We are often asked how the rudder of a wind vane behaves when the ship is attacked by orcas—which happens quite often!

The Hydrovane rudder is a monobloc made from one piece, so it cannot break. But the bracket could be damaged by an orca attack, or a whale could simply bite off the rudder.

Here are our manufacturer’s recommendations:

• Remove the rudder before reaching the known areas around Spain and Portugal. 
• To do this, it is essential to attach a 10-mm safety line to the rudder handle, as the rudder does not float. This is also recommended in general.
• In the event of a loss of the main rudder, the Hydrovane rudder can be reinstalled as an emergency rudder once the whales are gone.
• This is the only way to fall back on an emergency rudder in this special situation.

Details of the Hydrovane can be found here:

Our Hydrovanes +