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Whale strike on an ocean passage: what to do, and who pays?
Short answer
Every year cruising yachts hit whales on Atlantic and Pacific passages,
sometimes ending with a leak or a rudder torn away.
What matters most is the first few minutes on board and a claim backed by good evidence.
For bluewater sailors a collision with a whale is no sailor's yarn. On the trade wind route across the Atlantic, around the Canaries, in the Pacific and off Alaska, yachts keep reporting a hard bang under the hull followed by a whale sounding beside them. Most of the time the result is a dent in the keel or a bent rudder stock. In the worst cases the rudder is torn out of the hull or the hull is holed, and the yacht is lost. A whale sleeping at the surface is almost impossible to see at night or in a seaway.
After the impact, seamanship sets the order. Crew first: everyone on deck, lifejackets on. Then check the bilge, the rudder tube and the keel area for water coming in. Run the bilge pumps, stem any leak with what you carry and test the steering. If the situation is serious, send a distress alert by VHF DSC, EPIRB or satellite phone, speak to the nearest MRCC and get the liferaft ready. Only once the yacht is safe does the paperwork begin: position, time, course, speed and a short description in the log, with photos and video of the damage.
For the claim, what counts is that you can show the strike happened. A log entry timed to the minute, crew who saw it, photos of the animal, of blood in the water or of fresh marks on the hull, and a report to the MRCC all help. In the next port, have the yacht lifted and the damage recorded by a surveyor before any repair starts. When you read a hull wording, check how it treats collision with floating or submerged objects, because that is where a whale strike is usually argued. Report the encounter to one of the whale strike reporting databases too, so routes and warnings improve for every crew.
Worth remembering
First
crew, bilge, rudder
Then
log, photos, report
If you can prove the strike, you stand on far firmer ground in the claim.
Questions
What owners ask us about this
How often do yachts hit whales?
No one has reliable figures, because many strikes are never reported. On the main trade wind routes and in the Pacific, though, they happen every year.
What should I do straight after hitting a whale?
Make the crew safe, check bilge, rudder and keel for water, pump and plug, and send a distress alert if the boat is at risk. Then log position, time and damage.
Does hull insurance pay for damage from a whale?
That depends on the wording and on the facts. A strike backed by a log entry, photos and a survey report has the best chance, so do not skip any of the three.
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