Regulatory & Technical Services Group

The CA has analysed available orca interaction reports since 2020 to produce a table showing locations by year and month along the Atlantic coasts of France, Portugal, Spain and through the Strait of Gibraltar. Skippers can review this table when planning to sail through the specific areas of coastline affected by orca interactions and attacks.

The recording of the CA’s ‘Evening with RATS’ on 21 March 2024 is now available for members to watch.

Members and non-members heard presentations on orca, HVO and sustainability, EU visas and permits, CE/UKCA and RCD, along with updates on other RATS technical projects.

Save the date for an evening with the CA’s Regulatory & Technical Services group (RATS) at 1900 GMT hours on Thursday 21 March 2024.

RATS will delve into the current hot topics that may impact your upcoming cruising and share practical advice. Members and non-members are invited to attend, either in-person at CA House, London or virtually via Zoom.

In recent months, the CA has played a pivotal role in facilitating collaboration between Grupo Trabajo Orca Atlantica (GTOA), Instituto da Conservação da Natureza e das Florestas (ICNF), the Portuguese government department responsible for Nature Conservation and Forests, and GenusWave

Since the launch of its orca project in June 2022, the Cruising Association has received around 150 reports from skippers who have experienced an orca interaction.

A number of orca incidents have now been recorded east of Gibraltar using the GT Orcas app, including one off Ceuta which caused extensive damage, and another south of Marbella, both of which have also been reported to the CA. This is new behaviour by the orcas this year, as previously they have only been involved in incidents in Atlantic waters.

If you are sailing in areas where orca incidents have occurred, the Spanish government is now advising that you should navigate as close to the coast as is safe, and in the event of an interaction, motor away as fast as possible towards shallower waters "until the orcas lose interest".

In a strong display of international interest, the CA webinar on ‘Orca and Yachts: Fact, Fiction and Fear’ attracted a live audience of over 450 participants from 37 nations, spanning all continents.