A sailing yacht has sunk off Spain's northwest coast after a series of encounters with killer whales, forcing the rescue of its two crew members. The incident occurred approximately one mile off Estaca de Bares, a point of land in the Galician province of La Coruña.
The yacht, named Idem, reportedly had its rudder destroyed by the orcas, leading to it taking on water and eventually sinking. A private boat initially assisted the sailors and attempted to tow the vessel ashore before it submerged. A Spanish Coastguard vessel later transported the two individuals to the nearby town of Cariño. They were unharmed.
The sinking was the fourth reported interaction between orcas and sailboats in the same area on the same day. In two other incidents, the vessels' rudders were targeted, but the damage did not prevent them from reaching shore. One yacht, Glatisant, was left adrift with an inoperable rudder and was escorted to port by a coastguard rescue vessel. Another yacht, Kador, also encountered orcas but managed to sail to Viveiro unaided.
These events echo similar incidents that have occurred in recent years. In October of the previous year, a family of five had to be rescued by a Portuguese Air Force helicopter after their yacht was sunk by orcas south-east of Peniche. Months earlier, a pod of orcas sank a yacht carrying five people near Fonte da Telha beach, south of Lisbon. The crew were rescued, but the vessel disappeared under the water. On the same day, another boat, Nova Vida, was attacked, with its Norwegian sailors managing to install an emergency rudder to return to port.
Numerous such encounters have also been reported in the Strait of Gibraltar. While the exact reasons for these orca behaviors remain unclear, experts speculate that the marine mammals might be targeting vessels for sport or due to feeling threatened.