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Orcas sank three boats in Europe in the last year. Scientists have no idea why

By Isabella Kwai
New York Times·
6 mins to read

Hours into a journey to Portugal from Morocco, the crew of a 46-foot sailing cruiser noticed something was wrong with the rudder. Then, someone shouted what they saw slicing through the choppy waves: “Orcas! Orcas!”

The orcas kept pace with the boat, slamming into its side and chewing at the rudder, according to its skipper, a photographer onboard and video of the encounter. For about an hour, the crew signalled their predicament to the Spanish Coast Guard and tried to

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