Sperm whale sinks yacht in South Pacific; four rescued

A sperm whale cracked the hull of a yacht in the remote South Pacific, forcing four sailors into a life raft before they were rescued about 18 hours later by a container ship.

The 16-metre yacht Tai Tam was sailing about 250 nautical miles north of Norfolk Island when it encountered a pod of sperm whales on Saturday, September 26. Crew members said they heard a loud thud and the boat was pushed sideways.

Australian sailor Jemma Cooper said she was thrown from the steering wheel by the force of the impact. Her husband, Jeremy Cooper, said he was sleeping below deck when the collision woke him and that water was coming into the yacht.

The crew activated an emergency beacon about 30 minutes after the collision. The Royal New Zealand Air Force sent a P-8A Poseidon patrol plane to establish radio contact and coordinate the rescue.

French crew member Martin Jaffre said the collision left gashes in the hull, cracked the fibreglass structure and broke the steering. The crew tried to slow the water with materials including expansion foam and bailed by hand.

Late at night, the sailors abandoned the yacht for a life raft. In the early hours of Sunday, September 27, they cut the tether to the yacht because they feared it could drag them down. The yacht sank soon after.

The container ship MV Sofrana Surville rescued the four sailors at 6 am Sunday New Zealand time, the New Zealand military said. Jeremy Cooper said the voyage had a “terrible ending” but “luckily no loss of life”.