This is the terrifying moment a British yachtsman’s boat was sank after it was attacked by orcas in the Strait of Gibraltar.
Robert Powell and two other occupants of Bonhomme William had to be rescued by coastguards after the vessel had its steering disabled and started taking on water.
The London-based managing director said in agonising social media posts showing his yacht disappearing under the sea that the yacht was attacked by a pod of five orcas between the southern towns of Tarifa and Barbate.
‘We were all rescued and are safe now,’ he assured concerned friends.
‘Sadly these [orcas] were not playing. It was a well-orchestrated and organised attack to sink my boat.’
Orcas have caused mayhem for boaters in recent years, ramming into the rudders of more than 600 ships for reasons unknown. Many biologists believe the whales may be attacking out of boredom, seeking out an adrenaline rush.
Mr Powell said his yacht had been attacked by a pod of Orcas off the southern coast of Spain
The London-based managing director assured his friends he and his crew were safe
‘Yesterday evening a yacht a sailboat called Bonhomme William which was two miles off Camarinal Cape between Tarifa and Barbate reported that after interaction with orcas she needed to be towed as her steering system was inoperative,’ a spokesman for the Spanish Coastguard Service said in a statement.
‘The skipper added that the three people on board were okay and the vessel was not taking on water.
‘Our Tarifa centre mobilised coastguard vessel Salvamar Enif.
‘The sailboat then called again to report the orcas were still interacting and it was now taking on water.
‘The crew were told help was on its way and to prepare the water pump.
‘Salvamar Enif reported when it was close to the other vessel’s position that it has seen two flares in the area followed by a parachute flare.
‘On arrival it reported the life raft had been thrown into the water and the yacht had lost its waterline.
‘The Salvamar Enif crew rescued the three people on board and reported they were all okay.
‘It collected polluting liquids, the radio beacon, pyrotechnics and life raft before confirming the sailboat was sinking and heading to Barbate with the three people rescued.’
At the start of the month another boat called Kelba had to be towed to port in Spain’s North African enclave of Ceuta after being targeted by orcas.
That incident followed another in May when a yacht was attacked by a group of orcas 14 miles off Cape Spartel west of Tangiers in Morocco.
The two people on board had to be rescued by a passing oil tanker.
Orca rammings in the Strait of Gibraltar and off the Atlantic coast of Portugal and north-western Spain, have become increasingly common over the past four years.
Experts believe them to involve a subpopulation of about 15 orcas given the designation ‘Gladis’.
Shocking footage showed the yacht sinking at night after the whales attacked
Many biologists believe the highly intelligent animals attack ships out of boredom
The crew were saved by the coastguard, rushing to the scene as the yacht took on water
Theories put forward by scientists include one that they are seeking revenge for a killer whale supposedly hit by a boat.
But others have said the endangered mammals appear to be ‘playing’ with the boats as part of a game.
Groups working for the conservation and management of orcas advise skippers who find themselves in the presence of orcas to slow down and stop their engine if possible, turn off autopilot and leave the rudder to track.
GT Orca Atlantic says: ‘Stopping the movement, stopping the engine and letting go of the rudder, towards the runway, causes them to drop their interest, ceasing the interaction, in most cases.’
Around 50 per cent of the vessels orcas interact with suffer damage of some kind.
The type of boats they interact most with are said to be monohull sailboats of less than 15 metres (49 feet) in length with a spade rudder.
