On Nov 4, 15nm west of Portugal, Indigo was beset by a pod of at least 2 orcas. Encounter lasted for 15-20 minutes.
They repeatedly struck the rudder, knocking Indigo in circles.
Damage: one silver-dollar-sized gouge in the rudder. One snapped tillerpilot bracket.Several gouges in the taffrail struts around tiller.
Pintle and gudgeons are sound.
Phew!
Oh man… stuff of nightmares. I’m glad you and Indigo came out of it alright. Nothing so urgent you need to haul? FRP or wood rudder? Are you in the Med now?
Cheers,
Jeremy
FRP rudder with wood sheath - no need to haul - had a dive about and all looks well. (Though I do need to scrub the waterline.) Really got off lucky!
Yup I’m just into the med - hanging out in Gibraltar to take an RYA exam next week 
I just came across this:
Someone is playing offense! Enjoy Gib. Don’t feed the monkeys and good luck with the exam!
Cheers,
Jeremy
Oof that’s medieval!
The most plausible advice I’ve gotten since - believable due to the wizened antiquity of the skipper more than any obvious sense - is that large quantities of mouth wash, preferably that most aggressive brand available, deters.
I did try dumping my few liters of cheap rum, but the orcas were either alcoholic or (more likely) I had not nearly enough to make an impact.
