09 Aug The killer whales of the Strait hamper navigation along the coast of Cádiz.
Since last March 27, more than half a hundred boats, with a length of less than 15 meters, have been surprised by killer whales. These encounters have caused breakdowns such as loss of steering.
On Saturday, Canal Sur visited us in Puerto Sherry to interview Francisco Colon, Captain of the port. As the captain of our marina stated, “we cannot say that these are attacks, but rather interactions of the cetacean with the vessels.”
In addition, the skipper of one of the affected vessels, who was traveling with his family, was also at the scene and stated that it was a game for the killer whales, in which, in his particular case, they played with the rudder until it broke. “I am not a professional, I am a pleasure sailor, so when I go through the area of the killer whales, I cannot force it” he pointed out.
In this way he was forced to cancel his journey and went to the dry dock of the Marina of Puerto Sherry as a home port to fix his sailboat.
Salvamento Marítimo indicates that it has had to intervene on more than 22 occasions for this same reason since July. Navigation has been restricted in the exclusion zone, from Cabo de Trafalgar to Punta Paloma. This area has navigation prohibitions for all sailing vessels under 15 meters in length, whether sailing or motorized. It is worth noting that these attacks have been produced between 2 and 12 nautical miles from the coast.
Puerto Sherry continues to prioritize the safety of sailors. We recommend to review the itinerary of your journey and we wish you a good sailing.