Off-topic: No White Whale

Regarding our Oct. 29, 2009, off-topic item about a whale attack on a sailboat, it now appears that it was a mere collision -- not an assault.

You can read the latest information in Latitude 38. See the "real story" item on this page. There is no guarantee that the story won't change again.

Off-Topic: Shades of Moby Dick

Stories are told from time to time and then retold and retold about whales attacking sailboats. Some of them sound fanciful and are third and fourth hand.

Here is a current account of what appears to be a genuine attack by whales or whales on a sailboat yesterday off the Baja California coast. The boat sank in a matter of minutes but no one was seriously injured.

This is the first verifiable whale attack that we have heard about off the Mexican coast in 11 years of sailing here.