OK, I'm asking --> Pirate questions

[m2244]

Fairly recently, my wife and I started talking more and more about sailing in the near future. She is a bit of a nervous Nelly so when I first brought it up what do you think she said first?

“What about the pirates?!”

So OK, what about the pirates? Can you guys give me any information on the following:

1. Are there areas to avoid?
2. What about areas such as around BVI, Caribbean, etc?
3. Do people arm themselves? Warning shots? (I have considerable experience with fire arms)
4. Should you avoid flying certain flags?
5. Are there fake flags you can fly that might deter them?
6. Is there any kind of help available if you run into pirates?

I feel silly asking this question but hey, I don’t know much about this subject? I’m basically trying to cover all my bases in answering any other pirate-related questions my wife might come up with.

[Tkeeth]

Made me laugh.....because my wife said the same thing.

Incidents of pirates are rare (outside of someplace like Somalia). You are much more likely to be robbed or assaulted in your neighborhood depending on where you live. So, unless your going all the way around the world, basic security planning is enough. Go to noonsite and they track reports of piracy. Also look at the carribean safety and security net. You will see most incidents are stolen dinghys or an occasional boarding while onshore.

[SV DestinyAscen]

Piracy is a genuine concern in certain parts of the world, generally it coincides with choke points and weak central governments/failed states along sea lines of communication such as south of the Suez into the Arabian Sea(Somali origin), Malacca, Gulf of Guinea.

The Malacca problem is better now as the Malaysians, Indonesians and Singapore gov are working together and last I heard cruisers can schedule in escorted convoys until they're out of range. Philippines can be dangerous as the gov is weak and there are also Islamists.

But in general, the geographic reach is well defined and easily avoided if your threat tolerance is low. The only surprise for me has been west of Panama/guatamala with extremely aggressive "fisherman"

In re weapons - some sail with a bat and sprays, others carry firearms (although that means you'll have to keep abreast of import/export/custom declaration guidelines).

Edit: a frequent fishing companion of mine was some sort of Navy special boat crew and he opined that the best way to escape harm was to act passive and let the pirates pull alongside and then throw a bunch of Molotov cocktails and hard rudder. I don't remember what formula he gave but recall it was mainly stuff you'll have onboard anyway like diesel and motor oil/alcohol.

[sailorboy1]

By far most pirates work in an office/store and wait for you to come to them.

[Delancey]

Piracy by definition is crime committed on the high seas.

Stick to territorial waters of sovereign nations, then you just have to worry about regular old crime. Regular old crime happens all over the world so maybe just stay safe at home?

Oh wait crime happens there too!

[hoppy]

Originally Posted by m2244

5. Are there fake flags you can fly that might deter them?

Fly the Jolly Roger and hope that the "other" pirates follow the pirates code and leave you alone or just invite you to sing sea shanty over some rum. Don't forget the eyepatch and parrot so you don't get caught out

[MarkJ]

Where to begin....



Ummmmmm.


Just tell your wife she's guuna die anyway.

By the way, a lady whose 116 years old claimed he longevity was from eating bacon and eggs in the morning and drinking scotch in tbe afternoon.

[Steadman Uhlich]

Google Custom Search of CF reveals many threads with "pirate" as the subject of discussion. Many hours of reading there...or thar.

Pirates
https://cse.google.com/cse?cx=011403...tes&gsc.page=1


Pirate
https://cse.google.com/cse?cx=011403...ate&gsc.page=1

[Kokanee]

The risk of actual piracy is very minor for your average cruiser.

There are a few bad spots around the planet, such as the horn of Africa, but piracy incidents have reduced dramatically over the past 5 years.

The biggest risk in boating is drowning while anchored or at a marina, but most people don't lose too much sleep over that. Pirates and sharks are much more exciting.

[wgoodbye]

I recently heard of one incident where some pirates trying to board were repelled by throwing canned goods at them while making some evasive s turns to keep them from boarding. Eventually they tired and went away, figuring not much was too be gained further.

My personal suggestion is a couple of large cans of bear spray, and a stainless steel machete as a last resort. If I'm going down, its going to be fighting.

Loud hailer warning them "Do not board. Do not board. Boarders will be executed" might help.

[zeehag]

being out here and sola-- what i do is keep a slow a profile as possible while at anchor. not shiny not bragging on my stuff, and hope for best.
and i have a guard maine coon mix who LOVES momms and boat so will shred all who intrude. good kitty. also makes good silent alarm for things awry on boat as wellas notice about swimmers next to hull. good kitty.
louisville slugger is legal in all parts of world, and mine has a heavy stainless gaff.btdt
vhf also works, when threats are seen in the anchorage--btdt...
there is no reason whatsoever to have on board stuff that will blow into your own eyes when sprayed at others, and no reason whatsoever to have projection spewing weaponry on the boat. there is a huge difference between intent to squash melon and intent to kill a citizen of someones nation in which you are a GUEST.
as a guest in these cruising areas we need to act accordingly. not be prepared for war.
this is exactly there is such a thing as avoidance. there are known hotspots and publication of them.
research well before leaving and thrughout your cruise.
oh yeah and BRIGHT spreader lights lighting entire boat donot hurt, either. and video.....

[rmarsh3309]

Originally Posted by Delancey

Piracy by definition is crime committed on the high seas.

Stick to territorial waters of sovereign nations, then you just have to worry about regular old crime. Regular old crime happens all over the world so maybe just stay safe at home?

Oh wait crime happens there too!

I think this pretty much sums up the whole discussion.

[Cheechako]

If crimes committed on the water are piracy, then yes, there are places to be avoided. Venezuela, Columbia come to mind. But it's just not that common most places. The hotspots change, but the cruising community usually stays on top of it.

[dkroar]

Get familiar with Noonsite.
Noonsite.com —

[ztsf]

Ditto.

Jimmy Cornell's website, Noonsite.com, has a piracy section that is continuously updated by country. It will give you a good idea of what is going on, and where. Most times it seems to be petty theft or robbery, but occasionally it's serious stuff.

You might want to read it first, before showing your wife, but it should provide an accurate picture of what's out there.