Killer whales launch ‘orchestrated’ attacks on sailing boats

I have had groups of False Killer Whales around the boat, making rapid near approaches when large fish were being boated, their considerable size was enough to alarm me, having "real" Killer Whales contacting the boat would be a time when high boat speed, and rapid "holeshot" would be a blessing !

 

<removed> I would have pushed the Gentoo off immediately, extreme friendly killer whales towards humans though, as they didn't flip the boat to get the bird, and maybe some humans too . . .

 

It is remarkable that these beasts do not have a reputation for attacking humans, there isn't much else they won't.

 

"Hey, humans, make the noise and get us outta here! I know this thing can make the noise and move fast! Why you stay here!?! ... Can I haz a fish?"

 

Re post #6:

See the thread ‘‘Is the ocean broken?’’ post #505 for a review of the so called scientific level of the conclusions in the linked article.

Apart from their non scientific level it was a very incompetent crew in sailing skills as well.

Quote from the article:
‘‘ The 23-year-old watched broken bits of the rudder float off, leaving the four-person crew without steering, drifting into the Gibraltar Straits shipping lane between Cape Trafalgar and the small town of Barbate. ’’

An extremely incompetent crew, what you normally do when the rudder is out of order is rig up a jury rudder and carry on.

 

Re post #35: - 'I've never seen or heard of attacks': scientists baffled by orcas harassing boats

‘‘ . . . . When nine killer whales surrounded the 46ft boat that Victoria Morris was crewing in Spain on the afternoon of 29 July, she was elated. The biology graduate taught sailing in New Zealand and is used to friendly orca encounters. But the atmosphere quickly changed when they started ramming the hull, spinning the boat 180 degrees, disabling the autohelm and engine. The 23-year-old watched broken bits of the rudder float off, leaving the four-person crew without steering, drifting into the Gibraltar Straits shipping lane between Cape Trafalgar and the small town of Barbate. . . . ’’

Besides bad in biology and history she also must be one of the worst sailing instructors ever . . .

Just rip a cupboard door from the galley and grab a tube somewhere from the boat and go ahead...

Yachting Monthly Jury Steering

‘‘ . . . The jury steering methods we wanted to look at were:

• Sail only – trimming the sails and using crew weight to steer the boat by trimming the hull
• Jury rudder – fabricating a jury rudder from materials that would be found aboard most modern cruising yachts
• Drag steering – using a drogue, or a bucket, off the stern to steer . . . . . . ’’

spinnaker pole ↑​

 

If you read the articles about this "attack" you will find out that most of the pundits are associating it with the local tuna fishery. This area is known for it's tuna fishery and the Orcas also feed on the tuna. However the tuna population is getting seriously depleted. So some are postulating that the Orcas see the boats and associate them with other boats taking their food. This is a plausible assumption. Here in Puget Sound the Southern Resident Orcas feed on the salmon. But the salmon stocks are way down and some salmon species are near to disappearing. We haven't seen Orcas attacking boats, but the Pod is getting smaller and smaller. One of the Orcas is pregnant and that made headlines in the local news. So it could simply be the Orcas there see the boats (no matter what kinds of boats) as a threat to their food supply.

I would agree, However, I have seen many USCG reports of sailboats being "disabled" and towed in by the Coast Guard. Their problem? a broken or lost rudder. It's amazing how many sailors don't know how to jury rig a rudder or steering oar, or how to sail their boat with the sails balanced to keep it on course.

 

From the post #36 Yachting Monthly Jury Steering article, a bare spinnaker pole from the stern for steering worked well enough to finish the journey...


(note the engine is running too in this pic, see the bad smoke starboard aft)

‘‘ . . . . Heya used two steering guys on a spinnaker pole clipped onto a bathing platform. This simple method took the crew 325 miles to their destination with very few problems.

This Swiss yacht lost steerage in strong winds and heavy seas during the 2001 ARC. The crew improvised a rudder by clipping one end of her spinnaker pole to her bathing platform and steering with guys attached to the pole. In this way, they completed the final 325 miles to St Lucia without assistance. However, they did need to reduce sail early or heave-to in stronger winds, suggesting that a larger steering blade would have been more effective. . . . . ’’

 

'I've never seen or heard of attacks': scientists baffled by orcas harassing boats

‘‘ . . . . They were ramming the keel, there was this horrible echo, I thought they could capsize the boat. . . . . ’’

Maybe from below fin keelers are seen as kinda Orca hulls floating upside down on the surface, and the supposed social congeners come to their aid and try to turn them right side up . . ?

↓ some upside down surface floating Orca hull examples....




— Van de Stadt Sea Mini 21 (center board version available too) —


— CNSO (Constructions Nautiques du Sud-Ouest) Karate ± 9.8 m ~ 32.15' LOD —


— right side up Orca —

 

Right!

-Will (Dragonfly)

 

I thought there have been no cases of wild orcas attacking humans in the water.

 

Recent and historic reports are only about wild Orcas attacking keel boats (or in their social minds coming to the aid of upside down Orca hulls?), and not bothering small motor boats or dinghies or life rafts or humans in the water, see the posts #8 (1972) and #15 and #32.

 

Orcas travel in pods, not schools, thereby avoiding indoctrination.

 

The conclusions about Orcas attacking boats might be all based on a huge human misinterpretation of the Orcas real intentions of coming to the aid of upside down floating Orca hulls . . ?

 

-Will (Dragonfly)