A Whale of a Story

When Cape Town Sailing Academy Administrator Paolma Werner and her sailing instructor boyfriend, Ralph Mothes set out for a sail this past Sunday they thought it would be another enjoyable and relaxing excursion.  That is, until a 40-ton Southern Right Whale crashed into their 10-meter yacht, The Intrepid. 

Werner and Mothes had been watching the whale for about a half hour when it moved to about 100 to 200 meters from the boat then disappeared under water.  Next thing they knew, the whale was out of the water and crash against the mast of the boat.  While the whale received minor injuries, the mast of the steel boat was destroyed and there was some structural damage.  However, the damage wasn't severe enough to sink the boat or cause it to leak.  The couple were able to get safely back to shore.

You can find out more information and see a series of 6 photographs taken by an individual on a nearby boat by visiting this article at MSNBC.com.  To scroll through the photos, click "Next" on the left side of the page.

Some who have seen the photos and read the article believe this is just a really good fish story helped along by a bit of creative Photoshop work.  What do you think?