If you knew there had been a recent piracy attack where you were heading, would you keep your intended course and still set your sailboat towards that destination? What would you do? How would you react?
This is Sumatra, but are those pirates or fishermen?
We’re in Sumatran waters now and piracy continues to plague seafarers, so what does it mean when a fishing boat follows and circles you for some miles in open water?
Danish Released, Chandlers Talk & Piracy Poll
Only four days in and already the week has been a busy one on the piracy front. We have three important news items for your perusal: the release of the Danish sailors from Somalia, the Chandlers talking on BBC and the Piracy Update Facebook page and poll.
WHAT??? Piracy Is Costing $12 Billion!
As if you non-seafaring people out there needed convincing, the latest figures via The Times has piracy costing the global economy $12 billion a year. In the same week that Dutch marines kill two Somalia pirates, a London law firm which specialises in the field, was quoted as saying “matters are deteriorating at every level”.
Whilst our sailing friends are well aware of the dangers of piracy, it’s not until one reads the numbers that the problem of piracy is put into perspective for the rest of us. It is truly a global concern that affects everyone. In a future post we’ll be putting together a couple of ideas on how you can help support anti-piracy causes. Meanwhile, read about the latest figures here. We’d like to hear your views on the subject too.
Indian Navy Demonstrates How To ‘Do’ Pirates Properly!
This morning the marina manager brought us the fantastic news that the Indian navy has caught yet another boat load of pirates! It was a huge catch with 61 seized in all. Yep, 61 of the b******s. Good.
The Hindu has a good report on the capture, which we precis in our blog post. What’s most encouraging, however, is the photograph that has been issued along with the report. It’s a photo of all 61 pirates sitting like lame ducks on board the navy vessel.
Whilst I do not condone the death penalty I do hope these pirates are proverbially strung up alive by the Indian justice system. Good riddance to them.
The Kuzey Kibris Rally
The first night of the rally was pirate-themed, hence the eye-shadow. Somewhere in my tiny brain I thought perhaps I bore a vague resemblance to Johnny Depp in ‘Pirates…’, but then I do have to keep reminding myself that he’s not a fat ****, so I just ended up looking like a gay English lout.
