Buzz Mills
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Whale Damages Boat, Injures Man in Calif.
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - A whale smashed into a 27-foot boat, destroying the cabin, steering and radar, and injuring one passenger, the boat's owner said. The Bayliner was cruising off the Santa Barbara coast to catch the sunset Wednesday when the whale came up from below and belly-flopped onto the boat, owner Jerry Gormley said.
The whale emerged again, and its tail toppled the vessel's railings and knocked over a passenger. Bob Thornburgh, 50, was later treated for cracked ribs, his wife said. The whale was estimated to be about 30 feet long. Wayne Perryman, a researcher with the National Marine Fisheries Service, said the boaters probably encountered a gray whale, which rarely show aggressive behavior and are common off California this time of year. It could have been a coincidence that the whale surfaced where the boat was, he said.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060203/ap_on_re_us/whale_vs_boat_1
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - A whale smashed into a 27-foot boat, destroying the cabin, steering and radar, and injuring one passenger, the boat's owner said. The Bayliner was cruising off the Santa Barbara coast to catch the sunset Wednesday when the whale came up from below and belly-flopped onto the boat, owner Jerry Gormley said.
The whale emerged again, and its tail toppled the vessel's railings and knocked over a passenger. Bob Thornburgh, 50, was later treated for cracked ribs, his wife said. The whale was estimated to be about 30 feet long. Wayne Perryman, a researcher with the National Marine Fisheries Service, said the boaters probably encountered a gray whale, which rarely show aggressive behavior and are common off California this time of year. It could have been a coincidence that the whale surfaced where the boat was, he said.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060203/ap_on_re_us/whale_vs_boat_1
