sports sailing
“Scary” – Orcas attack ships in the Ocean Race
Status: 10:10 a.m. | Reading time: 2 minutes
Team Jajo – this yacht was attacked by the orcas
Quelle: DeFodi Images via Getty Images/DeFodi Images
On the final leg of the Ocean Race, two teams of orcas are attacked. The animals ram a boat and hit the oars. A video from onboard documents the attacks that are increasing in this region. With sometimes drastic consequences.
On one of the most important sailing regattas in the world, previously feared incidents have occurred. During the final regatta of the Ocean Race, the ships of the two teams Jajo and Mirpuri Trifork Racing were attacked by orcas. Jajo skipper Jelmer van Beek (Netherlands) speaks of scary moments. A video from on board documents the incidents, crew members filmed the encounter with the animals.
“Three orcas came straight towards us and started hitting the oars,” says van Beek: “It’s impressive to see the orcas. They are beautiful animals, but it was also a dangerous moment for us as a team. We hauled in the sails and braked the boat as quickly as possible.” Luckily, the orcas pulled away again after the first attacks.
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The Ocean Race, in which Hamburg skipper Boris Hermann also takes part, lasts more than half a year. During this period, seven stages will be sailed over a distance of 32,000 nautical miles (around 60,000 kilometers). The final stage is currently underway. It was started in The Hague in the Netherlands. Sunday is supposed to be the big finish in Genoa, Italy.
Three boats have already sunk
The orca attacks occurred in the sea area west of Gibraltar. The organizers of the Ocean Race said there had been more incidents with killer whales in this area in the recent past. The two professional teams were apparently lucky. In other cases, according to the report, there was massive damage, and three boats even sank: “Scientists are still trying to understand this new behavior.”
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Jajo and Mirpuri Trifork Racing escaped unharmed or injured, although the animals swam against the boat and in at least one instance literally rammed it, hit the oars or bit it. “It was scary,” said van Beek.
The skipper will be able to accept the loss of time due to the mild outcome of the delicate situation. Due to the involuntary stopover, he and his team dropped from second to fourth place.
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