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The 23rd edition of the Mini Transat has completed the first leg of 1350nm from France to the Canary Islands, and as the Mini 6.50 Class solo skippers prepare to start the 2700nm final leg across the Atlantic to Guadeloupe on October 29, talk of orca strikes was among the debrief.
For the past year, reports of rogue killer whales attacking boats off the coast of Spain and Portugal have made headlines, so when 90 21-footers passed along this corridor soon after the start, the odds were good that conflict would occur again.
Jay Thompson (USA), 9th in the prototype division:
“This first leg was an adventure from beginning to end. I knew there would be things that would go on during the race that would be unpredictable, but I hadn’t imagined that I’d encounter an orca and that it would make off with the lifting surface of one of my rudders after spinning the boat round 360 degrees! Was I frightened? I didn’t even have the time to be scared as it all happened very quickly.”
Felip Moll Marquez (ESP), 55th in the production division:
“I managed the start of the race well with the exception of one thing: I was attacked by orcas at night, just before the front. I think it was the second day out. They began to push my boat and play around with it. It was frightening…
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