doug748
Well-known member
A spinnaker pole looks like the best bet for an improvised tube.
Putting oil down the heads and pumping would eject the stuff in the right area; an old idea but might be the best bet?
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Orca attack
- Thread starter Sailfree
- Start date
A spinnaker pole looks like the best bet for an improvised tube.
Putting oil down the heads and pumping would eject the stuff in the right area; an old idea but might be the best bet?
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wightsquall
New member
02 November 2021
wightsquall
New member
02 November 2021
Laser310
Well-known member
has anyone tried throwing fireworks in the water?
capnsensible
Well-known member
They go out. Try a depth charge.
Laser310
Well-known member
not all of them go out
Graham376
Well-known member
Piezo sound bomb in waterproof enclosure may scare them away, in the meantime I have 5L of white spirit to pump down the heads, water soluble so should be better than oil or diesel. Twin Piezo siren, sounder, sound bomb for security alarms, 110 decibels | eBay
capnsensible
Well-known member
Travelling Westerly
Active member
Doesn't look much different to the MMS (Marine Marker Sound Signals) we used to use in the RN. Reading some of your past posts it looks like you may have been a sun dodger (meant with the upmost respect of course
) so not come across them?We also used thunder flashes weighted with any old nuts and bolts to recall my dive team in an emergency. I've looked around for the civvy supplier to see if I can get them but not found them so far. Shame as these certainly work underwater and very well. Would imagine the Orcas would move away handsomely with one of these thrown over the side...
The MMS was a much larger unit, if I recall correctly, it had an acoustic window that would 'disolve' either at a certain pressure (read depth) or time based, can't remember as it's been a while. The MMS may damage the Orca, boat and anything else delicate in the vicinity so not sure the local chandler will stock those. Might make them think twice about eating a rudder again if they are exposed to one of those!
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Travelling Westerly
Active member
This looks similar.
Thunderflash Mark 5 TLSFx Pyrotechnics | ISO Approved | Milsim Pyro | Paintball
Might work underwater? Worth a try.... Don't forget to weigh it down with an old spark plug or something otherwise you might get wet
Thunderflash Mark 5 TLSFx Pyrotechnics | ISO Approved | Milsim Pyro | Paintball
Might work underwater? Worth a try.... Don't forget to weigh it down with an old spark plug or something otherwise you might get wet
Sybarite
Well-known member
I wonder what would happen if they managed to sink your boat and you found yourself in a liferaft with them around?
Travelling Westerly
Active member
Is that not the point? Drop a t/flash or 2 in, they very quickly lose interest and move on, boat is safe, big fish is safe
(maybe a ringing in the ears if they have any) - tea and biscuits all round I'd say. I'm no Doctor Dolittle but I would not go out of my way to harm them deliberately but if they target my boat and pax then standby by for some sort of detterant deployment a bit more positive than hide below and cross my fingers they get bored and push off.
Of course I'm typing this from my arm chair and even thinking about being in my flubber with them around me nursing a headache caused by me would probably have me wishing I went with my Ovni or Nordhaven plan
Fr J Hackett
Well-known member
When I were a lad we used to tie several bangers together tuppence cannons if I remember correctly weight them and drop them into water, they went off like depth charges, you just had to wait till the fuse was fizzing.
Tradewinds
Well-known member
Did you end up wearing fingerless gloves in the winter?
Fr J Hackett
Well-known member
Nope
Captain Haddock
Member
I use these when I play paintball. They have a short fuse and when they get wet are not very effective (they make more of a low whumph sound as opposed to a bang).
25931
Well-known member
Interesting that you should call them big fish. According to Linnaeus they are cetaceans meaning whale-like but the word originates in ancient Greek ketos meaning giant fish.Is that not the point? Drop a t/flash or 2 in, they very quickly lose interest and move on, boat is safe, big fish is safe
I'm no Doctor Dolittle but I would not go out of my way to harm them deliberately but if they target my boat and pax then standby by for some sort of detterant deployment a bit more positive than hide below and cross my fingers they get bored and push off.
Of course I'm typing this from my arm chair and even thinking about being in my flubber with them around me nursing a headache caused by me would probably have me wishing I went with my Ovni or Nordhaven plan
chrishscorp
Well-known member
I was on Matahari with the owner. 15nm north of Cascais, calm wind, long smooth swell. 3am aggressively attacked by 4 juvenile orcas.
Slamming the bow, hard 'spouting' & slamming sea surface either side of us, blowing bubble ring, attacking spade rudder from below & from astern. Watched bits of rudder floating off.
On first knock - we switched everything off and were hove-to at 0.5 knots.
They jammed the rudder hard to port - took me 20 minutes kicking the quadrant to align it midships.
The tow was really uncomfortable at 10knots yawing as winds and sea picked up
Rescue /tow boat were excellent. Took 2 hours to get to us, tow took 3 hours back.
Cascais Marina, and immigration & Police authorities were particularly supportive and helpful.
The yacht (1989 Jeanneau Sunshine 38) is having new rudder redesigned by original designer Tony Castro & fabricated locally in Cascais.
The image is as we found the rudder on lift out. it had been a spade design.
Welcome back too the forum, It was a very interesting chat we had on the pontoon on Monday. We managed to get into Portsmouth through the fog and onto the club pontoon, whilst the kettle was on we were chatting with a livaboard on the other side of the pontoon who was going to be heading back down towards the Canaries so we repeated what you had told us and he said he had already had his boat headbutted by a whale though he didnt think that wasnt an Orca.
So thats two sailors we met in 2 days both attacked by whales. I have stopped talking to sailors now...
What Wightsquall also mentioned was there were 3 attacks on 3 boats at similar times far enough apart in distance so that now makes 3 pods now not 2 and the attacks are as north as the Gironde.
Travelling Westerly
Active member
I'd like to take credit for knowing that but unfortunately my ancient Greek isn't what it used to be Travelling Westerly
Active member
Any chance you can lob one in a pond next time you are doing battle (not next doors Koi pond though
) ? Was going to order a few to check if this type has the fuse that works underwater but at £26 P&P or so I thought it an expensive test if they turn out to be the incorrect type.Do you think 4 or 5 wrapped in bundle would give a bigger whump? That whump noise underwater can be quite powerful if you are near enough though