A SAILOR whose yacht was destroyed by a humpback whale off New Zealand
said he had got a good "vibe" from the giant mammal and thought it was
trying to say sorry, local media said today.

Lindsay Wright was sailing his brand-new 10-metre trimaran, named Loose
Goose, about 80 nautical miles off the west coast of North Island
yesterday when he hit the whale.

Mr Wright said he had been sleeping when he was awoken by a loud noise
and rushed up on deck to find himself staring at a whale's head about a
foot away.

"I got good vibes off him. I thought he was trying to say sorry mate, I
didn't mean to," Mr Wright said on New Zealand television.

He said the whale, a large male in a pod of about six humpbacks, had
hit his yacht with its tail, opening a large hole in one of the boats's
three hulls.

"When I first saw him I thought he had come back for the coup de
grace," Mr Wright told AAP.

Mr Wright activated a distress beacon as his yacht took on water and
lost electrical power. He was winched to safety aboard a rescue
helicopter about five hours later, Australian Broadcasting Corp. radio
said.

Joe