The route to the Canary Islands thwarted by killer whales
Since August 19th, numerous boats have been hit in encounters with killer whales. The cetaceans, sometimes up to 33 feet (10 meters) in length and weighing up to 6 ton, have been known to cause damage, particularly to rudders.
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Publié le
28/09/2020
Par
Emmanuel van Deth
Numéro :
174
Parution :
Nov.
/
Dec.
2020
On the face of it, these aren’t deliberate attacks but playing games... The recent increase in the number of such incidents - around twenty have been recorded - has led the Spanish Ministry of Transport to ban vessels under 50 feet (15 meters) in length less than 54 miles from the coast between the capes of the Prioriño Grande and Punta de Estaca de Bares until at least September 29th. This zone, located just north-west of Cape Finisterre, means that multihulls affected by the measure are now obliged to extend their route farther offshore. Boaters coming from France and on their way to the Canary Islands are therefore going to have do a few more miles.
