Orcas appear to have sunk a sailboat- what now?

[Sailing Hanse37]

Originally Posted by argonauta1

Hi Folks, the British Yachting Association offers the below guidance in the event of coming close to an Orca gaggle. Bottom line: cut all noise including instrumentation. FYI. Hugh

If whales are spotted nearby (within 500m) or approach the craft:
Turn off engine and echo sounder
Disengage autopilot
Minimise any noise (don’t shout)
Be prepared to let go the wheel / helm to avoid injury
If your vessel is struck by a whale:
Keep noise and light to a minimum
Sit down to avoid being knocked from your feet and injuring yourself
Notify maritime authorities (see Local Safety Protocol), and
Remain calm and sit tight
The RYA notes that damage to steering gear reinforces the need to carry an emergency tiller.

For further information, contact RYA Environment and Planning Officer, Richard Hill: richard.hill@rya.org.uk

Yeah, we know the guy who posted this. Doesn’t need further comments.

[4Dorchesters]

More research would be the key:

It would be good to know what do Orcas hate touching, tasting, smelling, hearing or seeing? Since we eliminated rap:

Why not drag extra long lines overboard, bow to stern to divert approaches?
Stern anchor dangled just beyond the rudder and keel?
How about a Stink Bomb we cast overboard to drive them away?
Is there a military smoke bomb for underwater reduction in sight?
Would a overboard hanging strobe light deter or escalate attack?
Bottom Paints that aren't Whale Colored, and last longer than 2 seasons?

I'd bet someone's had success with something...

My only experience is Orcas would surface on one side, and diving beneath my keel while under way, and resurfacing on the other side. No issues to report.

Good topic!

[Borja]

Originally Posted by Sailing Hanse37

Shutting down recreational navigation ? Yeah, right thousands of jobs and a whole part of the economy resides on yachties seems a fantastic idea

Any shutdown will be temporary and limited to sailboats, but I agree it's not ideal.

Originally Posted by hpeer

^ exactly.

Does anyone know what type of boat sank? I thought I had read it was a Sadler 32 but can not find the reference again.

Borja;

That this population is “genetically different” means there are SOME differences. But some differences does not wipe out millions of years of prior genetic programming.

Exactly, Sadler 32.

Genetic programming that doesn't manifest into attacking actual whales but rather into some individuals attacking floating objects that are somewhat vaguely similar to whales seems an unnecessarily complicated explanatory theory.

[goboatingnow]

I suspect there will be a shutdown on leisure yachts , nobody cares about rich white men in yachts !!!!

Im not sure the RYA advice is valuable I was always told to make noise not stay quiet ( ie start engines etc )

[Rumrace]

I think the area is so privileged to have these lovely animals amongst them. I hope there is a way to make peace. We hack at a lot of animals we consider dangerous which are not. Moray eels are not dangerous unless you mess with their home. The whole family will chase you out 3 generations of angry moray. A Wolf Eel in British Columbia was attacked by a visiting diver. The wolf eels mate insisted two divers follower her to her dying spouse. They mate for life and are dedicated to each other like morays. The divers stitched up “ Scarface” and under the watchful eye of her spouse every two days RCMP and volunteer divers fed scarface. He made the front cover of an international dive magazine with his crooked stitched smile.
I bet you the Florida manatee would like more safety measures. I’ve noticed citizen groups in the boating community are admitting they are the problem and taken steps to protect them.
Ive watched a 50 foot whale shark pause it’s tail as not to slap a curious diver to close to the driving end. The shark took measure to not cause harm. We should follow their lead. You just would not believe what a pleasant animal they are.

[Otium]

Originally Posted by NaClyDog

This. So much THIS!!!!


Why do we (as humans) have to "fix" every perceived problem by destroying whatever we think is to blame?

Amen! Absolutely agree. I would add; "And when 'we' are the cause of the problem...not the creatures whose environment we have invaded in the first place."

Thank you for some common sense.

[SailingInfidels]

Originally Posted by wingssail

Sorry, SailingInfidels, I stand by my comment even if it wasn't quite correctly articulated. I don't mean police the whole natural world.

When one species (Orcas) start to threaten another species (Humans) it IS time to call a halt to it. How, I am not sure. What to we do if a tiger starts eating people in a village in India? Or a Bear starts attacking people in the American West? One way or another we humans will protect ourselves and our property.

Damaging a boat is bad, sinking one is worse. Expecting humans to avoid the whole Iberian Peninsula seems outrageous to me. I don't think that Orcas own that section of the ocean, maybe you do.

Protect Orcas and other marine mammals? yes. Share the ocean? yes. Turn the other cheek when they sink a boat and jeopardize the crew? I don't think so.

I said we (as ourselves reasoning beings) need to monitor the situation with Orcas and humans, and if it gets out of hand deal with it responsibly. I don't agree that have to simply concede that stretch of ocean to the Orcas. That sounds like appeasement, ("If we just let them have Portugal and Spain they won't bother us further").

Oh so not "when one species harms another", but when ANY species harms a human or his possessions.

Killing in response to something or even someone sinking your boat is hardly responsible.

If you can look at the state of the natural world today and say to yourself that everything is just fine then you're not being very honest with yourself. I live in Canada and when I look at the natural history of this country and compare it to today, I see an environment that is nearly void of wildlife compared to what it was before Europeans came.
They killed off nearly all of many predators because it was unacceptable to humans that they endangered human life or livestock.
That affected the entire web of life right down the chain. Studies have shown that apex predators are much more important to the web than we ever thought before. If you want proof, there's a documentary on the re-introduction of the grey wolf to Yosemite Nat'l Park. Check it out
Do I think that our sailboats are more important than the survival of another apex predator? In the grand scheme of things, I'd have to say no.
Do I think I'd feel the same if I were attacked? I know the risks going out there and I go accepting the risks and the associated consequences.

[SV Tom Crean]

Now have an incident in the north around the Scillys

https://www.theca.org.uk/orcas/repor...EOtiPOnaRD44_Q

[Sailing55]

I used to participate on this forum many years ago but rarely do anymore.
This thread is a good example of why I left.
There was a time when cruising sailors went out into the world, not to change the order of things, but to experience life and nature as it existed.
The majority of comments here seem to suggest that everywhere you go all people and creatures are to accommate you in every respect.
How long before social media induced mass hysteria demands the death of those "killer Orcas"?
This might be a good time to invest in companies developing portable bow mounted harpoon cannon.
Rather than fit in and experience what is left of the "natural" world, we have to leave a trail of death, destruction, and ill will in our wake.
Thank you, but I find it easier to avoid war zones, pirate infested waters and bloodthirsty rampaging Orcas hunting down boats and eating the occupants.
After all the Orca is one species we have not hunted to extinction...yet.

[Bullshooter]

I don't see people on here advocating going out to kill Orcas. At most, some are saying they would defend themselves from attack - if possible.

Seems pretty reasonable to me. I do not want to hurt them, and would avoid them if possible, but I'd rather not become Orca food.

[Manateeman]

Sailing 55. The entire manatee crew stood at attention on deck in their cleanest uniforms and all present were quiet as mice. The captain rang the ships bell and shouted Hip, Hip, Hooray for Captain SAILING 55.
Three rousing cheers and all the hat flew in air at the last shout.
Then they lit the cannon.
Good Sir, we could use more of your kindness, wisdom and fine writing here.
Thank you sincerely for your astute post. Well said Sir.
Captain Mark and the entire manatee crew.

[dannc]

Originally Posted by SV Tom Crean

Now have an incident in the north around the Scillys

https://www.theca.org.uk/orcas/repor...EOtiPOnaRD44_Q

It sounds like the Orca's were teaching hunting skills to the "child."

Behaviour of orcas
They made no sound before they started ramming, so it came as a complete surprise. In the start they focused on ramming the rudder back and forth to the extremes. Sometimes they would swim off, maybe 10-30 meters from the boat, and then come back again for more ramming. There was a mother and child who swam in tandem - we did not see them approach the hull/rudder directly, but it was hard to get a good overview sitting inside the cockpit, so we cannot exclude the possibility. The orcas blew some air out from time to time after the encounter had started. It seemed like the 3 others went one at a time, but in the beginning we were hit very frequently, so they might've gone together aswell. Towards the end there were some breaks of maybe 30-60s between rammings. We saw at least 5 orcas, but cannot exclude the possibility of there being more.

Later,
Dan

[Sailing55]

Originally Posted by dannc

It sounds like the Orca's were teaching hunting skills to the "child."


Later,
Dan

On the other hand Mother Orca could have been teaching her calf to "not act like those fools because they may very well cause those nasty humans to start hunting and killing us".

[Franziska]

Originally Posted by Sailing55

On the other hand Mother Orca could have been teaching her calf to "not act like those fools because they may very well cause those nasty humans to start hunting and killing us".

Sorry, but you really do believe what you are writing above?

I can see her teaching how to attack something but not at all what you right in this post.

I'm very much for not hurting them, but that the Orca mother thinks ahead as to what the longterm human reaction might be, seems a bit far fetched.

I do also think that non harmful deterrence methods need to be developed.
Anything which deters on a very local level and not long distance.
Surely there are things which cause discomfort. Like anything which tastes bad smells bad to them or similar.
Sound is difficult because it's traveling so far.

[SailingInfidels]

Originally Posted by dannc

It sounds like the Orca's were teaching hunting skills to the "child."


Later,
Dan

Well, I have seen several videos of orcas teaching their calves to hunt seals onshore and on icebergs and they do use that kind of a technique but I have never heard an account of them attacking the seal's rudders.



Maybe they're attacking the rudder seal, thinking it's a seal rudder?