Close Call With A Whale

Man, that would ruin your day: CAMPER barely avoids taking out a whale, and doing major structural damage. They should give helmsman Chuny Bermudez a medal because this would have ended their Volvo bid.

From the account on the VOR website:

White water was breaking over the red boat's bow as the team hurtled at speeds in excess of 20 knots when

Bermúdez's keen eye caught a grey glimpse of the mammal off the bow.

Without a second thought Bermúdez swung the wheel and dodged the whale, avoiding a collision that could have proved costly for the boat and crew.

"With reflexes like a cat he narrowly missed what could have been the equivalent of a runaway freight train colliding with a truck," Media Crew Member Hamish Hooper said.

"We were doing just over 20 knots and all of a sudden the boat lurched to starboard, just staying in control.

"Nico (skipper Chris Nicholson) popped his head up to see Chuny looking as if he has just seen his life flash before his eyes. I think he had. It would have been seriously bad for both the whale and us."

What is it with CAMPER and whales, anyhow? Remember the orca?