TTT - Thailand to Turkey

[svBeBe]

Seems as though there is a new TTT Rally being formed for 2012. See it here: TTT

[atoll]

with out the ability to have an armed response vessel on station all the time from oman to the sudan border,they are relying on luck,rather than the ability to repel boarders.

a large non refundable joining fee(495 euro) upfront........pure oppertunism......

fools rush in where angels fear to tread........

[Lexxy]

I hope this thread stays open..It would be interesting to see what happens. I can actually see some folks going across the IO AND RED SEA but I think they will go under the wire like we did this year and not with a rally. That will be the best way to try and sneak through.

We were lucky enough to make in all alone...not that it was our brightest move but we did make it along the Rhumb line without any rally or buddy boat until we got to Yemen [when we tagged behind one] and just hoping no bad guys would find us. There will always be adventurers that will chance it. After all this is a life of risks.

[atoll]

statistically a yacht transiting the area has a 1in 10 chance of getting through unnoticed,whether they are in a rally or not.

having done the trip 7 times in the past on small yachts ,the chances these days of getting boarded and kidnapped or killed as opposed to just robbed as happened in the past are way too high.

[Lexxy]

Good Grief!!
Right after I posted the above my Capt met some folks headed east thru the IO...so scary for them. My Capt advised them to stop in Yemen and stock up on AK47s

[Gillian Mulcahy]

We signed up for the last edition of TTT (2011). When we reached the Maldives, there had been little communication from the leader - he did not have SSB and his email system seemed refuse to talk to Sailmail. He was also stuck in Sri Lanka with severe technical problems (later he only completed the passage by being towed considerable distances by a smaller yacht in his group). It was also clear that the piracy situation had changed, spreading across the Arabian Sea and no longer concentrated in the Gulf of Aden. It was rumoured that the TTT response would be to take a coastal route north, adding many extra sea miles without gaining extra distance from the pirated areas. We decided to take another option and joined an impromptu convoy, but well organized and disciplined, which stuck together from the Maldives to the Red Sea. Most of the other yachts originally signed up with TTT took alternative routes - only 9 of the almost 30 yachts listed in January completed the passage with TTT.
TTT stated that it was not to be profit making and any surplus funds would go towards the Chandlers, who were released before the event (each signed up boat paid 250 euros). Requests for refunds on the basis that service had not been provided and/or accounts of how the money had been spent were curtly dismissed. Now the fee is 495 euros.
The incidents involving Quest, Ing and the more recent French yacht perhaps illustrate a further escalation of danger to yachts in the region. Before we departed the Maldives, no yacht had been attacked along that route for over a year.
Any yacht considering joining TTT, or even making the passage at all, needs to take all these factors into account before committing.

[Dhillen]

It isn't worth the risk. The pirates are playing for keeps and you are in their backyard. We did that run in 2004 but the game has changed since then and I would not even consider it now. RIP Quest.
If you are determined to take a chance, I wrote a piece on "How to Avoid Pirates," which you can find on my blog.
Good Luck.
Dhillen

[svBeBe]

Pirates would absolutely love to find a convoy. They believe each boat is worth 1 - 3 million dollars. A convoy of 10 will be worth 10 - 30 million dollars.

Think about the fallacy in logic with regard to a convoy. What are you going to do, outrun a 25 - 30 kt pirate skiff? outrun an AK47 or a RPG? If the pirates happen to "luck" onto a convoy, they will capture 1 boat and order the rest to stop using several more skiffs to herd them together...again, are you going to outrun/outgun them?

If you cannot use logic and avoid this area, your loss will make our civilization much smarter.

We were there this past season...we chose to get to the Med by transporting BeBe. We met the crew of Quest and ING in Sri Lanka and Cochin.

Bill

[svBeBe]

Anyone who is seriously considering crossing the IO/GoA/RS and/or the TTT convoy, organized by Rene and Edit Tiemessen from the yacht Alondra, should read what Lo Brust says about it. Lo has led more boats through the IO/GoA/RS than any other person I know of. Lo Brust, sy Mistral Vasco da Gama Yacht Rally - 2011

Bill

[David_Old_Jersey]

Originally Posted by svBeBe

they will capture 1 boat and order the rest to stop using several more skiffs to herd them together...again, are you going to outrun/outgun them?

Possibly not, but I will be heading at full steam away from the melee (to get help for those already captured ).

But truth be told, I wouldn't be anywhere near there in the first place

[Lexxy]

I just want to back up what Bill said about Lo Brust. I would listen to anything he says.

We sailed the Indian Ocean alone, no rally, as I mentioned above, and were halfway when our dear friends on Quest were captured. When we got to Aden, Lo was gracious enough to let us follow his convoy at a safe distance for a short while while going into some anchorages at night....so creepy in the Gulf of Aden and then again in the Red Sea. And also we tagged along when we went through the Babal Mandeb because we just happened to get there at the same time.

We were so impressed with the way he ran his convoy after talking to some of his followers and often speaking with him. He was so helpful to us while on our own.

[svBeBe]

Story on Noonsite - TTT canceled. Thank God that some unsuspecting souls did not get suckered into this scheme.

I am amazed at what Rene Tiemessen, the organizer of the TTT Rally, said, "We have waited before we took this decision, because we thought, hoped and counted on the international community to respond in an effective way to address this issue and make the waters and coasts of the region safe again. To our astonishment, but also disbelief, we saw that nothing changed for the good." I believe Rene Tiemessen's statement represents a fundamental lack of understanding of the piracy and security situation in the IO, GoA and Red Sea. If not, it is an attempt to deflect responsibility.

I know that the TTT refused to refund in 2011...I wonder if the same thing applies in 2012. Is Rene Tiemessen believable?

Bill

[Gillian Mulcahy]

A news item today says that successful piracy on commercial vessels is markedly down on the same period last year, attributed to razor wire, water cannon and increased presence of armed guards. Perhaps the pirates will now increasingly regard yachts as soft and profitable targets!