Pirates

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mrshish

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I spent Christmas this year with the wife's family. Her oldest sister, who lives in Europe, was also joining us but opted to spend a short vacation on a sail boat in the Caribbean before coming back to the states. They where with some friends and the sailboats crew when 3 men, one with a gun, one with a machete, and one with a knife boarded the ship at 2 am. They woke everyone before robbing them and threatening their life. Luckily no one was hurt but it was close. They expected to rob some rich Americans with rolls of US money. Since everyone on the boat was European they carried $500 Euro notes and 4 notes don’t look that impressive. The pirates where convinced they where hiding money and it was only after much discussion they understood the 4 notes were indeed a lot of money.

They took the money, jewelry, and some electronics. While they where leaving the pirates told the captain to sail out of the bay with the lights out and never come back or they would be killed. As soon as the captain made it to open waters they called the US coast guard for assistance. It took 30 minutes for the cutter to get to them but the coast guard was polite and helpful. My wife’s sister asked how often this happens and they said it wasn’t uncommon but didn’t happen on a regular basis. They also told her there was an incident not too long ago where after robbing everyone they tied them up and burned the boat.

As if that wasn’t crazy enough my wife's sister, upon return, tells me that she’s glade no one had a gun or tried to defend themselves. She said even if there was a SEAL on board she didn’t want them to try and stop the pirates. After going though an ordeal like this she feels even more grounded that you should never resist, let them do what they will and they will let you go.

It seems the logical response would be; I got lucky this time, next time they may kill me, it really can happen to me, I should learn to defend myself.

It’s amazing that liberals think (her words); these people need money because the can’t find work, if I give them money it will help them, they don’t want to hurt me, the gun is just to let me know they really need help, it wont happen to me again.

Needless to say with a father who’s ex-military, my wife who shoots better than most people on this forum, and another sister who lives in New Hampshire and really believes their motto, Live Free or Die, the talk at the table was interesting this year.
 
My buddy retired the first time in 1998, he and his wife sailed from the Bay area down to Baja and on down to Costa Rica. On their way back to Ensanada they were boarded and robbed. They came back to save up some money for their trip across the Pacific and to learn more about defense of the boat and their lives. He mentioned some crazy international laws and firearms, basically they want it to be hard to defend yourself. Apparently there are some bands/gangs of pirates that us automatic weapons, they are the ones you can't mess with. LUCK! Any small time pirates can be dealt with, nearly everything he read said to comply with their demands in order to live. He chose a different route and has returned from his trip (22 mos later). No negative encounters, thankfully.
 
mrshish said:
It’s amazing that liberals think (her words); these people need money because the can’t find work, if I give them money it will help them, they don’t want to hurt me, the gun is just to let me know they really need help, it wont happen to me again.
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They used to tell airline crews to comply too.

mrshish said:
They also told her there was an incident not too long ago where after robbing everyone they tied them up and burned the boat.
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How she could possibly feel the way she does knowing the above is beyond me.
 
Next time you're at the newsstand pick up a mag like the Crusing Helmsman.

A lot of yachties arm themselves quite heavily depending on where they intend on sailing to.

Pirates and partially submerged sea containers. Two real threats to anyone who is serious about their ocean sailing. Being helpful and an all round nice guy generally won't aid in dealing with either.
 
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I read THIS BOOK a couple of years ago and was absolutely amazed at even the concept of modern day pirates. It's an excellent book, quite an eye-opener, and I highly recommend it.
 
I seem to recall a thread some time ago about inexpensive weapons that would be useful abord a boat. They had to be inexpensive because when sailing some places, it's a much better idea to toss your guns overboard and replace them later than risk getting caught with them on your boat.

Personally, I wouldn't want to sail to anyplace where I couldn't properly arm myself. Closest I'll come is going on a 7-night cruise...
 
Repel boarders

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Years ago I considered getting a smaller (30'-37') sailboat for a livaboard and eventual long distance sailing. Cost and job changes killed that idea. But when I was looking into it in detail the aspect of piracy became very common. One item was related to what sort of firearm to carry, if any, and the general concensus was something along the lines of a Remington Marine Magnum. The maring magnum was/is relatively corrosion resistent, able to shoot bird shot, buck shot, slugs, and various types of tracer ammo and bird blast "report" ammo. Some sailors would also have handguns secured and hidden on the boat, but with drug trafficing so prevalent on the seas anyplace on a boat suitable to hide a handgun would also be suitable to hide illegal drugs and various officials looking for illegal drugs would eventually find a hidden handgun. The shotgun seemed at the time to be the most internationally friendly by using the disclaimer that it could also be used as a signaling device (sort of, on a good day). One guy would have on-board a single shot cheap shotgun in an easy to find location, a somewhat hidden pump shotgun in a harder to find location, and a handgun or two wrapped up tight in a baggie and sunk in oil in the bilge should someone find the other two firearms. His thinking was that most semi-friendly officials would find the single shot knowing that he just had to have something on board. More insistent officials would suspect him of hiding something and would eventually find the pump action. His thinking was that few would look in the dark dirty oil once they found both shotguns. His thinking was also that if he was boarded by pirates that they'd throw him below decks at first until they decided his fate, where upon he could retrieve the handgun(s) to defend himself with. The guy also had an assortment of early warning alarms on the boat. He seemed borderline paranoid, but had some interesting thoughts and ideas to think about.

Most non-sailors think of pirates as only in days of old. Most worldly aware people on the water these days have a good sense of where most piracy is likely to be found.

If I ever come into some money and go back to thinking of sailing away again I'll probably have a marine magnum tucked below decks and some longer range firearm snuck away someplace above decks.

As to some people being blind to the realities of today, they live blindly as they put their kids into the car seat, their purse still in the shopping cart behind them, their other kid on the other side of the car with the door wide open, hatch or trunk lid wide open, wallet laying open on the roof of the car with cash sticking halfway out of it, totally oblivious to any and all around them, living life with the "nothing will ever happen to me" mentality and never locking their car doors while inside the store and never locking their house at home since they've never been robbed before. Sadly, some people never learn, until it's too late, and then it's too late. Sucks to be them.
 
she’s glade no one had a gun or tried to defend themselves.
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She spent too much time in Europe:eek:

And in some countries/regions, crime is starting to become a real problem. You would expect more people to be happy to learn about (armed) self-defence...But most people don't even understand why I feel the need to carry a knife.

Anyway, I'm glad no one was hurt. But 2000€ is indeed (at least for me) a lot of money:(
 
Maybe we should allow the coastguard to be more aggressive in it's pirate hunting. We should probably start insisting that every sea going vessel has one gun per every 3 people too.
 
I'm a landlubber.

I think I'd avoid seafaring, but if I couldn't, I'd treat the boat like my home - some kind of warning of approaching vessels, intruder alarm, and heavily armed. Anything I could legally pack and perhaps more. I don't believe for a second that pirates would show mercy, and question how anyone would think otherwise, the above story notwithstanding. I suspect that the above story (of merciful pirates) is so rare as to be the exception that proves the rule.
 
There's a 12 gauge boating shotgun that's made specifically for launching mooring lines (?? sorry, I don't know nautical terms.) If you are boarded by Coast Guard types from a country that is hostile towards guns, it's not a gun.

It fires regular 12 gauge buckshot shells and slugs just fine if you need to "improvise" something to repel pirates ;-)
 
my wife who shoots better than most people on this forum
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:scrutiny: How many people on this forum has she shot with?

Just giving you a hard time. ;)

http://www.captainforhire.com/products.htm
There are some very interesting anti-piracy devices at this site, many of which are intended for people who can't/won't get a gun.

I'm a fan of the .38 flare gun conversion, but your lady friend might enjoy the 12. ga pepper flare.
 
It is often a hassle and illegal to be capable of defending yourself on the open seas.
Piracy is alive and well and in fact quite common in some regions.
In fact being at sea, many victims simply go missing rather than have a tale to tell. A vessel scuttled at sea and human remains eaten by sea life tell no tales.
They are lucky they didn't simply sail/motor it out a little before (or after) killing them all (perhaps after raping and other things) taking the valuables and sinking the vessel. They also have "chop shops" for boats and could just toss thier victims overboard before bringing the boat to one, or simply abandoning it empty.


I once thought it would be a great life to sail around the world, visiting various cultures and just earning enough for expenses.
That was until I found it is next to impossible to travel legaly while having a way to effectively protect yourself on board. You are required to declare firearms many places, and are in violation simply crossing into sovereign waters most places.
Combine that with the fact that the US government will support most charges brought against you and even prosecute you itself or allow you to be extradited back to face many if you escape. It is not like it used to be.

Throughout most of East Asia, and South America, the most affordable diverse destinations, it is illegal in most nations to just sail into thier waters armed (even just going 3 miles offshore from Mexico with a single round of ammunition on board is a crime)
Much of Africa and Europe are also heavily restrictive to a foriegn vessel entering thier waters with arms.

So at sea you are on your own, but you are not allowed to enter most waters of the world with arms. They are often not minor offenses either. Smuggling arms into a nation that has banned or heavily restricted arms, even by just having a couple personal arms can be a very extreme offense, nevermind as a foriegner.
That means most of the world is inaccessible legaly by sea while armed.

It fires regular 12 gauge buckshot shells and slugs just fine if you need to "improvise" something to repel pirates
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Most nations heavily restrictive with firearms are equaly restrictive on ammunition. Having live rounds of ammunition (especialy with no legal way to use it) will often get you as much prison time as having the firearms themselves.
Sure you could "improvise" your own as well, but you won't improvise and unimprovise them throughout the course of your trip. Getting boarded happens suddenly and unexpectedly by high speed motorboats, or silent boats at night. The time between no appearant danger and immediate threat will be very short, and what you already have ready is going to be what is available.
At the same time authorities who will punish you for contraband can board almost as fast.

There is known hotspots for piracy, but it also happens outside of those hotspots.
 
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Why?

Why does it never occur to types like this gal that they should try to talk the pirates out of carrying guns instead of the potential victims? Won't accomplish anything more but at least they wouldn't be bothering us.
 
vigilante justice is a niche job. exciting, low wages, high satisfaction, and more disdain from the ruling powers than they cast on the average commoner.

:)
 
Sounds like you would get less hassle from foreign authorities if you were a pirate instead of a pleasure vessel
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You would. Consider most pirates are local fishermen or others with legitimate cover reasons for being in the area. They simply strike when the opportunity presents itself and the local authorities have little reason or desire to harass them.

You on the other hand are a foriegner in a foriegn vessel, with potential contraband, different values and beliefs (not much patience for those seen as rich American Cowboys, which is how many foriegners think of Americans with guns, and any american on travel will be seen as "rich" in such regions) and likely cash to pay for fees, fines, or to confiscate (along with any contraband, possibly in combination with charges and arrest.)
 
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