Rudder-munching Killer Whales

The first edition of the Globe40, an eight leg round the world race for doublehanded Class40 teams, got underway June 26 in the Bay of Tangier. Here’s the day two report:

(June 27, 2022) – While the soon-after-the-start collision between the French and Canadian boats highlighted the hazards and obstacles above the surface, other competitors in the Globe40 Race would have been more mindful of the enemy below.

Leg 1 from Tangier to Cape Verde should be straightforward, fast and pleasant downwind sailing conditions. However, as the Dutch team discovered on the prologue race from Lorient in France to Morocco a week earlier, fishing nets are a real hazard round these parts. However, for the Japanese boat, the obstacles were much worse.

The crew of Milai were attacked by a group of playground bullies barring the entrance to the Strait of Gibraltar. A mob (not a pod) of orca killer whales decided to play a game of ‘snap the rudder’ with the Japanese Class 40.

“We have a camera to watch what’s going on underwater,” said owner Koji Nakagawa, “and we could see that orca A would come up and smack the rudder, then orca B, then orca C, and so on. To them it was a game, but to us it was quite scary.”

With the Class40 rule only permitting glass-fibre construction, the orca assault eventually succeeded as the pod of attackers broke the starboard rudder clean in two.

Christophe Gaumond, Race director of the Globe40, said the orcas are an ever-present menace near the Strait of Gibraltar at this time of year. “It’s migration season for tuna entering the Mediterranean, so the orca are a threat and the tuna nets are another hazard in this area. There is a lot of commercial traffic going up and down the Atlantic too, so there are many hazards to watch out for on this first leg.”

As for the orca damage, co-skipper Masa Suzuki thanks the wicked whales for forcing a replacement rudder to be fitted. “We had never replaced a rudder before,” he said, “so now I have been below the boat and we now know how to do that job if we have to do it again. So the orca did us a favour,” he laughed.

It seems like the Japanese have avoided the orca coming back for seconds. As of 1500 hours (Tangier time) today, Nakagawa and Suzuki hold a 7 mile lead over the fleet as they surge towards the first waypoint of Madeira.

As for the French entry, The Globe en Solidaire, their return to Tangier continues as they seek to repair their broken bowsprit.

Race details – Entries – Tracker

Starting on June 26, the eight leg course will finish on March 2023, with all legs counting toward the cumulative score with the longer distances more heavily weighted.

Start:
Tangier, Morocco

Stopovers:
Sao Vincente, Cape Verde Islands
Port Louis, Mauritius
Auckland, New Zealand
Papeete, French Polynesia
Ushuaia, Argentina
Recife, Brazil
St Georges, Grenada

Finish:
Lorient, France

Source: Andy Rice