2017 sti 1 4 mile
Posted on 09/19/2020 6:28:19 AM PDT by Rebelbase
SCIENTISTS have been left confused by a series of incidents in which killer whales have hit sailing boats along the Spanish and Portuguese coasts.
In some cases, boats have been damaged and at least one crew member suffered bruising from the impact of the ramming.
Two boats also lost parts of their rudders due to the impact of the attacks, according to reports.
Incidents have been reported in several locations, including one just off A Coruña, on the northern coast of Spain, on Friday afternoon.
Pete Green, managing director of Halcyon Yachts, told The Guardian a boat was being taken to the UK when an orca rammed its stern at least 15 times.
As a consequence of the impact, the vessel lost steering and was towed into port to assess damage.
A similar incident happened near Vigo, northwest Spain, at the end of August, when sailors alerted the coastguard to say their boat was “under attack” from killer whales.
On the same day, a Spanish naval yacht, Mirfak, lost part of its rudder after an encounter with orcas under the stern.
On July 29, a boat was surrounded by nine orcas off Cape Trafalgar, in the south-west of Spain.
The killer whales rammed the hull for over one hour, spinning the boat 180 degrees, disabling the engine and breaking the rudder, as they communicated with loud whistling, The Guardian reports.
A lot of them are half white. Just sayin’. As to the attacks, either OMB or glowbull discombobulation.
They’re angry at Japan?
Time for the video of the exploding beached whale...
Racist whales?
Coffee through my nose on that comment. Could 2020 get any more bizarre.
Whales “sleep” while still moving by turning off half of their brain, while still being on a commo frequency with the fully awake whales pacing it on either side, which may be 100s of yards apart.
The working assumption among ocean sailors is that sailing yachts, moving in silence on the ocean, sometimes strike and injure “half sleeping” whales.
BOOM! Waldo the whale has a concussion, broken ribs, and is bleeding. Other whales? WHO DID THAT!
That sailboat over there! Get that bastard! Look what it did to Waldo!
Vessels under motor power don’t do this, the whales are alerted by the engine noise and move out of their path.
Sailboats have also been hit by submarine periscopes and other above-water arrays, the subs being totally unaware of the presence of the silent sailboat.
See 18 and 26.
A couple of buddies and I went out bottom fishing in his 20 foot ski boat when one breached right beside our boat in Cresent City harbor. Makes you realize your not at the top of the chain on the Pacific ocean.
Going back to the incident at 18: Once their wood yacht was sunk, and the human crew took to very flimsy rubber dinghies, the killer whales had no interest in them, or they’d have been easily killed and eaten.
It seems the Orca rage was directed at the boat, presumably for striking one of them, and not at their human crew.
An Orca?
:)
“... while still moving by turning off half of their brain...” You mean they’re like dems in their normal state? :-)
Yes. We were in a fiberglass boat too.
“You think you used enough dynamite Butch?”
I wouldn’t be surprised if this resulted from a “do not feed the bears” type of situation. Some enviro-whacko Disney Free Willy fans take it upon themselves to make friendly with the Orcas and feed them, and the pod then comes to expect snacks from each passing boat.
This may be the Post of the Month, and a finalist for Post of the Year.
Watch part I of David Attenborough’s ‘Frozen Planet’. Amazing how Orcas coordinate their attacks against their prey. I was blown away.
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