A pack of killer whales attacks the boat of a former Vendée Globe skipper

“We saw about twenty orcas disembark. Eight to ten of them began to systematically attack our rudder”, told Sébastien Destremau to France Bleu Breizh Izel. The incident lasted 55 minutes on Monday May 22, at Cap de Trafalgar, in the south of Spain. The battering of the orcas rocked the 15-ton ship hard. The crew is safe and sound, Sébastien Destremau nevertheless twisted a finger during a manoeuvre.

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The former Vendée Globe sailor (18th and last classified in the 2016-2017 edition, then retired in 2020-2021) stopped his boat, “Le Lancelot”, by lowering the sails, in accordance with the procedure recommended in case of attack.

“After 20 minutes, I put the engine back on. I moved forward and backward depending on the orcas to prevent them from approaching the helm. This strategy raised questions among the crew, because we were afraid of annoying them. even more”says the navigator.

“As the killer whales didn’t budge, I started to make very tight circles, with the bar at the bottom.”

Sébastien Destremau, navigator

at franceinfo

“After a few minutes, they left. But I don’t know if it was this maneuver that was useful. What is certain is that we are on their territory”, concludes Sébastien Destremau. The sailboat will now stop in Cadiz in the south of Spain to carry out checks before heading back to sea towards Pornic, in Loire-Atlantique.