An Orca is reported to have repeatedly rammed a small yacht which was on its way to Norway from Lerwick in the Shetlands. The lone sailor said that the most terrifying thing about the attack wasn’t the actual ramming but the sound of the Orca’s heavy breathing.
This sounds like a different type of attack to the frequent ones reported off the Atlantic coasts of Spain and Portugal, especially near Gibraltar, where munching on the rudder seems to be the order of the day. In the unlikely event of me ever being attacked like that in my BR20, at least I could raise the rudder out of the way.
A new theory to account for the seasonality of the rudder-munching (it’s mainly in high summer) could be that the Orcas are following Bluefin Tuna prey as they migrate through the Straits of Gibraltar up to the Bay of Biscay at that time of year. Before we get too complacent in UK waters, it’s worth remembering that enormous Bluefin Tuna (up to 400kg) used to be common hereabouts, especially in the seas off Lincolnshire. They now appear to be making a comeback in the North Sea and off Cornwall, which is good news. Probably.
