76
SVN Solovelanet Global
But no one aboard the ship saw the flare, and the
shape nearly disappeared quickly from our sight. We
then lit a second light signal, a kind of strong torch
with a flash of intense light. This was seen by the ship
and she turned back on her course. When they were
closer we launched another flare. The ship passed
50 metres from us. We were even able to hear the
voices of the crew. They threw a line, but they were
sailing too fast to tow us. After several manoeuvres,
the ship positioned herself half a mile windward,
and they launched lifeboats overboard, which was
not easy at all because of the very rough sea. After
two or three hours of manoeuvring, they man-aged
to get us on board. It was a Greek ship that came
from Cape Town and was on her way to New York,
carrying lobsters. They were in our area because
bad weather had forced them to take a course far
south. Basically it was a sensational stroke of luck.
The ship took us to New York, where we stayed for a
week before returning to Italy. For many years I con
-
tinued to race in Italy and in Europe, but we didn't
sail the ocean any more.
T
he orca is a
cetacean and
like all cetace-
ans is a mammal,
which means it
breathes air and
gives birth to cubs
after a gestation period
of one and a half years. The female
mates with several males, which may be from
different pods, which means that the male, not
being able to know which are his off-spring, lo
-
oks after all the pod's cubs. A male orca can be
up to 10 metres long and weigh up to 6 tonnes,
while the female is much smaller, reaching 5 to
7 metres in length and 4 tonnes in weight. The
orca is capable of speeds of 25 to 30 knots and
is common everywhere, including in the Medi
-
terrane-an. Recently a pod of orcas has been
spotted several times in front of the port of Ge-
noa. The orca is a highly social animal and this
is confirmed by the testimonies of those who
have been attacked by or-cas. Everyone says
that the attack was organized and carried out
with a precise tactic.
Che รจ l'orca?
Jean Bonnet, nato a Saint Malo, ha
vissuto per molti anni sulla Francia
atlantica dove ha lavorato in cantieri
per costruzioni tecnologicamente
avanzate
L'autore
