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S/V Quest taken by Somali pirates

10K views 49 replies 30 participants last post by  ftldiver 
#1 ·
#2 ·
Bad news... quite the yacht, too. While I'm sure none of this was part of their plans, with the well-publicized activities of the Somalians one has to wonder why you'd put yourself in jeopardy this way.

But I guess no one really knows how far afield these pirates are straying....

They have an impressive blog too...
 
#7 ·
Bad news... quite the yacht, too. While I'm sure none of this was part of their plans, with the well-publicized activities of the Somalians one has to wonder why you'd put yourself in jeopardy this way.

But I guess no one really knows how far afield these pirates are straying....

They have an impressive blog too...
They were on a mission of bible friendship. Their website has lots of stories of communication and friendship through giving away bibles they are toting around. I am not saying this is a bad thing, but I think they were maybe overly optimistic about the general goodwill of their fellow humans, and thus a bit starry-eyed about their voyage in general.

Carlos
 
#3 ·
"Despite Somali piracy being at its highest ever levels, with more than 40 ships and 800 seamen currently held according to Ecoterra."

800!?! ppl ? 800 .....If there is 2 ppl hurt on a mountain climb you get helo & everybody else help , and needless to say a stright week of news coverage , heck I even saw a box of kittens dumped on the curb covered on the news better than the Somali problem.

This is so crazy this Somali problem doesn't get more coverage in the news & Something done about it !

Where are the Special Op's missions on this matter ?

Here's to the hope for the forgotton 800.

At least the post's & threads do add to the coverage to the net search, which is my biggest reason for my posting here ....Go Search Engine !
 
#4 ·
Anyone who has done much research/reading about the pirates of this area should know that they venture hundreds of miles out from the coasts of Somalia in search of boats to prey on....this was not a good area for a pleasure yacht or any ship that is not of military-nature to be in really unless you enjoy high-risk endeavors...but most globe-trotting cruising sailors are in that category so I suspect they knew the odds and recent history of that area and took the chance...some ships have been intercepted as much as 400 miles off the Somali coast...Thus said, I hope they are returned safely and immediately...and I wish them the best...
 
#6 ·
Imediate action

A question for those who say that this couple should not have been sailing in this area:if you are sailing in southeast asia and you want to go to Med what are you supposed to do?
It is like saying 'Hey there are criminals roaming the streets I will not go out of my house'.
What I am saying is this:Send EVERY available forces in the region (Navy Seals, inteligence, e.t.c) and save our fellow citizens. Send those bastards a strong message and at last END this story. I think it is time for America to start another war in the area.
 
#8 ·
I think it is time for America to start another war in the area.
Yeah, that's what we need, another war. Don't get me wrong, I would be more than happy to nuke Somalia (and lots of other places as well), so I'm not at all against retribution. However, it's NOT AMERICA'S WORLD. It's the world's world and the world is a dangerous place. Frankly, I see these stories all the time. Whether it's people in Los Angeles who simply MUST build their house up in the foothills where EVERYBODY KNOWS there will be a forest fire, or kids crossing the border to go to a party in a bar in Mexico and ending up dead, or 3 Americans HIKING on the border of Iran (how stupid is THAT?) or sailing in an area REKNOWN for brutal piracy attacks. At what point do we have to say, "You chose to do something dangerous and you lost"? Yeah, I know, they're sailors, we're all sailors, I feel for them. I get it. But maybe the state of the world says, "You can't get to the Med from here anymore, you have to go around". That being said, I do pray for the survival of the victims. Flame suit on.;)

Mike
 
#11 ·
Hey Mike I wouldn't go so far as to nuk them and yes you're right there is such a thing as personal responsibility.I am not a deep water sailor but if I was and I was to pass the gulg of aden I'd prefer carrying guns not bibles.
None the less as far as sea transportation is concerned,Gibraltar strates,Panama and Suez canals are the three most strategic points.What would you say if tomorrow the Panama goverment shut down the canal?And if Morocan goverment put missiles in the entarnce of the straits?
YES the 2 canals werent there 100 years before but there they are now and our planet,our global society is making progress.We should not head back( or make circles...).
I am just wondering...How many ships have been captured so far?500-600?All of them had to pay what,a couple million dollars each?Hmm, so these guys (the pirates) are getting bigger and stronger.Whats next?
Hey I am not sailing in that area and I probably wont be sailing there any time soon but as a sailor I feel for all the people that either work on cargo ships and the y ve got families to feed either they took their nice yacht to make their dream come true.I say it is time for some land operations and air strikes.These guys are controlling the highway of the seas and that is unacceptable .
 
#14 ·
These guys are controlling the highway of the seas and that is unacceptable .
I absolutely agree. Perhaps we could organize armed warship escorts a few times a month so that commercial ships as well as private vessels could travel the route in safety. We already have the ships and the men and any additional costs could be borne by the commercial shippers or their insurance companies. I'm sure it would be a net savings for them. And if we accidentally kill a hundred Somali pirates, well......oops>:rolleyes:

Just no more wars.....pretty please?

Mike
 
#12 ·
They were with the Blue Water Rally but left on their own a few days ago...

The Blue Water Rally is very distressed to learn of the hijacking of SV Quest on 18th February. Scott and Jean Adam joined the Oz-Med section of the Blue Water Rally just before Christmas and had been sailing with the rally from Phuket as far as Mumbai. Quest had taken on board two well known rally participants: Phyllis Mackay and Bob Riggle. However, she chose to take an independent route from Mumbai to Salalah, leaving the Rally on 15 February. All information is now being handled by the US Central Command and their spokesman in Dubai.
We feel desperately sorry for our four friends onboard and our thoughts are with them and their friends and family. All the yachts still on the rally are fine and well.

S V Quest
 
#15 ·
The only safe route from the Pacific to the Med these days is via Cape Town and that is a heck of an additional stretch. Cocos, Chagos, Aden, Suez to Gibralter is 6900nm, Cocos, Chagos, Mauritius, Richards Bay, Durban, Cape Town, Canaries, Gibralter is 10200nm.

However, if you want to avoid Somalians these days, the last stop anyone should contemplate in the upper part of the Indian Ocean is Chagos (I was going to say Northern Indian Ocean but Chagos is actually 6 degrees S) and from there a drop directly to Mauritius and from there to South Africa (or if you're into real 3rd world, southern Mozambique).

That route will avoid pirates (the Chagos area is actively patrolled by the Royal Navy and the US Navy) as well as the Mozambique Channel/Agulhas Stream.

Would I sail 3300nm to ensure I'm safe from Somalians? You bet.
 
#17 ·
It now seems that the report about the warship on its way was false... The USS Momsen is on its way home, not to rescue these folks. gCaptain has retracted that story as an error. That's too bad b/c I came back online, hoping to hear some good news -- that they had rescued these people before they reached Somalia, although engaging with these pirates could also have meant a tragedy as well... I'll continue to pray for the crew's safety.
 
#19 · (Edited)
I will also say a prayer for the safe return of all hostages.
Picked this up on my Sunday morning trawl of the net.

Insurers to set up 'private navy' to combat piracy | News | Pbo

Sail-World.com : U.S. considers military action after pirate seajacking

Sail-World.com : Yacht pirate Seajack:'Wake up and see' convoy leader tells politicians
Sail-World.com : Pirate given 34 years jail - but will it deter?

International Navy ships can,t act for red tape, with the notable exception of the French, so maybe its time to remember the old adage, God also helps those who help themselves.
Vive la France despite the unfortunate loss of life. All loss of life in these circumstances must be laid on the conscience of the pirates.
Personally I would rather a rescue attempt than be profited upon by these thieves and murderers.
Safe sailing
 
#21 ·
I hope we keep politics out of this discussion. I can name a dozen mistakes that both sides of the isle made in this part of the world.

I do think a multi-national military action is warranted. The problem is its relative priority. Spending that money and spilling that blood will never seem worthwhile to ensure the safe passage of wealth world traveling yacht owners. It will only be done if the balance of trade, particularly oil, is threatened sufficiently. Like it or not, oil and trade will directly impact the quality and security of life throughout the globe. That's the trigger.
 
#22 ·
The Adams knew what they were getting into. It appears that they chose to go by themselves and also took a more dangerous route than necessary (see our article for sources of this information: http://nasailor.com/2011/02/20/somalian-pirates-hijack-sailing-vessel-carrying-four-americans/).

So for their personal situation, I can't get fired up about getting the military involved to save them. They knew the risks and acted of their own accord. There are other ways to get to the Med. So why should my taxpayer dollars be spent to save them?

But agree that the bigger question is why isn't more being done overall to combat this problem, for both commercial and non-commercial ships. If international governments can't work together to address the problem I think the idea of using a private navy to escort ships through the area is a good one. But personally I would never attempt pirate alley, even if it meant adding thousands of miles to my trip.
 
#38 ·
The Adams knew what they were getting into. It appears that they chose to go by themselves and also took a more dangerous route than necessary (see our article for sources of this information: http://nasailor.com/2011/02/20/somalian-pirates-hijack-sailing-vessel-carrying-four-americans/).

So for their personal situation, I can't get fired up about getting the military involved to save them. They knew the risks and acted of their own accord. There are other ways to get to the Med. So why should my taxpayer dollars be spent to save them?

But agree that the bigger question is why isn't more being done overall to combat this problem, for both commercial and non-commercial ships. If international governments can't work together to address the problem I think the idea of using a private navy to escort ships through the area is a good one. But personally I would never attempt pirate alley, even if it meant adding thousands of miles to my trip.
I agree with this, some very very bad decisions were made here for whatever reasons, whether misguided well-intentioned zealotry, sense of purpose, or whatever ... they left a flotilla and took huge risks (based on what I read) ... a sad result but not unforeseeable unfortunately.

The captain bears responsibility for the decisions.
 
#23 ·
Have you all written you parliament/house/government member demanding that they put forth an effort to stop this piracy thing. As elected officials they work for us and must be able to cut the red tape short and have some international action taken with enough pressure.
 
#25 ·
elected officials

Mike I'm not kidding. That is the problem in a democracy, the majority lets everything go and complains. The minority gets fanatic and gets things pushed thru. We are a minority so let us push things thru.
Hey look at the low voting turn outs, but we all complain.:(
Happy sailing.;)
 
#26 ·
#28 ·
There comes a time when an event will trigger a response and I think this event will hopefully trigger an international response. Sorry to hear the folks are gone my sympathy for their kin.
 
#29 ·
The last time around the pirates learned there gonna get shot in the head in a confrontation which is wear this seemed to be headed and it does not seem to have slowed them down

Until the world (whatever that is) is ready to shoot it out with every hijacked vessel on sight the pirates don't have a lot to lose and the crews would most likely not be willing to work under those conditions
 
#32 ·
Very sad. Killing an American should be intolerable and any other who may even consider it should learn why. I would hope all would feel the same about their own countrymen. Make an example of the survivors. Three hots and a cot in prison, where they assume the rights of a citizen, is an upgrade to their lifestyle. That's not acceptable to me.
 
#33 ·
Ok I have a problem with this statement "Killing an American should be intolerable and any other who may even consider it should learn why" I would hope however that this inciedent will make it possible to finally do something about it though. Killing any law abiding individual cruising in any water should be intolerable and result in action.
 
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