The report on Tuesday morning of the capture of a Danish flag cruising boat in the Arabian Sea near Socotra that was crewed by four adults and three children is yet another tragedy. This incident of piracy comes on the heels of the murder last week of four Americans cruisers who had been captured by pirates off the coast of Oman in the same region. In the last year in these waters, more than 1,000 seafarers have been captured and held for ransom by the marauding bands of Somali pirates. As every sailor knows, this is the most dangerous stretch of ocean on the planet. I sailed through these waters 15 years ago and did so with great caution and trepidation. The threat to sailors is much worse now.
Obviously, it is time for the world to step forward in a dramatic way to deal with the escalating violence against innocent people. But efforts to rein in the pirates are complicated by the thousands of hostages in captivity whose lives would be put in danger by any direct military assault on Somalia and the surrounding waters.
For our part, the best way to help ourselves and help the cause of defeating the pirates is to avoid the area altogether. For sailors in Southeast Asia who want and need to head west, the southern route around Africa is the only good option. The route leads south-southwest to Cocos and then southwest to Mauritius and Reunion Islands, with a landfall in Durban, South Africa. There have been attacks as far as a thousand miles from Somalia and the circle of danger is expanding, but to our knowledge, there have been few or no attacks along the southern route from Asia to South Africa.
There have been very public pleas from cruisers for naval escorts across the Indian Ocean, the Arabian Sea, Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea. Frankly, we disagree. Cruisers choose to sail for pleasure and choose to sail through dangerous waters of our own volition. Self-reliance and constant vigilance have always been the most essential qualities in a good seaman, and that has not changed. The route west from Asia to Europe via Suez is now essentially blocked, so we need to choose a different route. We don’t need to put the lives of our professional sailors, pilots and soldiers at risk to protect our pleasure cruises. We don’t need to put ourselves in harm’s way.
Others have different views. I hope you will share your thoughts with us and the Cruising Compass family by posting here or writing to comments@cruisingcompass.com.
George Day, Publisher
The voice of reason, very good.
Unfortunately all the trigger happy commenters on BWS (related articles) are unlikely to understand the wisdom in your words, hopefully they are the minority.
Anyone who suggests carrying arms and firing warning shots to fend of people armed with automatic weapons and rocket propelled grenades while you are 100s of miles off shore needs to try living in the real world rather than TV / Movie fantasy.
Sailing in Asia you will encounter endless fishing boats which may act in a way that you consider suspicious and even threatening but their sole interest in you is curiosity or the chance of some cigarettes. A high speed boat filled with heavily armed men (probably desperate) is a different matter and the only way of avoiding such an encounter is, as the article states, to avoid the areas they are known to frequent. Difficult at times as pirates also operate in areas around Malaysia & Singapore but with careful planning and being aware of their areas of activity these areas can also be safely avoided.
Leave the Navies of the world to deal with the Pirates and remember that the few pleasure yacht cases which make the headlines are the tip of the iceberg, hundreds of hostages are being held in captivity and their welfare is more important than a cruiser having their long planned rout upset.
I am no expert on sailing, but most sailboats are a steadier shooting platform than a motorboat. Sailors take the time to become proficient in many things allot more complicated than handling a firearm. If you can take a sun site that will tell you where you are you should have no problem discouraging a closing vessel at over 200yds. The cost in minuscule compared to other equipment on the boat. I just think people need to solve their own problems and stop waiting for someone else to do it for them. Do everything you can then you can ask for help.