Bitch-Slapped by a Whale

Dismastings during Northern California yacht races are a relatively common occurence, but we’ve never heard of one quite like this. Around 2:30 Saturday afternoon during Santa Cruz YC’s Fall Classic, the bow and forestay of Bill Erkelens’ Moore 24 Eclipse — whose topsides are gloss black and bottom is white — was suddenly struck by a whale’s tail with enough force to send the rig crashing down into the cockpit, leaving two of the four crew in the water. Fortunately, they were quickly retrieved by a YC crash boat, and suffered only minor injuries. 

Sailmaker Dave Hodges was racing nearby aboard Banditos, and says the whale simply disappeared afterward. But he tells us that an abnormally large whale population has been congregating near Santa Cruz lately, especially in the kelp beds of Mitchell’s Cove, and some have been known to battle with orcas in recent weeks. Speculation around the docks is that the whale that attacked Eclipse may have thought the sloop was an orca. We have no idea if the stunning incident will inspire Erkelens to change his boat’s color scheme, but as you can see, she’s already got a new nickname.