Yachting: America's Cup crew hits whale

CAPE TOWN - The first South African yacht to challenge for the America's Cup hit a whale during training on Monday, stopping the boat dead in the water and injuring at least two crew members.

Team Shosholoza's skipper Geoff Meek and navigator Marc Lagesse were injured and both steering wheels snapped off when the yacht's four-metre keel collided with a southern right whale, the group said in a statement.

"The sudden impact brought the yacht to a dead stop," it said.

Groups of whales are often seen off the coast near Cape Town and are sometimes visible from the shore, although they are more common in the nearby, quieter False Bay.

"We are always vigilant, both about them and other objects in the water, but the keel has a four-metre draft and this whale must have been deep in the water below us," sailing manager Paul Standbridge said.

Shosholoza is Africa's first challenge for international yachting's top prize, and the crew are hard in training for the right to compete against Cup holders Alinghi of Switzerland in Valencia in 2007.

The team said Meek suffered an injured knee and Lagesse hurt his collarbone from the impact.

A crew member was flung from the yacht and was picked up later by an accompanying boat. There was no information about the condition of the whale.

"The entire crew is pretty shaken up and a number of them have minor arm injuries from bracing themselves and whiplash from the sudden impact," Standbridge said.

Team Shosholoza bought the Italian Prada 2000 America's Cup yacht last year as a training vessel and will build two new 25-metre racing yachts over the next two years.

- REUTERS