SANTA CRUZ >> Competitive boaters visiting Santa Cruz from the East Bay got a taste of “extreme whale watching” Saturday afternoon in the water off West Cliff Drive.

At about 2:30 p.m., Bill Erkelens said he and three others were half way through the Santa Cruz Yacht Club’s Moore 24 Fall Classic competition, tacking 100 yards out of the kelp beds when a whale breached in front of them.

As it changed direction after seeing the yacht, the whale’s descending tale hit the vessel’s rigging and sails, breaking the yacht’s mast, Erkelens said. Two of the crew members were knocked into the water and quickly rescued, he said.

One crew member had a cut on his head and Erkelens said he broke a finger. The whale’s condition was unclear, but it swam away, leaving behind pieces of whale skin here and there, he said. The boat will not continue in Sunday’s competition, Erkelens said.

“We’re all fine. We got a nature experience right in the race,” Erkelens said. “There was no hint of whales before or after it. He popped up and he was really big.”

Erkelens said Santa Cruz remains his and his wife’s favorite place to sail.