A foreign-flagged sailing vessel encountered “difficulties” after an incident with orcas off Costa da Caparica on Monday, September 15, reported the National Republican Guard (GNR) in a statement.
The incident followed a group of orcas sinking another sailboat in the same area on the afternoon of Saturday, September 13.
The GNR disclosed that yesterday’s ‘attack’ occurred “about 10 nautical miles from Costa da Caparica.”
The vessel suffered “successive impacts on the keel caused by orcas,” according to military sources.
As a result, the crew attempted to contact the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) Lisbon via VHF while requesting assistance and expressing the intention to proceed to the port of Cascais.
Consequently, the GNR’s CPV Bojador escorted the boat, “providing the necessary support and ensuring safe conditions throughout the journey” to the intended destination.
Over the weekend, a group of orcas rammed and sank a sailboat off Costa da Caparica, near Fonte da Telha beach. The five crew members were assisted by authorities but are safe.
The National Maritime Authority informed in a press release that the five people on board “were physically well without the need for medical assistance, and the sailboat was transported to the harbor of Oeiras.”
On Sunday, a press release from the sailing club Nautic Squad revealed that the incident occurred “offshore between Bugio and Cabo Espichel” when the yacht Oceanview “was being used by a club member.”
“Aboard were four people, all rescued safely and unharmed. The attack destroyed the rudders and damaged the hull, causing water ingress uncontrollable even with all mobilized resources,” stated the company.
Nautic Squad expressed that “despite the pain of losing such a special vessel”—the club’s first yacht purchased in 2020—the event “was marked by something greater: the unity and readiness of the nautical community.”
