I READ Dr Raoult's concerns about the interaction between whales and ships. I agree that if whales were suddenly exposed to a ship's engine at close quarters it would be distressing for them. What happens in most cases is that they would hear a faint noise, gradually increasing, from miles or kilometres away. If they find it uncomfortable, they move away.
In the old days ships had sharp clipper bows and there were the very rare, well documented, cases of ships hitting whales. With modern bulbous bows I think the whales would be deflected and washed down the side of the hull. I well remember a time coming into Sydney harbour while the dinghy racing was going on. At the last minute one dinghy thought he could cut across our bow (thereby gaining ground on the rest of the fleet) and tried to do so. What he had not allowed for was that, as he got close, the ship blocked his wind (and therefore his propulsive energy). On the bridge we lost sight of it as it went under the starboard side of the bow. A long few seconds later it appeared in sight again from under the port bow. With a sharp bow I think we would have cut it in half.
