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British sailboat sinks in killer whale attack off Spain
The yacht was rammed by a pod of five orcas in the Strait of Gibraltar
A crew of three British sailors was rescued off the coast of Gibraltar after their yacht, the Bonhomme William, was brutally attacked by a pod of five killer whales, or orcas, and sank between the southern Spanish towns of Tarifa and Barbate.
London-based marketing director Robert Powell and two companions were rescued and brought safely ashore after contacting the Spanish coastguard, but could only watch in dismay as the boat disappeared beneath the water.
“We were all rescued and are safe now,” Robert wrote on social media once back on shore.
“Sadly these [orcas] were not playing. It was a well-orchestrated and organised attack to sink my boat.”
Back in May, a 15-metre-long sailboat carrying two passengers sank close to Cape Spartel in the Strait of Gibraltar after a similar attack. The crew members were rescued by an oil tanker but the ‘Alboran Cognac’ suffered too much damage and couldn’t be saved.
In the last few years, more than 600 encounters with killer whales have been reported in these waters, most of which cause damage to rudders or holes in the hulls. The reasons behind the increased interactions and attacks are largely unknown.
Orcas are intelligent, inquisitive and playful creatures and many experts believe the whales may be attacking out of boredom. Other marine biologists suggest the damage to ships is caused by the parent orcas teaching their calves how to hunt.
“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 spokesperson for the Spanish Coastguard Service said in a statement.
“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.”
As the rescue boat ‘Salvamar Enif’ approached, it saw that the yacht had lowered the life raft into the water as the luxury vessel was already below the water line.
“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.”
Image: Salvamento Marítimo
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