Johannes, 32, in an aggressive killer whale attack in Spain



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Researchers can’t explain the sudden assault

Of: Claes olsson

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Suddenly, the ship sailed uncontrollably in different directions and the crew became convinced that it was a technical failure. But when all the electricity was disconnected and the engine shut down, the boat continued to list.

– Then I heard my colleague standing on deck yelling: “Orca!” Says sailor Johannes Brandt.

Several aggressive attacks in a short time by killer whales have become a mystery to researchers. Normally calm animals have attacked fishing and sailing boats along the coasts of Spain and Portugal, and in some cases the rudders of the boats have been bitten.

Johannes Brandt, 32, from Stockholm, was aboard the Beautiful Dreamer, an eleven meter long Hallberg-Rassy, ​​which was attacked on Friday, September 11.

– The ship was completely paralyzed and we had no chance to do anything. We lay bouncing off three meter high waves, he says.

Johannes Brandt from Stockholm ended up in the middle of the drama.

Photo: Private

Johannes Brandt from Stockholm ended up in the middle of the drama.

I would sail for 15 days

Together with Captain Justin and his colleague Michael, Johannes Brandt had flown to Tenerife to transport the ship to Hamble in the south of England. It would be his longest sailing trip, a total of 15 days, but the trip has been plagued with engine problems. For a week, they had to stop sailing to wait for spare parts.

The crew had stopped in A Coruña on Friday, a short distance before the Bay of Biscay, to refuel. A couple of hours later, they were out at sea.

Then came the attack.

– It was 1:30 p.m. and I was asleep because we were sailing in shifts, all day. Justin was driving when the steering wheel suddenly pulled his hands away.

– We turned off the engine and electricity but it continued. Then we watched an orca swim on the surface next to the boat. Then we understood what happened, says Johannes Brandt.

Photo: Johannes Brandt

One of the killer whales that surprised the crew.

Attacked the helm 20 times

The killer whale attack continued for a few more minutes. After a while they disappeared, but then the ship lost all control.

– They hit the wheel 20 times. We can see on our route that they pushed the boat in circles four times, says Johannes Brandt.

After the dramatic attack, the crew was forced to call for help. After an uncomfortable round trip, the alarm reached the Spanish Coast Guard. Only after an hour and a half of operation did help arrive.

– It was quite a difficult maneuver to tow us because it was very undulating. We had to be towed pretty quickly to keep the ropes tight.

– That was when we were exposed to the next attack, says Johannes Brandt.

Photo: Private

Help in sight!

“Slide with the side forward”

After only ten minutes with the Coast Guard boat as towing aid, Beautiful Dreamer was attacked again. The same killer whale had returned.

– They pushed us to slide with the side forward. Then the towing service was rocketed and they had to throw us new ones, says Johannes Brandt.

Experts from CEMMA, an organization specializing in marine mammals, were waiting at the port. They assisted the divers who examined the ship.

The rudder broke and large bite marks appeared on the keel.

– When the divers came up and said “you were lucky” … that’s when they realized that it could have gone wrong. We managed unscathed, but it was a bit scary, says Johannes Brandt.

Photo: Private

The ship was examined by divers.

Unexplained attacks

Now the attack is an insured case and the eleven-meter-long ship remains in Spain. Johannes, Justin and Michael had to fly home on Tuesday.

– It was sad to cancel the assignment, but kind of nice to be able to go home at the end, says Johannes Brandt.

Killer whale attacks have previously been extremely rare, but several ships have been attacked this year. Some ships, like the Beautiful Dreamer, have broken down. But the reason for the orcas’ sudden aggressiveness is still unclear.

CEMMA does not want to comment on the strange behavior before its report is ready.

“We examined the ships, and there are many”, they write in an email to Aftonbladet.

“I have seen these killer whales grow, I know their history, but I have never seen or heard of attacks,” Rocío Espada, from the Marine Biology Laboratory at the University of Seville, told The Guardian previously.

In the Strait of Gibraltar, there are less than 50 killer whales that suffer damage, hunger and pollution, something that could explain their behavior.

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