Pirate Threat !!!!

Just to put it in context, an AK47 plain ball (bullet) will go through a steel plate (about 1/4" thick) and come out the other side at around the velocity of a 44 magnum pistol round out of the barrel. A soppy 12 bore is absolutely not in the same league or any kind of defence against a weapon that will go through your boat and you and out the other side !!!!
 
Great opportunity here for a new type of charter cruise.

"Satisfy your blood lust without fear of consequences and make the world a safer place too! Leave-No-Survivors Holidays offers cruises aboard "Deathwish" in the Gulf of Aden. "Deathwish" appears to look like a soft-target sailing yacht but is actually a heavily armoured steel ship capable of 15 knots, equipped with a concealed AK630M 30mm gun mount, front ram, plus personal AK47's, RPG's etc. Own ships doctor, all conveniences. Cruise starts and finishes in Dijbouti (authorities fully squared, dodgy passports no problem). Maximum kills guaranteed. Discount rates for ex military personnel.

SPECIAL NEXT MONTH Slave trader run, why not get a woman the old-fashioned way. Phone for details. "
 
[ QUOTE ]
Ever worked out why the ones that come back tend not to be gung-ho fuckwits and don't blast off with their stupid guns?

I'd be interested to know how many, if any, of the gung-ho types actually survive armed confrontation.

[/ QUOTE ]

Have you heard of Mahdi and Gandalf? Google it or look it up on noonsite. How do you know that some of the people that do come back, don't have guns? Not everyone that would chose to carry a firearm is a gung-ho [--word removed--], and I reckon there are good many GHFs that don't have guns; it's not guns that make people stupid - alcohol and football does that. My point is that if someone gets their boat stolen from them in the middle of the oggin, they don't make it back to tell their story, now do they? Rod Nowlin was armed and did make it back after a shoot-out with 'pirates' - I don't believe he is gung-ho, nor do I think he's a [--word removed--]. He met a deadly threat with force, and was successful. Not everyone will, but then again not everyone that plays 'possum will be successful either. Now do you have something that backs up your assertions, better than a "yup"?
 
Re: serious answer

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Nothing wrong with having two passports, especially if one has been cancelled (I doubt if the thieves are going to go through it in detail). Obviously people with dual citizenship have two passports.

[/ QUOTE ]

You are correct about the cancelled passport, and in some ways correct about the dual citizenship - though there are some countries where you could find yourself in trouble carrying identification that makes your nationality questionable. TCM suggested falsifying a lost passport, so that you would have two 'active' passports - this is what the UK Passport Agency has to say about it:
"If your old passport turns up after we have cancelled it, you must return it to us. You will not be able to use it either for travel or identification purposes and may be detained by immigration or police authorities if you try to do so."
http://www.ukpa.gov.uk/passport_replacing_found.asp

If you want to dispute that, take it up with UKPA.
 
Re: Sir Peter Blake RIP

You beat me to it. Ironically, he had leased the office above mine but never got to occupy it

I've held 3 valid passports (2 UK) quite legally, now down to 2. As stated previously, one is used for visa applications whilst the other is in use with the full knowledge and approval of the UK passport agency
 
Re: Sir Peter Blake RIP

There are two major problems with carrying guns on board and if you do so you must be prepared to kill people.

1) how do you know the approaching boat is a pirate boat? I have been approached by hundreds of fishermen, officials in bits of uniform, officials in no uniform and when I was approached by pirates they did not reveal their weapons or start shooting until they were within 20 or 30 metres of me. No way of my knowing they were pirates until that moment...............

2) There were 3 of us on-board including my wife who was unwell. There were 15 to 20 of them - all armed with automatic weapons and from my observations very familiar with using them. In a fire fight of max 3 to 20 I suspect I would not have been the victor. even if I had very modern automatic weapons and infantry/marine training.

There is no doubt in my mind that since the shotgun incident and the ramming and sinking of one of the 'sea mugging' type pirates between the Yemen and Somalia the stakes have risen. 20-30 people including children died as a result of the pirate (people smuggling) boat sinking. The other pirates returned to pick up their mates but of course did not have space on board for the civilians so left them to drown... The news is that that particular group of pirates are now killing the crews then robbing the yachts.... seems like a reasonable reaction.

Until that time I would have sailed through that area again on the principle that the odds are 100-1 against it being you and the pirates are interested in Cash, Radio equipment, binoculars and wrist watches.... .... no request for passports and I would have handed them over - that's what consulates are for ....

Now I would not dream of going anywhere near the Gulf of Aden unless in a convoy escorted by a warship.... Some US warships do provide this service to their citizens. A convoy of yachts without military protection is useless - the pirates will just cut out one or two yachts and what will the rest do??? Look on, from a distance, because there is nothing else to do.

Next time I pass that way I am heading for Reunion and Durban then round the cape...

Michael

Since
 
Re: serious answer

sheesh you are geting a bit hot and bothered about this. Loads of people validly have two passports, it seems. I would only use one passport for id purposes, the other all ready to give back to the pasport office. Unless of course someone stole it. Perfectly fine.
 
I seem to remember 1 American that blasted away with a shotgun from memory and the Pirates left them alone. My impression is that those that are sucessful boast about it so it concerns me that I can only remember one!
 
[ QUOTE ]
He met a deadly threat with force, and was successful. Not everyone will, but then again not everyone that plays 'possum will be successful either. Now do you have something that backs up your assertions, better than a "yup"?

[/ QUOTE ]OK, try "yes". That there are many more accounts of people surviving theft by pirates, than there are of people surviving successful armed conflict with them, is self-evident and undeniable. So, "yes".

Pirates with guns won't be caught out again, and yachts subsequently sailing in the region will pay for the spiralling escalation of violence IMHO.
 
Pirate solutions

excellent link, lots of info.

Some thoughts

1. Don't go where there are pirates qv Michael Briant

2. Don't have guns unless you are fine about killing a few innocent people to be on the safe side and don't mind going to jail or getting shot.

3. Split up valuables and really really hide some stuff like one of the attacked people who then had travellers cheques. The main advantage of my proposed dud/expired passport and dud/old credit cards is that they convince a thief they have found the real valuables and their search stops.

4. If attackers come on board then locking companionway/doors will slow up but not stop their entrance. At this point it's best to be somewhere else - off the boat.

5. One-way mirror glass or that sticky stuff applied by hairdryer onto companionway door must make it better if whilst inside you can see out but they can't see in, perhaps?

6. Catamarans have those escape hatches under hul for geting into the boat in unlikely event of capsize, often. That could be an escape route. Catamarans also offer more options for hiding between/behind hulls as attackers get what they want and clear off.

7 making smoke, somehow, should favour someone who has no gun and needs just enough time to escape. Cos you wd know your way around better than attackers in your boat eg fwd hatch and so on. Letting off a smoke flare indoors which would eventually look like a fire would wrong foot them a bit and allow a jump-off escape. Might make the boat very orange tho, and doesn't calm things down much.

8 The Loon Advantage: concrete boat is much harder to shoot through! Praps best not rely on this too much tho. Unless of course you have a concrete companionway door as well in which case cooee and har hah! Nerner-ne-nerner to them, hee hee.

Unless the attackers had some hydrochloric acid which dissolves the boat and door, dammit. Sorry about all that Mr pirate sir, it was her idea, and actually it's her boat too, not mine so she's the skipper too and not me so if you have to shoot someone it shouldn't really be me first and also her jewelery and vaulables are over there wimper wimper...
 
Re: Sir Peter Blake RIP

Blake popped out of a companionway - he startled the armed intruders and I think it's very likely he would have been shot if he was unarmed too. Would be alive today if he hadn't gone dashing up topside half-cocked. Having a gun is no substitution for using your head. If the bad guys are on board, it's too late - your best bet is to cooperate and let them take what they want, and hope for the best. So many people advocate using pepper spray or somesuch as opposed to carrying a gun, yet that is just as likely to get you shot IMO.
 
[ QUOTE ]
[]OK, try "yes". That there are many more accounts of people surviving theft by pirates, than there are of people surviving successful armed conflict with them, is self-evident and undeniable. So, "yes".

[/ QUOTE ]

"Yup" and "yes" is the sum of your proof?!?!?! Can you point to any public record that would support your position? Any studies or statistics compiled by a recognized body?
What is "self-evident"??? Pulling a specious comment out of your arse doesn't make it a fact!!!

TCM - I'm not bothered by this; I'm simply offering a caveat to your original advice. I'm not going to dispute the fact there may be people with more than one passport that have been issued with the blessing of the passport authority, but I would caution anyone contemplating this method to check with the authorities at home and at their destination. Not all countries will recognize the validity of having two passports, and you may spend some time waiting to clear this up.
Someone also mentioned that the "pirates" will wise up to armed yotties and an arms escalation will ensue - by that same reasoning, don't you think the pirates will catch on that everyone has a false wallet filled with expired cards?

I'm not advocating one way or another, but I really hate to see such a lopsided discussion that does not recognize all of the facts (pros and cons).
 
I've bitten my lip on the Mahdi and Gandalf story since it broke.

Sorry to be a doubter, but can anyone show me a link to a verifiable news story covering the incident?
 
copy of the actual report written by one of the owners.

Pirate Attack Reported to Yemen Officials

"On 8 March 2005, two sailing yachts, Mahdi & Gandalf, were moving SW 30 miles off the coast of Yemen proceeding to the port of Aden from Salalah, Oman.

At about 0900 two outboard powered boats, about 25 feet long with 3 men in each one, 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 and we started watching carefully for anything out of the ordinary.

At about 1600 we observed two different boats approaching us head on from the SW. These boats were 25-30 feet long, had higher freeboard and diesel powered. They were coming very fast directly at us. There were 4 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 was firing an automatic weapon at both Gandalf and Mahdi from ahead, more at Gandalf. These guys were shooting directly at the cockpits, and obviously intended to kill us.

The first boat 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 gage 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 am not sure I hit anyone at that point although I could see the driver of the boat crouched down behind a steering console. After firing 3 shots at them their engine started to smoke and I swung around to shoot at the boat ahead. At that point, I saw Jay Barry on Gandalf ram that 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. I shot both of them. That boat then veered away and I shot the driver, although I am not sure of the outcome because they were farther away and I did not knock him down like the other two.

Mahdi and Gandalf 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 both boats were drifting and appeared to be disabled.

If Jay on Gandalf had not had the presence of mind to veer over into one boat and ram it, the outcome of this attack would have been totally different. All they needed to do was stand off a ways and shoot us to pieces with 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 US 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 on VHF 16 who approached and observed the disabled pirates for a bit, then sailed along side of us for 2-4 hours until dark to make sure we would be all right.

The pirates were well organized and well armed. There were at least 4 boats involved. They had set up a picket line out from the Yemen coast probably at least for 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. This problem is getting worse and the pirate attacks are getting deadly. One could only expect that the Yemen Government will take more direct action. At the very least, allow yachts to group in Salalah, Oman and at some point on the NW Yemen coast to request an escort along the Yemen coast."

Rodney J. Nowlin, USN Retired
S/V Mahdi
March 11, 2005
 
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