A brief shock with a peaceful outcome for Boris Herrmann's Malizia team: five orcas, also known as killer whales, crossed the path of the transfer crew. They had just passed Gibraltar on course for Lorient when the interaction occurred on Friday morning. The orcas accompanied the Imoca for almost an hour, the team wrote in an Instagram and Facebook post.
Dramatic orca interactions:
A video showing the interaction is also attached. Although the short clip is accompanied by dramatic music, there is no attack or dangerous interaction. The killer whales remain peaceful and inspect the orange keel bomb from "Malizia - Seaexplorer", while an orca touches a foil and causes it to vibrate slightly. According to the team's assessment, however, there was no damage: "Everything is fine on board. No damage reported and our crew is sailing again."
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Racing yachts already in contact with orcas in the Ocean Race
Already during The Ocean Race it was interactions with participants but only racing yachts in the VO65 class were involved. The frightening encounter with the killer whales took place west of Gibraltar in the Atlantic. The teams affected were Jajo from Holland and Mirpuri Trifork Racing from Portugal. Both teams subsequently announced that there were no injuries or damage to the boat, although the orcas did crash into the boats and in one case also rammed the boat and bit into the oars.
According to official estimates, several hundred yacht rudders have been destroyed by killer whales off the Iberian Peninsula since summer 2020 and three yachts have been reported as "sunk due to orca interaction". Unofficial estimates are much higher in both cases. It is still not clear why such interactions occur in the first place. There are also several theories about the optimal behaviour in an emergency.
Also interesting: The Ocean Race book
"Boris Herrmann and the race around the world"
YACHT editor Jochen Rieker has closely followed the Ocean Race and was up close and personal with Team Malizia in several ports of call. He has written down his experiences and many previously unpublished facts in the book "Boris Herrmann and the Race around the World". With this illustrated text book, you too can get closer than ever before: at the christening of the new high-tech yacht "Malizia - Seaexplorer", during the first tests of the racing projectile, when the team grew together, at all the high and low points of the prestigious sailing race around the world! In addition to spectacular sailing pictures from the race and directly from on board, the official Ocean Race book also contains a personal foreword by Boris Herrmann.
