UKSA boat Freedom rescued

[LymingtonPugwash]

What I'd like to know is why they needed the lifeboat out if it was only their rudder which fell off?

Nice NE, F5 blowing.... perfectly good bits to make up a jury rudder...... whats the problem?

 

[Twister_Ken]

I repeat:

"May not have been a spinnaker pole over the back sort of problem - more like ooo-err the rudder's falling out and there's a big hole in the back where the water's coming in."

The fact that the boat went straight into a travel hoist might confirm this.

 

[Robin]

It apparently wasn't leaking and the rudder was still there but not in place, no hole other than the normal rudder tube. The rudder had slipped down about 10" or so and the shaft was much smaller diameter above the bit that bears inside the bottom bearing (the shaft appears to taper upwards from the bit closest to the top of the blade which sits in the bearing). It may well have been flopping about and therefore interfering with any other steering method set up - if that is they even tried one because I saw no evidence of that. As I said their crew's English wasn't good and they weren't chatty, then nor would I have been!