Piracy In Gulf of Aden

[daletournier]

Ok, sorry didn't read the date properly.Article was 2013. But where did you see 1000 pirates were released or where did it say 1000 were locked up? What an I missing here?

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[boatrips]

I've been following this thread for about a year as I plan to follow this route through the Red Sea and through the Suez Canal in 2017.

From what I've read here the pirates haven't been seen in this area in all of 2014 and 2015. I like the idea that about 15 boats have gone through lately without any problems.

Two of my very good yacht club friends from Seattle were murdered on the SV Quest by pirates and I want to be sure of all the information available.

Please correct me if I'm wrong on this subject.

Thanks,
Jim

[maxingout]

If I was going to sail up the Red Sea again, this time I would skip Aden.

I lived in Arabia for sixteen years, and I am comfortable in that region of the world, having traveled in Yemen, Saudi Arabia, Emirates, Bahrain, Oman, Sudan, Egypt, Eritrea, Jordan and Israel.

I would carry extra fuel to make it from Oman to Eritrea non-stop. I would probably spend less time in Egypt this time around.

When I discuss this with other members of the crew, we consider Cape of Good Hope route a viable option.

[daletournier]

Several people I know sailed from Cochin and the Maldives straight through to Sudan. It's approx 2500nm. One carried 400 liters of fuel ,so therefore had to sail a majority of the way. Others become fuel tankers in order to keep up an average of 6 knots all the way. Me personally if I felt the need to have armed soldiers aboard I wouldn't go that way for a variety of reasons , Cape Good hope would be my prefered option. I read in the above blog "of 200 boats that traveled to SA last year 5 sunk", absolutely no offense intended to writer but I find that very hard to believe. I really doubt there would of been more than 30 yachts do the Cape good hope passage last year, let alone 5 sinking. Any well founded sail boat should be able to handle that passage comfortably enough. But it's a long way around to Europe .

Cheers Dale.

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[Sophies Choice]

Hi Dale. Here is the article I mentioned. It's not perfect information, but it's better than nothing.

Crystal Blues: The 2015 Indian Ocean Crossing - Five Vessels Lost, A Very Tough Year

We know that one sailboat this year in the Gulf of Aden got buzzed by aggressive fishermen in a scary situation. We wouldn't don the passage again without guards.

[lamadriver]

Originally Posted by Sophies Choice

We just completed the passage. Straight from Male to Port Ghalib. We went alone, but 5 other boats just did the trip as well. We wrote a blog about it.

3,200 Miles From The Maldives to Egypt | sailing sophie

Great read thanks for sharing

[daletournier]

Hi Sophie's choice, thanks for the article and correcting my doubts,yes I'm very surprised. Obviously a rough year. I know of a couple of boats that crossed that way last year but other than the rudder repair and the catamaran I hadn't heard of the other incidents. Which boat reported the aggressive fisherman incident? was it the guy's on the SundeerTamarisk?

Cheers Dale.


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[daletournier]

Actually the Tamarind incident was 2015. The boat that got buzzed this year, we're they armed? And were the fisherman armed and do you know approximate location.

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[AiniA]

Originally Posted by daletournier

Several people I know sailed from Cochin and the Maldives straight through to Sudan. It's approx 2500nm. One carried 400 liters of fuel ,so therefore had to sail a majority of the way. Others become fuel tankers in order to keep up an average of 6 knots all the way. Me personally if I felt the need to have armed soldiers aboard I wouldn't go that way for a variety of reasons , Cape Good hope would be my prefered option. I read in the above blog "of 200 boats that traveled to SA last year 5 sunk", absolutely no offense intended to writer but I find that very hard to believe. I really doubt there would of been more than 30 yachts do the Cape good hope passage last year, let alone 5 sinking. Any well founded sail boat should be able to handle that passage comfortably enough. But it's a long way around to Europe .

Cheers Dale.

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The article mentioned around 100 boats going that route westbound. We did this passage in 2012 and I think there were about 100 boats (at most) then. Not aware of any boats that were lost in that year. We loved South Africa, it was a highlight of our circumnavigation. From Cocos-Keeling to Mauritius we had terrific sailing but much of it was with winds around 30 knots so there was a load on the boat. Our Bristol is very solid and fairly heavy and it meant excellent sailing. We had to bail on Mauritius as there was a Cat 3 cyclone in the general vicinity (in a month when there had never been a cyclone). The sail from near the south end of Madagascar was sporty to say the least. Your boat, and yourself, need to be comfortable with 40+ even in the favourable season and this is without a depressions being really close.

Having said that, it is easy to make the trip, in stages, around to Cape Town and there is just so much to see and do in SA. Going through the Red Sea has never appealed to me but we may be going that way as crew either next year or the year after.

[daletournier]

Originally Posted by AiniA

The article mentioned around 100 boats going that route westbound. We did this passage in 2012 and I think there were about 100 boats (at most) then. Not aware of any boats that were lost in that year. We loved South Africa, it was a highlight of our circumnavigation. From Cocos-Keeling to Mauritius we had terrific sailing but much of it was with winds around 30 knots so there was a load on the boat. Our Bristol is very solid and fairly heavy and it meant excellent sailing. We had to bail on Mauritius as there was a Cat 3 cyclone in the general vicinity (in a month when there had never been a cyclone). The sail from near the south end of Madagascar was sporty to say the least. Your boat, and yourself, need to be comfortable with 40+ even in the favourable season and this is without a depressions being really close.

Having said that, it is easy to make the trip, in stages, around to Cape Town and there is just so much to see and do in SA. Going through the Red Sea has never appealed to me but we may be going that way as crew either next year or the year after.

Also choice of northern route vs southern route. Personally I would be heading Maldives, Chagos, Seychelles , west Madagascar . I have no interest in sailing south of Madagascar.
Cheers Dale .

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[Muckle Flugga]

Yemen, Southern Red Sea, Hanish Islands: Yacht shot at from ashore - February 2016 —

[donradcliffe]

The Hanish Islands were known for shooting at yachts when we went through the area 12 years ago. Just their way of saying you are not welcome.

On the route to South Africa, while 5 boats were lost this season, not all were due to heavy weather. It can blow hard on that route--our friends took shelter behind a reef in their Lord Nelson 41, while a Westsail 32 was lost with all hands nearby. Crystal Blues is a steel blue water boat in great condition, and it had to be pretty nasty for them to suffer 'unusual damage'.

[WildWill]

We are now in Egypt having had quite an adventure on this crossing...


We had a brush with pirates (not fishermen Sophie!), and were also shot at from Hanish al Kubra with 50 calibre and AK-47 rounds. Interesting to hear of that other yacht on Noonsite. They were shooting to kill - one of our towels has a bullet hole in it.
This sounds alarming, but we were just a random opportunity for the pirates. The mothership dhow (filled with fuel drums) targeted us and had 3 men climbed up on the bowsprit ready to board. We dissuaded them... You can read the full encounter in this magazine article ©
Location: shipping corridor opposite Al Mukalla, Yemen

And - avoid Hanish Al Kubra like the plague!

I would still do this crossing again. The reward of the Red Sea is incredible and totally unique in the world - ancient Arabia and Arabic hospitality, and amazing diving!

There are more stories and pictures on my blog below.

[Bulawayo]

Hi WildWill..... I have to ask the obvious question. Why/what were you doing in an area that is notorious for shootings? The Hanish Islands have a dispute over sovereignty that has raged for years and they shoot at anything that approaches. This is well known and it is mentioned in the Pilotage book to keep well off shore from the islands.

Originally Posted by WildWill

We are now in Egypt having had quite an adventure on this crossing...
(I'm crewing on SV Trim)

We had a brush with pirates (not fishermen Sophie!), and were also shot at from Hanish al Kubra with 50 calibre and AK-47 rounds. Interesting to hear of that other yacht on Noonsite. They were shooting to kill - one of our towels has a bullet hole in it.
This sounds alarming, but we were just a random opportunity for the pirates. The mothership dhow (filled with fuel drums) targeted us and had 3 men climbed up on the bowsprit ready to board. We dissuaded them... You can read the full encounter in this magazine article ©
Location: shipping corridor opposite Al Mukalla, Yemen

And - avoid Hanish Al Kubra like the plague!

I would still do this crossing again. The reward of the Red Sea is incredible and totally unique in the world - ancient Arabia and Arabic hospitality, and amazing diving!

There are more stories and pictures on my blog below.

[Muckle Flugga]

Originally Posted by WildWill

We are now in Egypt having had quite an adventure on this crossing...
(I'm crewing on SV Trim)

We had a brush with pirates (not fishermen Sophie!), and were also shot at from Hanish al Kubra with 50 calibre and AK-47 rounds. Interesting to hear of that other yacht on Noonsite. They were shooting to kill - one of our towels has a bullet hole in it.
This sounds alarming, but we were just a random opportunity for the pirates. The mothership dhow (filled with fuel drums) targeted us and had 3 men climbed up on the bowsprit ready to board. We dissuaded them... You can read the full encounter in this magazine article ©
Location: shipping corridor opposite Al Mukalla, Yemen

And - avoid Hanish Al Kubra like the plague!

I would still do this crossing again. The reward of the Red Sea is incredible and totally unique in the world - ancient Arabia and Arabic hospitality, and amazing diving!

There are more stories and pictures on my blog below.

It doesn't really just "sound" alarming. I can't really see how being fired on with AK47 and .50 rounds can be anything other than that. Had you or any of your fellows been hit it would have been utterly horrific. I am aware of some who have taken their children through there on a plastic leisure boat recently, which strikes me as entirely unreasonable, to say the least.

Wth these two separate incidents you reprot, thank you for your reminder that, despite what some may think, the passage through the Gulf of Aden and environs remains highly dangerous, and as the Saudi pilot noted to your captain, an active war zone.