Bob Osborne & Rui Alvez | 29/01/2026
30,000 pleasure boats transit the Gibraltar Straits every year and 130 boats a year have a close encounter with an orca along the way. About 25 boats a year suffer significant rudder damage.
Ocean Cruising Club Member and Connecticut Port Officer, Bob Osborn, was welcomed to the Gibraltar Straits by a pod of orca in the summer of ’25. Within a few minutes he lost both his hydrovane rudder and 1/3rd of his main rudder. In this Webinar Bob interviews Rui Alves who runs the Orca reporting website orcas.pt. Bob describes his orca encounter, and Rui explains the statistics, the behaviour and how best to avoid and respond to attacks.
Links and Attachments
