How to give yourself the best chance of avoiding whales

12:26 AM Sat 31 Jul 2010 GMT

'Whale breaching beside the yacht, pictured just seconds before it crashed onto the yacht causing heaving damage - photo from Universal News And Sport' Captetownsailing.co.za

Remember this photo? Even though the incident occurred off the coast of South Africa, sailors round the world were moved and empathetic - 'It could have been me!' Along with floating containers and icebergs (if you sail in colder waters) collision with a whale is one of those uncontrollable nightmare possibilities at sea. The American Sailing Association has come up with some good advice about encounters with whales, and we reprint it here: 1. When you spot a whale, it's easy to let the wheel drift towards it. But make sure you stay at least 300 feet away from them, ...

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by American Sailing Association