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Sing to a sailor's courage, Sing while the elbows bend,
A ruby port your harbor, Raise three sheets to the wind.
......................-=Krynnish drinking song=-
That's the beauty of living in a free society. We are free to do as our conscience and experience dictates within the constraints of good judgement and law.. And for the record, some of us have had weapons fired at them and that makes us all the more determined not to have it happen again. If you choose to be a victim, God bless.
Personally I believe that my life experience would assist me in making a good judgement about when I am in peril.After 25 years as a criminal investigator I think I know the difference between a fisherman and a pirate
(although some lawyers I have known....)
First picture= Pirates
Second Picture=Fishermen
Let's just agree we see the world through a different lens.
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The cure for anything is salt water - sweat, tears, or the sea. ~Isak Dinesen
Although it may be a bit unfair to generalise but I get the impression that the good old US of A tend to be a bit more "proactive" when it comes to looking after their citizens - plus of course they do tend to have a lot of kit / resources floating around ( ).......so maybe when folk are attacked / beleive that they are going to be attacked that they should claim on the VHF when seeking help that they are American??.......and apologise later.
Possibly more likely to get a response other than "Call back on Monday" / "Sorry our 2 ships are busy / have been sold, please call back later"???
Being a cynic possibly saying you have a sat phone and are in the process of selling yer story to CNN may help?? (it wouldn't work with our Govt, they are long passed any sense of shame).
Brittania slipping beneath the waves?
The empire that once ruled the world has come to this:
Oh woe, Nelson,Benbow, Hawke,and so many others would weep.
Britannia Flees the Seas
by James Dunnigan
January 17, 2007
Continuing budget problems have already forced Britians Royal Navy to mothball (put into inactive reserve) 13 of its 44 warships. Now it has been decided to mothball another eight, and to cancel construction of two Type-45 destroyers. That will leave only six new Type-45s, plus two new aircraft carriers being built. The government is also considering closing one of the three bases the navy maintains. The budget problems are caused by cost overruns in procurement problems for new ships (destroyers and nuclear subs) and aircraft (the new Eurofighter), as well as training costs associated with troops being sent to Afghanistan and Iraq. The government believes it can get away with these cuts because, well, the U.S. Navy is more powerful than all the world's navies combined, and a close ally of Britain. So if there's an emergency requiring warships
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The cure for anything is salt water - sweat, tears, or the sea. ~Isak Dinesen
Because of specilialisation related to Britains' role in Nato, the RN fleet was mostly optimised for sub-hunting, which there is not much call for nowadays. The Senior Service are of course miffed at not having much of an active role in Iraq/Afganistan, where most resources are going. There is a serious debate to be had on the role, and shape, of a modern navy.
I am always surprised when my fellow Americans refer to the "free society" they live in as a defense for carrying weapons in foreign waters. As an expatriate for the past decade, I wouldn't have lasted long if I hadn't respected the laws of the country I reside in (or travel to), even if I personally do not agree with those laws.
But in a more practical sense, I think Americans have lost their ability to place risk in context, especially when it comes to crime. Piracy, seen as crime (and that's what it is), is a perfect example. It's not just gun culture vs. non-gun culture that separates opinion on this subject, but a fear of crime, real and imagined. I get the impression that our friends from Down Under, for example, are not necessarily more "liberal" about gun ownership, but it's simply that they are better at putting crime in perspective and so don't see a PRACTICAL need to pack heat.
All I was trying to state is that it is my opinion that force should be met with force. It does send a message and if more sailors were properly, armed, and trained (training is paramount) then the neer-do-wells might be disabused of the notion that sailboats are easy prey
Translating this statement to life ashore, one would expect the USA to be one of the safest country in the world.
Translating this statement to life ashore, one would expect the USA to be one of the safest country in the world.
Except that this conversation was about transiting a known dangerous area where people (sailors) are routinely victimized. I'd not like to let this conversation devolve to a gun control debate eh?
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The cure for anything is salt water - sweat, tears, or the sea. ~Isak Dinesen
Annual death toll from piracy rises London, 7 February 2005 Indonesian waters continue to be the scene of the highest number of attacks Pirates preying on shipping were more violent than ever in 2004 and murdered a total of 30 crew members, compared with 21 in 2003, the ICC International Maritime Bureau reported in its annual piracy report for 2004.
The number of attacks reported worldwide through the IMB Piracy Reporting Centre in Kuala Lumpur was 325, down from the 445 recorded in 2003.
Indonesian waters continue to be the scene of the highest number of attacks, with 93 incidents reported in 2004. While this is down from 121 in 2003, it still accounts for more than one quarter of piratical attacks reported worldwide.
The report said hijackings of tugs and barges and the kidnapping of crew members were on the rise, especially in Indonesian waters, in the Northern Malacca Straits, and off North Sumatra. While in the past these attacks had been thought to be the work of Aceh rebels, there were now increasing signs that crime syndicates are using fishingboats for such attacks.
Attacks in Nigerian waters were down from 39 in 2003 to 28. However, the report said that offshore Nigeria still had the third highest number of incidents and was regarded as the most dangerous area in Africa for piracy and armed robbery at sea.
The IMB is part of ICCCommercial Crime Services, the division of the International Chamber of Commerce dedicated to fighting all types of commercial crime.
For further information or interviews please contact IMB Director, Captain Pottengal Mukundan +44 208 591 3000 Email:imb@icc-ccs.org
The IMB's 2004 Annual Report on Piracy and Armed Robbery against Ships (77 pages), including maps, can be obtained from the IMB. The order form can be accessed on http://www.icc-ccs.org/pdfs/PiracyOrderForm.pdf
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The cure for anything is salt water - sweat, tears, or the sea. ~Isak Dinesen
"But by far the most telling figure for most of us is the number 1. That’s how many acts of piracy in Southeast Asia last year actually touched a pleasure yacht. All the others involved commercial vessels such as bulk carriers, container ships or fishingboats."
At a guess how many Boaties worth holding up would be floating around in so called Piraty water's in any given year compared to how many actualy get held up.
It would be a negligable amount i'd reckon.
Sean, any ideas on numbers up there ?
Dave
P.S thank's for the link to that site as well............I'm there.
Brittania slipping beneath the waves?
The empire that once ruled the world has come to this:
Oh woe, Nelson, Benbow, Hawke,and so many others would weep.
I think you forgot to mention that the 2 new Aircraft Carriers would be lacking any aircraft for a couple of years if both are delivered when planned - the saving grace being that of course the Carriers will not be delivered on schedule (Not yet announced - but oh so predictable!).
I beleive that at one time the RN was bigger than the next 4 Navies combined - their is a lesson for others here...........from an Empire to a Vassel State in living memory. Ho hum .
Closing bases is a tricky one - cos' of course with the end of Britain highly probable (IMO certain) well within the next 30 years, it would be somewhat silly to have any major bases located in a foreign country (Scotland)...........although nothing would surprise me
)
).......so maybe when folk are attacked / beleive that they are going to be attacked that they should claim on the 
.
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