Another Yacht Has Been Pirated

[sailorboy1]

Lets get a time table started for getting the problem fixed! I vote for not longer than 6 years (because about when I plan to have to travel though there).

[Pblais]

It takes just three satellites to blanket the world with detection capacity.

Capacity is the ability to look in one spot at a time. Detection of the pirates is only visual. Visual surveillance from a satellite takes a highly focused area to get the resolution required to spot small boats and know they are small boats. If they could be pirates is another issue. The bandwidth to transmit that much data is off the chart assuming it could be collected. There is no satellite capable of looking at the resolution required that can cover the entire area of the world needed or even several orders of magnitude less. It isn't even covered if all the satellites possible were cooperative in the effort. All being cooperative would be the real impossibility.

US intelligence has a full schedule with the spy satellites they have. There is always some goofy location some place somebody thinks is important and they fight for the ability to look in close up. People with nothing to do are planning such adventures. They compete for the ability to spy on stuff. Nobody wants to look for tiny boats.

The idea that you could track small boats is now even further away from possible than just looking at one assuming you even knew where to look. The technology is great for looking at missile locations or nuclear power plants or military bases. They don't move over night and you can detect changes over time. The most common issues are really about changes over time and not just a snapshot of one thing at one time. The real world is about changes. That is what the satellites do that can't be done other ways.

I vote for not longer than 6 years

It's not really a vote. You'll make the best decision you can at the time you have to do so. You are at least a good sailor. A small boat won't change the world but you can work in between the problems going unnoticed.

[dacust]

Originally Posted by GordMay

...
More ➥ Privacy, The Menace of Satellite Surveillance
...

Thanks for that link. I love humor sites.

But he uses technical terms I am not familiar with, like "subpixel".

And his definition of subliminal is a new one for me: "a sound too low for the ear to consciously detect but which affects the unconscious".

He obviously knows more about science than I.

However, altogether it was an amusing read.

-dan

[joey69]

Originally Posted by tgzzzz

This is so far out it could be true. It's difficult for me to understand just where we, the US, lost our resolve. It must be the civilian leadership of mititary forces. I don't think it would take the allied naval forces long to stop piracy if we just let them handle it. Why "we" keep allowing this to happen is the question.

"WE" never had any resolve."WE" always bail people out and give them millions in aid.Then "WE" leave them alone and see what they will do with it.

[goboatingnow]

Originally Posted by joey69

"WE" never had any resolve."WE" always bail people out and give them millions in aid.Then "WE" leave them alone and see what they will do with it.

Perhaps if WE stayed out of it in the first place WE wouldn't get into these situations later ( see Somali history) I'm not sure the vast majority of people WE bailed out actually wanted it in the first place.

Dave

[sailorgal]

Originally Posted by MarkJ

Eating the best meals they've ever had...

Maybe this approach by the Russians would be a good model to follow:

Somali ambassador defends Russian treatment of pirates | Russia | RIA Novosti

[goboatingnow]

agh those Russians....

[North26West80]

Since all of you have taken a moment to post your viewpoint here, I suggest the Americans among us also post your viewpoint to the following;

Write your congressman;
https://writerep.house.gov/writerep/welcome.shtml

Write your senator;
U.S. Senate: Senators Home

Write President Obama
Contact the White House | The White House

Nothing will change until people express their displeasure to politicians. Witness what is happening in north Africa right now if you think this is a waste of time.

[atoll]

Originally Posted by North26West80

Since all of you have taken a moment to post your viewpoint here, I suggest the Americans among us also post your viewpoint to the following;

Write your congressman;
https://writerep.house.gov/writerep/welcome.shtml

Write your senator;
U.S. Senate: Senators Home

Write President Obama
Contact the White House | The White House

Nothing will change until people express their displeasure to politicians. Witness what is happening in north Africa right now if you think this is a waste of time.

might also want to inform them that since we cannot go through north

indian ocean,we are now forced to use DIEGO GARCIA AND CHAGOS as a

stop over,whilst transiting the cape.
and could they allow us to enter freely.

[boatman61]

Might also be an idea not to post locations/departure dates/routes/timetables on forums... tell after you've arrived at a safe zone... where but not how.
Save that for PM's that Lurkers/Surfers can't get too...

[goboatingnow]

Witness what is happening in north Africa right now if you think this is a waste of time.

Thats a strange comment to make, so you mean that if you dont write your congressman, theres going to mass demonstrations on the streets of Washington!

Dave

[Capt Phil]

Delmarrey has the right solution. We flap our gums looking at the problem through a western cultural prism and seeing either a violent, protected or negotiated solution. Ain't going to happen as long as westerners keep upping the ransom ante. Either turn the whole area into a wasteland or just avoid it completely, both commercial and pleasure craft. Frankly, I would just cross it off the list of cruising grounds to visit. The way things are going, the whole middle east will be a high risk area for years to come. If we are lucky the northern Med will still be relatively tranquil. Capt Phil

[goboatingnow]

This thread is getting a little political, so inb404

Either turn the whole area into a wasteland or just avoid it completely, both commercial and pleasure craft. Frankly, I would just cross it off the list of cruising grounds to visit. The way things are going, the whole middle east will be a high risk area for years to come. If we are lucky the northern Med will still be relatively tranquil. Capt Phil

Firstly teh wasteland thing cant be a serious proposal, youd want to go down for crimes against humanity, etc. surely not.

Commercial craft cant avoid the area, the long sea journies around the Cape are way to prohibitive. So that issue has to be resolved. But there certainly is a case for banning pleasure boats from the area. Dont see why naval energies shoudl be used to protect "leisure" users, who have a choice not to be there.

As to teh North African events, I think its great, hopefully well see a democratic movement emerge ( like eastern europe) and these countries will slowly transform themselves, which will be great for tourism and visiting boaters. I see nothing yet to be afraid of there. Its being called the facebook revolution.

Really good TV programme on it by the BBC, Revoluton 2011.

Dave

[North26West80]

Originally Posted by North26West80

Since all of you have taken a moment to post your viewpoint here, I suggest the Americans among us also post your viewpoint to the following;

Write your congressman;
https://writerep.house.gov/writerep/welcome.shtml

Write your senator;
U.S. Senate: Senators Home

Write President Obama
Contact the White House | The White House

Nothing will change until people express their displeasure to politicians. Witness what is happening in north Africa right now if you think this is a waste of time.

My point about north Africa was not about the violence, but about the number of people speaking out who were formerly passive. Politicians respond to numbers. This thread has over 200 posts and 14000+ views so far, so its one of the most popular topics on CF.com at the moment. If politicians were getting that kind of activity in their inbox, you can bet they would take notice.

This is a great place to discuss these things, but after all is said and done we're just preaching to the choir here. Tell the politicians in no uncertain terms how you feel and exactly what you think they should do.

[GordMay]

Originally Posted by goboatingnow

Thats a strange comment to make, so you mean that if you dont write your congressman, theres going to mass demonstrations on the streets of Washington!
Dave

No; I suspect he’s equating a letter to you’re Congressman campaign with mass demonstrations in the streets of N. Africa.