Competitors in the Clipper Round-the-World Race have crossed the longitude line that marks the end of their official circumnavigation of the globe—even though they have many miles left to sail. As racers contend with heavy conditions, the team aboard Spirit of Australia had an additional scare as they narrowly missed hitting a humpback whale.
From Sail-World.com:
What happens when a 32 ton yacht hits an 8 ton humpback whale side-on at 11 knots?’ asks Brendan in his daily report. ‘Today, Spirit of Australia very nearly found the answer to that vexing question. We only just noticed it as it surfaced in front of the boat and a quick reaction from the helm saw us miss it by only a few metres. As gracious and majestic as they are, they are massive moving obstacles and would do some nasty damage to our fine yacht if we hit one at speed.
