Irish cruising sailor Peter Cullen responded to Pat Egan’s recent article Aragorn in Galicia – Orcas!
Dear Editor,
I am not a member of your association but was sent a copy of an excellent article on your website titled “Aragorn in Galicia – Orcas”.
We have been sailing in NW Spain and Portugal for the past nine years. We keep our boat in Pobra do Caraminal, in Ria de Arousa.
I thought you may find some of my comments helpful for those yacht owners sailing in Galicia and concerned about interaction with Orcas.
We have never had an encounter with Orcas and hope that continues. We are vigilant and monitor the various reports about Orca sightings. These reports are available on the web and are very helpful.
We turn off the depth sounder if sailing in an area that has reported Orca sightings and if the depth sounder is not needed for safe navigation.
In the event of reported sightings in our sailing area we move to shallower waters and inside the 20m depth line. I am encouraged by a recent website article that there have been no reports of Orca interactions inside the 20m line.
The presence of mussel rafts in the Rias can provide good shelter. Sailing in the channels between rafts seems to work well. I have never heard of an interaction close to these huge rafts.
A good source of information is the local fishing fleet or those working the mussel rafts. The marina and port managers often get first hand information from the fishermen. Checking before leaving an anchorage or marina is well worth while.
Listen out on VHF channels 16 and 9 (Marinas).
Vigo Radio and Finisterre Radio monitor and regulate traffic in their areas and are a good source of information.
If Orcas are sighted, always report the sighting and their position to a shore station. Other yachts will be glad to hear the report.
If one is unfortunate enough to encounter the Orcas and suffer damage, getting a tow can be very expensive. Then, finding a reputable yard to carry out repairs is not that easy.
It is very important to get a satisfactory reference for a boat yard before starting repairs. Some of the best yards are in Ria de Vigo and A Coruña.
The Rias of Galicia offer magnificent sailing and are very popular with sailors from many countries, including Ireland and there are relatively few incidents compared to the huge numbers of visiting yachts.
Yours,
Peter Cullen.
Irish Registered Yacht: Koala II.