THE phenomenon of sailboats off the coast of Europe being attacked by orcas (CW 25 Aug) has come to a head, with a recent ambush sinking a vessel in the Atlantic. A pod of violent orcas attacked the boat off the coast of Portugal last week, sinking the vessel and...
THE phenomenon of sailboats off the coast of Europe being attacked by orcas (CW 25 Aug) has come to a head, with a recent ambush sinking a vessel in the Atlantic.
A pod of violent orcas attacked the boat off the coast of Portugal last week, sinking the vessel and circling the surviving crew members.
The French boat was sailing north of Porto when it was surrounded by the pod.
“I was at the helm and there was a very big impact against the ship because of five to seven orcas who persisted in attacking the rudder of the boat,” said skipper Elliot Boyard.
“They came to bite into it several times, until the hull, at the level of the rudder, gave way, and caused a leak in the boat, and then it’s sinking.”
The crew managed to escape on a life raft.
“There was a little panic that came when we realised we were going to sink,” Boyard said.
“At that time, we got into the water in the life raft, with the orcas around, but by the time we left the boat, they were no longer there.”
