A lone sailor has told of the terrifying moment his yacht was attacked by killer whales which ripped off his rudder and left him fearing for his life.
Phep Philouceros, was forced to broadcast a Mayday distress alert - only used by sailors if they are in a life-threatening situation - during the attack.
A five-strong pod of orcas followed his 30-foot yacht as it sailed just off the coast of Cape Vincent in Portugal bound for Royan, France, on Monday.
In a terrifying attack, part of which Phep caught on video, two of the huge creatures peeled off and started attacking his boat.
One can been seen 'stalking' the yacht and attacking the rudder, which was destroyed "in one minute", forcing Phep to send out the Mayday.
The 70-year-old said he also heard the hull of the boat crack but didn't noticed any water coming in.
Frenchman Phep was sailing 400 metres south of Cape St. Vincent in around 25 metres of water.
Sailors have been advised to stick in shallow water of 20 metres or less in depth to avoid attack by orca.
Within 15 minutes of the incident a rescue boat had reached his location but even then the attack didn't stop.
For 30 minutes the orcas continued to attack even as Phep's twin-keel boat called Oxygene was being towed back to the shore.
Phep, who is retired, is an experienced navigator and has been at sea for the last few months after leaving Gruissan in France three months ago.
Phep knew there had been reported orca sightings in the area so before he set sail from Sagres he checked an app which lists recent orca encounters.
He said: "I use an app called Orca Atlantica which lists orca encounters in the area and I also listen to what local authorities are advising.
"After leaving Lagos and before reaching Cape St. Vincent, I stopped in Sagres to check the latest news on the app.
"There hadn't been any sightings of orcas that day so I went ahead but unfortunately I wasn't lucky."
By the time Phep spotted in orcas near his sailboat, it was already too late.
Many sailors use acoustic underwater 'pingers' or set of firecrackers to scare off the animals.
He said: "People don't realise how quickly these things happen.
"I didn't have time to use a pinger to make noise or fireworks."
Phep said he tried to stop his engine or reverse in an attempt stop the attack, but neither worked.
He said: "The rudder was destroyed in one minute and pulled out. They also rammed blows on the twin keels of the boat
"In total there were five orcas but only two attacked the boat.
"I think there were young orcas. They were about six or seven meters long. They were neither adults or babies."
"The attack wasn't too violent. The boat moved, it rotated but didn't capsize.
"If the orcas really wanted to sink the boat, they could have done it easily. I don't think it was their intention."
Phep immediately sent out a mayday and a rescue quickly responded to his call.
He said: "I set off my emergency beacon so that other boats could come to my rescue
Phep Philouceros, was forced to broadcast a Mayday distress alert - only used by sailors if they are in a life-threatening situation - during the attack.
A five-strong pod of orcas followed his 30-foot yacht as it sailed just off the coast of Cape Vincent in Portugal bound for Royan, France, on Monday.
In a terrifying attack, part of which Phep caught on video, two of the huge creatures peeled off and started attacking his boat.
One can been seen 'stalking' the yacht and attacking the rudder, which was destroyed "in one minute", forcing Phep to send out the Mayday.
The 70-year-old said he also heard the hull of the boat crack but didn't noticed any water coming in.
Frenchman Phep was sailing 400 metres south of Cape St. Vincent in around 25 metres of water.
Sailors have been advised to stick in shallow water of 20 metres or less in depth to avoid attack by orca.
Within 15 minutes of the incident a rescue boat had reached his location but even then the attack didn't stop.
For 30 minutes the orcas continued to attack even as Phep's twin-keel boat called Oxygene was being towed back to the shore.
Phep, who is retired, is an experienced navigator and has been at sea for the last few months after leaving Gruissan in France three months ago.
Phep knew there had been reported orca sightings in the area so before he set sail from Sagres he checked an app which lists recent orca encounters.
He said: "I use an app called Orca Atlantica which lists orca encounters in the area and I also listen to what local authorities are advising.
"After leaving Lagos and before reaching Cape St. Vincent, I stopped in Sagres to check the latest news on the app.
"There hadn't been any sightings of orcas that day so I went ahead but unfortunately I wasn't lucky."
By the time Phep spotted in orcas near his sailboat, it was already too late.
Many sailors use acoustic underwater 'pingers' or set of firecrackers to scare off the animals.
He said: "People don't realise how quickly these things happen.
"I didn't have time to use a pinger to make noise or fireworks."
Phep said he tried to stop his engine or reverse in an attempt stop the attack, but neither worked.
He said: "The rudder was destroyed in one minute and pulled out. They also rammed blows on the twin keels of the boat
"In total there were five orcas but only two attacked the boat.
"I think there were young orcas. They were about six or seven meters long. They were neither adults or babies."
"The attack wasn't too violent. The boat moved, it rotated but didn't capsize.
"If the orcas really wanted to sink the boat, they could have done it easily. I don't think it was their intention."
Phep immediately sent out a mayday and a rescue quickly responded to his call.
He said: "I set off my emergency beacon so that other boats could come to my rescue
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