PIRACY ARTICLE   

Part 2               Back to Gone Troppo                                   

  We were alive!! The pirates had taken many things but not our lives. We were pretty shaken up, my leg was sore where the bullet had hit, and the boat was a bit lighter. We had temporarily plugged the bullet holes with blue tack and we believed that the authorities had been alerted and that maybe they would send someone to look for the pirates.  200 NM east ofAden, we had been attacked, boarded and robbed by pirates but as we sailed closer to the Yemen coast and the safe haven of Aden we were very much aware that we were not far from the location of the pirate attack on the yacht "Aphrodite" some months earlier. Those pirates had been caught and jailed.  The first night after our attack had been one of great trepidation but it passed without incident and as the day arrived and the winds increased slightly, we started to look forward to sailing into Aden within the next 24 hours.  During the day we closed on the shipping lane and the Yemen coast and by evening we were about 80 Nm east of Aden. We didn't have much of an appetite and so after a simple evening meal, I turned in while  

Stephen took the first watch for the night.

  He woke me gently at about 9.00 pm and I thought that it was my turn to stand watch.  He explained quietly that he had spotted a small blip on the radar about 2 miles ahead and, although he had twice changed course and speed, the blip had maneuvered to match our course and was now about 1.5 Nm away. He could accept the coincidence of one change of course by the unseen boat but not two. I watched the radar screen in disbelief – surely we could not be attacked again by pirates – I almost laughed at the thought of having to explain to the second lot of boarders that it would be slim pickings as the first attackers had taken all the good stuff. I say almost, because visions of their angry, disbelieving faces and their unpredictable reaction to the news quickly sobered me. The small blip continued to draw closer.  We could see the lights of a number of ships and their images on the radar so we did not feel quite so alone.  Maybe we could get help this time. We were worried that maybe we were overreacting because of our earlier attack.  We decided to try to call up the small vessel, after all, it could be another yacht like us traveling at night without lights.  We called and called but got no response.  The blip was now about 1.2 Nm away.  We put out an All Ships call and initially received no response. But after a couple of tries a ship responded. Stephen explained the problem and the ship undertook to keep a close radio watch in case we needed help.  The blip maintained position. Stephen called the ship again and advised that he would fire a red flare if the small vessel approached closer than one mile. The ship undertook to keep a visual watch in our direction.  I had been monitoring the radar screen and as soon as Stephen finished his conversation with the ship I noticed that the blip began to move away.  It seemed as if the boat following us had been listening to our radio contact with the ship and had decided that it would not be prudent to come any closer. We still cannot believe that we were unlucky enough to attract the attention of two lots of pirates or would be pirates!  Luckily, there were ships around to assist on this occasion.  We sailed into Aden at midday the next day, two days after our piracy attack, expecting to be surrounded by authorities seeking more details of the attack. To our surprise and concern nobody in Aden had heard of the attack!  But the authorities made up for the slow start and soon we were preparing reports and having fingerprints and photographs taken in an effort to track down the criminals. Under the care of the Yemen Christchurch and their Pastor, who is member of the Seamen's Mission, I was taken to a specialist private hospital and treated by an Iraqi doctor, who requested X-rays that confirmed I had a nondisplaced fracture.  Our one overriding impression of the attack was the feeling of complete helplessness in the face of a life-threatening situation. We now have an enhanced understanding of why piracy is considered such a serious crime. Cruising yachtsmen have enough concerns over safety without having to worry about the possibility of pirates.

  We thought that carrying a gun may have made this particular confrontation worse. We also believe that traveling in a shipping lane would increase the chances of having help at hand or at least serve to act as a deterrent.  Certainly, traveling in company with other yachts is a good idea.  A continuous radio contact with another boat is an invaluable safeguard and can act as a deterrent to pirates as they cannot prevent a second yacht from calling for and getting help if alerted.

 We are very aware that a fiberglass boat does not have the capacity to stop bullets. The bullet that hit me had passed through 5 fiberglass and foam laminates as well as three 16mm thick timber cupboard doors and a battery charger before it hit me. It is understood that there are now efforts underway to improve security in this area.  At the time of writing a British-flagged fishery protection vessel  "Celtic Horizon" is operating in the area and that they will assist if requested. 

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