Whale Leaps from South African Waters, Lands on Sailboat

(The New York Post) - A couple watching whales from a sailboat ended up getting a real close-up view -- when a 33-foot southern right whale soared out of the water off Cape Town, South Africa, and landed on their boat, snapping the mast, according to reports published Tuesday.

This species of whale navigates by sound and has poor eyesight, meaning it may have simply not heard the sailboat, which had its motor off.

See photos of the whale and boat .

“Our boat's engine was off and so the whale just didn't know we were there," Paloma Werner told the BBC.

"We were just the wrong boat, in the wrong place at the wrong time."

Werner and her partner Ralph first saw the whale in the distance. They floated for an hour watching.

"It appeared about 120 meters (400 ft) away from our boat and then it went under the water again,” she told the BBC.

"A few moments later, I saw it resurface just 10 meters (33 ft) away.

"Suddenly I heard my partner shout and when I looked around, I saw the huge thing breaching on to the deck.

"Instinctively, I took cover as the mast came crashing down. I saw my partner, Ralph, dive for cover behind the yacht's wheel. Then the whale slid down the side of the boat and back into the water.

"As soon as I realized that we were unhurt, we checked to see how much damage had been done.

"Luckily, we weren't taking on water so we started the engine and headed for shore. I saw the whale reappear further away.

"When we got back to land, I realized how lucky we were to have survived."

Source: The New York Post