Paloma Werner who was onboard with her partner Ralph Mothes said: “The southern right whale, a species known for poor eyesight, snapped the mast before sliding back into the water, and my partner and I had just seconds to take cover. It really was quite incredible but very scary. The whale was about the same size as the boat. We’d spotted it about 100 metres away and thought that was the end of it. Then suddenly it was right up beside us. I assumed it would go underneath the boat but instead it sprang out of the sea. We were very lucky to get through it, as the sheer weight of the thing was huge. There were bits of skin and blubber left behind, and the mast was wrecked. It brought down the rigging too. Thank goodness the hull was made of steel and not fiberglass or we could have been ruined.”

Although the couple was left shaken by the whole experience and their boat severely damaged, their engine still worked so they could get back to shore in Table Bay, after the incident there were reports that the whale had been harassed by pleasure craft before it leapt onto the Intrepid. An inflatable craft had been seen driving close to the animal moments before the incident. Experts have said regarding the incident, that the young whale was more likely inexperienced with human contact and didn’t know the yacht, which had its engine turned off, was there.

Scientist and manager of the Cape Town Mammal Research Institute at the University of Pretoria, Meredith Thornton said:”Whales don’t see much by way of their eyes but by sound in the water.”

For those who have been stranded in Spain for nearly a week now this will be a welcome relief, especially travelling back in the 5* luxury of the Celebrity Eclipse cruise liner which can carry 2,850 passengers. The President and Chief Executive of Celebrity Cruises Dan Hanrahan, contacted tour operators Thomas Cook, TUI and Co-Op Travel Group to look at bringing back their stranded customers.

He said. “They responded favourably to our idea of bringing these passengers back and they knew where their guests were in Spain and they could give us a manifest of people. It seemed a better idea than having a two-day party and it’s all worked out and we’re happy to help.”

The Eclipse is due to arrive in Bilbao in the early hours of Thursday 22nd and pick up the stranded holiday makers before returning to Southampton.

Picture courtesy of eastleighbusman

The £800million cruise ship is the world’s largest passenger vessel that is 40 per cent bigger than any other cruise ship afloat, (think taller than London’s Canary Wharf or the Chrysler Building in New York) putting it in a league of its own, it is most technologically advanced cruise ship in the world capable of holding 5,400 guests in some 2,700 cabins. The Oasis of the Seas is built to a new design concept that sees the ship split up into different 7 neighborhoods spanning 16 decks including, Boardwalk which is dedicated to family fun and nostalgia, Central Park that combines nautical and nature and Royal Promenade at the heart of the ship.

Next year will also see its sister ship the Allure of the Seas coming into commission that will also be built to the same size and same high standards.

Picture courtesy of Ereine

Cruising. Just kicking it back in the Caribbean with a colourful cocktail, listening to some jerk from Florida tell you how he picked his trophy wife while a band plays foxtrot versions of Coldplay’s latest 45 in the background as the soundtrack to the last weeks of a rich old chick’s final romance with a heartless scoundrel with his eye on an inheritance. Sounds idyllic, right? Yeah – that’s until Poseidon, God of Oceans, turns up to kick your ass. He doesn’t care how big your boat is, you’re disturbing his watery slumbers and must pay. IN BLOOD. Or at least by suffering some violent lateral motion.

The Oceanos

So you’re chillin’ out maxin, relaxin’ real cool when the ship starts to tip to the left faster than Hugo Chavez. At first you think it’s just those cool, cool margeritas you chugged down while trying to catch the eye of the pretty greek waitress. Then all of a sudden you find yourself dangling from the railings and you realise this goes way beyond drunk. In fact, you’re aboard the Oceanos. And not only is the ship sinking, but the crew and captain have already absconded without telling you. Unbelievably, this is what the passengers of the ship found themselves facing in 1999 when Captain Arvanas and his crew got off the ship even before many of the passengers were alerted. Luckily for the passengers, nobody died after merchant shipping and helicopters were alerted to the unfolding disaster. Unluckily for Captain Arvanas he was found guilty of negligence by the Greek Maritime Board.

The Titanic

Yeah yeah. Not only are going to drown in the inky black waters of the arctic circle, but one day a long necked Canadian’s going to rape your memory in song. The prototype of the shitty cruise, The Titanic’s maiden voyage had it all – unimaginable luxury, fur coats, diamonds, Kate Winslet nude and various ethnic minorities to wait hand and foot on your white ass. But Evil Capitalist Pigs decreed that spending money on luxuries like, you know, lifeboats and stuff . We think that even Rupert Murdoch might blanch at a dick move of that magnitude.

The Sapphire Princess Impales a Whale

Everyone likes kebabs, right? OK so they taste better after a beer or three but putting meat on a spike is the eating style of the future (you heard it here first). There’s always some douche looking to go one better than the next guy, and there’s no bigger douche than the captain of the Sapphire Princess cruise ship, who hauled into Vancouver with a sperm whale speared on the front of his boat. We like to think he leapt ashore and triumphantly urinated on the quayside, but there’s no evidence that that ever happened.

Your bet has been cancelled…

Casinos are pretty sharp operators. After Clooney and Pitt cleaned them out 3 times in the last decade, they’ve tightened up procedures and have a host of new ways to scam customers out of their hard-earned. This was taken to its logical conclusion aboard the Crown Princess. When some cardshark started winning big, the captain turned his ship into a monster wave in the ultimate dick move – almost tipping the ship over. Despite the many broken limbs, croupiers were said to be ‘relieved’.

Grand Voyager

We don’t care how good your “sea legs” are – in weather like this, you’re going to be hurling chunks

Tom Cruise

Did you see what we did there? Did you? Har-di-har!

However, as bingo’s popularity has seen a massive boom over the last few years and the size and scale of the game has grown, it’s no surprise to find that it is attracting new levels of glamour. This year’s World Championship Tournament takes place in the Gulf of Mexico on board the 952ft Carnival Splendor – the largest and most spectacularly appointed cruise ship in the Carnival fleet. The 2009 tournament in November will see players from around the world duking it out for a $100,000 jackpot and a free pass to the 2010 event.

With interest in the UK at an all time high, online bingo site 888ladies.com is stumping up to send the winner of its own mini tournament to the event – all expenses paid! By playing as many games as possible on the site between now and August 23rd, players can accumulate points in the competition. The 75 players with the most points will then take part in a 75 card showdown. The eventual winner of this game will be flown from London to the US, where they’ll hook up with the Carnival Splendor for an 8 day luxury cruise in first class VIP cabins, touring around the Gulf of Mexico and taking in such exotic locations as Puerto Vallarta and Cabo San Lucas.

So if your image of bingo is still stuck with the Working Man’s Club stereotype of chain-smoking, blue-haired old girls then more fool you: the era of glamourous bingo has truly arrived!

The Judge from New York East District held the case that faxes sent violated the telephone consumer protection act dating back to 1991 which effectively bars  the use of a fax machine in sending unsolicited advertisements.

Carnival Cruises raised a number of defenses to the case, which were rejected by the court.