On Piracy

By Darrel

When Loretta and I set off on our circumnavigation in 2004 we knew of certain areas which were prone to piracy. At that time however, piracy was usually considered to be cases of minor theft so in preparation we took a few precautions to avoid a piracy situation. For example when we left the Caribbean islands heading for the Panama Canal we tried to travel with at least one other boat and in questionable areas we would travel without lights and unnecessary communication on the VHF radio. We also stayed a safe distance of at least fifty miles off the Venezuelan and Columbian coasts. We try to keep our deck clear from any inviting items to attract theft, and we lock up our dinghy as well as our doors and hatches.

When we arrived in S.E. Asia three years ago, we had only planned a one month stop in Malaysia with another one month stop in Thailand after which we would continue westward across the Indian Ocean and up the Red Sea into the Mediterranean. Believe it or not, just three years ago, piracy in the Indian Ocean and passing by Somalia was a minor issue.

After sitting in Thailand for a year, the piracy (or sea terrorists as we prefer to call them) began to escalate, especially near the coast of Somalia. This still did not cause us too much anxiety since we would be staying along the Oman coast which was still considered to be relatively safe. Besides we were still not certain at that time when we would be heading west. However, two years later, the sea terrorists were expanding their hunting grounds and had changed from taking over yachts and removing anything of value to capturing the yachts and crew and taking them back to Somalia where they would be held for ransom. We have heard that the Somali pirates now have over 800 hostages from yachts, fishing boats, cargo ships and anything else that floats within 1500 miles of Somalia. They have now taken over the entire waters eastward to Yemen and as far south as the Seychelles.

Now that three years have passed since we arrived in S.E Asia, the open corridor for sailing up the Red Sea has been slammed shut. Loretta and I are astounded that a small community can take over a major transportation route serving vessels of all sizes.

Needless to say, if we were to continue west, we would be altering our route to go south around the Cape of Good Hope thereby missing the Red Sea altogether.  

Some yachties still go through the Red Sea ... by carrier.

I need not say more on this topic since there is already a lot of information out there (and besides it gets my blood boiling to even think of this situation). But if you want to hear more from the perspective of a fellow cruiser, who we met here in Thailand, you should take a look at Fatty Goodlander’s site at http://www.allatsea.net/article/July_2011/Fatty_Goodlander_Releases_Somali_Pirates_and_Cruising_Sailors.

(Photos found with Google).