Noonsite advice on Orcas

[RupertW]

I’ve seen reports. Obviously not the ones you have seen. A few boats damaged. Much fear. No one hurt. This is atypical orca behaviour. Probably an aggressive reaction to stress caused by fishing methods rather than any preference for eatinga human/ GRP sandwich. Therefore distinct from a “rogue” tiger slightly adapting its hunting and diet to include humans. So do we kill orcas because we have stressed them? And if we keep on stressing them do we then have to keep on killing them? Ad infinitum. Given their highly social nature, do we have to kill a whole pod once we kill one member of that pod? Do we have the names and addresses of the guilty orcas or do we just shoot any we see?

It’s not hard - we shoot the ones as they express the atypical behaviour of damaging boats. Either that will be one individual to warn the others off or if necessary (and highly unlikely) the whole pod. Either way round it’s simple wildlife management. I take it you don’t sail those waters or haven’t recently but are happy to expose others to getting their boats disabled and needing rescuing.

 

[nortada]

It’s not hard - we shoot the ones as they express the atypical behaviour of damaging boats. Either that will be one individual to warn the others off or if necessary (and highly unlikely) the whole pod. Either way round it’s simple wildlife management. I take it you don’t sail those waters or haven’t recently but are happy to expose others to getting their boats disabled and needing rescuing.

Don’t think the Portuguese or Spanish will be too happy about the carriage of guns on yachts.??

Moreover, you really do not have a clue about wild life, nor do I but I understand that Orcas are highly intelligent, excellent communicators and very social so declaring a war on them in their environment may not be your best idea today. Especially as our behaviour to date may be the cause of their change in behaviour.

Your tactic, rather than warn them off, may encourage mass attacks under the cover of darkness to destroy the intruding aggressors. After a successful engagement an evening meal on raw sailors.

Rather let those who understand these things try to get to the bottom of this problem and instigate a remedial nonaggressive solution.

ps Are there many Orcas in the Thames?

 

[webcraft]

I would have much more sympathy for the Orcas if they were attacking large commercial fishing boats.

No boat has been sunk yet, but it is only a matter of time before a through-hull rudder fitting is ripped out and a boat is lost.

And of course Orca have sunk a yacht. The Robertson were extremely lucky to survive.

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&sou...FjAQegQIKhAC&usg=AOvVaw0LY7rt8UAvsMHplUggmo06

- W

 

[sailaboutvic]

I just love it , just as always they who are not effected by this are out to save the world and them who are want to destroy it.
How about dangling a net around the Stern that hang below the rudder , it probably cause some drag but it may stop them playing with the rudder

 

[RupertW]

Don’t think the Portuguese or Spanish will be too happy about the carriage of guns on yachts.??

Moreover, you really do not have a clue about wild life, nor do I but I understand that Orcas are highly intelligent, excellent communicators and very social so declaring a war on them in their environment may not be your best idea today. Especially as our behaviour to date may be the cause of their change in behaviour.

Your tactic, rather than warn them off, may encourage mass attacks under the cover of darkness to destroy the intruding aggressors. After a successful engagement an evening meal on raw sailors.

Rather let those who understand these things try to get to the bottom of this problem and instigate a remedial nonaggressive solution.

ps Are there many Orcas in the Thames?

That sounds unnecessarily complicated.

 

[webcraft]

I just love it , just as always they who are not effected by this are out to save the world and them who are want to destroy it.
How about dangling a net around the Stern that hang below the rudder , it probably cause some drag but it may stop them playing with the rudder

I have yet to hear of any yacht that has used a successful strategy.

I am curious as to whether rudder configuration (eg spade vs keel-hung) has any bearing.

- W

 

[RJJ]

I have yet to hear of any yacht that has used a successful strategy.

I am curious as to whether rudder configuration (eg spade vs keel-hung) has any bearing.

- W

Apparently skeg-hung rudders are orca-safe, as are boats with longer keels, D/L ratios of at least 500, no windows, and inaccessible bilges stinking worse than a fishmonger's bin.

 

[Sailfree]

Dozens? As many as that? Was anyone actually hurt? How many orca do we need to kill to "stop their behaviour"?

There is an obvious risk.

Can you advise how many boats need to be sunk and how many lives lost before we can have your permission to deal with these Orcas please?

 

[greeny]

No twin rudder boats been attacked yet as far as I'm aware. Could this be a clue as to why they go for the rudder on single rudder boats. They look like the tailfin of a large fish. Tuna maybe.

 

[nortada]

That sounds unnecessarily complicated.

Seeking better understanding of the problem and seeking a non-violent solution, unnecessarily complicated

Explaining the illegal carriage of fire arms and popping off at orcas, could also be interesting. Would you have to wait to be attacked before retaliating so you could claim self-defence

Are orcas a protected species and are there specific times of the year when these attacks occur

 

[dansaskip]

I’m not joking - I hope somebody does shoot them as they have now damaged and endangered dozens of boats with nothing to stop their behaviour.

Dozens ? really I have been following this since the first reports and the figures mentioned are half a dozen boats with damaged rudders yes more have had "encounters" whatever that might mean but you are overstating the case - scaremongering indeed.

 

[webcraft]

Dozens ? really I have been following this since the first reports and the figures mentioned are half a dozen boats with damaged rudders yes more have had "encounters" whatever that might mean but you are overstating the case - scaremongering indeed.

Are you currently cruising the Iberian Coast? If you are not, then you are not really in a position to make a judgement.

Considering how little yacht traffic there has been in the area in the last eight months compared to a normal year, the number of attacks is very significant. We have met one boat that had its rudder broken.

Dozens of attacks when there have only been a few hundred boats on passage at most is a very significant number, and anyone currently cruising these waters is quite justified in worrying about it.

- W

 

[Mr Cassandra]

Are you currently cruising the Iberian Coast? If you are not, then you are not really in a position to make a judgement

- W

Does this mean you will not be commentating on Scotland?

 

[RupertW]

Does this mean you will not be commentating on Scotland?

So that’s a no then to you having any skin in the game - just happy for others and their boats to be in danger with no interest in a solution.

 

[sarabande]

One problem with the idea of shooting is that water is pretty effective at stopping a round. IIRC, the old Lee-Enfield bullet was stopped in about 6 inches, and even modern rounds with higher velocity will be stopped if they have ballistic tips.

Unless one is goin gto shoot at the exposed bit of a KW for the fleeting moment s that it is out of the water. Then that is a question of deliberately wounding an animal, rather than killing it outright, and that is totally unacceptable.

 

[Mr Cassandra]

So that’s a no then to you having any skin in the game - just happy for others and their boats to be in danger with no interest in a solution.

I past by that way 30 years ago ,they were calmer then.

 

[webcraft]

Does this mean you will not be commentating on Scotland?

No. As I will also be sailing in Scotland this year. And have 25 years experience in Scottish waters.

Next ??

- W

 

[Mr Cassandra]

No. As I will also be sailing in Scotland this year. And have 25 years experience in Scottish waters.

Next ??

- W

Are you currently in Scotland?

 

[RupertW]

One problem with the idea of shooting is that water is pretty effective at stopping a round. IIRC, the old Lee-Enfield bullet was stopped in about 6 inches, and even modern rounds with higher velocity will be stopped if they have ballistic tips.

Unless one is goin gto shoot at the exposed bit of a KW for the fleeting moment s that it is out of the water. Then that is a question of deliberately wounding an animal, rather than killing it outright, and that is totally unacceptable.

Firstly they are partly out of the water from the videos when damaging rudders and fairly static, and what is unacceptable to you may be (and is) entirely acceptable to more practical people who want to solve problems not theorise about them.

 

[nortada]

Are you currently in Scotland?

Even if W is not is Scotland, advice based on experience is always welcome.

Sarab's observation that a shoot to kill could be difficult to achieve and if it did not come off would probably you last living act before the wounded KW went off to brief his mates on more extensive retaliatory action. Even if you achieved a clean kill, the rest of the pod may decide to respond appropriately against you and any other vessels they subsequently come across.

Your act of aggression could have very significant consequences .