caribbeancat
Well-Known Member
Thanks to those who have been reading my previous posts reagrding the aggressive immigrant rescue scenario we encountered whilst particpating in the World Cruising Clubs Atlantic Rally for Cruisers. For those wanting background into these posts, please refer to:
http://www.ybw.com/forums/showflat.php/Cat/0/Number/1765305/an/0/page/7#1765305
Event Discussion Document - "Atlantic Rally for Cruisers Discussion Document"
and
http://www.ybw.com/forums/showflat.php/Cat/0/Number/1764159/an/0/page/9#1764159
Event reporting document "Atlantic Rally for Cruisers - Immigrant Rescue Report Document"
Since my original postings, regarding the rescue that we were involved in, a number of issues have come to the fore.
1. There is now an open question as to whether or not the waters typically cruised by those crossing the Atlantic towards the Caribbean are safe to sail due to the presence of numerous 'immigrant' boats, carrying 50+ desperate people.
These waters are the waters between the Canary Islands and the Cape Verde Islands and any distance up to 500 miles off the African coast although thinking in respect of this matter should not be constrained to these waters.
The rescue event that we participated in could certainly be deemed aggressive and crew on both boats were very frightened indeed. Therefore, there is no reason to suspect that the situation would be any different should it occur to yachts in the future. We should remember that life on the African continent is very different to our own and that life in itself does not hold the same values as it does in western nations.
2. Whilst yachts are given advice to "Call Las Palmas MRCC and Standby", the realities of an encounter could be very different, and options such as standing by may not be possible, yachts may simply be overwhelmed. There is a very real risk to human life in this area as a result of attack, boarding, seizing of vessel, being beaten up, shot, taken hostage and so on. Whilst we were not attacked because we were marginally faster than the other vessel, the other yacht involved most certainly was.
3. Merchant Shipping is advised to treat all such encounters as both piracy and Mayday Relay, yachts, despite being more vulnerable are not advised to behave in the same way.
4. Whilst there is every chance that an encounter with another vessel will be benign, equally, there is every chance that such an encounter will not be and will be aggressive. These are desperate people of unknown background who have already demonstrated that they will take huge risks.
5. That statistics for yacht encounters do not appear to be widely available. Nevertheless, in the two years since there has been a marked rise in the level of vessels escaping Africa for the Canaries, there have been at least two documented accounts of yachts encountering immigrant vessels during Atlantic Rally for Cruisers alone.
6. It is not felt that the yachting public is fully aware of the situation in this area or the extent of the situation. It is now not unreasonable that a cruising yacht could encounter an immigrant vessel whilst in these very remote (but often frequented by yachts people) waters.
7. It is unlikely that most yachts cruising these areas will have the option to turn a blind eye or escape a situation. Yachts may not be able to outrun such vessels and are such subject to the vagaries of the individual situation that they are in. It is unlikely that a cruising crew would outnumber the number of crew on board one of these launches.
8. Despite a huge increase in such vessels arriving on Spanish shores, Spain has increased spending for border protection budgets by only 8.5m Euros. This is to cover all Spanish territories.
9. There is much rhetoric about the operation of "24 hour patrols in these waters". This is rhetoric and nothing else. The patrols are functional in coastal waters, not in Ocean waters.
10. Spanish patrol boats are designed to operate within 12m limits and are not intended to help yachtsmen or other vessels operating in the waters between the Canary Islands and the Cape Verde Islands.
11. An organisation called FRONTEX designed to protect European borders has "21 planes, 27 choppers and 116 boats". Most of these would be useless in the waters that cruising yachts on the 'southerly' route to the Caribbean sail and we must remember that these vessels and planes cover a very large area indeed.
12. The Spanish Authorites do not appear to have a clear operating plan for such encounters with yachts in Ocean Waters.
13. It is my belief that there needs to be a public debate about the situation in these waters now and I therefore request that IPC media group gives consideration to documenting this event and opening up the debate to the yachting public.
14. It is my strong advice to smaller or slower yachts and crews to avoid these waters until such time as a clearly articulated and functionally demonstrable strategy for yachtsmen has been devised and implemented.
15. I believe that commercial organisations operating transatlantic products will have a desire to supress this issue as it exposes a significant risk to yachts participating in these events and consequently reduces the attractiveness of such events. It is therefore important that independent organisations such as the media, policy groups and government authorities are engaged in order that a fair debate is possible in public. It is my opinion that all such organisations have ethical responsibilities in this areas.
Of course there is much else to debate as seen in my previous posts. I am now heavily engaged in this matter and will be providing weekly updates to this forum.
Any assistance that member of this forum can provide will be greatly appreciated.
http://www.ybw.com/forums/showflat.php/Cat/0/Number/1765305/an/0/page/7#1765305
Event Discussion Document - "Atlantic Rally for Cruisers Discussion Document"
and
http://www.ybw.com/forums/showflat.php/Cat/0/Number/1764159/an/0/page/9#1764159
Event reporting document "Atlantic Rally for Cruisers - Immigrant Rescue Report Document"
Since my original postings, regarding the rescue that we were involved in, a number of issues have come to the fore.
1. There is now an open question as to whether or not the waters typically cruised by those crossing the Atlantic towards the Caribbean are safe to sail due to the presence of numerous 'immigrant' boats, carrying 50+ desperate people.
These waters are the waters between the Canary Islands and the Cape Verde Islands and any distance up to 500 miles off the African coast although thinking in respect of this matter should not be constrained to these waters.
The rescue event that we participated in could certainly be deemed aggressive and crew on both boats were very frightened indeed. Therefore, there is no reason to suspect that the situation would be any different should it occur to yachts in the future. We should remember that life on the African continent is very different to our own and that life in itself does not hold the same values as it does in western nations.
2. Whilst yachts are given advice to "Call Las Palmas MRCC and Standby", the realities of an encounter could be very different, and options such as standing by may not be possible, yachts may simply be overwhelmed. There is a very real risk to human life in this area as a result of attack, boarding, seizing of vessel, being beaten up, shot, taken hostage and so on. Whilst we were not attacked because we were marginally faster than the other vessel, the other yacht involved most certainly was.
3. Merchant Shipping is advised to treat all such encounters as both piracy and Mayday Relay, yachts, despite being more vulnerable are not advised to behave in the same way.
4. Whilst there is every chance that an encounter with another vessel will be benign, equally, there is every chance that such an encounter will not be and will be aggressive. These are desperate people of unknown background who have already demonstrated that they will take huge risks.
5. That statistics for yacht encounters do not appear to be widely available. Nevertheless, in the two years since there has been a marked rise in the level of vessels escaping Africa for the Canaries, there have been at least two documented accounts of yachts encountering immigrant vessels during Atlantic Rally for Cruisers alone.
6. It is not felt that the yachting public is fully aware of the situation in this area or the extent of the situation. It is now not unreasonable that a cruising yacht could encounter an immigrant vessel whilst in these very remote (but often frequented by yachts people) waters.
7. It is unlikely that most yachts cruising these areas will have the option to turn a blind eye or escape a situation. Yachts may not be able to outrun such vessels and are such subject to the vagaries of the individual situation that they are in. It is unlikely that a cruising crew would outnumber the number of crew on board one of these launches.
8. Despite a huge increase in such vessels arriving on Spanish shores, Spain has increased spending for border protection budgets by only 8.5m Euros. This is to cover all Spanish territories.
9. There is much rhetoric about the operation of "24 hour patrols in these waters". This is rhetoric and nothing else. The patrols are functional in coastal waters, not in Ocean waters.
10. Spanish patrol boats are designed to operate within 12m limits and are not intended to help yachtsmen or other vessels operating in the waters between the Canary Islands and the Cape Verde Islands.
11. An organisation called FRONTEX designed to protect European borders has "21 planes, 27 choppers and 116 boats". Most of these would be useless in the waters that cruising yachts on the 'southerly' route to the Caribbean sail and we must remember that these vessels and planes cover a very large area indeed.
12. The Spanish Authorites do not appear to have a clear operating plan for such encounters with yachts in Ocean Waters.
13. It is my belief that there needs to be a public debate about the situation in these waters now and I therefore request that IPC media group gives consideration to documenting this event and opening up the debate to the yachting public.
14. It is my strong advice to smaller or slower yachts and crews to avoid these waters until such time as a clearly articulated and functionally demonstrable strategy for yachtsmen has been devised and implemented.
15. I believe that commercial organisations operating transatlantic products will have a desire to supress this issue as it exposes a significant risk to yachts participating in these events and consequently reduces the attractiveness of such events. It is therefore important that independent organisations such as the media, policy groups and government authorities are engaged in order that a fair debate is possible in public. It is my opinion that all such organisations have ethical responsibilities in this areas.
Of course there is much else to debate as seen in my previous posts. I am now heavily engaged in this matter and will be providing weekly updates to this forum.
Any assistance that member of this forum can provide will be greatly appreciated.
