Sailboat endures orca encounter during international race: ‘Dangerous moment’

On Thursday, a pod of orcas approached the Team JAJO boat during The Ocean Race VO65 Sprint in the Atlantic Ocean to the west of Gibraltar. 

The orcas can be seen pushing up against the sailboat and nudging the rudder in a video posted to the Ocean Race YouTube account. 

“Twenty minutes ago we got hit by some orcas,” said Team JAJO skipper Jelmer van Beek after the incident. “Three orcas came straight at us and started hitting the rudders. Impressive to see the orcas, beautiful animals, but also a dangerous moment for us as a team. We took down the sails and slowed down the boat as quickly as possible and luckily after a few attacks they went away… This was a scary moment.”

KILLER WHALES DAMAGE BOAT IN LATEST ATTACK OFF SPAIN

Mirpuri Trifork Racing also reported an encounter with orcas, the racing organization said in a news release. 

Neither team reported damage to their boats or to anyone onboard. 

The Ocean Race VO65 Sprint is a new race that includes three different legs and four different cities. 

“This new trophy will enable a new generation of sailors, along with some familiar faces, to gain some valuable experience in The Ocean Race,” said Phil Lawrence, Race Director of The Ocean Race.

“This format provides an opportunity to compete in The Ocean Race environment, with racing from host city to host city along with In-port competitions. The participating VO65 teams will get significant offshore racing exposure.”

The orca attack is the latest in a series of incidents off the coasts of Spain and Portugal. 

Atlantic Orca Working Group reported 18 such interactions in the month of May in the region. 

Fox News’ Julia Musto contributed to this report.