A YACHT skipper from Dorset has told of the terrifying moment his vessel was attacked by killer whales.
Dieter Peschkes, who runs Dorchester-based yacht delivery firm OceanTrax has become one of the latest to experience an Orca attack off the Portuguese coast - as scientists are said to be "baffled" by a recent spate of incidents.
Mr Peschkes explained that he was delivering a yacht from Southampton to Gibraltar recently when two Orcas attacked his boat approximately six miles off the coast of Lisbon.
Although he and his crew escaped unscathed, two other vessels were also attacked by Orcas, causing damage and injuring crew members.
Describing the attack, Mr Peschkes said: "The yacht suddenly juddered, so we immediately checked to see if we had run over something, possibly a large piece of wood or a discarded fishing net had wrapped round the propeller.
" At this point the autohelm disengaged, the wheel started to move violently and was pulled out of my hands when I tried to get the yacht back on course. It was then we noticed two Orcas attacking our rudders."
According to the skipper, until recently it was virtually unheard of for Orcas to attack boats - but this year has seen a spate of attacks which have left scientists "baffled," while many boats have been damaged and needing repairs.
Dieter added, "We immediately cut the engine and turned off all electronic instruments, as we had heard these can disturb Orcas. Drifting in very light winds, the Orcas continued their attack for about fifteen minutes, targeting our rudders and buffeting the side of the yacht.
"Luckily this yacht, an OVNI, is known as the 'Land Rover of the seas'. Unlike most yachts, which have fibreglass rudders, ours were aluminium so no damage was done.
"We later learned however that two other yachts in the area were attacked on the same day, leaving injured crew onboard one, whilst the other needed to be towed into port after serious damage to their steering.
"It was certainly an experience myself and my crew will never forget and reminded us just how powerful these creatures can be."
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