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PLEASE help tell the rest of the story of this week’s deaths to pirates
that could have been avoided if not for the indifference of the Royal
Navy.It was predicted only days before that the lack of EU anti-piracy
taskforce protective support of sailors would soon result in tragedy.The
sailors organized themselves into a convoy of 30 vessels and requested,
more accurately begged, the EU anti-piracy taskforce for an escort
around the eastern horn of Africa, only to be denied, specifically by
the Royal Navy.The simple solution of the taskforce assigning a single ship of their
patrolling fleet of 27 ships to periodically (perhaps once per month)
escort a large flotilla of sailing vessels around the eastern horn of
Africa as these boat return to the Mediterranean through the Red Sea is
the least this “taskforce” could do.I am somehow reminded of the indifferent and ineffective leadership of
the anti-slave trade patrols the British Navy led off the western coast
of Africa in the latter half of the 1800’s.How many deaths resulted from
that indifference and how many will result from today’s indifference?Please refer to this story:
https://plus.ibinews.com/article/N0vrs5rKDM/2011/02/10/royal_navy_turns_down_request_to_protect_yacht_flotilla_in_p/?nsl=0p0r6yEwAA07Royal Navy turns down request to protect yacht flotilla in
pirate-infested waters Thu Feb 10 2011, 14:35 PMfrom IBI Plus News
The Navy said it doesn’t have the resources. A spokesman for the
flotilla says “something bad is going to happen”The Royal Navy has turned down a request by a Dutch couple who asked for
a warship escort for a yacht flotilla across pirate zones of the Indian
Ocean.Rene and Edith Tiemessen told the Daily Express they have the right to
protection as they make their way home from Thailand in their 60ft
yacht, Alondra. The Tiemessens, who are traveling with their
two-year-old daughter, had previously sailed with Paul and Rachel
Chandler, who were kidnapped by Somali pirates in 2009.The Tiemessens said that they have organised a convoy of about 30 yachts
from Thailand to Turkey, and asked the Royal Navy for protection for
about a four-day stretch of that journey. Rene Tiemessen told
http://www.sail-world.com that there are at least 200 to 250 other cruising
sailors on 100 yachts that are seeking the same sort of protection given
to commercial vessels. The sailors say they are “stranded”, waiting for
a safe time to cross.“We have been begging for help for months (from the EU anti-piracy
taskforce), because we knew we would have to make this journey to get
home, which is the same for all the other sailors stranded here,” he
told the website. “We are not simply cruising around irresponsibly. We
are caught on the wrong side of an ever-changing and expanding problem.
But now they have told us there is nothing they can do. It’s like asking
for help from the police, and being told you are not eligible.”The Royal Navy heads the EU anti-piracy taskforce, which includes 27
vessels from Spain, Germany, Italy and France patrolling an area larger
than Europe. “This is a totally unrealistic request. The naval vessels
of Operation Atlanta have to prioritise their duties, and protecting
merchant vessels leave them with little scope for protecting unnecessary
sailing,” was the response from the Ministry of Defense.The International Sailing Federation (ISAF) recommends against sailing
this route, as do many governments. Despite that, dozens of sailors
choose to make the journey each year.“Something bad is going to happen,” Tiemessen said. “The families on
these boats are starting to panic and go off in different directions.
With the dramatic increase in pirate activity in the Indian Ocean I
cannot believe that all 100 yachts can get through unscathed.”The families of a South African couple captured by Somali pirates in
October recently held a press conference to plead for their release.
Debbi Calitz and Bruno Pelizzari were sailing off the coast of Kenya
when their yacht was hijacked on October 26.The families, who received a call asking for a US$10m ransom, spoke
directly to the kidnappers. “We are asking you to please let them go.
They are just ordinary Africans like yourselves with similar problems,
we are not rich,” Dale van der Merwe, Calitz’s brother, told Buanews.
Van der Merwe called the ransom a “ridiculous amount” of money. “We just
don’t have it,” he said.The family said that they did not know if the couple is still alive.
South Africa’s foreign ministry spokesperson Clayson Monyela told the
Mail & Guardian that the pirates had not contacted any government
official. “The pirates are contacting the families,” he told the paper.
“The government is not involved in any negotiations with them. Our
policy is that we don’t pay ransoms.”The UK government has a similar policy. The Chandlers were last year
released after 388 days in captivity following the reported payment of a
£625,000 ransom. The money was raised through family and private sources._______________________________________________
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I don’t know if a flotilla would be patient enough to include slow-moving
sailing yachts. Then there’s that tacking thing…Another solution would be to enforce a no-sail zone about 20 miles off the
coast to a distance of perhaps 100 miles. Kill anything that floats in
those waters. A few predator drones could enforce it. I think the US Navy
is testing a new model that can land on a carrier. Traffic could stay 100
miles off the coast safely. The Somali government might object, but so
what?Rich – KE1EV
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Excuse me, but I thought the captain of a boat is responsible for the
safety of his vessel. Those cruisers chose to sail in some of the most
pirate-infested waters in the world. I’m sorry they were killed. I blame
the pirates for the murders, not the Royal Navy. But above all I blame
the yacht captain for choosing to place his boat, his crew and himself –
unnecessarily! – in a situation known to be extremely dangerous.
Similarly, the individuals who chose to accompany the captain in those
notoriously dangerous waters were not forced to do so. They each made
their choice, and it was a bad one.Call me callous, but I believe each of us is responsible for our
decisions and the consequences of those decisions, not some government
agency. It’s called being a grown-up, and it’s the price of freedom. And
that goes double for a captain.Tor
Silverheels, P-424 #17
http://www.silverheels.us
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Hi Tor,
Sadly I agree with both of you – the captain and crew have a choice. True,
it’s a well traveled path and should be protected to some extent but it’s
not the Royal Navy’s problem. Until the UN Security Council comes up with a
plan, it’s catch as catch can there. But it is avoidable.To Rich’s point – I agree with the blockade idea – honestly, a better idea
is to turn Somalia into an ashtray but not politically expedient.Sadly, for Somalia, there is no penalty for their actions. A 200 mile no
travel zone around their coast would be a start.However, once again, an easy, cheap, and effective solution is not the one
we take (we being humans). Instead of an international effort to air drop
food, clean water and medical supplies in such great quantities that it’s
impossible to confiscate it all we’d prefer to use military force because
it’s so much cooler. I mean, what’s the point of having weapons if you
can’t deploy them?From my perspective, why did the US Navy wait until there was gunfire? It’s
clear that negotiation doesn’t really work with these pirates (that’s why
they’re pirates). Our forces could swim over by night, take the vessel
quietly by force. The result might have been the same but it might not
have, too.It’s sad that a little pissant country can cause so much consternation but
in an increasingly shrinking world there is no place for a country like
that.Bob
On Sat, Feb 26, 2011 at 7:49 AM, Silverheels wrote:
Quote:Excuse me, but I thought the captain of a boat is responsible for the
safety of his vessel. Those cruisers chose to sail in some of the most
pirate-infested waters in the world. I’m sorry they were killed. I blame
the pirates for the murders, not the Royal Navy. But above all I blame
the yacht captain for choosing to place his boat, his crew and himself –
unnecessarily! – in a situation known to be extremely dangerous.
Similarly, the individuals who chose to accompany the captain in those
notoriously dangerous waters were not forced to do so. They each made
their choice, and it was a bad one.Call me callous, but I believe each of us is responsible for our
decisions and the consequences of those decisions, not some government
agency. It’s called being a grown-up, and it’s the price of freedom. And
that goes double for a captain.Tor
Silverheels, P-424 #17
http://www.silverheels.us
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I agree with Tor, once you go offshore (leave the cocoon) you’re pretty much the master of your own fate. Isn’t that why we do it. To put yourself in in harms way, knowingly, and then blame a 3rd party when you fail to make proper decisions is irresponsible.
They have been many boats that have traversed those waters safely, in groups, with much preplaning. Safety in numbers as they say. That boat knowingly split off from the group they were with and went off on their own.
I feel very sorry for families for their loss.
There are areas of my own city I would not walk down at night ( or in the daytime for that matter. If I do, and harm comes to me…. who do I blame? The police can only do so much.
Alan
— On Sat, 2/26/11, Silverheels wrote:Post generated from Pearson424 Forum using Mail2Forum
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agreed
lee
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A hundred years ago when pirates controlled an edge of the Med, the leader of a young republic built a warship and ruined the pirates forever. He was principled and realized the value of trade and most important – he was a leader of men.
Barack Obama is not a leader. He’s no Teddy Roosevelt. That is also part of the problem.
Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless handheld
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Right now there isn’t any government in Somalia and there hasn’t been a
government there for years. It is a land ruled by no one accountable to no one.lee
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Piracy on the high seas was all but eradicated over 100 years ago. Why
has it been allowed to flourish in the 21st century? When you see just
how far from Somalia the Quest was boarded by Somalis off the coast of
Oman, about 1100 nm from Somalia I believe, I have to ask just how far
it will reach and how much of an area one must avoid.Allowed to operate with impunity the problem will only continue to
expand and there is no reason it would be limited to Somalis. With over
600 captives of the Somali pirates now, one has to wonder if the EU
anti-piracy taskforce is just a sailing club or a military force.The Quest and a map of the area.
(Sorry, but I don’t like the ICW…)
On 2/26/2011 7:50 AM, Lee Yonkers wrote:
Quote:Right now there isn’t any government in Somalia and there hasn’t been a
government there for years. It is a land ruled by no one accountable to no one.lee
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Just to nitpick, the American President who sent the US Navy to destroy the
Barbary Pirates was Jefferson and it was 200 years ago (although Monroe had
to do it again a few years later). Roosevelt’s role in dealing with N.
Africa had nothing to do with pirates, but the rescue of an rich, ex-pat by
the name of Pedcaris (sp ?) who was kidnapped by a Moroccan tribal leader in
an attempt to secure territory from the then Moroccan ruler. The Pedcaris
incident helped secure Roosevelt’s election (he was President at the time
due to the McKinley assassination), and it was made into a Sean Connery
movie back in the 70s.
I know you all wanted to know this.On Sat, Feb 26, 2011 at 9:50 AM, Lee Yonkers wrote:
Quote:Right now there isn’t any government in Somalia and there hasn’t been a
government there for years. It is a land ruled by no one accountable to no
one.lee
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Pete,
I agree! Governments need to do much more to combat piracy than they are
at present. That’s their job, or part of it. But until they’ve won that
battle, we individual skippers have to use our own good judgment
regarding pirates. I’ve gone out of my way to avoid the worst hotspots
here in the Caribbean this past year. Many who were less cautious have
gotten away with it, but some have not. There have been too many
boardings, robberies and in some cases murders down here this past year.Let’s petition and encourage our governments to get serious about
piracy, but let’s not forget who’s ultimately responsible for us and our
boats.Tor
Silverheels, P-424 #17
http://www.silverheels.us
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Tor,
As usual we are in violent agreement. It amazes me that 1) governments
have allowed piracy to grow to this level, 2) how far away from Somalia
this abduction by Somali’s occurred, and 3) if there is an anti-piracy
taskforce that does in fact escort ships, that they could have denied a
well-organized flotilla of 30 sail boats (27 of them EU members).And yes I agree, we are all responsible for our own lives and well-being
at the end of the day. Given the scope and range of the Somali pirates
now (1100nm from home), how could one possibly safely circumnavigate?All the best,
Pete
PS: enjoyed reading about your dinghy incident in BWS. Could you mate
laugh when reading it later?On 2/26/2011 8:39 AM, Silverheels wrote:
Quote:Pete,I agree! Governments need to do much more to combat piracy than they are
at present. That’s their job, or part of it. But until they’ve won that
battle, we individual skippers have to use our own good judgment
regarding pirates. I’ve gone out of my way to avoid the worst hotspots
here in the Caribbean this past year. Many who were less cautious have
gotten away with it, but some have not. There have been too many
boardings, robberies and in some cases murders down here this past year.Let’s petition and encourage our governments to get serious about
piracy, but let’s not forget who’s ultimately responsible for us and our
boats.Tor
Silverheels, P-424 #17
http://www.silverheels.us
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Actually, you are partially right and partially wrong. The description I
used was intended to elicit both Jefferson, who as Minister to France did
not completely succeed in addressing the Barbary Pirates, until elected
President, but also TR. This extract proves this point, from one of TR’s
biographers.“And here we bring in Teddy Roosevelt, nearly a century later, busily
employing his Big Stick policy. In May 1904, when the Republican National
Convention was then meeting in Chicago, a certain Ion Perdicaris, a
naturalized American citizen, was seized by one of the native Moroccan
chieftains, Raisuli. The president ordered our Mediterranean and South
Atlantic squadrons rushed to Tangier. The Republican Convention was dragging
along which displeased Roosevelt even though he was sure of being nominated
again. Although arrangements had already been made to release Perdicaris,
the president had Secretary of State Hay draft and send off a famous
telegram to the American consul general at Tangier, insisting that the
United States must have “Perdicaris alive or Raisuli dead.” The telegram
read aloud at the convention in Chicago created a sensation.”You can confirm this with numerous entries on the web. Jefferson was the
first, but not the last. And it was TR’s move that made the US Navy famous
worldwide. In 1816 we didn’t have much of a Navy, and it was a negotiation
that TJ won, not a battle.A “century later,” in the excerpt refers to TJ as an antecedent pirate
squasher.Read more: Barbary pirates still at it
http://www.wnd.com/index.php?pageId=10989#ixzz1F5BX5N8t
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