A pod of killer whales bumped one of many boats in an endurance crusing race because it approached the Strait of Gibraltar, the newest encounter in what researchers say is a rising development of sometimes-aggressive interactions with Iberian orcas.
The 15-minute run-in with not less than three of the large mammals pressured the crew competing in The Ocean Race on Thursday to drop its sails and lift a clatter in an try to scare the approaching orcas off. No one was injured, however Team JAJO skipper Jelmer van Beek stated in a video posted on The Ocean Race web site that it was “a scary moment.”
“Twenty minutes ago, we got hit by some orcas,” he stated within the video. “Three orcas came straight at us and started hitting the rudders. Impressive to see the orcas, beautiful animals, but also a dangerous moment for us as a team.”
Team JAJO was approaching the mouth of the Mediterranean Sea on a leg from the Netherlands to Italy when not less than three orcas approached the VO65 class sloop. Video taken by the crew confirmed one of many killer whales seemed to be nuzzling the rudder; one other video confirmed certainly one of them working its nostril into the hull.
Scientists have famous rising studies of orcas bumping or damaging boats off the western coast of the Iberian Peninsula previously 4 years. The mammals common from 16-21 toes (5-6½ meters) and weigh greater than 8,000 kilos (3,600 kilograms).
“We knew that there was a possibility of an orca attack this leg,” on-board reporter Brend Schuil stated. “So we had already spoken about what to do if the situation would occur.”
Schuil stated there was a name for all palms on deck and the sails have been dropped to gradual the boat from a racing pace of 12 knots. The crew made noises to to scare the orcas off.
“They seemed more aggressive/playful when we were sailing at speed. Once we slowed down they also started to be less aggressive in their attacks,” he stated. “Everyone is OK on board and the animals are also OK.”
The Ocean Race entails two lessons of sailboats at sea for weeks at a time, with the IMOCA 60 boats competing in a six-month, 32,000-nautical mile (37,000-mile, 59,000-km) circumnavigation of the globe. The race is on its remaining leg, from The Hague to Genoa, the place it’s anticipated to reach later this week.
Boats have already contended with a large seaweed flotilla, catastrophic gear failure, and a collision that knocked the chief out of the decisive seventh leg. One of the boats within the around-the-world portion of the race triggered its hazard alarm after hitting what they suspected was a whale off the coast of Newfoundland; two crew members have been injured within the collision.
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AP Sports Writer Bernie Wilson contributed to this story.
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