Scots sailor describes terrifying moment three killer whales attacked yacht

Graeme Walker, along with his wife and friend, were aboard 48ft yacht when a pod of killer whales attacked their vessel

A Scottish sailor has described the terrifying moment his yacht was attacked by three killer whales off the coast of Spain.

Graeme Walker was on board the 48ft Promise 3 yacht with his wife Moira and their friend Stephen Robinson when the trio of orcas approached the vessel on Tuesday morning.

Mr Walker, from Helensburgh in Argyll and Bute, felt a sudden jolt as he was at the helm of the vessel, before spotting one of the killer whales.

The killer whale, or orca, is a toothed whale belonging to the oceanic dolphin family, of which it is the largest member.

The retired chief financial officer told BBC Scotland: "We realised they were after the boat.”

During their 45-minute ordeal, off Cape Finisterre, they readied the life raft as the Promise 3 was rocked and spun round.

Later, they discovered a 1.5sq ft chunk had been bitten out of the fibreglass rudder.

Speaking from La Coruna, where the yacht is undergoing repairs, Mr Walker said: “I felt a thump on the boat and the helm was pulled out my hand.

“I was not really sure what was happening, then one of the animals broke the surface, on the left hand side of the boat, for breath.”

Mr Walker added that the trio had feared for their lives as “you never know how these things are going to play out.”

He contacted the Maritime Rescue Co-ordination Centre (MRCC) in Finisterre who advised the orcas would probably lose interest after 10 minutes – but they continued to attack the yacht for 45 minutes.

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