Tonga to Fiji passage
We Hit a Whale… on Our Livestream
But she’s OK
Halfway through the livestream from Tonga to Fiji, we were sailing west from Pangai in Haʻapai, joking about the active volcano we were about to pass. Meghan spotted a whale off the bow. Then a spout. Then a whole pod, crossing in front of us.
Plays from 5:37:05. The strike is at 5:38:52, on the forward mast cam. Open the full video on YouTube if it does not start here.
We started the engines to make noise, and tried to slow down and steer around them. One surfaced right at the bow, and we hit it. She spouted as she swam away, as if to tell us she was annoyed. She probably weighs about double what the boat does, so we’re sure she’s OK. For a 40-ton whale, it would be like getting punched by your little brother.
We checked the bulkheads and the bilges. The bilges stayed dry. There was no water ingress.
Steve thought it was a pilot whale based on the dorsal fin, but Meghan thought humpback. After looking at the video, we’re pretty sure Meghan wins this one! Two other boats in our group hit whales this season, and one sank, so we took it seriously. Steve sent a pan-pan to the New Zealand Rescue Coordination Centre and to Fiji. RCCNZ set up six-hour check-ins for the rest of the passage. We will get a closer look at the hull when we arrive.
Some Tuesday is a Lagoon 450S catamaran.