Orca attack

[Mistroma]

Anyone else ever bother looking at vessel finder now and then?

Every day there are a number of yachts active in the area. And shedloads of fishing vessels.....

I've been filtering out the fishing vessels to only leave yachts. Cape St. Vincent to Cadiz mostly Portuguese with a couple of Spanish flagged boats. Similar around Lisbon, mostly local boats. Not surprising as most foreign sailors will have gone home or be laid up for winter. The locals don't seem too bothered at present. I haven't heard about any recent incidents in that area and assume the locals are keeping an eye open.

 

[25931]

I have just read an iteresting article in YM about orcas and a skipper says that he thought the orcas were playing.
Mammals often behave strangely, a dog will worry a toy , growling fiercely and could frighten who didn't know that the dog was harmless. The dog will repeat the game many times and obviously knowing that he wasn't killing. If an orca were to see men viciously kicking a ball or attacking one with a variety of purpose made weapons he might be at a loss to understand but I doubt if he would fantasize that the men were punishing something that was stealing their food.

 

[alexsailor]

Y

Indeed. It’s a lot like Covid. Live life, or cower in fear behind sealed doors, sanitised hands and gas masks in public.

So true!
Sailing, enjoying life
Hugs, drinks, good dinner… Life is ful of joy

 

[Sailfree]

I have just read an iteresting article in YM about orcas and a skipper says that he thought the orcas were playing.
Mammals often behave strangely, a dog will worry a toy , growling fiercely and could frighten who didn't know that the dog was harmless. The dog will repeat the game many times and obviously knowing that he wasn't killing. If an orca were to see men viciously kicking a ball or attacking one with a variety of purpose made weapons he might be at a loss to understand but I doubt if he would fantasize that the men were punishing something that was stealing their food.

Possible hence advice lock rudder. It becomes a (hopefully) immovable object like keel

 

[Graham376]

Possible hence advice lock rudder. It becomes a (hopefully) immovable object like keel

Doubt this is the best solution. One report I read he had the pilot engaged effectively locking rudder and the quadrant was destroyed. Another one had the tiller pilot on and mounting was ripped out of boat, he commented that if his leg had been in the way of the tiller, it would have been broken as there was so much force. Best remedy appears to be going astern.

 

[webcraft]

No practical way of locking a tiller against that sort of force.

- W

 

[sailaboutvic]

A wheel lock won't lock the rudder but it will slow down the free movement of it from side to side ,
It be some thing I be looking at doing if I was in that position as well as going in astern asap .

 

[Kelpie]

The trouble with many of these 'solutions' is that in many cases the damage is done in the first strike. No warning shots across the bow when it comes to orcas...

 

[Kelpie]

Just by way of update, I heard back from the Nauticat owner who lost his rudder and contained under Hydrovane. He says the Hydrovane was *not* deployed during the attack and would probably have been destroyed if it had.

 

[TNLI]

I wonder if these attacks become more widespread they will cause a swing to Steel or aluminion. Or perhaps an increased demand for catamarans.

Luckily the rudder of my alloy hull lifeboat is galvanised steel. I had Orcas charge my boat a few times, but I always stop and wait. The faster you go the worse the problem, because they seem to regard fast boats that barge into an area the are feeding or breeding in, as worthy of a shove or two.

 

[alexsailor]

GLOCK 45 acp will do the job.

 

[rib]

Luckily the rudder of my alloy hull lifeboat is galvanised steel. I had Orcas charge my boat a few times, but I always stop and wait. The faster you go the worse the problem, because they seem to regard fast boats that barge into an area the are feeding or breeding in, as worthy of a shove or two.

Feeding area or breeding area... Seems a more likely reason than pure out right attacks... Good job we didn't go round blasting all to death

 

[chrishscorp]

GLOCK 45 acp will do the job.

I suspect that there are interactions with local fisherman and if they are anything like the fisherman i have known in the north east where i grew up (some of them still had guns onboard left over from the cod war ) they would react 'firmly' they will just not report it.

 

[BurnitBlue]

I have been looking at my second boat which is in my garden. A long keeled grp folkboat with the rudder attached to the aft end of the keel, which is part of thhe hull. It occurred to me that if an orca overbit the rudder to damage the aft end of the keel, the folkboat would sink because that space is open and cannot be acessed. She would flood down the whole boat with nothing to prevent it.

My other boat ( Moody 34 in Greece) on the other hand has a seperate rudder. There is no way an orca can bite into the hull which is almost flat bottomed at the stern unless the orca has jaws 4 meters wide. The orca's jaws would slide off with nothing to grip.

A revelation to me. I considered my world girdling folkboat to be the more seaworthy of the two.

 

[25931]

I have been looking at my second boat which is in my garden. A long keeled grp folkboat with the rudder attached to the aft end of the keel, which is part of thhe hull. It occurred to me that if an orca overbit the rudder to damage the aft end of the keel, the folkboat would sink because that space is open and cannot be acessed. She would flood down the whole boat with nothing to prevent it.

My other boat ( Moody 34 in Greece) on the other hand has a seperate rudder. There is no way an orca can bite into the hull which is almost flat bottomed at the stern unless the orca has jaws 4 meters wide. The orca's jaws would slide off with nothing to grip.

A revelation to me. I considered my world girdling folkboat to be the more seaworthy of the two.

How many orcas visit your garden ?

 

[sarabande]

Killer weeds ?

 

[BurnitBlue]

How many orcas visit your garden ?

My folkboat was my ace in the hole. I planned to launch her in Spring if the O varient interfered with flights to Greece. I may still do that but take the scenic canal route to the Med.. Even if fresh water Orcas bite my boat, it will be only a two foot jump to the bank. There is always a silver lining when a sensible yachtsman owns a folkboat.

 

[Pavalijo]

Has anybody watched the Frozen Planet episode of a group of Orcas hunting a Minke whale? A different sub-population, but some similarities to yacht attacks (biting and ramming).

See HERE

 

[chrishscorp]

Has anybody watched the Frozen Planet episode of a group of Orcas hunting a Minke whale? A different sub-population, but some similarities to yacht attacks (biting and ramming).

See HERE

Yes but in the case of a yacht its just a playful, fun interaction....... perhaps we should round up those people that keep claiming this and stick them on a yacht and make them sail around untill they find one of these Orca pods

 

[25931]

Yes but in the case of a yacht its just a playful, fun interaction....... perhaps we should round up those people that keep claiming this and stick them on a yacht and make them sail around untill they find one of these Orca pods

At least one skipper who experienced an "attack" said that they were obviously playing. In common with nearly everyone on here I have never had that experience ( in 70 years of sailing) even though I have lost count of the number of times that orcas have been close as I can almost see the tunny nets from where I am sitting. I shall continue to keep an open mind.