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#1
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Addendum to Gulf of Aden piracy attack
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#2
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Peter Hendra wrote in
: http://www.noonsite.com/Members/doina/R2005-04-25-2 Is it just me or are there others that think taking an unarmed, unguarded, VERY expensive display of one's great affluence (big yacht) into waters where the average family lives on $US200/year plus whatever they can steal is a REALLY DUMB THING TO DO! Isn't this the reason multibillionaires in huge Rolls Royce limos DON'T drive through (place the name of your local slum here) waving their money around after dark all by themselves? Why do some, not all but some, affluent boaters think they are completely immune from the rest of us and do really dumb things like sail along the coast of really ugly dictatorships (just pick any you like)? How do these REALLY STUPID PEOPLE get so RICH??!! |
#3
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Larry,
What makes you think that they are rich? They may have all their net worth tied up in a $50K boat and be getting by on $1000/mo from the remaining $24K of their $75K they got from selling their house that they paid off over 30 years. Did you really post this or was it that troll thats been lurking around using other peoples identities? Don W. Larry W4CSC wrote: Peter Hendra wrote in : http://www.noonsite.com/Members/doina/R2005-04-25-2 Is it just me or are there others that think taking an unarmed, unguarded, VERY expensive display of one's great affluence (big yacht) into waters where the average family lives on $US200/year plus whatever they can steal is a REALLY DUMB THING TO DO! Isn't this the reason multibillionaires in huge Rolls Royce limos DON'T drive through (place the name of your local slum here) waving their money around after dark all by themselves? Why do some, not all but some, affluent boaters think they are completely immune from the rest of us and do really dumb things like sail along the coast of really ugly dictatorships (just pick any you like)? How do these REALLY STUPID PEOPLE get so RICH??!! |
#4
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Don W wrote in
: What makes you think that they are rich? Real poor boaters don't go on round-the-world cruises to this exotic a place, very often. Besides, poor boaters I know are smarter than to go around unarmed. You try to board them, you'll find yourself looking into the business end of some pretty heavy hardware. I only know a few poor boaters this crazy.....(c; |
#5
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my question is: why the **** would anybody go to that part of the world for
any reason whatsoever. It's like taking a tour through Compton at night and then expecting the cops to run to your aid every time somebody comes at you down a dark alley. If you have a death wish and decide to travel through the ********s of the world take big guns and lots of ammo and don't expect any help when you are inevitably attacked. "Larry W4CSC" wrote in message ... Don W wrote in : What makes you think that they are rich? Real poor boaters don't go on round-the-world cruises to this exotic a place, very often. Besides, poor boaters I know are smarter than to go around unarmed. You try to board them, you'll find yourself looking into the business end of some pretty heavy hardware. I only know a few poor boaters this crazy.....(c; |
#6
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"Falky foo" wrote in
om: my question is: why the **** would anybody go to that part of the world for any reason whatsoever. It's like taking a tour through Compton at night and then expecting the cops to run to your aid every time somebody comes at you down a dark alley. If you have a death wish and decide to travel through the ********s of the world take big guns and lots of ammo and don't expect any help when you are inevitably attacked. Same reason they go to sea in the teeth of a storm. They're looking for that adventure and adrenaline rush.....well, until they're seriously threatened.... |
#7
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Larry,
If this is the same account I read, they successfully fended off the pirates using a 12 guage shotgun and buckshot. One of the pirate boats was rammed and sunk. Most likely at least two of the pirates were killed outright by gunfire (12 guage with 00 buck at 20 yard range = probably dead). The engine on the boat that wasn't sunk was disabled by the same shotgun. I'd say that this (former navy guy too) cruiser did all right when the ball went up, even if they did have some bullet marks in the sailboat when everything was said and done. Guess they could have taken the long way around the horn of Africa and avoided all the trouble, but it looks like they were prepared to deal with what the area was likely to dish out. Also, it sounds like they had steel boats, so didn't have to worry about bullets whizzing through the plastic. and FF, I don't think that they were crying about no one coming to their aid. They were just advising other cruisers in the area not to expect any help from the friendlies. Don W. Larry W4CSC wrote: "Falky foo" wrote in om: my question is: why the **** would anybody go to that part of the world for any reason whatsoever. It's like taking a tour through Compton at night and then expecting the cops to run to your aid every time somebody comes at you down a dark alley. If you have a death wish and decide to travel through the ********s of the world take big guns and lots of ammo and don't expect any help when you are inevitably attacked. Same reason they go to sea in the teeth of a storm. They're looking for that adventure and adrenaline rush.....well, until they're seriously threatened.... |
#8
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On Tue, 24 May 2005 14:00:17 -0400, Larry W4CSC
wrote: Don W wrote in m: What makes you think that they are rich? Real poor boaters don't go on round-the-world cruises to this exotic a place, very often. Besides, poor boaters I know are smarter than to go around unarmed. You try to board them, you'll find yourself looking into the business end of some pretty heavy hardware. I only know a few poor boaters this crazy.....(c; Firstly, if you look at a map of the world and then wind patterns you will see that from Australia and New Zealand that, unless one wishes to go east around Cape Horn in the roaring 40s, there are only two routes to Europe. 1 Around the top of Australia and thence down to Mauritius and the Cape of Good Hope - the long way. 2. From the top of Australia either through South East Asia to the Red Sea or direct to Sri Lanka and thence to the Red Sea. Either way means that you have to pass through the Gulf of Aden where there have been many recent attacks. If one passes through SEA then the other pirate areas are in the southern Phillippines which can be avoided by sailing through Indonesia and the Malacca Straits. This area can easily be avoided by sailing up the Malaysian side of the Straits (which are heavily patroled and are devoid of attacks). I know because I worked for Royal Malaysian Customs for over two years in the marine section. We recently built 27 new 17 metre GRP fast (55 knots) armed patrol boats to keep up with the fast pirate and smuggling boats. They have twin 1200 HP MTU turbo-charged diesels, have greater range than our smaller boats and are faster than our 10 20 year old 32 metre vessels. The Piracy attacks are on the Indonesian side of the straits. They (the Indonesians) are trying to suppress it and have 10 new 28 metre aluminium (5000 HP - 40 knots) boats but they have such a huge coastline. I know that they are doing their best as I spent some days on one of their boats on patrol during a joint exercise. We sailed through the Gulf of Aden in March 2002. The known attacks (two within two weeks prior to our leaving Salalah, Oman) were in a corridor 50 miles wide between Somalia and Yemen and were all in daylight - some boats were followed in the early morning pre-light. We picked a spot in the centre to be at mid-night and sailed without lights and without using the radio. A few weeks before us a convoy of over 20 yachts also passed through. We had previously had one scare whilst sailing through Indonesia in an isolated area when three fast boats with no fishing gear and no cargo wanted to board us. I guess we were lucky. Finally as to these yachtees being rich - we built our own boat and have worked for years to be able to afford it. Many others are the same. We certainly cannot afford the high prices of European marinas. Also, we are glad that we have had a chance to visit (we sail alone by choice) the countries such as Indonesia, Malaysia and along the Red Sea. In places such as Sudan, Yemen and Saudi Arabia where there are no tourists we were given incredible hospitality and had experiences that no tourist could buy for money. In Malaysia our son was king. Where else could a ten year old get to be taken around in a fast rib, stay in people's homes, get to fire a pistol and an M-16 and get to go on patrol? In Europe, with its long tradition of tourism, how does one get to meet the local people? In Europe, like other yachtees, we fear theft (by other boatees) and always lock ourselves in at night. There have been two recent attacks on yachts by people boarding and robbing in the Straits of Messina and in the Bay of Naples. We have learned to look out for rental yachts and the moronic behaviour and dangerous practices of their crew. It has been incredible to watch them (often) anchoring close to one as in a car parking lot with short scope and not allowing for wind changes. We have seen them tie 40 foot yachts to small buoys marking an anchorage and wonder why they dragged onto other boats in the first puff of wind. No, I am not a moaner - ask anyone who sails in this area. Give me the isolated parts of the world any time. Moslem countries are far safer for a family than many non-Moslem ones. We seldom locked our boat at night in any of them. The perception of these areas as being dangerous for foreigners is over-rated. We sailed into Aden the day after the US invasion of Iraq. Some American friends three days behind us needed fuel. We radioed them that it was safe to come in as the Port was well guarded. The customs/immigration officer told them "Welcome to our country. Do not be afraid of anything happening to you. We are not anti-American. It is just that we are opposed to US policy. We also realise that only half of Americans voted for Bush and you look like sensible people who would not have voted for him (they hadn't). If there is anything we can do for you, please ask" They had a great time at Aden, walked about the town, were greeted by people and never experienced anything but friendliness. |
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