The sailing yacht "Bonhomme William", travelling with a crew of three, sank during the night in the Atlantic two nautical miles off Punta Camarinal, northwest of the Strait of Gibraltar. All crew members were rescued unharmed by the sea rescue team and are safe and sound.
At around 8 p.m., the skipper initially reported five orcas attacking the sailing yacht with ramming blows against the hull and rudder and asked for towing assistance. The sea rescue team, which was alerted in good time, observed at least three flares as they approached the scene ten nautical miles away and then prepared their motorised pumps for the operation.
A short time later, they discovered the life raft and the yacht, which was already deep in the water. Photos on the internet show it listing heavily in the calm sea. All that remained for the sea rescuers was to rescue the crew, collect the life raft and pyrotechnics and remove contaminating liquids from the sinking yacht. And to bring the crew to safety in the harbour of Barbate.
In recent years, at least a dozen sailing yachts have sunk off the Strait of Gibraltar as a result of the mysterious orca interactions, without taking into account the high number of unexplained cases.
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