From the news wires

40 ton whale nearly destroys sailboat off South African coast

40 ton whale took out the sailboat's mast, but the couple on board were able to use a motor to get back to port.

Newscom

A 40 ton whale is about to crash into a sailboat off the coast of Cape Town, South Africa, July 18. A passenger on a nearby boat snapped this picture just before the whale hit the boat. The couple on board the 33 foot vessel were enjoying calm seas off the South African coast when the animal flipped into the air and smashed into their mast.

By Associated Press

July 21, 2010, 4:47 p.m. ET | Cape Town, South Africa

A yachter in South Africa says her trip off the country's picturesque southwestern coast was wrecked by an unexpected whack from a whale.

Paloma Werner said Wednesday the whale breached just feet from their boat in Cape Town's waters on Sunday. It whacked the yacht, snapping the mast in two.

A local newspaper showed a photo, captured by a passenger on a nearby boat, of a massive black whale towering over the yacht.

Werner says neither she nor her companion were hurt, and she saw the whale swimming around minutes after the collision. She says she feels lucky that the mast took the brunt of the blow.

The seas around Cape Town are teeming with whales and great white sharks during the winter months, which fall in the middle of the year.

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