Crew members on the 52-foot Tai Tam told AFP on Thursday of their weekend encounter with a pod of sperm whales 250 nautical miles north of tiny Norfolk Island.
asserted
members → tell → Island
The whole boat was pushed sideways," said Australian Jemma Cooper, who was thrown from the steering wheel by the force of the blow.
asserted
who → push → blow
Not knowing at first what had happened, she noticed a brown discoloration in the water and a sperm whale.
asserted
she → know → water
"We looked out to our port side, and there were six to eight, a pod, of whales there.
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We → look → whales
So then it became clear that that's what it was," she told AFP.
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she → become → AFP
Her husband Jeremy Cooper said he was sleeping below deck when the impact woke him.
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impact → say → him
"It was pretty immediately evident it was very serious," he said.
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he → say → ?
"All the steering gear was smashed on the starboard side, and there was a significant amount of water coming in," Jeremy told AFP.
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Jeremy → smash → AFP
At 1 p.m. New Zealand time on Saturday — about 30 minutes after the whale collision — they activated an emergency beacon.
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they → activate → beacon
"We declared a full mayday," said New Zealand crew member Terry Hetherington, adding they spent the next few hours bailing out as much water as they could.
uncertain
they → declare → water
The Royal New Zealand Air Force flew a P-8A Poseidon patrol plane to the area to establish radio communications and coordinate the rescue, the military said in a news release, which included images of the rescue.
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which → fly → rescue
French crew member Martin Jaffre said the whale collision left several gashes in the hull and cracked the fiberglass structure, as well as breaking the steering.
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collision → say → steering
"We could no longer steer the boat, and a boat with no steering quickly becomes a problem," he told AFP.
uncertain
he → steer → AFP
Jaffre battled to slow the incoming water with anything to hand, including expansion foam, and swam below the boat to inspect the hull, his crewmates said.
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crewmates → battle → hull
The sailors tried to stay aboard as long as possible, struggling to stop the engine getting clogged and bailing by hand.
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engine → try → hand
Late at night, they abandoned the boat and transferred to a life raft in calm seas and under a full moon.
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they → abandon → moon
In the early hours of Sunday morning, they cut the tether to the yacht, fearing it might drag them down.
uncertain
it → cut → them
Soon after, it slipped beneath the waves.
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it → slip → waves
A 470-foot container ship, the MV Sofrana Surville, rescued the sailors at 6 a.m. on Sunday, the New Zealand military said — about 18 hours after their encounter with the sperm whale.
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military → rescue → whale
Even the rescue was scary as the giant ship approached their tiny life raft, recalled Jeremy Cooper.
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Cooper → approach → raft
But within half an hour they had scaled a ladder to join their rescuers, have a cup of coffee and chat with the captain, he said, ruing the end of their Pacific holiday voyage.
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he → scale → voyage
"It was wonderful, wonderful, and just a terrible, terrible ending — but luckily no loss of life."
Rescue Coordination Centre Operations Manager Mike Clulow praised the efforts of the rescue team and the yacht's crew.
"
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Clulow → praise → team
This was a well-coordinated and executed rescue," Clulow said.
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Clulow → coordinate → ?
"The crew of the yacht did all the right things, and it was unfortunate to have struck a whale in open water.
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it → do → water
They were well prepared and the early activation of their EPIRB (Emergency Position-Indicating Radio Beacon) was key to helping get them to safety.
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activation → prepare → safety
It is an excellent reminder that being prepared when going to sea can save your life."
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going → go → life
Adult male sperm whales measure between 50 and 60 feet.
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whales → measure → feet
They are considered a "vulnerable" species by the nonprofit International Union for Conservation of Nature.
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They → consider → Nature
Sperm whales reproduce once every five to seven years and have experienced significant population decline.
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whales → reproduce → decline
The incident in New Zealand marks at least the second time in less than two months that a whale has sunk a boat.
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whale → mark → boat
In July, a whale that surfaced for air slammed into a New Jersey fire department's boat,
with firefighters on board.
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that → surface → board
Someone on a personal watercraft nearby and a boater helped rescue the firefighters from the water.
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Someone → help → water
The Aporia
