Worse and 'Worser'. . .

[PorkLoin]

Kettlewell, Have you ever sailed to Australia? At some point your visa will expire and moving on becomes less a matter of choice and more a consequence of Australian immigration law. The cyclone season here is between November and April, just about the time the S.E. trade winds set in. While it is possible to sail eastward via the North Pacific, most cruisers will not. There are to my knowledge however, more than 20 boats doing just that this year. It is a long haul, taking a typical cruising boat 50 days or more to make the journey. They have altered their plans to sail via the North Indian Ocean through the Gulf of Aden, Red Sea and Suez Canal into the Middle East and Europe. This is so due to increased incidents of piracy in the Arabian Sea and North Indian Ocean. Using Chagos Archipeligo as a waiting place for boats sailing between South East Asia, in particular Thailand, and South Africa is now for the most part an impractical option. Presently, the maximum stay allowed there is 28 days, not long enough to sit out the cyclone season before sailing on to S.A.. The point I am trying to make is that once you are well into a voyage, your options are diminished. Immigration law, seasonal change and other factors like policy changes affected by those monitoring our usage of some anchorages, and hazards such as internal insurrection, war, and other types of political and social conflict will ultimately influence our sailing itinerary. You cannot always just go some place else..... Svarmido

[sneuman]

Svarmido - The prime aim of terrorism is to instill a paralyzing fear, which relates to the imagined rather than the real threat. Sadly, it often succeeds, as we can see.

I guess we'll have to agree to disagree. We obviously have two different worldviews.

[PorkLoin]

Sneuman, You seem to be in a state of denial. How can a person who has worked gathering information for dissemination to others profess such a viewpoint when every day, people are being killed and maimed at the hands of terrorists. You read newspapers don't you? This is very real. It is not a figment of yours or my imagination. For you to suggest I am making decisions about where I will and will not go based upon fear is preposterous and an unwarranted insult. You go where you want and I'll go where I want. You expose yourself to danger to the degree you want and I'll do my best to avoid injury and death caused by hazards known to exist in various parts of the world. If you think everything is over stated by the media, maybe it is about time you employed the simple tool called Google and start counting incidences of death and injury caused by terrorist attacks. Why not begin with the Bali bombing and Mumbai massacre in India? Ignorance is a useful tool for avoiding paralyzing fear and bearing responsibility for one's decisions in life. Svarmido

[Red Mantis]

Originally Posted by svarmido

For you to suggest I am making decisions about where I will and will not go based upon fear is preposterous and an unwarranted insult.

With respect, mate, you're the one who opened this thread with a dig about how sailors who differ from your preferred route selection are "brain dead." Those are your words, which set the tenor for everything that has followed. Not really surprising, considering that the subject is contentious to begin with.

To revisit an argument made above: terrorists want to instill terror. Blowing things up is just a means to that end. Your body may be unharmed, but it is apparent to a lot of us reading this thread that you are a victim of terrorism just the same.

[Astrid]

Salty: they also have KFC in Mauritius.

[David_Old_Jersey]

There also be monsters under yer bed

BOO!

[sww914]

Joshua Slocum was attacked by Indians armed with bows & arrows during his circumnavigation, I doubt that that's a concern now. I guess I'd trade the loss of the Red Sea passage for an epirb anytime. I think that most of South America is still pretty wide open as is both sides of Canada, Alaska and the whole Pacific Coast of Russia. You can go to China now, too. China is big. And all of Eastern Europe is open now. Not too accessible by boat but there are a bunch of countries that you couldn't visit 25 years ago that will now joyfully accept your presence and $$$. Khasikstan and Mongolia too. Either is certainly a long train ride from the marina but it is now possible where it wasn't in the past. Good & bad everywhere and you can remember more of whichever one you choose.

[tropicalescape]

Originally Posted by David_Old_Jersey

There also be monsters under yer bed

BOO!

naaa... she(monster) was IN the bed ..had to make her leave along with the taliban and abusaef and jamalislami and all those other nice folks that dont want to harm westerners DVC

[barnakiel]

From Darwin on, we had a hell of good time back in 2006/2007.

b.

[CaptainAlf]

Quite amusing thread - I never thought that guys like svarmido ever would make it around the planet...oh sorry they rather will make it than people like me. I'm already stuck in Thailand since 5 years. But I'm probably just ignorant to all that terror and criminality...

[Talbot]

One of the earlier posts in this thread did raise an important point. It is about perception of riches.

Whilst of course there are cruisers who have a golden spoon and servants etc and flash their cash from their 100ft yachts / we all consider them as rich.

However for most of us trying to exist on a small pension or from the sale of the house, sailing a 10-20 year old boat (or older) that represents most of our life savings, we would consider ourselves as not well off, and some as poor.

Contrast the people who are experiencing their 4th year of drought, family is starving, no real shelter, no job or even any expectation of getting one, no goods that can be sold for cash, no cash - and they come across a yacht with stacks of food and goodies that can be sold for cash, I defy anyone to say that they would not be tempted.

[capn_billl]

There would be no adventure without some risk.

That said I would rather avoid areas where the people are actively at war against people like me, (or that I might be mistaken for).

[tropicalescape]

Originally Posted by Talbot

One of the earlier posts in this thread did raise an important point. It is about perception of riches.

Whilst of course there are cruisers who have a golden spoon and servants etc and flash their cash from their 100ft yachts / we all consider them as rich.

However for most of us trying to exist on a small pension or from the sale of the house, sailing a 10-20 year old boat (or older) that represents most of our life savings, we would consider ourselves as not well off, and some as poor.

Contrast the people who are experiencing their 4th year of drought, family is starving, no real shelter, no job or even any expectation of getting one, no goods that can be sold for cash, no cash - and they come across a yacht with stacks of food and goodies that can be sold for cash, I defy anyone to say that they would not be tempted.

Very well said ..wish I could articulate my meaning as well as you..DVC

[jglauds]

A few months back, as we were changing our circumnavigation plans from the Red Sea to South Africa, I heard about a communicable disease on Mauritius I think ... I moaned about the ceaseless litany of bad news, and someone posted a wonderful rejoinder video -- Frank Sinatra singing "That's Life."

I cracked up, realized the folly of complaining, and embraced the possibilities of the alternate route -- while of course, preparing for it.

We've sailed from Thursday Island to Banda, Ambon, Flores, Lombok, and now Bali -- by ourselves, no rally help, and have encountered wonderful people, officials, and villages. In Ambon, I was cleared in on a holiday, with the port captain coming in from home since they were proud to assert they were open 24x7, and paid the equivalent of $2.00 for the clearance.

Fuel has always been available -- at prices that would make Australian's blush.

The people have been wonderful; the villages happy to embrace us.

We leave soon for Cocos, Mauritius, and SA ... a bit sad that pirates have prevented us from sailing up the Red Sea ... but excited at the prospects of a one-canal circumnavigation!

/jon
ile de Grace

[alan_za]

Originally Posted by svarmido

Sneuman, You seem to be in a state of denial. How can a person who has worked gathering information for dissemination to others profess such a viewpoint when every day, people are being killed and maimed at the hands of terrorists. You read newspapers don't you? This is very real. It is not a figment of yours or my imagination. For you to suggest I am making decisions about where I will and will not go based upon fear is preposterous and an unwarranted insult. You go where you want and I'll go where I want. You expose yourself to danger to the degree you want and I'll do my best to avoid injury and death caused by hazards known to exist in various parts of the world. If you think everything is over stated by the media, maybe it is about time you employed the simple tool called Google and start counting incidences of death and injury caused by terrorist attacks. Why not begin with the Bali bombing and Mumbai massacre in India? Ignorance is a useful tool for avoiding paralyzing fear and bearing responsibility for one's decisions in life. Svarmido

Haha, you must be a troll. Far more people die of heart attacks then terrorist attacks, but that doesn't stop you from stuffing junk food into your mouth, does it? Ignorance indeed.