Timely
Think of Renaud Bañuls and it is likely as designer of Thomas Coville’s Ultim Sodebo. But while these giant trimarans rip up the oceans Bañuls is also applying himself to his other passion of minimising the harm that even a fragile racing yacht can do to our fellow mammals
The time has come to improve the way we race offshore It is no longer a secret that offshore racing regularly involves collisions with marine megafauna including whales, turtles and large fish. Worldwide more than 75 marine species are known to be affected by vessel strikes (including from yachts of all types), mainly large commercial and passenger ships, but also by sailing boats (source: International Whaling Commission). It is difficult to estimate the number of animals struck by these vessels, either because colli- sions are not reported or because the vessel does not notice the collision (as is usually the case with larger ships). Collisions are one of the leading causes
of early mortality for large cetaceans. Commercial shipping routes more often than not cross habitats and migratory
52 SEAHORSE
routes used by marine life, increasing the likelihood of collisions. And, like their sail- ing counterparts, today’s commercial ships are bigger, faster, more numerous and therefore more likely to collide. It is esti- mated that 90 per cent of unidentified floating objects (UFOs) struck by vessels are marine megafauna species. A collision with a raceboat is usually
fatal for whales, yet paradoxically large ships sometimes do not escape unscathed, occasionally suffering major damage. But on our ‘turf’ the number of collisions in offshore racing is steadily increasing. It is time for us to act. And we can.
An evolving technology There are already a number of technological tools that may help to reduce collisions with whales. Detection systems based on artificial intelligence use optical and thermal cameras to detect floating objects on the surface. Their ability to detect submerged objects, such as whales, has not yet been demon- strated but studies are now underway. These systems rely on the skipper’s
ability to avoid animals once they are detected; late detection, particularly on large and poorly manoeuvrable vessels, makes it difficult to avoid a collision. What’s more, even when detected, it is difficult to anticipate the movement of the animal, which can change course rapidly. Pingers (acoustic scarecrows) are also
used to warn cetaceans of the presence of ships by emitting sound waves, usually at high frequencies, which are designed to scare the whales away. But according to some acclaimed cetacean bio-acousticians the use of these systems raises issues of
both efficiency and ethical considerations. In truth little is yet known about this,
but cetaceans appear to be affected differ- ently by the range of frequencies emitted: a large whale would be more affected by low frequencies, whereas dolphins would be more affected by high frequencies. High- frequency systems would therefore not be very effective for large whales. The reaction of animals to such emis-
sions is also relatively unknown, with some individuals tending to flee and others tending to surface, increasing the risk of collision and counteracting the desired effect. Scientists are also concerned about the effect of emitting additional sound waves in an already crowded ocean. Further research is required.
Data gathering and real-time mapping The Repcet system is a quite different solu- tion, although it can be an add-on to other solutions mentioned and is not intended as a replacement. Vessels equipped with Repcet software report whale sightings in real time, and these sightings are then transmitted by satellite to other vessels equipped with the same system. Vessels can then reduce speed or avoid
the area; but this does not guarantee that there will be no other whales in the same area or that there will be no collisions. The effectiveness of these technological
tools has not yet been proven – particu- larly in comparative terms – and research continues. These tools suitable for sailing yachts are complementary to other methods already successfully explored on larger commercial vessels, such as reducing speed
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