ORCAS STRIKE PANDORA

Written by Bob Osborn, Pandora

On the final leg to Gibraltar, following my run from the Caribbean to the Azores as part of the Salty Dawg Azores rally, I was approaching land after a particularly rough night where we were hit with stronger-than-forecast winds, when disaster struck. 

For months, I had been fixated on the orca risk near the Strait of Gibraltar—numerous sailboats had been attacked, their rudders torn off, some even sunk.  Theories suggest the orcas are "practicing" hunting, targeting rudders, a behavior spread by a few pods led by an adult female.

I had ordered an acoustic deterrent, but it was lost in transit and researching orcas.pt, I opted for a route near Morocco, where attacks were rarer compared to Portugal’s coast.  I was wrong.

A week out from São Miguel, our last port in the Azores, Morocco came into view.  We were making 10.5 knots over the bottom, between wind and a favorable current, when the wheel suddenly spun violently.  At first, we saw nothing—then a massive orca surfaced beneath the stern. It was not alone: a pod of 4-5 had targeted Pandora.  One crew member captured the chaos on this brief video.

It was terrifying.  I feared the rudder post would snap or the hull around the post crack open, as in other cases.  Pandora’s carbon-fiber rudder post held, but the lower half of the rudder was torn off, dangling by a flap of fiberglass.  The Hydrovane wind vane steering rudder was also ripped off. Only in the marina did we grasp the full damage.

The next morning, I donned a wetsuit, fired up my hookah air compressor, and spent an hour underwater sawing away the mangled rudder.  Miraculously, the detached piece had remained tethered, giving the fabricator in Almerímar, Spain, a template for repairs.  Despite the damage, we motor-sailed to Gibraltar, then 150 miles to the marina in Almerimar, where Pandora will be hauled out for the season in early August.

So, what is the risk of damage from orcas, for cruisers passing thru the strait of Gibraltar?  For Pandora the risk was higher than I anticipated but the experience has made me want to learn more.  With that in mind, I will be talking to experts in this area and plan a webinar this fall to share my findings where I will hopefully be able to share what experts say about “best practices” to make it possible to transit safely.  

While Pandora suffered significant damage from our orca encounter, I am still glad that I made the trip.  Brenda and I are very much looking forward to the coming seasons cruising the Mediterranean.   As we learn more about our new cruising ground, I will continue to share what we learn. 

I began my voyage aboard Pandora in Trinadad, departing in April, with stops along the eastern Caribbean, making my way to Bermuda and to Horta as part of the SDSA Azores rally and then on to Gibraltar.  I wrote regularly on passage and while exploring the Azores on www.sailpandora.com as well as a description of the attack and the particularly difficult night as we approached the coast of Morocco and Portugal in this post.  

Ed’s note:  We are all relieved to hear that Bob and Pandora are safe!  Those wishing to learn more about Orca interactions may be interested in the following article:  https://www.theca.org.uk/orcas

Return to Newsletter Landing Page