Somali Pirates Hijack Yacht with Four Americans Aboard

[nv5l]

I'm a Marine -- served in the 80's -- and although I have no death wish, I do not want anyone, Marine or not, risking their lives to save me if I do something dumb. And for me, it would be dumb to sail in that part of the world. You need to take responsibility for yourself.

As for those of you who keep whining about the military, how many of you served? Reminds me of Kipling's poem Tommy. I vividly remember not being allowed into some college bars in Virginia while I was in.

[MarkJ]

Originally Posted by nv5l

And for me, it would be dumb to sail in that part of the world.

With trip planning and 5+ year circumnavigations,.. we met MANY folks who have been crusing since before 9/11 and, as they don't keep in touch with current affairs as well as they did, have no understanding about the way the world has changed.

Those planning should realise that anything can change in 5 years and all good planning must include flexibility!

Somalia and the Red Sea may all be Happy Valley in 5 years time.

The difficulty of changing plan? A few quick clicks on a computer or plotter (White-Out on a paper chart? )

Finally, and unfortunately, it may be a nice sentiment to wish a speedy resolution to this attack, but the reality is these people and all their families will be financially ruined from this incident. Totally and utterly.


Mark

[stevensuf]

Does anyone know of any statistics of how many yachts transit the gulf of aden/suez canal each year, ie so we can get an idea of the odds?

[estarzinger]

Originally Posted by S/V Alchemy

Our boat is equipped for rounding Cape of Good Hope, but I'm under no illusions it would be fun to work that route.

I am continually surprised at the 'fear' of Good Hope. It's a very doable route, and SA is a magnificent/magical country to visit/tour. It's worth doing in and of itself. If it were me, looking at the alternatives, this seems an easy and clear choice, unless you are just dieing to get into the Med.

My wishes and hopes go to the crew of Quest, but I fear they are well and truly screwed.

[MarkJ]

Originally Posted by stevensuf

Does anyone know of any statistics of how many yachts transit the gulf of aden/suez canal each year, ie so we can get an idea of the odds?

I don't know but I would think its less than 100 north bound and less than 50 south bound. Normal cruising yachts doing 'normal' cruises.

[stevensuf]

If the number of yachts making the crossing is as low as this then the odds are pretty high 50 to 1 or something like that

[s/v Jedi]

The situation is much more difficult than just "don't sail there". South Africa is among the highest kidnap numbers in the world and I wouldn't be surprised if it's the same for the number of murders and other violent crime.

Also, "don't sail there" practically means 1/3 of the world unless you actually turn around and give up circumnavigating.

It's not often that I wouldn't know what to do but this is one of the things where I am unsure. I would probably do as BeBe and transport to the Med, but here in the Caribbean we do sail through Venezuelan waters (because I think the situation is different). But here, when a boat comes close as in the photo Mark posted, these guys would be looking Mr. Mossberg in the eye, which is not a smart option vs the Somali pirates I think.

All we can hope for is a change in political view on piracy so that the navies are ordered to deal with it decisively.

Nick.

[pablothesailor]

just a thought, how much would it cost to have an ¨armed¨ escort, a legal one? Is there such a thing and what might it cost? If there were enough of you doing the crossing could this be an option? Damn these scumbag pirates, I am very much a supporter of the no tolerance action!

[svHyLyte]

Originally Posted by MarkJ

...Finally, and unfortunately, it may be a nice sentiment to wish a speedy resolution to this attack, but the reality is these people and all their families will be financially ruined from this incident. Totally and utterly.

Mark

Too true, and the Crew will join 630+ other hostages that will continue to be held because the West--and particularly the US, which has been reduced to an international simpering baffoon during the last two years--will do nothing.

Some of you will remember the “Lebanon hostage crisis”, the systematic kidnapping of 96 foreign hostages of 21 nations—mostly American and western European—by a Sunni militant group in Lebanon between 1982 and 1992.

In October 1985, the group kidnapped 4 Russian diplomats. In response the Soviet Union dispatched a detachment of its “Alpha Group” (also known as Spetsgruppa A), an elite counter-terrorism unit that belongs to spetsnaz or the “special-purpose forces” of the FSB to Beirut. ("Alfa Group" or Group A, a special forces and special operations unit attached to the KGB was created in 1974 on the orders of Yuri Andropov, then Chairman of the KGB to give the KGB the capacity to respond to incidents such as the 1972 Munich massacre on its own territory.)

By the time Alfa was onsite, one of the Russian hostages had already been killed. The perpetrators and their relatives were identified by supporting KGB operatives, and the relatives were taken hostage. Following its standard policy of 'no negotiation', Alfa proceeded to sever some of their hostages' body parts and sent them to the perpetrators with a warning that more would follow if the Russian hostages were not released unharmed within 24 hours. The three surviving diplomats were released and no other Russian national was taken hostage in the Middle East for the next 20 years.

It is far past time for the same in Somalia, but it will not happen until some country develops the courage to take appropriate action.

FWIW...

[estarzinger]

Originally Posted by s/v Jedi

The situation is much more difficult than just "don't sail there". South Africa is among the highest kidnap numbers in the world and I wouldn't be surprised if it's the same for the number of murders and other violent crime.
Nick.

Nick, How many foreign cruiser do you know that have been kidnapped or murdered in South Africa? I am not aware of a single one in the past decade.

South africa does have an internal crime problem, but all the prudent cruisers we know have been able to stay well clear of it.

[smurphny]

Is the US Navy going to start earning their excessive tax dollars? Is it too much of a bother to waste a few rounds to protect Americans? There is a "safe corridor" supposedly patrolled by navies. Were they in it? Maybe sailors need to disguise themselves as barrels of oil to get any protection. Here's some suggestions:
1. Level any port known to harbor this scum.
2. Put the GD radar on and sink the s.o.b. s before they can get anywhere near identified US vessels.
3. Bomb the banks that receive their blood money.
4. Waste a few cruise missiles on suspected hideouts and put a few more Americans to work.
5. Stop worrying what the h the rest of the whiny world may think.

Once again we're being made to look like fools. HOW IMPOTENT CAN WE POSSIBLY GET???

[pablothesailor]

Originally Posted by smurphny

Is the US Navy going to start earning their excessive tax dollars? Is it too much of a bother to waste a few rounds to protect Americans? There is a "safe corridor" supposedly patrolled by navies. Were they in it? Maybe sailors need to disguise themselves as barrels of oil to get any protection. Here's some suggestions:
1. Level any port known to harbor this scum.
2. Put the GD radar on and sink the s.o.b. s before they can get anywhere near identified US vessels.
3. Bomb the banks that receive their blood money.
4. Waste a few cruise missiles on suspected hideouts and put a few more Americans to work.
5. Stop worrying what the h the rest of the whiny world may think.

Once again we're being made to look like fools. HOW IMPOTENT CAN WE POSSIBLY GET???

Well said, the PC do gooders need to wake up, lets deal with this scum NOW!!! Makes me sick! There are millions of people around the world less fotunate than many of us, but they dont all go around kidnapping and killing like these scumbags!!

[estarzinger]

Originally Posted by estarzinger

Nick, How many foreign cruiser do you know that have been kidnapped or murdered in South Africa? I am not aware of a single one in the past decade.

South Africa does have an internal crime problem, but all the prudent cruisers we know have been able to stay well clear of it.

Just fyi . . . according to Castle Rock Global Insurance :

Top 10 Places to get Kidnapped From (in order by ransom payment):
(this seems a hard crime to get decent official statistics on because many are not reported, so the insurance industry seems the best source)

Mexico
Brazil
Colombia
Venezuela
Philippines
Nigeria
Chechnya Region of Russia
Afghanistan
Iraq
Haiti

[S/V Alchemy]

Originally Posted by estarzinger

I am continually surprised at the 'fear' of Good Hope. It's a very doable route, and SA is a magnificent/magical country to visit/tour. It's worth doing in and of itself. If it were me, looking at the alternatives, this seems an easy and clear choice, unless you are just dieing to get into the Med.

My wishes and hopes go to the crew of Quest, but I fear they are well and truly screwed.

Well, "dying to get into the Med" is probably an unfortunate phrase, but yes, most of the Med places I wish to take the boat and family are in Egypt, Israel, Lebanon, Turkey and Greece, so coming in at the western end was not the plan.

It's not the "fear" of Good Hope so much as it is the problematic nature of timing the Mozambique Channel and the Agulhas Current vs. marching lows and powerful westerlies.

The lack of safe "outs" is just a bonus.

No, it isn't the worst place in the world, and it's no Cape Horn, but it demands respect and experience. Our steel pilothouse cutter could go to Antarctica given even a marginal weather window, but that doesn't mean I want to beat to weather from Durban to the Cape for three days if I have an alternative.

I suppose the upside is that SA is happy to see visitors, it's not outrageously expensive, there is a great sailing culture there and we'd get to visit weird South Atlantic islands.

[beowulfborealis]

The S/V Quest has a website www.svquest.com and they have their inmarsat and iridium phone numbers on there.

Someone with a voice like Arnold Swartzanegger should call 'em and give those those nasty pirates a piece of the yacht community's mind.

She has a nice shot of the green flash too. Worth a look.