Gray Whale Flops Onto Boat, Crushing Cabin
From Times Staff And Wire Reports
A gray whale smashed into a 27-foot boat, damaging the vessel and injuring one person, the boat’s owner said.
The Bayliner was cruising off Leadbetter Beach shortly before 6 p.m. Wednesday when the whale surfaced under the right bow and belly-flopped onto the boat, crushing the cabin, said owner Jerry Gormley.
He said the whale surfaced a second time and ran its tail along the boat’s side, knocking over passenger Bob Thornburgh, 50, who suffered cracked ribs, and tearing down the vessel’s railing.
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