Ballenas Interruptus

Apart from being a bit rolly, the La Cruz anchorage in Mexico’s Banderas Bay usually provides cruising sailors with a quiet night of sleep. Usually, but not always. At 5 a.m. one morning last month, Craig and Kiki Redwine of the Arcata-based Beneteau Oceanis 461 Oya were abruptly awoken by what they describe as "very human-like plaintive cries that were coming from the surface of the water." While Craig went aft to investigate, Kiki stuck her head out of the V-berth hatch and was promptly showered by a spouting humpback whale, swimming right off the bow.

"Suddenly there was a loud clanging and shuddering that shook the entire boat so hard that the halyards in the mast were slatting," recalls Craig. He and Kiki soon discovered that the noise was the result of one of several large whales that were seen cruising the anchorage getting tangled up in Oya‘s rocker-stopper, which had been suspended from the tip of a whisker pole. The brief encounter left the pole hinged in half, the rocker-stopper damaged and a stanchion bent.

The incident was one of those unexpected encounters that make the cruising life so richly unpredictable. As they move south toward Manzanillo, Craig and Kiki will keep a sharp eye out for other whales, as hundreds are on the move at this time of year. But hopefully their next cetacean encounter won’t be quite so tough on Oya‘s gear.