| Home |
| Search |
| Today's Posts |
|
#1
|
|||
|
|||
Cruisers vs. Pirates - for once the good guys win
I can't beleive no one else has posted this.
From www.latitude38.com: Cruisers Apparently Kill Attacking Pirates off Yemen March 16 - San Francisco Bay The following report by Rodney J. Nowlin, USN Retired, of the cruising vessel Mahdi, has been forwarded to us by many readers. It was written on March 11: "On March 8, 2005, two sailing yachts, Mahdi and Gandalf, were moving southwest 30 miles off the coast of Yemen proceeding to the port of Aden from Salalah, Oman. At about 0900, two outboard-powered boats, both about 25 feet long with three aboard, passed off our stern moving south at about 25 knots. An hour or two later they returned, one coming quite close and looking us over carefully. The second boat passed our bows, but quite a ways away. These boats were obviously not engaged in a normal activity such as fishing, etc. At that time we were south of Al Mukalla, Yemen. The area around Al Mukalla is well documented as being a piracy problem area, so we started watching carefully for anything out of the ordinary. "At about 1600, we observed two different boats approaching us head-on from the southwest. These boats were 25-30 feet long, had higher freeboard than the others, and were diesel powered. They were coming directly at us very quickly, and there were four men in each boat. The boats separated at about 200 yards, one boat ahead of the other, coming down Mahdi's port side and firing into the cockpit. The other boat fired an automatic weapon at both Gandalf and Mahdi, but mostly at Gandalf, from ahead. These guys were shooting directly at the cockpits, and obviously intended to kill us. "The first boat then swung around behind Mahdi's stern to come up and board us. At that point I, Rod Nowlin, aboard Mahdi and armed with a 12-gauge shotgun loaded with 00 buckshot, started shooting into their boat. I forced them to keep their heads down so that they could not shoot at us. I'm not sure that I hit anyone at that point, although I could see the driver of the boat crouched down behind a steering console. After firing three shots at them, their engine started to smoke, so I swung around to shoot at the boat ahead. "At that point, I saw Jay Barry on Gandalf ram the boat amidships, almost cutting it in two, and turning it almost completely over. I turned back around to shoot again at the boat behind Mahdi, and that is when they turned away from Mahdi and were heading toward the stern of Gandalf. Gandalf was beside us, about 100 feet away. The bow of the pirate's boat came right up against Gandalf's stern, and two men stood up on the bow to board Gandalf. That was a serious and probably fateful error on their part, as I shot both of them. The boat then veered away, and I shot the driver - although I'm not sure of the outcome because they were further away and my shot hadn't knocked him over like the other two. "Mahdi and Gandalf then kept going at full speed to put as much distance between the pirates and us as possible. As soon as we were out of rifle range, we looked back and saw that both boats were drifting and appeared to be disabled. "If Jay on Gandalf had not had the presence of mind to veer over into the one boat and ram it, the outcome of this attack would have been totally different, for all the pirates needed to do was stand off a ways and shoot us to pieces with their automatic weapons. We were extremely lucky. "We broadcast Mayday calls on all VHF and HF radio frequencies, including two HF emergency frequencies supplied by the U.S. Coast Guard a few days before. The Coalition Forces in the area were supposed to be monitoring these frequencies. There was no response except from a commercial ship in the area, which approached and observed the disabled pirates for a bit. They then motored alongside us for two to four hours until dark to make sure we would be all right. "The pirates were well organized and well armed. There were at least four boats involved. They had set up a picket line out from the Yemen coast, probably for at least 50-75 miles, so if you transited the area during the day they wouldn't miss you. The two boats that attacked us appeared to have come from the south. There has been speculation in the past that this ongoing piracy problem off the Yemen coast was being carried out by Somali pirates. Given the number, type of boats involved, and the direction the spotter boats came from, this does not appear to be correct in this case. The pirate problem has been getting worse and pirate attacks have been getting deadly. One could only expect that the Yemen government would take more direct action. At the very least, allow yachts to group in Salalah, Oman, and at some point on the northwest Yemen coast to request an escort. "We - Rod, Becky, and Jamee - just wanted to let you know that we are all fine, although a little traumatized. It's just a reminder that the cruising life is a thrill a minute! We have some damage to the boat from bullets, but nothing that can't be repaired." We regret we don't have more information - full names of all the crews, the boat types, and boat hailing ports - on Madhi and Gandalf. This area has always been active with pirates, but the level and sophistication of the activity seems to have picked up dramatically. We received another email which reported that cruising boats were transiting the area in convoys of six or more boats for safety, but even that wasn't enough. Heavily armed pirates have apparently been weeding out one boat at a time and taking their money and electronics. Be aware, however, our information is very, very sketchy, so we have no idea about the true extent of it. We'll try to find out more |
|
#2
|
|||
|
|||
|
That's pretty gnarly.
Cruisers Apparently Kill Attacking Pirates off Yemen March 16 - San Francisco Bay |
|
#4
|
|||
|
|||
|
Even better is buckshot tied together with piano wire... check this site out
for some really lethal ammo and stuff: http://www.firequest.com/ -- Keith __ A good pun is it's own reword. "Me" wrote in message ... Nothing like an Extended Mag 12 Ga. Shotgun loaded with 00 Buck, and Slugs, alternating, to give "Wouldbe Badguys" a Bad Day....... |
|
#5
|
|||
|
|||
|
Well. there are tons of stories about the bad guys killing the
good guys. God forbid the good guys might defend themselves and kill the bad guys. "joe_323" wrote in message ... I can't beleive no one else has posted this. From www.latitude38.com: Cruisers Apparently Kill Attacking Pirates off Yemen March 16 - San Francisco Bay The following report by Rodney J. Nowlin, USN Retired, of the cruising vessel Mahdi, has been forwarded to us by many readers. It was written on March 11: "On March 8, 2005, two sailing yachts, Mahdi and Gandalf, were moving southwest 30 miles off the coast of Yemen proceeding to the port of Aden from Salalah, Oman. At about 0900, two outboard-powered boats, both about 25 feet long with three aboard, passed off our stern moving south at about 25 knots. An hour or two later they returned, one coming quite close and looking us over carefully. The second boat passed our bows, but quite a ways away. These boats were obviously not engaged in a normal activity such as fishing, etc. At that time we were south of Al Mukalla, Yemen. The area around Al Mukalla is well documented as being a piracy problem area, so we started watching carefully for anything out of the ordinary. "At about 1600, we observed two different boats approaching us head-on from the southwest. These boats were 25-30 feet long, had higher freeboard than the others, and were diesel powered. They were coming directly at us very quickly, and there were four men in each boat. The boats separated at about 200 yards, one boat ahead of the other, coming down Mahdi's port side and firing into the cockpit. The other boat fired an automatic weapon at both Gandalf and Mahdi, but mostly at Gandalf, from ahead. These guys were shooting directly at the cockpits, and obviously intended to kill us. "The first boat then swung around behind Mahdi's stern to come up and board us. At that point I, Rod Nowlin, aboard Mahdi and armed with a 12-gauge shotgun loaded with 00 buckshot, started shooting into their boat. I forced them to keep their heads down so that they could not shoot at us. I'm not sure that I hit anyone at that point, although I could see the driver of the boat crouched down behind a steering console. After firing three shots at them, their engine started to smoke, so I swung around to shoot at the boat ahead. "At that point, I saw Jay Barry on Gandalf ram the boat amidships, almost cutting it in two, and turning it almost completely over. I turned back around to shoot again at the boat behind Mahdi, and that is when they turned away from Mahdi and were heading toward the stern of Gandalf. Gandalf was beside us, about 100 feet away. The bow of the pirate's boat came right up against Gandalf's stern, and two men stood up on the bow to board Gandalf. That was a serious and probably fateful error on their part, as I shot both of them. The boat then veered away, and I shot the driver - although I'm not sure of the outcome because they were further away and my shot hadn't knocked him over like the other two. "Mahdi and Gandalf then kept going at full speed to put as much distance between the pirates and us as possible. As soon as we were out of rifle range, we looked back and saw that both boats were drifting and appeared to be disabled. "If Jay on Gandalf had not had the presence of mind to veer over into the one boat and ram it, the outcome of this attack would have been totally different, for all the pirates needed to do was stand off a ways and shoot us to pieces with their automatic weapons. We were extremely lucky. "We broadcast Mayday calls on all VHF and HF radio frequencies, including two HF emergency frequencies supplied by the U.S. Coast Guard a few days before. The Coalition Forces in the area were supposed to be monitoring these frequencies. There was no response except from a commercial ship in the area, which approached and observed the disabled pirates for a bit. They then motored alongside us for two to four hours until dark to make sure we would be all right. "The pirates were well organized and well armed. There were at least four boats involved. They had set up a picket line out from the Yemen coast, probably for at least 50-75 miles, so if you transited the area during the day they wouldn't miss you. The two boats that attacked us appeared to have come from the south. There has been speculation in the past that this ongoing piracy problem off the Yemen coast was being carried out by Somali pirates. Given the number, type of boats involved, and the direction the spotter boats came from, this does not appear to be correct in this case. The pirate problem has been getting worse and pirate attacks have been getting deadly. One could only expect that the Yemen government would take more direct action. At the very least, allow yachts to group in Salalah, Oman, and at some point on the northwest Yemen coast to request an escort. "We - Rod, Becky, and Jamee - just wanted to let you know that we are all fine, although a little traumatized. It's just a reminder that the cruising life is a thrill a minute! We have some damage to the boat from bullets, but nothing that can't be repaired." We regret we don't have more information - full names of all the crews, the boat types, and boat hailing ports - on Madhi and Gandalf. This area has always been active with pirates, but the level and sophistication of the activity seems to have picked up dramatically. We received another email which reported that cruising boats were transiting the area in convoys of six or more boats for safety, but even that wasn't enough. Heavily armed pirates have apparently been weeding out one boat at a time and taking their money and electronics. Be aware, however, our information is very, very sketchy, so we have no idea about the true extent of it. We'll try to find out more |
|
#6
|
|||
|
|||
|
We were there last year. I don't believe a word about what happened. 3 points: - how can you see that people are firing at you instead of in the air at a distance of 100-200 meters??? - if you try to run of over a boat with 4 guys with automatic weapens, you're approaching at 6-7 knots. And that 4 guys with automatic weapens are not able to shoot the helmsman??? - if this is organised piracy / crime as suggested, how come there are only 1-2 incidents every year? Hard to make a living from that, even there.... I bet that the robbers fired in the air (like they use to do) to make them stop. This guy let them approach and took a shot at them at close range. I can understand that they don't want to tell that to the local authorities... And all the other yachties you're going to meet..... We heard that this particular guy has been a pain in the ass before and is retired US-navy. This guys created a lof of fear and risks for the people still to come.... JG "joe_323" wrote in message ... I can't beleive no one else has posted this. From www.latitude38.com: Cruisers Apparently Kill Attacking Pirates off Yemen March 16 - San Francisco Bay The following report by Rodney J. Nowlin, USN Retired, of the cruising vessel Mahdi, has been forwarded to us by many readers. It was written on March 11: "On March 8, 2005, two sailing yachts, Mahdi and Gandalf, were moving southwest 30 miles off the coast of Yemen proceeding to the port of Aden from Salalah, Oman. At about 0900, two outboard-powered boats, both about 25 feet long with three aboard, passed off our stern moving south at about 25 knots. An hour or two later they returned, one coming quite close and looking us over carefully. The second boat passed our bows, but quite a ways away. These boats were obviously not engaged in a normal activity such as fishing, etc. At that time we were south of Al Mukalla, Yemen. The area around Al Mukalla is well documented as being a piracy problem area, so we started watching carefully for anything out of the ordinary. "At about 1600, we observed two different boats approaching us head-on from the southwest. These boats were 25-30 feet long, had higher freeboard than the others, and were diesel powered. They were coming directly at us very quickly, and there were four men in each boat. The boats separated at about 200 yards, one boat ahead of the other, coming down Mahdi's port side and firing into the cockpit. The other boat fired an automatic weapon at both Gandalf and Mahdi, but mostly at Gandalf, from ahead. These guys were shooting directly at the cockpits, and obviously intended to kill us. "The first boat then swung around behind Mahdi's stern to come up and board us. At that point I, Rod Nowlin, aboard Mahdi and armed with a 12-gauge shotgun loaded with 00 buckshot, started shooting into their boat. I forced them to keep their heads down so that they could not shoot at us. I'm not sure that I hit anyone at that point, although I could see the driver of the boat crouched down behind a steering console. After firing three shots at them, their engine started to smoke, so I swung around to shoot at the boat ahead. "At that point, I saw Jay Barry on Gandalf ram the boat amidships, almost cutting it in two, and turning it almost completely over. I turned back around to shoot again at the boat behind Mahdi, and that is when they turned away from Mahdi and were heading toward the stern of Gandalf. Gandalf was beside us, about 100 feet away. The bow of the pirate's boat came right up against Gandalf's stern, and two men stood up on the bow to board Gandalf. That was a serious and probably fateful error on their part, as I shot both of them. The boat then veered away, and I shot the driver - although I'm not sure of the outcome because they were further away and my shot hadn't knocked him over like the other two. "Mahdi and Gandalf then kept going at full speed to put as much distance between the pirates and us as possible. As soon as we were out of rifle range, we looked back and saw that both boats were drifting and appeared to be disabled. "If Jay on Gandalf had not had the presence of mind to veer over into the one boat and ram it, the outcome of this attack would have been totally different, for all the pirates needed to do was stand off a ways and shoot us to pieces with their automatic weapons. We were extremely lucky. "We broadcast Mayday calls on all VHF and HF radio frequencies, including two HF emergency frequencies supplied by the U.S. Coast Guard a few days before. The Coalition Forces in the area were supposed to be monitoring these frequencies. There was no response except from a commercial ship in the area, which approached and observed the disabled pirates for a bit. They then motored alongside us for two to four hours until dark to make sure we would be all right. "The pirates were well organized and well armed. There were at least four boats involved. They had set up a picket line out from the Yemen coast, probably for at least 50-75 miles, so if you transited the area during the day they wouldn't miss you. The two boats that attacked us appeared to have come from the south. There has been speculation in the past that this ongoing piracy problem off the Yemen coast was being carried out by Somali pirates. Given the number, type of boats involved, and the direction the spotter boats came from, this does not appear to be correct in this case. The pirate problem has been getting worse and pirate attacks have been getting deadly. One could only expect that the Yemen government would take more direct action. At the very least, allow yachts to group in Salalah, Oman, and at some point on the northwest Yemen coast to request an escort. "We - Rod, Becky, and Jamee - just wanted to let you know that we are all fine, although a little traumatized. It's just a reminder that the cruising life is a thrill a minute! We have some damage to the boat from bullets, but nothing that can't be repaired." We regret we don't have more information - full names of all the crews, the boat types, and boat hailing ports - on Madhi and Gandalf. This area has always been active with pirates, but the level and sophistication of the activity seems to have picked up dramatically. We received another email which reported that cruising boats were transiting the area in convoys of six or more boats for safety, but even that wasn't enough. Heavily armed pirates have apparently been weeding out one boat at a time and taking their money and electronics. Be aware, however, our information is very, very sketchy, so we have no idea about the true extent of it. We'll try to find out more |
|
#7
|
|||
|
|||
|
"JG" wrote
- how can you see that people are firing at you instead of in the air at a distance of 100-200 meters??? Bullet holes appear in your boat?? - if you try to run of over a boat with 4 guys with automatic weapens, you're approaching at 6-7 knots. And that 4 guys with automatic weapens are not able to shoot the helmsman??? If the distance is only yards, boats are pitching, and helmsman is in rear maybe not - worth a try. I bet that the robbers fired in the air (like they use to do) to make them stop. This guy let them approach and took a shot at them at close range. I can understand that they don't want to tell that to the local authorities... And all the other yachties you're going to meet..... Where is the shame in letting attackers come within range befor taking them under fire? Sounds smart to me. We heard that this particular guy has been a pain in the ass before and is retired US-navy. This guys created a lof of fear and risks for the people still to come.... How does killing thieves create fear or risk for their victims? What do you think they should have done? |
|
#8
|
|||
|
|||
|
A business acquaintence is a good friend of the owners of Gandalf and he
exchanges email with them from time to time. My acquaintence tells me that Gandalf's owners are not prone to exaggeration nor likely to fabricate such a tale. TJR "JG" wrote in message ... We were there last year. I don't believe a word about what happened. 3 points: - how can you see that people are firing at you instead of in the air at a distance of 100-200 meters??? - if you try to run of over a boat with 4 guys with automatic weapens, you're approaching at 6-7 knots. And that 4 guys with automatic weapens are not able to shoot the helmsman??? - if this is organised piracy / crime as suggested, how come there are only 1-2 incidents every year? Hard to make a living from that, even there.... I bet that the robbers fired in the air (like they use to do) to make them stop. This guy let them approach and took a shot at them at close range. I can understand that they don't want to tell that to the local authorities... And all the other yachties you're going to meet..... We heard that this particular guy has been a pain in the ass before and is retired US-navy. This guys created a lof of fear and risks for the people still to come.... JG "joe_323" wrote in message ... I can't beleive no one else has posted this. From www.latitude38.com: Cruisers Apparently Kill Attacking Pirates off Yemen March 16 - San Francisco Bay The following report by Rodney J. Nowlin, USN Retired, of the cruising vessel Mahdi, has been forwarded to us by many readers. It was written on March 11: "On March 8, 2005, two sailing yachts, Mahdi and Gandalf, were moving southwest 30 miles off the coast of Yemen proceeding to the port of Aden from Salalah, Oman. At about 0900, two outboard-powered boats, both about 25 feet long with three aboard, passed off our stern moving south at about 25 knots. An hour or two later they returned, one coming quite close and looking us over carefully. The second boat passed our bows, but quite a ways away. These boats were obviously not engaged in a normal activity such as fishing, etc. At that time we were south of Al Mukalla, Yemen. The area around Al Mukalla is well documented as being a piracy problem area, so we started watching carefully for anything out of the ordinary. "At about 1600, we observed two different boats approaching us head-on from the southwest. These boats were 25-30 feet long, had higher freeboard than the others, and were diesel powered. They were coming directly at us very quickly, and there were four men in each boat. The boats separated at about 200 yards, one boat ahead of the other, coming down Mahdi's port side and firing into the cockpit. The other boat fired an automatic weapon at both Gandalf and Mahdi, but mostly at Gandalf, from ahead. These guys were shooting directly at the cockpits, and obviously intended to kill us. "The first boat then swung around behind Mahdi's stern to come up and board us. At that point I, Rod Nowlin, aboard Mahdi and armed with a 12-gauge shotgun loaded with 00 buckshot, started shooting into their boat. I forced them to keep their heads down so that they could not shoot at us. I'm not sure that I hit anyone at that point, although I could see the driver of the boat crouched down behind a steering console. After firing three shots at them, their engine started to smoke, so I swung around to shoot at the boat ahead. "At that point, I saw Jay Barry on Gandalf ram the boat amidships, almost cutting it in two, and turning it almost completely over. I turned back around to shoot again at the boat behind Mahdi, and that is when they turned away from Mahdi and were heading toward the stern of Gandalf. Gandalf was beside us, about 100 feet away. The bow of the pirate's boat came right up against Gandalf's stern, and two men stood up on the bow to board Gandalf. That was a serious and probably fateful error on their part, as I shot both of them. The boat then veered away, and I shot the driver - although I'm not sure of the outcome because they were further away and my shot hadn't knocked him over like the other two. "Mahdi and Gandalf then kept going at full speed to put as much distance between the pirates and us as possible. As soon as we were out of rifle range, we looked back and saw that both boats were drifting and appeared to be disabled. "If Jay on Gandalf had not had the presence of mind to veer over into the one boat and ram it, the outcome of this attack would have been totally different, for all the pirates needed to do was stand off a ways and shoot us to pieces with their automatic weapons. We were extremely lucky. "We broadcast Mayday calls on all VHF and HF radio frequencies, including two HF emergency frequencies supplied by the U.S. Coast Guard a few days before. The Coalition Forces in the area were supposed to be monitoring these frequencies. There was no response except from a commercial ship in the area, which approached and observed the disabled pirates for a bit. They then motored alongside us for two to four hours until dark to make sure we would be all right. "The pirates were well organized and well armed. There were at least four boats involved. They had set up a picket line out from the Yemen coast, probably for at least 50-75 miles, so if you transited the area during the day they wouldn't miss you. The two boats that attacked us appeared to have come from the south. There has been speculation in the past that this ongoing piracy problem off the Yemen coast was being carried out by Somali pirates. Given the number, type of boats involved, and the direction the spotter boats came from, this does not appear to be correct in this case. The pirate problem has been getting worse and pirate attacks have been getting deadly. One could only expect that the Yemen government would take more direct action. At the very least, allow yachts to group in Salalah, Oman, and at some point on the northwest Yemen coast to request an escort. "We - Rod, Becky, and Jamee - just wanted to let you know that we are all fine, although a little traumatized. It's just a reminder that the cruising life is a thrill a minute! We have some damage to the boat from bullets, but nothing that can't be repaired." We regret we don't have more information - full names of all the crews, the boat types, and boat hailing ports - on Madhi and Gandalf. This area has always been active with pirates, but the level and sophistication of the activity seems to have picked up dramatically. We received another email which reported that cruising boats were transiting the area in convoys of six or more boats for safety, but even that wasn't enough. Heavily armed pirates have apparently been weeding out one boat at a time and taking their money and electronics. Be aware, however, our information is very, very sketchy, so we have no idea about the true extent of it. We'll try to find out more |
|
#9
|
|||
|
|||
|
Yes you can .... you need a bonded locker. Just about every
commmercial ship has one. In article , scroffula wrote: You can carry a shotgun on a sailboat? Every customs I've ever seen asks out outright, "do you have guns on board?" And then they look for them. On Sat, 19 Mar 2005 03:44:06 GMT, (joe_323) wrote: I can't beleive no one else has posted this. From www.latitude38.com: Cruisers Apparently Kill Attacking Pirates off Yemen March 16 - San Francisco Bay The following report by Rodney J. Nowlin, USN Retired, of the cruising vessel Mahdi, has been forwarded to us by many readers. It was written on March 11: "On March 8, 2005, two sailing yachts, Mahdi and Gandalf, were moving southwest 30 miles off the coast of Yemen proceeding to the port of Aden from Salalah, Oman. At about 0900, two outboard-powered boats, both about 25 feet long with three aboard, passed off our stern moving south at about 25 knots. An hour or two later they returned, one coming quite close and looking us over carefully. The second boat passed our bows, but quite a ways away. These boats were obviously not engaged in a normal activity such as fishing, etc. At that time we were south of Al Mukalla, Yemen. The area around Al Mukalla is well documented as being a piracy problem area, so we started watching carefully for anything out of the ordinary. "At about 1600, we observed two different boats approaching us head-on from the southwest. These boats were 25-30 feet long, had higher freeboard than the others, and were diesel powered. They were coming directly at us very quickly, and there were four men in each boat. The boats separated at about 200 yards, one boat ahead of the other, coming down Mahdi's port side and firing into the cockpit. The other boat fired an automatic weapon at both Gandalf and Mahdi, but mostly at Gandalf, from ahead. These guys were shooting directly at the cockpits, and obviously intended to kill us. "The first boat then swung around behind Mahdi's stern to come up and board us. At that point I, Rod Nowlin, aboard Mahdi and armed with a 12-gauge shotgun loaded with 00 buckshot, started shooting into their boat. I forced them to keep their heads down so that they could not shoot at us. I'm not sure that I hit anyone at that point, although I could see the driver of the boat crouched down behind a steering console. After firing three shots at them, their engine started to smoke, so I swung around to shoot at the boat ahead. "At that point, I saw Jay Barry on Gandalf ram the boat amidships, almost cutting it in two, and turning it almost completely over. I turned back around to shoot again at the boat behind Mahdi, and that is when they turned away from Mahdi and were heading toward the stern of Gandalf. Gandalf was beside us, about 100 feet away. The bow of the pirate's boat came right up against Gandalf's stern, and two men stood up on the bow to board Gandalf. That was a serious and probably fateful error on their part, as I shot both of them. The boat then veered away, and I shot the driver - although I'm not sure of the outcome because they were further away and my shot hadn't knocked him over like the other two. "Mahdi and Gandalf then kept going at full speed to put as much distance between the pirates and us as possible. As soon as we were out of rifle range, we looked back and saw that both boats were drifting and appeared to be disabled. "If Jay on Gandalf had not had the presence of mind to veer over into the one boat and ram it, the outcome of this attack would have been totally different, for all the pirates needed to do was stand off a ways and shoot us to pieces with their automatic weapons. We were extremely lucky. "We broadcast Mayday calls on all VHF and HF radio frequencies, including two HF emergency frequencies supplied by the U.S. Coast Guard a few days before. The Coalition Forces in the area were supposed to be monitoring these frequencies. There was no response except from a commercial ship in the area, which approached and observed the disabled pirates for a bit. They then motored alongside us for two to four hours until dark to make sure we would be all right. "The pirates were well organized and well armed. There were at least four boats involved. They had set up a picket line out from the Yemen coast, probably for at least 50-75 miles, so if you transited the area during the day they wouldn't miss you. The two boats that attacked us appeared to have come from the south. There has been speculation in the past that this ongoing piracy problem off the Yemen coast was being carried out by Somali pirates. Given the number, type of boats involved, and the direction the spotter boats came from, this does not appear to be correct in this case. The pirate problem has been getting worse and pirate attacks have been getting deadly. One could only expect that the Yemen government would take more direct action. At the very least, allow yachts to group in Salalah, Oman, and at some point on the northwest Yemen coast to request an escort. "We - Rod, Becky, and Jamee - just wanted to let you know that we are all fine, although a little traumatized. It's just a reminder that the cruising life is a thrill a minute! We have some damage to the boat from bullets, but nothing that can't be repaired." We regret we don't have more information - full names of all the crews, the boat types, and boat hailing ports - on Madhi and Gandalf. This area has always been active with pirates, but the level and sophistication of the activity seems to have picked up dramatically. We received another email which reported that cruising boats were transiting the area in convoys of six or more boats for safety, but even that wasn't enough. Heavily armed pirates have apparently been weeding out one boat at a time and taking their money and electronics. Be aware, however, our information is very, very sketchy, so we have no idea about the true extent of it. We'll try to find out more |
|
#10
|
|||
|
|||
|
"Rich Hampel" wrote in message
... Yes you can .... you need a bonded locker. Just about every commmercial ship has one. Please tell us more. What comprises a bonded locker and how does one get it bonded? |
| Reply |
| Thread Tools | Search this Thread |
| Display Modes | |
|
|
Similar Threads
|
||||
| Thread | Forum | |||
| O.T. Some Good Points | General | |||
Linear Mode
