Orca ‘attacks’
I have just watched the footage of the French racing yacht which encountered orcas. It seemed that during the incident, there was a great deal of noise coming from (presumably) clanking halyards, since the sails had been lowered.
When on board my own boat, the noise of halyards rattling against the mast in a breeze is significantly amplified below deck compared to what is audible up top. Noise travels exceptionally well through water and I was reminded of stories I have heard, perhaps the tale of the Essex, perhaps Moby Dick, whereby a whale attack was preceded (some may suggest provoked) by noisy hammering activity on deck.
It was my thought that the rudders may become the focal point for the interest of the orcas as this may be the item which transmits the noise with greater concentration than the rest of the hull.
I had previously wondered if other encounters may have been with boats using echo sounder equipment, but the level of noise evident in your video has given me cause to consider other sources of noise as a point of interest
