A humpback whale rams and sinks a family’s sailboat in Alaska’s Glacier Bay, leaving the people to get to safety in the water. The incident occurs on July 29, when the family is aboard the boat during evening sailing.
According to accounts from multiple outlets, the family reports waking to a heavy impact sound described as a “giant thud” or “gigantic thud” around 11:30 p.m. The West Australian and PerthNow describe the family fleeing as the anchored boat goes down, while the New York Post similarly describes the family treading water after the whale strikes and the vessel sinks.
The reports align on the core sequence of events—collision, the dramatic impact sound, and the boat sinking in Glacier Bay. Differences are mainly in phrasing and emphasis, such as whether the whale hits an anchored sailboat versus how the family describes the circumstances before the collision. All accounts present the incident as a sudden encounter with the whale, followed by an immediate need for the family to stay afloat and escape.
