Orca attack

As far as I have been able to find out, the whale killer dolphins do not have any Ampullae of Lorenzini organ , but rely on echo-location to track and attack their prey.

That puts an end to an idea I had to to trail an electric fencer post behind the boat and switch it on when needed. But if surrounded by great white sharks....
 
Orca Project Update

The CA really appreciates the engagement with and reporting forms received for our orca project from those passing through the Iberian Peninsula - www.theca.org.uk/orcas



The initial CA report databases will soon be ready for publication and we plan to go live with the databases by or before Friday 24 June. At that stage, whilst it will be too early to draw any conclusions, we hope that publishing the databases will demonstrate the value of reporting orca interactions and uneventful encounters and encourage the boating community to participate and spread the word about the orca project.



Find out more and submit your orca interaction or uneventful report at www.theca.org.uk/orcas



Thank You / Merci / Obrigada / Gracias
 
Beneteau381 said:
Mate of mine from the area where the attacks seem to be concentrated in and around the Straits has been told that the fishermen have been using these.
Click to expand...

No surely the fisherman are not doing what I suggested many pages back and using agricultural crow scarers or similar with magnesium fuses so they burn underwater, but but but thats not allowed ?

Could you please ask your mate how many fishing boats are in the yard waiting for rudders to be mended
 
The CA has received an uneventful passage report from a yacht in close proximity to two orca interactions with yachts that were heard over the radio on Saturday 18 June 2022 between 05.30 and 07.00. The affected yachts were close to (possibly South West of) Cabo de Trafalgar.

It would be of particular assistance if the two affected yachts, believed to be of USA nationality, could file a report. The purpose of seeking uneventful passage reports in the peak activity areas is to enable us to compare details from interactions with uneventful passages and the data is all the more valuable with close proximity.

If you know the crews concerned please point them to the reporting forms at www.theca.org.uk/orcas (and let them know that the forms will go to both CA and GTOA, so only one easy to fill in report is required to serve both purposes.)

If any other yachts were on passage in the area at that time please file an uneventful passage report at the same web page.

The forms are provided in English, French, Portuguese and Spanish.
 
Hopefully the link will work (?)
A video taken from the underwater camera of the Class40 Milai, en route Lorient-Tangiers (first leg of a RTW race). She lost big chunks of the two rudders, in the upper area of the video the orcas are having breakfast with the two twin rudders.

Class40 and Orca
https://video.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t42.1790-2/288346458_1624682531250848_3179794382273427327_n.mp4?_nc_cat=110&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=985c63&efg=eyJybHIiOjMwMCwicmxhIjo1MTIsInZlbmNvZGVfdGFnIjoic3ZlX3NkIn0=&_nc_ohc=bhHgBpd8q-UAX_brSxs&rl=300&vabr=89&_nc_ht=video.xx&edm=AGo2L-IEAAAA&oh=00_AT_IX6XRm66JikPoOl2PRfDflfHot6IH7ZycBMvQys9L-Q&oe=62B1AEE1

Edit
the above links have expired, it should be available here
https://voilesetvoiliers.ouest-fran...s-marine-7d649d6a-f07d-11ec-8647-9c04f7b41067
 
Last edited:
We have just sailed from Gib to Barbate to Rota to Faro.The weather was good and allowed us to pass Capo Trafalgar etc close and keep under 20m and stayed shoreside of the tuna nets . Had pingers onboard ready to deploy but no sighting of Orca. A few damaged boats in Barbate from Orca. One boat was attacked the day before us and another the day after, both were in deeper water. We were boarded by Spanish customs halfway across the bay of Cadiz which broke the passage up!
 
Sailing back from Las Palmas GC to Portugal directly, I have decided to steer to Vilamoura to avoid to land directly to Gib at night or after this "long" passage from Canary. From Vilamoura to Barbate, we have had quite bad weather but , fortunately , we have not met orcas. I had also two pingers from Fishtek ready to be used on my small starboard and portside paravanes with a weight of 1 kg to make them diving when underway ( with Balder VIII, we are motoring at 7.5 SOG whatever seastate or wind). In Barbate, a french charter catamaran 72' arrived towed by Salvamieto few hours after us, rudder destroyed, attack happened 35 miles from shore, they were coming from Acores.
The day after, considering nice weather and tide, we did the final leg to Gib very close from shore ( in less than 10 meters). We didn't see orcas. I think this is the best option. By the way, you stay on the northern part of the strait and enjoy the current running with the tide.
 
The first reports are now available to view at www.theca.org.uk/orcas/reports
All are helpful but the report of uneventful passage number 8 is particularly interesting as it discusses the interactions suffered by 2 American boats near to the yacht of the reporter.
Interaction report 1 details how the yacht managed to limp to port using their emergency tiller after steering gear damage, highlighting the importance of the RYA's recent advice to carry one.
At this stage we do not have enough reports to provide the side by side statistical comparison of interactions and uneventful passages, but that will appear in due course.
In the meantime individual reports can be inspected, and scrolling down to the bottom will take you to the comments section.
Many thanks to those who have taken the time to submit a report.
All can assist the project by encouraging marinas on the Iberian Peninsula to display our poster (available at www.theca.org.uk/orcas - bottom of page); and by encouraging others directly and on sailing platforms to submit reports.
 
Local news reporting Orcas off the coast with vid taken from a yacht showing three largish orcas swimming on the surface around the yacht which had stopped.Authorities recommend just stopping…….Galica but didn’t specify where
 
Wansworth said:
Local news reporting Orcas off the coast with vid taken from a yacht showing three largish orcas swimming on the surface around the yacht which had stopped.Authorities recommend just stopping…….Galica but didn’t specify where
Click to expand...
Yes there were a couple of interactions as they call them, up in Galicea on and around the 17th. Allegedly one boat was not touched, they just came and looked at it and left after a while. The other boat sustained rudder damage and has gone into port. Up to the moment, neither skipper has submitted reports to the data gathering websites so the information is sparse and second hand. If true it means that at least some or all of the rogue pod have moved North now and the data from further south, the Algarve and the straits seems to support this. There have been no reports of interactions with damage down here for a couple of weeks at least now.
We must remember though that not all orcas are a problem. It's only a few in the rogue pod that are causing the damage so whist there are many videos and photos out there, they are quite possibly of the friendly orcas :) :) :) and not the destructive Gladys pod.
 
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