Off the coast of Alaska, a whale sank an anchored yacht where a family of three was spending the night. KTUU reported the incident.
Tanya Lewis, her husband, and their 23-year-old son, Lou, were traveling on a 1960s-era sailboat. On the night of July 29, the couple was asleep on board while Lou was reading. Suddenly, he heard a loud impact, and the vessel began to sink rapidly; it turned out a whale had rammed it.
According to Lewis, the family had no time to gather their belongings. They rushed to their inflatable dinghy, but it capsized and took on water. The couple managed to right the boat and use it to reach the shore, while their son swam behind, holding onto a backpack.
The family built a fire on the beach and spent the night there until rescuers arrived in the morning. Despite the ordeal, Tanya described the night as magical. “The full moon came up, and we sat by the campfire as a family. When else would we get a chance like that?” she explained.
It is believed the whale breached the hull while trying to catch fish sheltering beneath the boat. Biologists collected samples of whale skin from the vessel to identify the specific animal.
Previously, it was reported that a whale sank a New Jersey fire department boat. The vessel began taking on water so quickly that the crew had only seconds to abandon ship.
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