On their journey to Lisbon, the sailors initially observed several dolphins before noticing larger fins approaching their vessel. “Then we observed fins in the left side view, which looked like they were swimming a bit slower. From the time we observed that until it hit, it took two seconds,” Larsen recounted, according to VG. Suddenly, they realized they were under attack by a pod of orcas.
“The boat changed course to 90 degrees. So then we were kind of in action. Then it was really just to turn off the engine and send out a ‘mayday,'” Larsen said. He estimated that there were two to three orcas, including a larger one about five to six meters long. The orcas not only rammed the sailing boat but also began biting off parts of it. “The only thing we know is that the rudder is broken. They have split it in two. And the innards, that is, the connections to the rudder inside, are broken. Stays and such things are also broken,” he explaine