One Yacht Sunk and Three More Damaged

Off the northern Spanish coast, a series of orca interactions took place on July 23. Within a few hours, the Spanish sea rescue service registered four incidents with sailing yachts off northwestern Spain.

The most serious incident was experienced by the sailing yacht “Idem” when the two-member crew reported a group of orcas around 1.3 nautical miles outside Estaca de Bares. According to the Spanish sea rescue, the helm was so badly damaged during the interaction that the yacht lost steerage. The crew was rescued by a nearby yacht when water intrusion was discovered, with the Idem eventually sinking.

Already around noon, the British sailing yacht “Glatisant” had got into trouble. Here, too, orcas damaged the helm so badly that the yacht was no longer maneuverable. A sea rescue boat accompanied the boat to Viveiro. AIS data shows the yacht last off the coast of Galicia.

In the early afternoon, the sailing yacht “Kador” reported another orca interaction. There was a one-handed sailor and three cats on board. The sea rescue was alerted as a precaution, but intervention was not necessary. The boat was able to reach Viveiro on its own.

During the deployment for the sinking “idem”, the report of a fourth affected sailing yacht was received. There, too, the helm had been damaged. However, the damage was less, so that the crew could continue their journey without outside help.

In the event of an orca interaction, the Spanish authorities now recommend that skippers – if the rudder and machine still work – continue as far as possible towards the coast or shallower water and inform the rescue immediately.