"IT WASN'T A GOOD MOMENT": WATCH THEIR BENETEAU OCEANIS 51.1 SINK AFTER A COLLISION WITH A SPERM WHALE

"We were sitting in the lifeboat… and we watched the boat sink. A hundred meters from us. It wasn't a good moment," says Jeremy Cooper. This occurred 18 hours after a sperm whale collided with the family's Beneteau Oceanis 51.1, on which Cooper and his wife were traveling toward New Zealand.

"There was a loud bang. The entire boat tilted," recounts Australian Jemma Cooper, referring to the moment the sperm whale hit the Tai Tam. The incident occurred earlier this week in the South Pacific, 250 nautical miles north of Norfolk Island. The Coopers had been sailing the Pacific Ocean with the Tai Tam for about six years; on this occasion, they were accompanied by two other people. Jemma recounts that the force of the impact threw her from the helm and that the crew immediately spotted a group of six whales next to the boat. "There were one or two enormous ones. They were as long as the boat," she adds. Adult male sperm whales measure between 15 and 18 meters and are considered a vulnerable species. A recent study suggests that these large marine mammals modify their vocalizations when there are boats nearby, indicating that vessel noise could be influencing their communication.

CATASTROPHIC DAMAGE

Jeremy Cooper was sleeping below deck when the impact occurred. He woke up immediately. "It quickly became evident that it was very serious," he told AFP news agency. "The entire steering mechanism was destroyed on the starboard side and water was entering rapidly." The incident caused several cracks in the hull, cracked the fiberglass structure, and the rudder was nearly torn off. "The boat was completely out of control from the rudders," Cooper told 9News.

DISTRESS CALL

Given the likely irreversible situation and the location—500 nautical miles north of New Zealand, approximately the same distance south of Fiji—they decided to call for help. The emergency beacon was activated about 30 minutes after the impact. The crew spent the following hours bailing out water and attempting to contain the intake with expanding foam. They remained on board as long as possible before transferring to their auxiliary boat and life raft.

In the early morning hours of the next day, they cut the line and their vessel sank shortly after. Meanwhile, the Royal New Zealand Air Force sent a P-8A Poseidon patrol aircraft to the area to establish radio communications and coordinate the rescue.

CONTAINER SHIP TO THE RESCUE

In total, the incident lasted around 18 hours. The crew was rescued by the 143-meter container ship MV Sofrana Surville at 06:00.

"We have a life raft the size of a double bed, and a container ship approaching us," comments Jeremy. "When the last crew member gets on board and you know he's safe, I just break down in tears," adds Jemma Cooper.

RECURRING INCIDENTS WITH CETACEANS

Interactions with sperm whales have been wreaking havoc on deep-water sailors in the Pacific. Recently, orcas have also damaged the rudders of several sailboats off the coast of Galicia and throughout the Iberian Peninsula over the past six years, with both crews safely returning to port.

PRAISE FOR THEIR ACTIONS

"The yacht crew did everything right," notes Mike Clulow, operations manager of the rescue coordination center. "It was unfortunate to collide with a whale in open waters. They were well prepared and the early activation of their EPIRB was key to helping them get to safety. It's an excellent reminder that being prepared when you go to sea can save your life." Clulow also praised the coordination between the agencies and ships involved in the rescue.

Source: https://marineindustrynews.co.uk/