Where is this mystery cruising spot?
Send your answers to comments@cruisingcompass.com. A winner, who will receive a Blue Water Sailing hat, will be selected at random from the correct answers.
Last week’s Mindbender: Where are you if you are at Lat. 14°36′N and Lon. 61°02′W? Congratulations to Jim Dougherty of Park Forest, IL, who correctly responded with the answer “Martinique.”
Question of the month: July is our “Pocket Cruiser” issue, in which we focus on boats 35 feet and under. This section always brings us back to our early cruising days, which makes us wonder…what was your first cruising boat, and what do you sail now? Send comments (and pics, if you like) to valerie@bwsailing.com–you might be featured in the issue!
PIRACY:
After reading “The Cruising Network”, in the May issue of BWS, I wanted to point out a significant piece of history that everyone has missed or ignored and more importantly the lesson that should have been learned from history. Piracy was out of control in the 1700′s and much worse than today. We all know the story of England promoting the “Privateers” to hassle the Spanish and their dominance of the Americas. When Spain, England, France and the Netherlands reached some agreement regarding the sharing of the Americas and together sought to stop piracy for their mutual best interests, they did it and we should remember how they did it.
They stopped piracy by arming private and merchant ships. Pirates were to be shot on site, no trial necessary, because private and merchant ships don’t have briggs on board to retain pirates for a trial. Ports allowed non-pirate ships to hold arms on board in their ports, without confiscation of those arms, like we have today. Piracy was wiped out by the 1800′s!!
In the 1950′s, mostly through the United Nations, private and merchant ships were disarmed through international law and international cooperation. Ports seize or impound arms from private or merchant ships. So only the criminals end up armed.
If the Quest had a 50 caliper Barrett with scope on board, they could have taken out the pirate boat at 1 to 2 miles. Beyond the range of rocket grenades or AK 47′s. “Taken Out” can mean what ever you want it to. Disable their engine, insert a 50 caliper hole or two in the hull, probably no need to intentionally kill one or more of them at that range. They would promptly reverse direction, since their weapons don’t work at that range or if they continued their pursuit, they would pay the consequences. They are looking for easy prey, not an even fight.
I would not knowingly venture into pirated waters, for obvious reasons, but I will also not venture anywhere, without being self sufficient and well armed for the defense of my wife and small child. Not even in the coastal waters of my home, but then I live in Florida where I’m allowed to carry arms, concealed or otherwise. Florida’s violent crime has fallen, since it passed it’s concealed weapons permit law.
Why can’t we learn from history and what works and what doesn’t?? Doesn’t the repetition of historical mistakes fit into the definition of insanity??