Non-resistance is a good option unless the bad guys simply open fire when they get close as happened off the coast of Yemen recently. Those boaters didn't offer resistance until after they took fire. Then the only thing that saved them was a 12 guage and ramming.
Well, a
steel boat makes a good ram if you can get the bad guys to hold still!
I certainly prefer to avoid any potentially violent encounters, but I'm not particularly willing to be a victim if I can't be sure the bad guys are just going to steal my stuff and leave without harming me or my crew. I may be in doubt about their intentions if they board me in the middle of the night unnoticed, but when they open fire on approach I think I know where I stand.
Unfortunately, I can't carry enough firepower to outgun the bad guys even if it were
legal. One or two people on a sailboat aren't much of a match for a speedboat with 6 to 10 guys armed with automatic weapons. Fortunately, most of the bad guys aren't that well armed. So a 12 guage should
work fine if I can't keep them off the boat with improvised defensive weapons.
I guess it just boils down to whether you plan to be a victim or attempt to defend yourself.
I'm sorry if I stirred up a political/philosophical debate. Not trying to push anyone's buttons!
And, yes I'm American, I'm from
Alaska, I'm retired military, I'm a Democrat and a
member of the ACLU as well as the NRA. And I carry concealed (legal in Alaska). That gives me the option of armed resistance if I need it. In all the years I've carried, I've never even had to draw my weapon. I hope that never changes.
Cheers,
Carl