Trying to Decide on Red Sea Passage

[Trim50]

My wife and I are now in Bundaberg, Australia trying to decide what route to take for the next season. Many of our friends are sailing to Singapore and shipping their boats to Turkey. Unfortunately we can't afford such a flight across the danger zone.

Has anyone heard anything new about the situation in the Gulf and Red Sea? Are boats still making their way through despite the pirate issues?

Any insight would be nice as we have been away from the news for quite sometime now.

Cheers!

[David_Old_Jersey]

Delivery Skipper (and crew)?!

[Trim50]

Not sure how a delivery skipper would help. Don't get me wrong, we really want to do the Red Sea to the Med. If the boat is going through, I'll be on it for sure. I'm just trying to determine if things are settling down or not.

[boatman61]

Yosser Hughes - Gizza Job - Boys from the Blackstuff - YouTube

[Talbot]

Trying to use the Red Sea at the moment is a recipe for disaster. You are better off going around the cape .

Take a look at the up-to-date maps at Live Piracy Map

[David_Old_Jersey]

The point on the Delivery Skipper / crew was that if Pirates turned up then at least you (and family) would not be onboard.....someone willing to take the risk would not be dirt cheap.

Although am a bit of a news watcher, not really sure what the present position is. I doubt if anyone really knows (not even the Somalis!). Seems to be on a downswing in vessels captured (albeit got another ship last month)....but that don't automatically mean they ain't out there.

As even the Volvo RTW recently decided to ship the boats (and they could afford and / or arrange far better escorts than the average Joe for travelling in convoy).....I would want a lot more certainty than at present. or a convoy with lots of guns .

http://maritimesecurity.asia/free-2/...avoid-pirates/

[SteveT]

Don't even think about it. Piracy is still rampant and a sail boat would be extremely vulnerable being neither fast enough nor big enough to easily dissuade them from boarding. For the latest updates check the MSCHOA website (MSC(HOA)) or ISAF Cruising website (ISAF : Cruising). When commercial vessels are carrying armed 'sea marshals' and are festooned with razor wire do you really want to risk your own safety let alone that of your crew? I hope not.

[David_Old_Jersey]

Just found this:-

[stillbuilding]

The Southern Ocean is looking good.

[S/V Alchemy]

Under the latest conditions, I wouldn't do the Red Sea if you paid me. And if I wouldn't do it, why would I pay someone else to do it with our boat?

I won't be there for a few years yet, but I anticipate the closest we will get will be the Maldives. Then it's straight to Madagascar and then around S.A. in weather windows. I too would like to go into the interesting Eastern Med via the Red Sea, but I find it far too risky at the moment and I think it will stay that way until the armed forces there decide to pirate the pirates and reintroduce the yardarm dance.

Oops, was that "political"?

[GordMay]

Originally Posted by S/V Alchemy

Under the latest conditions, I wouldn't do the Red Sea if you paid me. And if I wouldn't do it, why would I pay someone else to do it with our boat? ...

I also.

[capn_billl]

I haven't been in that part of the world, but I haven't seen or heard anything that indicates any changes in the piracy level.

When it is extremely stormy, the small open skiffs cannot range as far offshore, giving a small seasonal dip in number of ships captured, but a trip up the Red Sea still takes you right down their alley.

There are some political changes occuring in Yemen, it's too early to see if it will be better, or worse. But either way you still have to go through pirate infested waters to get to Yemen.

In my opinion, now is not the time.

Never roll the dice when the odds are against you.

[Randal Johnson]

We were one of the boats facing this decision in Cochin after making the passage from Malaysia in January. Quest was beside us at the dock in Cochin. We decided to ship for this reason. Had we been taken we would have lost our boat, probably our life's savings, and our friends and family would be faced with trying to raise money for ransom. Also the mental stress would probably be with us for the rest of our lives
I read recently that only 55 cruising boats made it through in 2011 and two of them were captured. We're in the Med now and plan on going down to the Northern Red Sea sometime before we leave, possibly the winter of 2012 or 2013.

[swagman]

Originally Posted by Randal Johnson

We were one of the boats facing this decision in Cochin after making the passage from Malaysia in January. Quest was beside us at the dock in Cochin. We decided to ship for this reason. Had we been taken we would have lost our boat, probably our life's savings, and our friends and family would be faced with trying to raise money for ransom. Also the mental stress would probably be with us for the rest of our lives
I read recently that only 55 cruising boats made it through in 2011 and two of them were captured. We're in the Med now and plan on going down to the Northern Red Sea sometime before we leave, possibly the winter of 2012 or 2013.

IMHO shipping it makes sense today.

With commercial vessels now better armed so they can repel attacks it's possible attacks on yachts might even increase.

Like all the others, I would not do it, but perhaps you'll enjoy the risk......

If you choose to make the passage might be worth checking the insurers are also happy.

Good luck

JOHN

[MacG]

The only thing reducing the risk to passable level will be a box of Mill's (not the beer) and a rotating Gatling .50 - you let them com till a 200 yards, employ the Gatling and finish them off with the Mills.
The only way to get your way through.