Off the coast of Morocco, a sailboat sunk by orcas

The sailing boat Bonhomme William of the British Robert Powell sank on Wednesday in the Strait of Gibraltar after an attack by orcas. In recent years, orca attacks have become frequent in this region.

“It was like they knew exactly what they were doing. It was like a coordinated attack,” said Powell, whose yacht was attacked by orcas in the Strait of Gibraltar off Barbate and Tarifa as he and two companions were sailing from Vilamoura in Portugal to Greece. The 59-year-old Briton thought he had hit a rock when he first jolted. “As I looked around the boat, there was a second jolt. At the back of the boat, I saw the dark shape of an orca,” he said.