orca

[nz_sailor]

Out sailing this past friday we came across this life changing experience.

http://www.openboat.co.nz/orca.html

we're still smiling

Dave P :cool:

[Bob Smalser]

Neat, eh?

Pod animal....when they get separated for whatever reason, they can become pets as they crave company...even your boat.

Gets expensive and even dangerous, tho when a teenage orphan decides to wrestle with his only buddy...your rudder.

[Donn]

Very cool set of pics!

[NormMessinger]

Wonderful! Thanks for the pictures, too.

[yorgie]

You Kiwis,showing off in your Navigators with YOUR summer coming on.I'm not jealous,noooo!We have our own orca pod that runs off East Point on Saturna Island.The only problem is that we now have what feels like 5 hours of daylight(there is no sunlight)and a permanent drizzle.

Enjoy the season and keep those beautifully designed boats sailing. :cool:

[John B]

I was going to say how lucky you are to see them like that.. but Its not luck is it. If you get out like you do......
We've only seen them twice in all the years we've been sailing. The first time, one came at us on starboard ( we were on port on the wind) and while my wife and I dithered it dived right under the keel and came up the other side.
The other time we were able to hang around with em for an hour or so. a big male came up 10 ft off our transom while we were looking forward. I found that quite ahem, exciting, but Kirsty nearly leapt off the boat. :D

cool shots . thanks for them.

[ 12-04-2004, 08:31 PM: Message edited by: John B ]

[nz_sailor]

Actually John I do think we were rather lucky.
In 30 years of sailing thats only the second close encounter with Orca I've had.
Of course I have seen them a few more times but usualy way off in the distance and heading in the opposite direction.

Im still smiling :D

Dave P

[Tonyr]

Very nice series of photos. Thanks for posting them.

We were off the west coast of Canada this fall, on a two day trip on a working freighter (the Uchuck, a converted wooden US minesweeper dating from 1942, I think) out of Gold River, B.C., to Zeballos and return. Gold River is at the head of Nootka Sound, which is the current home of a little lost Orca called Luna. The problems stem from the fact that since he is separated from his pod, he seems to have decided that the local boats will do just fine as a substitute. Not being so little now (two tons or so, and some 15 feet plus long), when he decides to rub against you, a small boat moves in interesting ways.

On the way out, he spent several minutes upside down with his two ventral fins out, coasting down the bow wave right next to the boat going at 13 knots, with his tail barely moving. Eerie!

On our return, he decided to harrass one of those toy tugs the loggers use inside a log boom. The guy gave up at once until Luna got bored and went away to push against a 22 foot aluminium tour boat lying alongside the dock.

Luna's behaviour did not seem to be in any way malicious, (but he did not like the log pusher), and it's just his size that's frightening if you are in a small boat. As was said in an earlier post, it does not take much to damage a rudder.

The local aboriginal band have decided that he is the spirit of one of their deceased members, so the Fisheries Dept can't move him (they tried, rather ineffectively earlier this summer).

I will try to post some pictures in due course.

Tony.

[Jack Heinlen]

Great pics!

Anyone else read this?

http://www.sheridanhouse.com/catalog/marinerslib/survivesavage.html

Speculation is that the Orca mistook this schooner for a whale. It's quite a read. Does give one pause for thought.

[nz_sailor]

I read another similar or is it the same story with a different name, "117 days adrift" I'm sure its the same story, not bad - quite a tale of surival...

[ 12-06-2004, 04:14 AM: Message edited by: nz_sailor ]