‘Tai Tam’ collides north of New Zealand
On Saturday, the Australian yacht “Tai Tam”, a Beneteau Oceanis 51.1, was en route from Fiji to Australia. Around 400 nautical miles north of New Zealand, it collided with a whale and sprang a leak. As the sailors were unable to stem the flood of water, they activated an EPIRB and abandoned the sinking vessel.
The New Zealand Maritime Rescue Service received the distress call and deployed a search aircraft. This located the shipwrecked crew and established radio contact with them. At the same time, a freighter was diverted to the scene of the accident.
It reached the stricken vessel at around 6 am on Sunday morning and took the crew on board. According to the information available so far, the crew were unharmed. The “Tai Tam”, however, sank shortly after the crew were found.
There is no reliable information available regarding the species of whale or the condition of the animal. Nor is there any evidence to suggest that the whale deliberately rammed the yacht. The incident has been classified as an accidental collision on the open sea.
Whale collisions remain a recurring issue
Collisions with whales are relatively rare, but can have serious consequences for both the animal and the vessel. For yachts, damage below the waterline – for example to the rudder, skeg or propeller shaft – is particularly dangerous.
In 2023, the cruising yacht ‘Raindancer’ will sail to a whale collision in the Pacific sank within 18 minutes. The German yacht ‘Findus’ In 2018, a humpback whale damaged an oar and a propeller so severe that the boat was almost rendered manoeuvrable. As well as sailing boats, other water sports enthusiasts are also affected. In South Africa, a surfer lost his life in September 2025 following a collision with an unidentified marine creature.
Fast racing yachts are also frequently involved in collisions with marine mammals. During the Ocean Race 2023 The IMOCA ‘Mālama’ collided with an unidentified marine mammal or another large marine animal. Two crew members were injured. And it was only during the recent Ocean Race Atlantic that the port foil of the ‘Malizia 4’ damaged following a collision. The team suspects it might be a small whale or a large fish.
In addition to accidental collisions with whales, there are also the Orca attacks continues to be a problem for sailors.
Marine mammals are usually the ones that bear the brunt
However tragic a whale collision may sometimes be for boaters, it is the whales themselves who suffer the most. The greatest danger comes from container ships. A study concluded that, in a marine area of around 39,900 square kilometres off the coast of Southern California, approximately 29 blue whales, humpback whales and fin whales are killed each year as a result of collisions with ships.
The study is a model-based regional estimate and does not relate to recorded or directly observed deaths. However, it draws attention to the problem and provides a general insight into the extent of the danger posed to whales by shipping worldwide.
Have you ever spotted a whale right next to your yacht whilst at sea – and how did you react?
Janek Struchholz
Volontär
