Take the Anti-Piracy Pledge

[dannc]

The German couple that was kidnapped in April of 2014 was at the western end of Palawan island, from Philippines, Palawan, Rio Tubbataha: German couple abducted from yacht - April 2014 — Noonsite,

Stefan Viktor Okonek, 71, and his female companion, Herike Diesen, 55, were forcibly taken from their yacht at Rio Tubbataha, an hour’s ride from Puerto Princesa in Palawan. MV Catherine, the yacht the Germans used, was found in waters off Bataraza, Palawan, on April 26, 2014.

If you want to go to Malaysia and points west from the PI, the route takes you off the west end of Palawan. Noonsite lists Puerto Princesa as the only port of entry on Palawan so the choke point between the island and Malaysia is a logical, if not required passage, unless one cruises past Palawan by staying north of the island and in the South China sea.

Palawan is well north of the south PI where the Moro violence usually resides. The problem is that the Moro's have recently attacked the east coast of Malaysia several times, including kidnapping raids from resorts. From the various reports I have read it sounds like the German couple were deliberately targeted by terrorists.

The Moros have been fighting against themselves, the Filipinos, the Spanish, the US and neighbors for centuries. I doubt they will stop anytime soon. The US embassy warns US citizens to stay away from Mindanao and the Sulu Archipelago which is a shame since Davo City looks like it would be a nice hurricane hole.

Later,
Dan

[pbmaise]

Thank you Dan

I think it is beginning to sink in. The vast majority steer clear already. These two Germans probably never thought they would be watched over several days and suffer a planned attact made by a group far away.

Regarding my being killed and "simply move on to the next one", some is really missing what I am saying.

If I unleash the most powerful "bomb" in the world they will think twice. That bomb is called the almighty dollar.

Every business owner there will know that for 37 years they will be negatively impacted.

If the "next one" also did the same...

Some may find this odd. I want to visit there but can't. I would love to show the world that 99.99% of these people are good.



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[pathlesschosen]

My anti piracy plan for the circumnavigation involves five pit bulls name Jaws 1,2,3 etc. Ship them to Sri Lanka then ship back once clear in Egypt. The WTF look on any pirate's face would be priceless.


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[pbmaise]

A high school student should recognize my strategy. It is termed aposematism.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aposematism

Instead of trying to hide and blend into the background, you proclaim yourself poisonous.

Hello, don't eat me I'm toxic.

Now about those stone ruins built before the Spanish arrived.


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[salticrak]

I wonder if there is one single case of a yacht repelling a pirate attack?

[goboatingnow]

Originally Posted by pbmaise

A high school student should recognize my strategy. It is termed aposematism.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aposematism

Instead of trying to hide and blend into the background, you proclaim yourself poisonous.

Hello, don't eat me I'm toxic.

Now about those stone ruins built before the Spanish arrived.


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Unfortunately you are not a poisonous toad ! So that's out

Dave

[goboatingnow]

Originally Posted by pathlesschosen

My anti piracy plan for the circumnavigation involves five pit bulls name Jaws 1,2,3 etc. Ship them to Sri Lanka then ship back once clear in Egypt. The WTF look on any pirate's face would be priceless.


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I didn't know pit-bulls were immune to 7.54mm centre fire ammunition fired at them at high speed. I learn something new every dat

Dave

[MarkJ]

Originally Posted by salticrak

I wonder if there is one single case of a yacht repelling a pirate attack?

Yes, there are lots. In the GOA in about 2008 one was repelled with a shotgun killing a number of pirates...

Off Venezuela no one has been taken, that we know of, after responding with flare guns before a boarding attempt.

However some with real guns have come a cropper. Last year two old sailors going from Trinidad to ABCs past Venezualea were nearly killed with his own shotgun when he was boarded and the took it off him. They pointed it at him and it didnt go off.

[natraps116]

Originally Posted by goboatingnow

I didn't know pit-bulls were immune to 7.54mm centre fire ammunition fired at them at high speed. I learn something new every dat

Dave

I wonder why your so pessimistic to any form of deterrence or resistance?

(And FYI AKs shoot 7.62x39mm)

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[skipmac]

Originally Posted by natraps116

I wonder why your so pessimistic to any form of deterrence or resistance?

(And FYI AKs shoot 7.62x39mm)

A dog is no deterrent at all to an armed criminal. I knew a guy that had a pair of Rhodesian Ridgebacks, fairly ferocious South African lion hunting dogs who though he was immune to burglary. Someone drove up to the house when my friend was out of town, shot both dogs with a .22 and cleaned him out. Didn't take an AK or even a .223 to do the job.

A dog is good for warning of intruders you if you are at home and can scare off an unarmed amateur but to a determined, armed bandit a dog is barely a nuisance.

[Celestialsailor]

Why do I get the feeling this is going to be another right thinking gun thread?

[denverd0n]

Originally Posted by pbmaise

Hello, don't eat me I'm toxic.

And here is the fundamental flaw in your plan. You are not a bright red toad, and all of the other animals in the area do not know that you are poison.

Pirates don't read these forums. They don't know that you've taken some sort of pledge. They aren't going to avoid you because you are toxic. They won't know that until AFTER they have kidnapped you, demanded ransom, and been turned down. Now you are just a liability to them. So what will they do? Slit your throat, dump the body, move on to the next one. And what have you accomplished through your pledge? Absolutely nothing, other than assuring your death.

I know you want to believe that everyone who doesn't see this like you do must not understand the concept, but you are wrong. Plenty of us understand perfectly well. We just see the flaw that you refuse to see.

[natraps116]

There will always be the Chamberlains and there will always be Churchills.... two very different points of view when it comes to interactions with criminals/tyrants.

Neither wrong nor right, just different

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[SailingwithSoul]

Originally Posted by onestepcsy37

Or, you can take the Piracy Pledge -

Less Work
More Pay
Better Rum

x Signed and ready

On a more serious note, I feel the issues and solutions revolving around piracy are very nuanced and can't be fairly analyzed removed from the local context.

I'm sure that there is a general consensus that:
1. Piracy is bad and wrong;
2. Violence, theft and destruction are bad and wrong;
3. Actions causing or resulting from the above are inexcusable

Now on to the nuance and lets separate those act in the pursuit of any religion and ideology. Committing any of the above cited acts in the name of some written document or some mythical sky-god is does not even merit any discussion, consideration or relevance (In my opinion).

Instead lets acknowledge that there may have been environmental and/or economic factors that may have contributed to the rise of modern-day piracy. I'm not an expert on this issue, merely a reader and observer, but I remember that the a contributing factor in the Gulf of Aden and African coast was a combination of pollution (dumping) and over-fishing by foreign entities in the local waters that began to damage the local fisherman and markets economically. These fishermen would initially harass the polluting vessels and foreign fishing companies to chase them out of their waters. This harassment turned into kidnapping once these fishermen discovered that they could (drastically) replace the fishing income with ransom paid by corporations and governments. From that point on, they stopped catching fish and moved on to bigger bounty.

I have a point, and I am endeavoring to keep it concise, but in light of the sheer complexity of the modern-day piracy, one person or country alone cannot solve the issue. It is a worldwide problem that needs a global response. A response that is academically and theoretically simple, but practically impossible, especially given the geopolitical and economic paradigm we live in today. How to stop one half of piracy? Give everyone a good wage and opportunity to earn it and provide them with enough food, water and shelter to survive. I know, good luck with that!

The other half is religion and ideology……… Ban it all and replace it with spirituality, justice, equality and kindness to your fellow man.

Or you can be a bravado-filled, chest-beating American (like myself) and carry a small gasoline container and flare gun in the cockpit – “It takes the hand off the rail or it gets doused again!”

[goboatingnow]

Originally Posted by natraps116

There will always be the Chamberlains and there will always be Churchills.... two very different points of view when it comes to interactions with criminals/tyrants.

Neither wrong nor right, just different

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True, but the point is simply because you put foreword a particular view, doesn't make you Churchill

As to your pit bulls, dogs in my view can't shoot back and hence offer little resistance to armed intruders, especially those that don't care if they make lots of noise.


You see, its the nonsense of The "fight back". Most people cruising around are ordinary people, they rarely see a gun or a fight for most of their lives. They are not combat trained ( i.e. muscle memory to do things when frightened).

The armchair rambo pundits of course sit and stay "fight, resist, don't run, don't talk, don't negotiate etc etc ". Listen up its boring, It doesn't work and it assumes way way too much in you favour ( like (a) you have a gun ready at the time, (b) reaction of loved ones, (c) who actually threatened , etc etc)

Furthermore all these rambo responses, assume that the attacker, is kinda a "simpleton". Like the world terrorist often conveys "dumb-ass". But in reality many of these people , are fighting for a "cause", they are often clever then you are,. Equally they have often been brought up in a cycle of violence, armed conflict and rough justice, hence the prospect of a gunfight is not itself , enough to deter many of them.

The net outcome of is the "fight " or " flight" responses needed to carefully calculated. Unless you can judge that you will emerge successfully, a "fight" response simply leads to you immediate death, rendering you useless to help yourself or others in the predicament

Its ridiculous to compare Churchill and Chamberlain, both had failures in judgement some extraordinarily large.


dave