pirate question from journalist

[AfriKat]

Hello,

My name is Katharine Houreld and I am a journalist from the Associated Press in Nairobi. I am researching an article on how Somali pirate attacks are affecting the yachting community and wondered whether anyone here had canceled trips, changed routes or had their yachts shipped as deck cargo instead of sailing through waters threatened by pirates.

Thank you very much. You can reach me on my AP address, khoureld@ap.org - send an email or a phone number and I'll give you a call. If you'd like to verify my identity and see previous articles I have written on pirates, just Google my name +pirates.

Any help would be most gratefully recieved.

Thank you.

Katharine

 

[FullCircle]

Katherine, welcome to the forums.
I am copying this link in to the Liveaboard Forum, as I think you will have more response there.

 

[Direct Yacht Deliveries]

Pirates

Hello,
Until recently we were involved in deliveries across the Indian Ocean. We only used our skippers with experience of the area and knowledge of the risks involved. It was generally considered ok to follow a route via Aden and Salahala, along the Oman coast until well north, and then down. We ensured that all deliveries had a sat phone, EPIRB and specific passage plan. We also kept in close contact with the UKMTO.
In October we accepted a delivery to Thailand, but by the time the boat had reached Aden at Christmas, the situation had deteriorated to such an extent that we had to inform the owner of our unwillingness to proceed. A difficult situation. I have to say that the owner did not accept our position on this, saying that it was only commercial vessels that were being targeted. Since then I believe 3 yachts have been taken.
In the last month we have received numerous contacts from owners looking for Indian Ocean delivery crew, both ways. It is quite disturbing, the way that these approaches are made .... by people who know that they shouldn't, but do, because it might save a few quid. Meanwhile their yacht is of course fully insured and so the thing that they really care about ... safe. The one common thread between all of them is the complete lack of care for the crews that they would wish to put in harms way. I am now at the point whereby I ask whether they would feel comfortable for their son's or daughters to do this.
Since the deterioration at the start of this year we have informed all of our clients that it is not safe to deliver yachts on their own keel via this route. If the boat must be moved then freight shipping is the answer. Larger yachts may go via CapeTown. I know that there are crews out there desperate to sail, perhaps not fully informed and possibly with a mis-guided sense of adventure. However, it is the boat owners who engage them that will have to sleep at night should they be pirated.

Anyway .... glad to have got that off my chest!

Contact via: www.direct-yachts.com

 

[AfriKat]

Thank you both, for your help and insights.

 

[whipper_snapper]

Suggest you contact Kilifi boatyard, I have contact details, PM me if you want them. The large majority of yachts in transit stop over there and they can tell you how the pattern of yacht movement in the region has changed in response to the threat.

I can certainly tell you that my personal plans have been curtailed - my trip to Seychelles has been on hold for 2 years!

 

[AfriKat]

Thanks very much.

 

[johnabbott893]

Hello,
In the last month we have received numerous contacts from owners looking for Indian Ocean delivery crew, both ways. It is quite disturbing, the way that these approaches are made .... by people who know that they shouldn't, but do, because it might save a few quid. Meanwhile their yacht is of course fully insured and so the thing that they really care about ... safe. The one common thread between all of them is the complete lack of care for the crews that they would wish to put in harms way. I am now at the point whereby I ask whether they would feel comfortable for their son's or daughters to do this.

Far too risky to do it myself and so I have changed my plans accordingly. No way would I feel comfortable with my offspring doing it. But a paid skipper and crew with my boat sounds fine to me. I give them the money and they take the risk. People pay other people to take risks on their behalf all the time. Piracy is just another risk.

 

[Phoenix of Hamble]

Gosh,

I'd not even consider putting my boat at that level of risk, let alone a crew of any sort, paid or otherwise!

For me, unless it changes dramatically in the next few years, it'll be NZ/Oz and then off to SA... long old haul, but not worth the risk of going anywhere near the northern Indian Ocean IMHO

 

[johnabbott893]

Gosh,

I'd not even consider putting my boat at that level of risk, let alone a crew of any sort, paid or otherwise!

You have a good point about not risking the boat but it is not you that is putting the delivery skipper at risk. He is putting himself at risk, along with his paid crew. He is not in your direct employ. He takes a job knowing the situation and the risks associated with it. He has an option to take the job or not. Crew on commercial vessels have little choice. In essence they are forced to take the risk and that is unacceptable IMHO. The time to do something about the problem is long overdue and farting about with the Navy from various countries is not good enough.

Having said that, I am not sure I would trust a delivery skipper that is stupid enough to take such a job.

 

[Twister_Ken]

You have a good point about not risking the boat but it is not you that is putting the delivery skipper at risk. He is putting himself at risk, along with his paid crew. He is not in your direct employ. He takes a job knowing the situation and the risks associated with it. He has an option to take the job or not. Crew on commercial vessels have little choice. In essence they are forced to take the risk and that is unacceptable IMHO. The time to do something about the problem is long overdue and farting about with the Navy from various countries is not good enough.

Having said that, I am not sure I would trust a delivery skipper that is stupid enough to take such a job.

Point taken about merchantmen, but they do at least have the benefit of being faster, harder to board (especially if they rig boarding nets), able to rig defensive weapons like high pressure hoses, better radar and lookout possibilities, have more places to hide aboard, and are likely to come off best in a ramming match.

 

[pyrojames]

Gosh,

I'd not even consider putting my boat at that level of risk, let alone a crew of any sort, paid or otherwise!

For me, unless it changes dramatically in the next few years, it'll be NZ/Oz and then off to SA... long old haul, but not worth the risk of going anywhere near the northern Indian Ocean IMHO

I don't think I'd even bother with doing the Indian crossing again. If I had come from the Americas I'd head east again from NZ to Chile and then work back north through Panama again, up the US coast and a northern route home. There isn't a lot to be said for Africa, if you are only going to SA. It's a long old haul up the Atlantic to get home again.

I know this doesn't result in a circumnav, but hey, it'd be less stress, more fun, and just as many miles.

 

[Direct Yacht Deliveries]

Johnabbot893 - I was about to react. Your assumption that a delivery crew know the risks and understand the situation is oversimplifying matters. Not all do, and many are not able to process the information available.

Reliance Yacht Management instructed a skipper to sail north of Bermuda in winter 2006. It was against his better judgement and will. However, he was told that there would be no more work if he refused. He did as he was told and died of hyperthermia on an upturned hull. He was a good man.

However, I'm going to let you off because I think your last comment nails it:


Having said that, I am not sure I would trust a delivery skipper that is stupid enough to take such a job.

 

[john_morris_uk]

Its certainly made us think about our plans. If we do end up going through Panama and into the Pacific, then we will almost certainly end up going going round S Africa and then cut across to Brazil and grit our teeth in the beat up the Brazilian coast back to the Carib' and back across the Atlantic in the usual Bermuda - northerlyish but not too north- route. I have only been into Capetown on a ship in the past and would love to sail there - even if it is a long way round!

 

[Direct Yacht Deliveries]

Beat up the Brazilian coast?

If you sail CapeTown - St Helena - Fortaleza - Caribbean then you're likely to get the longest stretch of good sailing you've ever had. 2-3 kts of current with off Brazil too.

 

[john_morris_uk]

Beat up the Brazilian coast?

If you sail CapeTown - St Helena - Fortaleza - Caribbean then you're likely to get the longest stretch of good sailing you've ever had. 2-3 kts of current with off Brazil too.

I haven't got my Atlantic routing charts with me, but the last time I sailed from Rio to Antigua we were hard on the wind all the way up the coast until we turned left with the trade winds behind us for the last thousand miles or so. I was assuming we'd head across to take in Rio etc en route, but it sounds as though I ought to look at the charts again.

 

[AndrewB]

My name is Katharine Houreld and I am a journalist from the Associated Press in Nairobi. I am researching an article on how Somali pirate attacks are affecting the yachting community and wondered whether anyone here had canceled trips, changed routes or had their yachts shipped as deck cargo instead of sailing through waters threatened by pirates.

I've abandoned plans to return through the Red Sea. Up to the point at which a large ransom payment was made for the Chandler's release I might still have tried. Events since then have made the situation far worse. Insurers have withdrawn cover in the Indian Ocean north of 15degS.

The choice now is to return to England by the Cape of Good Hope, often a stormy passage, or to sell the yacht in Australia. All the other European RTW yotties I've talked to "trapped" here in the SW Pacific are debating a similar choice, no-one now is considering risking the Red Sea route. No-one will go near Kenya, Tanzania or the Seychelles either.

A few are considering Yacht Transporters across the Indian Ocean, but their prices seem to be very high compared with other parts of the world - perhaps as a consequence of the piracy situation. Some yotties even plan to settle in Australia or NZ for the time being - not a bad choice if they'll have you!

 

[Conachair]

I haven't got my Atlantic routing charts with me, but the last time I sailed from Rio to Antigua we were hard on the wind all the way up the coast until we turned left with the trade winds behind us for the last thousand miles or so. I was assuming we'd head across to take in Rio etc en route, but it sounds as though I ought to look at the charts again.

The SA boats I met made landfall north of Recife, Cabadelo near Jaoa Passoa. Thats were the current / wind splits. Many said it was the best ocean passage they had. North from Cabadelo I had a beautiful gentle downwind passage, one day 70 miles just from the current.
I've a friend who just did it the other way, Carib south, now that I would not try!

Talking to the guys and gals from SA, it didn't sound like *that* big a deal these days with weather forecasting , but they do know about very big winds and endless patience to wait for the weather window.

Each to their own with favorite countries but I would say Brazil is not to be missed, I'd go back for sure.