Kiss of Death: Sailing crew's narrow escape after giant whale capsizes 44ft boat in Pacific Ocean

California: A sailing crew was in a movie like rescue operation after their 44ft long boat was sunk by a giant whale in the Pacific Ocean.

As per reports, Rick Rodriguez of Tavernier, Florida, and his three friends had intended to sail for three weeks from the Galápagos Islands to French Polynesia, which was 3,500 miles distant in the south Pacific.

The tragedy occurred on March 13—just 13 days after the crossing had begun. Around 1:30 p.m., Rodriguez and the others were eating a vegetarian pizza when they heard a loud commotion.

“The second pizza had just come out of the oven, and I was dipping a slice into some ranch dressing,” Rodriguez said told reporters in an interview over a satellite phone.

“The back half of the boat lifted violently upward and to starboard.” The strong impact threw the rest of the crew, but they all noticed from various perspectives that a whale had struck the boat.

Alana Litz reported seeing a large whale with its side tail raised off the port aft side.

An alert signaling that the boat was filling with water sounded five seconds after the whale and boat collided. According to Rodriguez, the crew members, all of whom have boating expertise, acted without delay.

Rodriguez activated the emergency location indicating radio beacon, a distress signal linked to a global rescue network, by transmitting a mayday call on a VHF radio.

Rodriguez’s distress beacon was subsequently picked up by the Peruvian coast guard, who then alerted a US Coast Guard station in California that monitors American ships in the Pacific Ocean.

Others in the boat collected food, emergency supplies, and other gear as well as fresh water as saltwater began to leak into the boat.

A dinghy and the crew’s lifeboat were deployed. They had gathered their emergency gear, but they didn’t have time to get their IDs.

The group had enough water on the lifeboat to last them for about a week. The team also had a rainwater collection system and enough food for three weeks.

Rodriguez and the team had a phone, a satellite wifi hotspot, and an external battery that were all only partially charged when they became stranded.

Tommy Joyce, a fellow sailor and acquaintance, was the first person Rodriguez messaged about the circumstance. He was reportedly 180 miles behind Rodriguez, but on the same route.

“This is no joke,” Rodriguez wrote to Tommy. “The ship went down after we struck a whale.”

Rodriguez added, “Tell mom it’s going to be OK,” in a similar message to his sibling Roger.

Rodriguez asked his brother to text Joyce on Whatsapp because he was habitual of checking the messaging app more frequently than others.

After that, Rodriguez made efforts to save some battery and nearly two hours later he finally got a note from Joyce which said, “We got you bud.”

A few hours later, Rodriguez and his team boarded Geoff Stone’s 45-foot boat, the Rolling Stones.

Stone organized the rescue of Rodriguez’s group with Joyce and the Peruvian authorities after receiving one of Rodriguez’s mayday calls from a friend.

On Wednesday, the group ought to touch down in French Polynesia.

Rodriguez, in an interview, told the media that while he is happy to be on board the Rolling Stones safely, he laments his living vessel, the Raindancer, which he had modified for the journey.

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