Blisters on a Rudder
The Story
I had been aware of blisters in the rudder for some time but chose to ignore them until I damaged the leading edge of the rudder on a sand bank in the middle of the Thames Estuary (Middle Sand). At the same time I was aware of a leak around the rudder tube that required the rudder to be dropped for investigations.
After lift out a hole was dug and the rudder dropped.
The rudder was damaged at leading edge corner and water was dripping out.