Pirates Shatter Dream

[SimonV]

I found this story. original here. Sail-World.com : Dream shattered by pirates.

Just one typical story that tells it all about today's situation for the long range cruising sailor. Scott Hufford had a dream of sailing the world. He has braved many adversities since he left California many years ago, spending time in many countries along the way. Now he has had to stop, and it's not because of ill-health or maintenance problems and he hasn't run out of money. It's because of Somali pirates.

Sailing a cutter-rigged Brewer 37 called Pure Chance, Scott Hufford, from Rancho Cucamonga in West Los Angeles, has reached Kochi in India with his Thai wife Alicia, but will now fly home, and have his yacht shipped by a cargo ship.

Visibly disappointed this week, the 60-year-old sailor said that after a life braving fires and rough seas, he knows discretion is certainly the better part of valour.

'Sailing is my passion. But my country has advised me to keep away from certain areas due to the pirate threat. They told that they will not be able to protect me from pirates if I sail back to the US,' Scott says.

While Scott and Alicia will take a plane back to the States, his yacht will be despatched home in a container ship. His $120,000 yacht is named 'Pure Chance' but Scott, who originally wanted to take the Atlantic route via Yemen, the Red Sea and the Mediterranean on the way back home, is not willing to take any more chances.

'As per the advisory from my government, pirates have stopped attacking big ships due to the presence of armed guards on board the ships and have started to target small boats and yachts.

'I have been specifically asked to keep away from Red Sea and Gulf coast,' Scott, a retired fire fighter from the US fire force, reveals.

It will cost him $ 20,000 for shipping his yacht to the US. 'I have sought permission from the customs and they are processing my papers. The yacht has been loaded into a flat bottom and top-open container,' he says.

Once the papers are ready the container will be loaded onto a vessel bound for Sri Lanka from where it will be off-loaded and loaded again onto a mother vessel which will carry Scott's yacht to the east coast of the USA. Scott will sail it home from there.
by Times/Sail-World

[David M]

He could have played the odds or sailed around Africa. Just saying that there are alternatives to throwing in the towel.

[charliehows]

hmm pirate thread, to bite or not to bite that is the question...

[SimonV]

Originally Posted by David M

He could have played the odds or sailed around Africa. Just saying that there are alternatives to throwing in the towel.

From what I can glean from the web, the east and west coasts of Africa have their own Piracy problems. I don't know why he didn't just use a carrier to get to the Med.

[GaryMayo]

Odd he sailed into something he cannot sail out of again. Better safe than sorry I guess.

I cannot believe it only cost 20 grand to ship a big sailboat like that half way around the world. Sounds more like a bid from New York to LA.

[jeremiason]

I don't understand why he didn't ship it to Cypress or Turkey and continue on...

Probably would have been cheaper too.

[ArtM]

It sounds like the journalist has chosen to tell only half the story.

Jeremiason, I hope he doesn't read your post. He is probably going to cut his wrists when he sees that!

[Heinous]

YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAR

[TeddyDiver]

A lot of lovely places to go southern route round Africa. And there's no reason not to take a side track to Red sea from Med if one want's to see it too, just not too much south.. me thinks..

[capn_billl]

Whatever the reason, in the civilized parts of the world ships are allowed to run unmolested.

Without western technology there would be no pirates.

I personally would not want to take the chance of being held prisoner for months or years waiting on my relatives to take a collection to bail me out.

A million dollars would bankrupt most of my family tree.

That leaves avoiding an entire section of the globe. Even having someone come aboard with a gun or a knife, and taking my GPS and cash is a less daunting prospect.

It is not an accident that most civilised countries place a higher penalty on kidnapping than any other crime.

This person has followed the majority advice, and freighted his ship out of danger. Imagine the flaming if he had decided to risk it, and gotten captured.

[medicrene]

My wife and I are planning to start our circumnavigation from San Francisco this October. Our plan has always been to sail to the edge of pirate territory and then load the boat onto a ship for transport. I would be interested in hearing from people who have shipped their sailboats to learn about how it is done and the costs they have incurred.

The Witchdoctor

[The Blue Heron]

It is stupidity to sail in these waters with the current ROE. This Captain made a wise decision.

[capn_billl]

I wouldn't even be as concerned if the political climate was on our side. But right now it appears as if the pirates heve more world sympathy than "those rich yachties that if they have enough money to be there, should have enough money to get themselves out".

Hold a young couple with small children hostage for a year, while raping and torturing them, and their children, is no biggie, but kill one of these animals, and world opinion is on their side. "they are just inocent fishermen, trying to feed their familes".

I personally don't get it, and believe violence is the only solution to this problem, but the rest of the world apparently believes, if you just buy them more and better boats, they will abandon a highly profitable piracy industry, and go back to catching fish.

[zeehag]

indian ocean has been a problem since i was very young. when the man left kali, it was a problem why did he not adjust his plans accordingly--folks have been avoiding the area for decades. those sailing thru have been doing so at their own risk. suddenly for him is a problem? oops.

[JoeDiver]

I don't get it....there's so many nice places to go on this planet....why not just go to them and avoid the bad areas? If you sail too close to a bad area, can't you just turn around and go back, or somewhere else?

What happened to groups of boats transiting these areas together?