by a whale. (valio84sl/Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Four friends embarked on an epic sailing adventure and now have a whale-sized tale to tell.

>> Read more trending news

Rick Rodriguez and his three friends were on a weekslong trip to French Polynesia from the Galapagos by sailboat, The Washington Post reported.

They were having a quick pizza lunch when they heard a bang on March 13, 13 days into their three-week trip.

“It just happened in an instant. It was just a very violent impact with some crazy-sounding noises and the whole boat shook,” Rodriguez told the “ Today ” show.

The bang ended up being a large whale that hit Rodriguez’s sailboat, the Raindancer.

“The back half of the boat lifted violently upward and to starboard,” the sailor told the Post .

The impact broke the propeller and the fiberglass around the boat.

The whale didn’t go away unscathed either.

“It sounded like something broke and we immediately looked to the side and we saw a really big whale bleeding,” Rodriguez told “ Today .”

One of Rodriguez’s companions believed it was a Bryde’s whale that was about as long as the boat.

“I saw a massive whale off the port aft side with its side fin up in the air,” Alana Litz told the Post .

Another member of the group thought she saw a smaller dorsal fin of a whale another 30 to 40 feet from the craft, leading the group to believe there were two whales near their boat.

The 44-foot sailboat sank in about 15 minutes, but not before the four friends were able to get on a life raft in the middle of the Pacific.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Rick Rodriguez (@ricki_rod)

The Post reported that Rodriguez was able to text a friend, writing, “Tommy this is no joke. We hit a whale and the ship went down,” adding, “Tell as many boats as you can. Battery is dangerously low.”

The water flowing into the ship activated an alarm. Rodriguez also sent out a mayday call and the Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon. Officials in Peru alerted the U.S. Coast Guard in California about the sinking.

Rodriguez also put on his snorkel and grabbed a tarp to see if he could repair the damage, but it was too bad. Meanwhile, the rest of his crew grabbed emergency gear, food, safety equipment and water, filling whatever they could from the boat’s kitchen sink before the saltwater rose too high, the Post reported. They had enough food for about three weeks, water for about a week and a fishing pole.

But they didn’t need all of what they were able to grab.

About 10 hours later, and floating about nine miles from where the sailboat went down, a civilian ship spotted them and pulled them from the Pacific Ocean.

Geoff Stone, captain of the ship Rolling Stones, saw on a Facebook group about the sailboat sinking and realized he was about 60 miles away. He found their exact location and headed toward them, eventually meeting the life raft and lifting the four friends to safety, “ Today ” reported.

• Caleb Williams selected as No.1 pick in NFL draft by Chicago Bears
• Body of trucker missing since November found in farm field in Iowa
• Francis Scott Key collapse: Fourth temporary channel opens
• Kid Cudi cancels world tour after breaking foot at Coachella
• Babies named Johnny Cash, June Carter born same day at same hospital

Allegheny County library card holders can get free admission to over a dozen attractions this summer

3 teenagers charged in alleged shootout in Summer Hill

Pennsylvania man among Americans facing prison time over strict law at popular vacation destination

Multiple kids on board when school bus, pickup truck collide in South Fayette Township

Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh issues warning about man accused of disturbing Masses

Whale sinks boat in the Pacific

Four sailors say they’re lucky to be alive after a whale struck their boat, leaving them stranded for nearly 10 hours. abc news’ andrew dymburt reports., march 22, 2023, what’s next for russia, what comes next after texas school shooting, what's next for abortion rights in america, the new battle for voting rights, how we can build a clean and renewable future, the fight for kyiv, examining extremism in the military, gun violence: an american epidemic, border crisis: what’s happening at the us-mexico border, remembering george floyd: a year of protest, the source of covid-19: what we know, how did the gamestop stock spike on wall street happen, why are people hesitant to trust a covid-19 vaccine, how climate change and forest management make wildfires harder to contain, disparity in police response: black lives matter protests and capitol riot, 2020 in review: a year unlike any other, examined: how putin keeps power, why don’t the electoral college and popular vote always match up, us crosses 250,000 coronavirus deaths, 2nd impeachment trial: what this could mean for trump, presidential transition of power: examined, how donald trump spent his last days as president, how joe biden's inauguration will be different from previous years, belarus’ ongoing protests: examined, trump challenges the vote and takes legal action, 2020’s dnc and rnc are different than any before, what is happening with the usps, voting in 2020 during covid-19, disinformation in 2020, abc news specials on, impact x nightline: on the brink, impact x nightline: unboxing shein, the lady bird diaries, impact x nightline: it's britney, impact x nightline: natalee holloway -- a killer confesses, impact x nightline: who shot tupac, impact x nightline, power trip: those who seek power and those who chase them, the murders before the marathon, the ivana trump story: the first wife, mormon no more, leave no trace: a hidden history of the boy scouts, keeper of the ashes: the oklahoma girl scout murders, the orphans of covid: america's hidden toll, superstar: patrick swayze, the kardashians -- an abc news special, 24 months that changed the world, have you seen this man.

Whale lands on boat off Massachusetts coast in ‘insane’ moment caught on video

A whale breached and landed on the bow of a small boat briefly submerging it in the water, in a stunning moment caught on video Sunday morning off the Massachusetts coast.

In footage of the encounter, the whale, which appears to be a humpback, can be seen emerging from the water before landing on the 19-foot vessel, bringing it crashing down into the water before bouncing upright again.

The incident unfolded around 10 a.m. in the area of White Horse Beach in Plymouth, town officials said.

“It was insane," one witness, Ryder Parkhurst, told NBC Boston . "The guy was just in the wrong place at the wrong time, that’s all. Pops up, bang ... right on the bow of the guy’s boat.”

“I just saw the boat go freaking flying, it was crazy,” Parkhurst said. “It was nuts. I couldn’t believe the thing was still floating.”

In a statement published Sunday, the town said a Plymouth Harbormaster Department boat assigned to the area responded to check on the vessel occupants.

"The operator reported no injuries and no major damage that affected the seaworthiness of the vessel," it said. It was unclear whether the whale sustained any injuries in the incident.

The department's crews had been monitoring the area since around 5 a.m. Sunday in a bid to ensure everyone's safety after a  boat was bumped by a whale Friday , NBC Boston reported.

Plymouth Harbormaster Chad Hunter said many boats had been out in the area for recreational fishing Sunday due to an abundance of bait fish, which he said was also attracting whales to the area.

The town said the Plymouth Harbormaster Department had forwarded information about the incident to the Massachusetts Environmental Police. The police department did not immediately respond to a request for comment from NBC News.

The town said the Harbormaster Department recommended boaters keep a distance of at least 100 yards from whales to "minimize potential interactions."

“This interaction, while rare, is a reminder that these interactions can be dangerous for both boaters and whales,” it said.

Kurt Chirbas is a senior editor for NBC News based in New York.

Chantal Da Silva is a breaking news editor for NBC News Digital based in London. 

Twenty one dead, 23 missing after boat capsizes off Djibouti coast, UN agency official says

• Medium Text
• Second capsizing in as many weeks
• All those recovered are Ethiopians

Sign up here.

Reporting by George Obulutsa; Editing by Bate Felix, Ed Osmond and Bill Berkrot

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. New Tab , opens new tab

World Chevron

Tabloid publisher says he wrangled with Trump over who should buy sex stories

Former National Enquirer publisher David Pecker testified at Donald Trump's criminal trial on Thursday that he wrangled with Trump and his former lawyer ahead of the 2016 election over who should buy the silence of women who said they had sexual encounters with him.