Family's Sailboat Sunk by Humpback Whale in Glacier Bay, Alaska
A humpback whale struck and sank a family's sailboat in Glacier Bay on July 29, leaving them to survive overnight before rescue.
On July 29, a humpback whale rammed into the Lewis family's sailboat in Glacier Bay, creating a hole in the hull and sinking the vessel shortly after midnight. Tania Lewis and her husband were asleep when their son Lou, who was reading, heard a loud thud and alerted them. The emergency dinghy capsized, forcing the parents to flip it back over while their son swam to shore using a backpack for buoyancy.
After trekking about 130 yards through cold water, the family reached the beach with minimal clothing and scant emergency gear, and they endured the frigid night until a rescue team arrived at 6:30 a.m. A park biologist later suggested the whale was likely pursuing fish when it struck the boat. Despite the ordeal, the Lewises recalled a memorable night under a full moon and a fire they managed to build together.
Why it matters
The incident highlights rare wildlife-boat interactions and the challenges of remote wilderness survival.
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