Fitfully sleeping in the forward cabin as we headed down the Spanish coast, a loud bang had me scrabbling to the cockpit, "Is it them?" I asked my husband, Martyn, who was on watch. I was answered by another bang. Orcas were attacking our rudder and the wheel was spinning madly. It was pitch black and we couldn't see anything but occasionally could hear a blow and a swish. It was terrifying.
We'd been aware of orca attacks happening all the way down the Portuguese Atlantic coast as we headed down last September. The orca reporting group on Facebook was full of encounters from Porto to Cascais to Sines... many reports of broken rudders and boats needing to be towed in. We'd felt lucky to have avoided them so far and although there had been a few instances. this year, when we set off from Spain to Morocco at the end of April we weren't overly concerned. This time, however, we were not so fortunate.
What to do?
We'd heard that by going astern you might deter the orcas as they're not able to reach the rudder as easily. We did this and were making circles in the same spot our AIS track must have looked crazy. It seemed to work but as soon as we tried to go forwards they started again. I decided to call for help on Ch16. Our position at this point was about nine miles off Barbate in Spain. I couldn't get a response from the Spanish, Gibraltar or Moroccan coastguard despite calling several times. As we weren't in immediate danger I didn't want to issue a mayday, but I did at least want someone to know what was happening to us.
I managed to find a telephone number and luckily my phone had some signal. A Spanish voice responded and I felt giddy with relief. He took details and said he would get someone to call us back. Meanwhile, we were going astern slowly not knowing what to do for the best.
Denne historien er fra Summer 2022-utgaven av Practical Boat Owner.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra Summer 2022-utgaven av Practical Boat Owner.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
Orca sink yacht in Strait of Gibraltar
Spain's maritime rescue service, Salvamento Maritimo, has reported that a 15m (49ft) yacht sank in Moroccan waters in the Strait of Gibraltar following interaction with a pod of orca.
No kill cord or lifejackets were worn during fatal powerboat crash
A kill cord and lifejacket are useless unless worn-that's the warning from the Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB), following its investigation into a powerboat crash that killed a 32-year-old woman and five-year-old girl on 2 October 2022.
Multihull sail work
Brush up on multihull sailing skills before heading off on charter with Gavin Le Sueur's guide to spinnaker handling, tacking and gybing
Five top causes of engine failure and how to prevent them
Jake Kavanagh talks to Sea Start marine engineer Nick Eales about how to avoid the five major causes of an engine breakdown at sea
Sail the Atlantic with strangers
Would you sail across the Atlantic with someone you've just met? Ali Wood meets the cruising crews who've done just that
IZIBoat: simple sailing
Rupert Holmes sails an innovative catamaran design intended to widen participation in sailing among those with little time to get on the water in more conventional craft
30 WAYS TO GET AFLOAT
From tall ships to small dinghies, you needn't own a boat to sail. Ali Wood looks at the options, and how skippers can also find crew
Boats for restoring under £20,000
Duncan Kent picks the best sub-35ft sail and power boats to look for when aiming to undertake a restoration on a budget
Seaworthy dinghies for less than £500
For low cost traditionally-styled GRP trailer-sailers, consider the Foreland and the Otter available at bargain basement prices
Playing with coloured sails
Maintaining an hourglass-shaped balloon and ratcheting up the log numbers