If you’ve seen their show they have a complete lack of seamanship throughout the crew, especially in their leaders. So it’s more likely than not they screwed the pooch and got too close by accident. That said, they have a history of ramming the whaling boats and then claiming that they were the ones who were rammed. But as usual, they are caught as liars on tape.
You know, that would explain so much. WHen I worked at sea (biologist) I recall another land lubber asking the captain to thread his way through some drifting boats. He patiently replied “Teresa, this is ship, not a bicycle.’ She blushed as he explained that none of the route she proposed was at all feasible.
I never realized, until I read your post, that these people have no seamanship skills. Soooo...between all that money and self rightiousness, no one learned how to pilot a boat? And someone rich keeps handing boats to land lubbers? AND THEY COULDN’T FIND ONE SINGLE CAPTAIN TO PILOT THEIR BOAT? NOT ONE CAPTAIN BELIEVES IN THEIR GOALS, THEIR METHODS, THEIR MISSION. NOT EVEN FOR MONEY???