This morning a sailboat sank, off Sines, after an encounter with orcas, according to a statement from the Portuguese Navy. Five crew members were rescued by the fishing vessel "Festas André", which was nearby, under the coordination of the Portuguese Navy, in conjunction with the Captain of the Port of Sines.
“The Navy, through the Maritime Search and Rescue Coordination Center (MRCC) in Lisbon, in conjunction with the Captain of the Port of Sines, coordinated, this morning, the rescue of five crew members who were on the life raft of their sailboat after it sunk following an interaction with orcas 11 km off the coast”.
The alert for the Maritime Search and Rescue Coordination Center (MRCC) in Lisbon was given shortly after midnight by the sailboat itself, which indicated that it was taking on water after an encounter with orcas. “The fishing vessel "Festas André" was immediately engaged, which carried out the rescue of the five people on board, and a vessel from the Sines Lifeguard Station that accompanied the fishing vessel to the port of Sines, where it docked safely at 2:43”, the Navy statement concluded.
That's very odd that Orcas would try to sink a sailboat with people in it, Orcas don't attack people or vessels in the wild, something must have been going on, maybe the sailboat was sailing too close to the pod of Orca whales with their babies.
By Lisa from Other on 01 Aug 2022, 13:33
Orcas!?? Drunk people incapable of controlling their posh yacht!
By Marco from Alentejo on 01 Aug 2022, 21:06
Lisa and Co.
Please learn to read, understand and research basic stories before accusing people of incompetence and stupidity. At least look at orcaiberica.org who are marine biologists and have catalogued HUNDREDS OF INTERACTIONS ( attacks) by this group of orcas. Also, the most casual search on the internet would give you a better understanding that these yachts are randomly attacked, many are damaged and yet no action has been taken.
By Tony from Açores on 02 Aug 2022, 00:11
To Tony inthe Acores. Just what kind of'action' are you implying should be taken???
Humans are messing with their habitat and home. They are perfectly entitled to defend themselves... I hope you are not suggesting they be culled??
By Edward N A Fowles from Algarve on 02 Aug 2022, 11:11
Hey Tony buddy, FYI, l am very educated about Orcas and have certainly more than a basic understanding of Orcas which are dolphins and not whales to be more accurate. Why don't you keep your incompetent pathetic comments to yourself and stop attacking people!
By Lisa from Other on 02 Aug 2022, 14:40
The readers who are belittling the sailors really need to learn a little about the subject before spouting off. This situation with this pod of orcas has been developing for a number of years. Also, as a maritime captain who has sailed thousands of miles on the west coast USA, I can say that it’s highly unlikely that this crew was drinking or that they were messing with the orcas. The article says that the boat sank at midnight, so it’s possible that the attack happened before dark. But it’s also possible that it happened after dark, either way a sailboat is so much less maneuverable than an orca that there’s no way for the sailboat to have been the aggressor.
By Colleen Bennett from Porto on 02 Aug 2022, 15:56
Colleen, nobody is belittling the sailors so get your facts stratight honey before you spout out your nonsense and maybe you should look up Ingrid N. Visser who is a biologist and also Founder and Principal Scientist of the New Zealand-based Orca Research Trust.
By Lisa from Other on 02 Aug 2022, 22:55