Orcas appear to have sunk a sailboat- what now?

[Statistical]

Are they primarily attacking sailing vessels due to the motor not being on?

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by the stargazer

https://nypost.com/2023/05/17/horrif...couples-yacht/

There's video of this latest incident. It's hard to tell exactly what's going on, but there's enough there to see the aggressive behavior.

These are youngsters as for aggression the only shot of consequence is the one showing one at the rudder.
Likely refining hunting skills by working on the tail fins to distract/slow down their prey.. if they were adults it would be a different story, these sprogs are around the size of large dolphins, adults are around 8 to 10metres long on average and 10,000+ kilos in weight.
An aggressive adult would sink a boat in short order.

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by Statistical

Are they primarily attacking sailing vessels due to the motor not being on?

From what I saw when they bugged an open Moroccan fishing boat the bumping was mainly curiostity as they would then pop their heads up alongside to look at the crew.
Doubtless very scary but from my perspective not malicious.
Things look different when one is not the predominant predator for a change..

[noelex 77]

Originally Posted by neilpride

On May 5, a Sun Odyssey 519 sank off the coast of Barbate, Spain.

I think that is the third boat that has been sunk by Orcas. The number of damaged boats must be well over 100. Most of these attacks have disabled the boat.

It is a serious problem for cruising sailboats that should not be dismissed lightly.

Originally Posted by CaptainRivet

General rule from the scientists that follow the Orcas with a boat is to stay close to shore in less then 20m depth. If you get attacked motor with WOT direction shore to leave the area and force them to leave their pod. Works, they tested it.

It is not quite as simple as you suggest. Sailboats in the area are very keen to avoid attack and do everything in their power to avoid the animals, but attacks are still frequent.

Looking at the resource you posted, the problem is clearer. This is a map of attacks just around Gibraltar for the month of May 2023. Other months are similar. The red dots are attacks and the blue dots are encounters where no damage is done. Leaving or entering the Mediterranean is always going to risky no matter what strategy is adopted.

[CaptainRivet]

Originally Posted by boatman61

These are youngsters as for aggression the only shot of consequence is the one showing one at the rudder.
Likely refining hunting skills by working on the tail fins to distract/slow down their prey.. if they were adults it would be a different story, these sprogs are around the size of large dolphins, adults are around 8 to 10metres long on average and 10,000+ kilos in weight.
An aggressive adult would sink a boat in short order.

Thats why avoid and if you get, not attack them. If they feel attacked and mum or dad shows up you really have a problem....

[CaptainRivet]

Originally Posted by noelex 77

I think that is the third boat that has been sunk by Orcas. The number of damaged boats must be well over 100 by now.

It is a serious problem for cruising sailboats that should not be dismissed lightly.



It is not quite as simple as you suggest. Sailboats in the area are very keen to avoid attack and do everything in their power to avoid the animals, but attacks are still frequent.

Looking at the resource you posted, the problem is clearer. This is a map of attacks just around Gibraltar for the month of May 2023. Other months are similar. The red dots are attacks and the blue dots are encounters. Leaving or entering the Mediterranean is always going to risky no matter what strategy is adopted.

As i said no member of the telegram group was attacked till now, all that got attacked go straight through their feeding ground means across your food plate.. do you like that, no and they don't too.
So inform yourself daily about their positon and stay close to shore in less then 20m and you are safe.

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by CaptainRivet

Thats why avoid and if you get, not attack them. If they feel attacked and mum or dad shows up you really have a problem....

I know, I was approached by a pod of 10 Orca mid Atlantic a few years back the leader was as big as my Bene 321 and had a dorsal fin nearly 6ft long..
They circled the boat several times giving me the eyeball then fell into formation alongside and astern of me.
They then accompanied me for 5 days leaving around 10 am, presumably to hunt/feed then return around sundown to snooze in my wake.
The first night I heard them in my wake and shone my spot light, they responded with tail slapping so I quickly switched off, said "Sorry guys" and never repeated it.
Never felt threatened, in fact the company was rather nice.
I presume they left when I got too far East of the whales migratory route North from the Caribe.. I was heading for Europe.

[GordMay]

Infamous boat-sinking orcas spotted hundreds of miles from where they should be, baffling scientists
More about ➥ https://www.livescience.com/animals/...ling-scientist

Since 2020, orcas has been attacking boats in southwest Europe, and were recently spotted circling a ship in Spain for the first time this year.

However, the most recent sighting of one such pod, is hundreds of miles from where they should be, this time of year, suggesting the group is changing its tactics – and scientists have no idea why.

On April 10, three of the orcas were spotted swimming near a large yacht in northern Spain, a local news site reported*.
* [Translate] ➥ https://www.diariodepontevedra.es/ar...181299995.html

[OneBoatman]

Bad Orcas, do you think this something new? Or have Killer Whales sunk more than one? Scientists have only recently discovered that these creatures hunt cooperatively species much larger than themselves like certain land animals such as wolves. What shall we do ban sailboats.

[Cloroxbottle]

What now? Nothing.


The world is divided amongst those who think humans should be able to go about their business largely unmolested by wildlife and those who think wildlife should be able to go about its business - whatever that may be - completely unmolested by humans.


Unfortunately the latter group controls government policy at this time.

[GordMay]

Originally Posted by Cloroxbottle

What now? Nothing.
The world is divided amongst those who think humans should be able to go about their business largely unmolested by wildlife and those who think wildlife should be able to go about its business - whatever that may be - completely unmolested by humans.
Unfortunately the latter group controls government policy at this time.

The world is actually divided into 10 types of people: those who know binary, and those who don't ... and those who weren't expecting a ternary joke.

[Calif.Ted]

We were motoring on a sunny windless afternoon when I spotted some blows I thought were Risso's or Pilot Whales. About the time we identified as Orcas a young male made a fast run at the boat. To see us or warn us off ? With engine off they didn't mind us drifting around with them while they taught the youngsters to hunt. They had a seal skin that they tossed around like a football for practice. They also took a sea gull who was floating in the area, probably not the brightest bird in the flock. My wife was sitting up in a "stern perch" seat and said "He could have just jumped up here and took my head off couldn't he?"
I've had whales follow along and under the boat also, a little unnerving but what you gonna do? I had a young gray following once and I tried to lose him by making radical course changes but he stayed right with me.