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Old 21-09-2020, 19:10   #76
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Re: We were attacked by Orcas!!!

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Originally Posted by PeteTheDeliverySkipper View Post
On Friday we were sailing from Coruna in northern Spain to the UK. A few hours north of Coruna and our rudder was hit numerous times. We couldn't tell what was causing it at first and then an Orca appeared alongside:



We turned the engine off and the Orca swam away. We were left with a damaged rudder and no steering. We had to be towed back in by the coastguard. The Orca then came back for some more and bashed us whislt under tow, so hard that the towing line snapped. All in all pretty scary. It's been happening to other yachts as well. What do you think is going on?

Pete
Ages ago there were Orca attacs reported in Argentina. The reason was white bottom paint, making the Orcas trying to mate with the yachts
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Old 21-09-2020, 20:03   #77
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Re: We were attacked by Orcas!!!

It's also possible the Orca was simply hungry, and mistook the yacht for the belly of another cetacean species, hence why it attached the rudder/tail fin first. Be interesting to know after a haul out if there were teeth marks on the keel or anywhere else on the underside.
Orcas do eat dead whales, so perhaps it thought the boat was dead whale?
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Old 21-09-2020, 20:21   #78
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Re: We were attacked by Orcas!!!

How much ad revenue is this boat trying to get out of this ?
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Old 21-09-2020, 20:42   #79
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Re: We were attacked by Orcas!!!

I've had Orcas playing along with my smaller 25-30' sailboats many times in the San Juans, especially decades ago. They were always playful, broaching and swimming alongside upside down as though their dorsal fin was a fin keel! I love them and respect them so much. I'm afraid that, in any conflict between Orcas and humans, I have to root for the former. They've done a lot less harm to our species than we have done to theirs, I'm afraid.....; That will get me hate mail, I'm sure, but without knowing more, I'm serious....
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Old 22-09-2020, 06:15   #80
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Re: We were attacked by Orcas!!!

Quote:
Originally Posted by Snore View Post
Pete

Really confused by your experience. Could you address a few questions?
  • What color was the bottom painted?
  • Don’t know about you, but I have had dolphins warn me to change course. Could that have been the case? Were the orcas feeding or were there young present?
  • Was the tow in the same direction as your original heading, or back over your old track?

Seems odd that an intelligent wild animal would attack for sport.

Thanks

Feel free to PM back or email.

Bill
Unknown whether or not it was for "sport" but seemingly unexplained attacks are not unheard of. The Robertsons https://www.bbc.com/future/article/2...cked-by-whales as well as the Baileys, both where attacked and sunk by Orcas, in the same general location, and if I recall, it's been a while since I read both books, on the same day of the year https://www.theguardian.com/environm...-killer-whales
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Old 22-09-2020, 11:31   #81
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I was attacked by a sperm whale

Over 30 years of sailing and I've always enjoyed the many encounters I've had with whales. Except one.

About 8 years ago, 400 miles out of the Azores single handing a classic racing trimaran, I popped into the coachroof to put another reef in the main. As I was doing that I saw the tail of a whale held up vertically about 30 metres away of the beam. As the whale sank down, it slammed the flat of its tail onto the water. That was a sight, but I had a reef to put in and there was some complication because it took 10 minutes or so. When I jumped down into the cockpit I was astonished to see the head of a sperm whale less than 10 metres behind the stern. It was chasing me.

It followed very close behind for 15-20 minutes. Usually the head would rise up, it would blow, and then as it submerged, it would bang it's tail on the surface of the water.

I was on a broad reach, doing 14-15 knots. I believe whales can swim faster than that, but I was glad this one didn't and relieved when it finally disappeared. Despite many encounters with whales, some very close indeed, I had never before felt threatened.

Or was it just larking about? How could I know?

That voyage ended anchoring outside of Falmouth in the dark. In the morning, I was delighted to see that the only other boat anchored there was Nick Skates, an old friend who has sailed several times round the world on his steel Wylo.

Nick rowed over for a cup of coffee and a yarn and I told him about the whale encounter. He was intrigued and wanted to know the position that happened exactly. Then he said, haven't you noticed my bow? I looked through my binoculars and it was clearly stove in above the water line and the deck above was raised.

Nick told me he was sailing slowly close hauled in a storm in the same place. He was down below when his boat was hammered on the bow. He figured it was a whale that rammed him, as there was nothing floating to see on the water, no paint marks left behind, and the huge dent was entirely smooth and round. The impact was sufficient to split the deck from the hull over a for or so, and the rags Nick used to stuff the gap were still visible. Below the water line was fine. Seems the whale deliberately rammed the boat, rather than the boat sailing into the whale.

Same whale I reckon.

Then I read 3-4 years ago of a yacht being attacked by a whale in the same area. The boat was disabled and I think sank after the crew were picked off. Read it in the Guardian.

I've sailed that area since and seen more sperm whales there. One came at my catamaran swimming along at the surface. His head and my port bow came ever so close, but he just sank down a bit in the water. I was braced for some kind of impact when my rudders hit him, but it seemed he must have submerged just enough. That one I think, was just larking about.

Never seen an orca, and now I've sold what I believe was my last boat.
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Old 22-09-2020, 14:12   #82
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Re: We were attacked by Orcas!!!

Orcas and Sperm whales are toothed whales. A lot is known about both species.
I was born in New Bedford Massachusetts which was the whaling capital of the world. In the whaling museum there is a huge collection of log books from the era when whalers sailed everywhere hunting whales. They were truly the first oceanographers for they recorded everything. Wind, currents, native people.
The logs are incredibly detailed and are to this day, a gold mine of information for any sailor. Naturally they had quite a bit to say about the behavior of whales.
Especially sperm whales as the case oil, an acoustic coupling oil found in the head, was highly valued for clocks. Melville writing of Moby Dick was somewhat based on a true story. Sperm whales were the most feared whales because...
once you stuck a harpoon in it, the sperm whale will attack. It bit 30’ chase boats in two on a regular basis. There are some beautiful paintings and scrimshaw depicting exactly that. JFK had two sperm whale teeth on his desk.
They are about 7 inches high. These are huge, incredibly powerful animals.
As a young man I was fascinated with whaling and devoured all thing whale.
Unlike Orcas, Sperms are often solitary, wary, far ranging. The toothed whales, like elephants, which are related to manatees,...live in an acoustic world. They are extremely protective of their young and vocalization is complex. Unlike Orcas, Sperms use sound to stun. They are mobile stun guns.
I had a unique professional life, part of which involved sponsoring marine research. The marine mammal experts thought they knew a lot about Sperms.
A young researcher was curious how sperms could manage to catch giant squid which is their favorite food. The squids can live a mile down. How does a lumbering giant catch a much faster squid that can turn on a dime. Why is a Sperm’s jaw underneath it’s huge head. What she proposed was ridiculed by many experts. She believed the Sperms used sound to knock out their prey.
She called it stunning sound. The head was a huge focused transducer filled with a special oil. She was correct. The whales used sound to locate and stun the squid for just a second then roll their heads and eat dinner. Our corporation needed to learn more about acoustics in the marine environment and thus I learned quite a bit about marine bioacoustics. Norwegian money permitted me to build one of the most sophisticated private acoustic research boats in the world.
Later in life I became fascinated with manatees.
In all my readings of whaling logs, I learned Melville picked a rare gem. Sperm whale, Orcas, just don’t attack boats unless they perceive they have been attacked. They eat seals, squid. Anecdotal evidence is not science. Stories of “we were attacked by Orcas “ should begin, we looked like we were attacking them so they attacked back. There is nothing in the literature, either scientific nor the original whaling logs to state any unprovoked attacks.
One poster told a “tale” of being attacked by Manatees.
What probably happened was that he swam into a manatee love fest...one female and a number of males and she just was tired of dancing.
Manatees don’t attack anything except romaine lettuce, pizza and beer.
Good grief. WHEN are these SILLY stories going to end.
I’ll comment on the German boat attack tomorrow.
My manatees are out of beer so I got to go our they’ll get rowdy.
Happy trails to you.
Captain Mark and his well read but still offgassing manatee friends
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Old 23-09-2020, 09:54   #83
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Re: We were attacked by Orcas!!!

Spain's transport ministry has just banned boats under 15m in an area due to the 0layful orcas:

https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.theguardian.com/world/2020/sep/23/spain-bans-yachts-from-stretch-of-sea-after-orcas-damage-boats
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Old 23-09-2020, 13:59   #84
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Re: We were attacked by Orcas!!!

I doubt bleach would have any effect, but...these events are not happening in USA waters so the "Feds" have no jurisdiction.
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Old 23-09-2020, 17:27   #85
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Re: We were attacked by Orcas!!!

The Orca sub population in the Gibraltar straits has been declared critically endangered by the cetacean group of the IUCN.

The IUCN is an internationally respected group of scientists and the Cetacean group members represent the leading experts in this field.

Enough with the horns and harpoons and electrical baloney. These are truly powerful and very intelligent mammals. You are simply not going to stop them if they really want to sink your boat unless you have military grade weapons and if you use them, be prepared for either extremely expensive legal defense or horrible hounding press coverage. You will look like the fierce bad rabbit in a Beatrix Potter book. The Ken, Barbie and cat attacked by orca story buys a few beers In a pub. Blood in the water will produce a kind of press you seriously want to avoid.
The United States is signatory to numerous international treaties. A U.S.A.
documented vessel is under USCG and enforcement of the Federal Marine Mammals Act follows. It might apply to actions under these laws or treaties even outside Federal waters.
You would need the expertise of an attorney in admiralty and maritime. Which is incredibly costly.
By posting these silly comments, these statements could be construed as prior intent to violate the law.
What is the result of all these stories. No sailing areas.
Three German kids on a steel boat and a tall tail of being attacked ( no actual damage to the boat or crew) got their blog lots of hits...lots of press including the coverage on this forum.
What did it get the rest of us? Less ocean. And that...ladies and gentlemen..is why I call them Ken and Barbie and the cat.
Plastic people floating in a plastic ocean telling a confabulated tale.
Happy trails to you kimosabi.
Captain Mark and his killer manatees
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Old 23-09-2020, 18:19   #86
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Re: We were attacked by Orcas!!!

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Originally Posted by Martkimwat View Post
I have been 'reliably' informed that if you carry a length of scaffold type pipe and lower it in to the water and hit it it repeatedly with a hammer, it will drive them away. Apparently they cannot stand the sound. I understand it is used in the oil industry when they have divers in the water. I always thought they used deep divers diving from submerged diving 'bells' but there you go.
You can see the effectiveness of hitting a pipe in the water if you watch the documentary "The Cove"
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Old 23-09-2020, 20:18   #87
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Re: We were attacked by Orcas!!!

Meanwhile in Tasmania:

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.bbc...ralia-54260278

Apparently, some of them that was rescued and lead back to deep water turn around and stranded themselves again. Tell me that was intelligent...

They would have made good BBQ meat I think ��
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Old 25-09-2020, 06:41   #88
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Re: We were attacked by Orcas!!!

Pilot whales are black.
Orcas are black and white.
Pilot whales are not orcas.
Putting aluminum foil inside your cap reduces conflicting signals.
Happy trails to you
Captain Mark and his mostly gray / brown manatees.
Except for pizza stains.
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Old 25-09-2020, 23:22   #89
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Re: We were attacked by Orcas!!!

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Pilot whales are black.
Orcas are black and white.
Pilot whales are not orcas.
Putting aluminum foil inside your cap reduces conflicting signals.
Happy trails to you
Captain Mark and his mostly gray / brown manatees.
Except for pizza stains.
If you are commenting on my post, would you please point out where did I indicate that these dolphins are orcas? With due respect, are you reading more into a text than there is in it?
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Old 26-09-2020, 06:36   #90
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Re: We were attacked by Orcas!!!

Hi. Maybe it began with inferring they were stupid. No. Not that
Maybe it was the cute barbecue meat thing. No. Not that either.
So...I’m so so sorry if you thought I was referring to you.
Nothing in your posts about marine mammals offended me.

All of this attacked by marine mammals actually might be great news. Sailors might be restricted from sailing in large sections of coastal waters...or at night, or without someone in the bow looking for sleeping whales.
So I think the Spanish authorities have a terrific idea because it will clearly protect these stupid marine mammals from attacking sail boats.
Don’t you see how a few events documented by Ken, Barbie and their cat blog has made it a better world for everybody?

Happy trails to you kimosabi
Captain Mark and his stupid but extremely happy yachting manatees
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