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TCP shares two contributors “encounters” Pirates?! Paul and Rachel Chandler, a British passed within a mile of us (that's close). couple taken in 2009 by gun toting It was a good opportunity to pass a pirates that stormed their yacht even vote-of-thanks to the crew on the though there was a Royal Navy ship Warship, on behalf of all yachties close by. After 388 days of brutal who passed this way … for the treatment and a ransom of £625,000 comfort their company in these they were freed. waters, gave us! We parted good friends. It is apparent these pirates have An hour later we heard the little fear of military might, and most unmistakable `chop-chop' of a of us would love to see them blown helicopter … and it came from our out of the water and wonder why this friends on Coalition Warship #56. does not happen, by “accident” or They swooped low over us allowing with orders from above. us to wave our greetings and then hovered over each of the fishing Piracy for commercial shipping is far boats around us! They were worse than that of the cruising warning them to stay away from this community. Hundreds of commercial sailing vessel … and they did. ships have been attacked, some Another hour later they repeated pirates are repelled, but many ships their visit … giving the same warning are hijacked; the crew are either to the fishermen. We still had a killed or forced off the ship. The solitary fishing boat come to us pirates then sail the ship to a pirate waving a petrol can, but he never port and change the identity. came closer than 200 metres! I suspect one word from us on the VHF Today in the Indian Ocean the radio and they would have been pirates use a mother ship which shredded meat. allows strikes as far away as India, it What a great service offered by the has been said that in time the entire US Warship. We will never forget it!” Indian Ocean may be infested and dangerous. Lloyd made the trip to the Words and photo by island of Mindanao has a significant Jan Forsyth, (you beauty crew) Muslim presence, mainly due to a separatist movement Moro Islamic I've been trying to write about the Liberation Front, MILF which was somewhat tragic and dramatic formed to solve religious and poverty subject of pirates for over a year problems. These radicals have been now. Each time I head for the the cause of violence and political computer there is another tragedy at upheaval for a number of years. The sea and I don't have the heart to southern end of that island is to be carry on. well avoided. Thankfully, due to lack of personal encounters there are no pictures of violent pirates in my albums. I hunted the net for royalty free pictures of AK 47 toting men with suitable sneers and high powered launches, but all I found were pictures of pirate wenches, Johnny Depp and American base-ball teams. The only pirates I have met during my years on the sea have been “Party Pirates” and to the delight of all they have given not taken. I have also come across local fishermen who have frightened the hell out of all on board when they roared up to the boat, only to offer a portion of their catch for sale or barter. I realise “Pirates” is not a subject of humour and light hearted banter as I delved deeper into research and found tragic stories of horror, murder and kidnapping that plague a number of the world's oceans. In my cruising life we did pass by infested areas and gave the islands a wide berth, keeping a constant watch until well clear. In the Philippines the The Malaysia Anambas Islands also have small enclaves of violent reputation, cruisers take their lives for granted if they drop anchor in that area on the way to Borneo. Thieves have boarded yachts sometimes with tragic outcomes when the skipper tried to defend his home, desperate men searching for food in many cases. The distinction between thievery and piracy is where the former is out for personal survival while the latter often involves kidnapping for financial gain. Then there is terrorism, where an attack on a ship or yacht results in religious or political gain. Every cruiser cringed when four Americans on a world cruise had their yacht captured by Somali pirates. They were shot and killed even though there was American military presence close by. Then there were the Johansen's, a Danish family who were about 260 miles off shore when they were boarded and taken hostage in the Indian Ocean in after heading to the Suez Canal. My friend Lloyd Price on Deja Vu was making the crossing from South East Asia to the Mediterranean in 2009 in his words: “Second day out found us another 112 nmiles towards Aden … with only 52 nmiles to go. There was evidence of many fishing boats and we have heard some amongst them were more than fishermen. They weren't pirates … just thieves! They could board your vessel, armed I would think, and steal anything they liked! Whereas, a pirate's intention is to take the crew for ransom and leave the vessel drifting. A bit scary really! Lloyd was contacted by the American navy in this area: “You're obviously travelling alone … a very BAD idea in these waters”! “Sorry Captain … Ignorance is Bliss”! And the moment I said it I was sorry … as it must have sounded very blasé. I did apologise and we went on with our chat! Coalition Warship #56 came rocketing over the horizon and Mediterranean and is still there in one piece, in all probability the last the Australian yacht to make the crossing alone. Indonesia, Singapore and Malaysia patrol their waters on a regular basis, however there are hundreds of small hideaway islands set in such a large area that there would be little chance of capture or for that matter getting aid to a stricken boat in time. Many cruisers pass through the Malacca Straits many times, myself included. However, due to the vigilance of these countries I haven't heard of any attacks on yachts in that vicinity. To combat the threat of piracy and thievery is simple. Do not anchor in unsafe areas, keep careful watch when underway and at anchor, report any incidences asap, batten and secure the boat and maintain full speed when passing through suspect areas. If you are boarded try to be calm and don't panic, give them every- thing they want, don't end up a dead hero. MARINE INSURANCE Are you getting the run-a-round trying to find the right cover? DG Marine is able to help! From Ferro to Multihulls- (including Blue Water Cruising) Also Third Party only! get an online quote: www.dgmarine.com.au or call: 0438 563 164 DG Marine Coming to Mooloolaba? Need work done? Check us out! Boat Building • Repairs • Maintenance www.wrightboats.com.au We are a family business who take pride in our work & our service to customers Shed 2 #12 Orana St. Buddina, QLD. 4575 Ph/Fx: (07) 5478 0750 Mob: 0414 745 276 email:info@wrightboats.com.au
Pirates! Don't Tell Grandma! Words by Kim Kenyon, 'ex” SY shouts and confusion, as a panga (a was one panicky eternity. Heartbeat Orianne, now SY Karaka long fishing dinghy) with large after heartbeat in the darkness of engines, packed full of angry men in the locker. I didn't know where the I think my life is like a Quentin ripped and dirty shirts careened shots were coming from; I'd lost my Tarantino movie. Or at least the away with the coast guard in hot sense of direction. Were they boat's is. A little bit of background: pursuit. And although it was late coming from the marina? Was that a afternoon, dear readers, my day was crew-mate screaming? I couldn't This year my partner Tom almost just beginning. stand it. I couldn't just wait there to died after being mauled by a die. I would get off this boat (cue barracuda on a deserted island in Shotguns and machine guns rang movie music), and I would swim if I Cuba. A few months and many out. My heart stopped. Frozen for had to. operations later we sailed into, and straight out of, an open sea drug chase in Isla Providencia, Colombia. Further south, we were surrounded by four high speed boats at deep sea, packed full of balaclavaed men pretending to fish. Although we thought we were done for, we motored through with no hassles, and cracked pirate jokes all afternoon. Only to be attacked by real life pirates of the Caribbean a few hours later. They boarded with guns and machetes, tied us up in the light of a blood red, rising full moon, took control of the boat and ransacked it in the entrance to the harbour in Cartagena, Colombia. Oh boy, it gets better. Then we sailed to Haiti. Two days later we felt the tremors of the devastating earthquake that eventually killed 200 000 Haitians. After donating all we had, it became increasingly clear we needed to leave. We kept double watches and sailed without running lights in the dead of a dark night with all ears tuned for engines as we made a dash for Jamaica. We later heard reports of thousands of boats fleeing the country and terrifying tales of yachts encountering Haitian pirates or running aground in front of villages. Although we made it to Port Antonio, Jamaica, safe and sound, pirates and refugees were on our minds. You know what, it had been one hell of year. So, a week later... I was alone on the boat. Sitting in late afternoon sunlight, a cake in the oven, doing dishes on the deck and singing to myself. Birds flew through rainclouds that sit on top of Port Antonio like great big gods in the sky, and the fishing boats were heading home. All of a sudden a Coast Guard boat nosed out of the harbour, throttled up and veered to shore. There were seconds above my dishes, I scampered inside, mumbling frantically to myself as I peeked out the porthole. The chase was on. It seemed as if two of the coast guards had been hurt. While the fishing boat had landed on the Errol Flynn Island just across the way, and its' bandido crew were making a stand on the dock, shirtless and shooting fast and hard. Then I heard a grenade. I couldn't take it. I was frightened and furious and sick to death of being in life threatening situations. I shut the hatches and windows and bunkered down inside. The shooting got closer. A new boat had joined and was venturing dangerously close to our own. I crouched next to the oven, absentmindedly checked on my cake and wonder if this was it. The end of the line for Kim Kenyon… I reflected. I had no dinghy, I couldn't get to shore. We were the furthest boat from land. Not a soul was home on the other yachts. It suddenly became a remote but frightening possibility that these gun toting bandits might use Karaka as a shield between them. What if they came on board? Oh boy, the gunshots sounded closer. By this time I was getting frantic, time to turn off the oven and look for a hiding place. Under a bunk? Too obvious. In a cupboard? They might check. I decided on the big locker in the v-berth. It looked like a flush wall, but was a deep well full of gear. I dug out some wetsuits, clambered in, layered an old spinnaker on top, shut the door, and, with my ear to the hull... waited, sweltered and prayed. Sounds were distorted. I could hear constant gunfire. Engines came closer and careened away. I thought I heard someone scream. It I got out of the steamy locker and peeked through the window. Masses of people lined the shore watching the chase. The boats were back over near the island, though still doing loops that took them 50 foot from our boat as they reloaded their guns and headed back for more. I decided to take a risk. If I could get out of the boat without being seen, and swim the mile to shore, I would be fine, right? .... right? They weren't heading that close. Yet. I went into panic mode. Found the closest bathing suit I could find (it happened to be a 1950's polka dotted swimsuit complete with frilly skirt) and commenced evasive action. I stealth climbed out of that front hatch, “commando rolled” to the bow of the boat and monkeyed my way clumsily down the anchor chain, landing in a polka dotted and entirely ungraceful splash. Once in the water, I held my breath, dove deep and swam like a maniac. Half way, I surfaced, only to see them heading straight towards me at high speed. I ducked under and just about killed myself making a last dash for the safety of shore. I may have big feet, but I sure ain't Ian Thorpe. As I coughed up a lung, and left it bobbing in my wake, I vowed never to smoke Marlboro reds again. Finally, red faced, straggle haired and limp frilled, my bathing suit and I made it to the dock. Praise cheeses, I was safe. I clambered up and staggered through the screaming masses. My eyes were crazed, and my chest was heaving. It was like this; unable to talk for the sheer act of breathing, that my local friends found me. “What you doin' swimmin' to shore in that crazy swimsuit mon! Don't you know that the Coast Guard are doing their military training over on the island?!” Pirate survivor, Kim Kenyon Do you laugh or cry? I am officially a fool. We went back to the boat, turned the oven back on, and poured a stiff drink as we laughed the night away imagining the sight of a commando rolling blond in a 50's polka dotted bathing suit. My life might be like a Quetin Tarantino movie, but don't tell grandma, hey? KIM'S COMANDO CAKE Preheat oven to 350F or 180C. Cream 1 stick of butter with one cup of sugar. Add 2 lightly beaten eggs, 2-3 mushy bananas, 2 finely grated carrots, a handful of nuts or sunflower seeds with pinches of vanilla, nutmeg, cinnamon and cloves. Dissolve 1 tsp baking soda in 2tbs of milk. Add to mix. Sift 250g, plain flour with 2 tsp baking powder (you can substitute ¼ of this amount with shredded coconut, oats or rye flour). Mix all ingredients well, until the mixture is bubbly and drips slowly off the mixing spoon. Pour into a greased cake tin and place in a moderate oven. Then halfway through, have the scare of your life. Turn off the oven and run away. Come back a while later, when all is safe, cook cake for 40-45 minutes, and serve with a very stiff drink of Appleton rum. Maybe a cigar. Here's to you and your commando cake! Cruise the Whitsundays Charter a luxury Sailing Catamaran “Razzle Dazzle” - Fusion 40 other vessels also available Fall Specials for 2012 available now www.whitsundaycharterboats.com.au WHITSUNDAY LUXURY CATAMARANS email: sales@luxurycats.com.au Ph: 07 4947 1653 Mob: 0408 553 005 FOR DIESEL BUG BUSTER CALL: www.fueltreat.com.au 1800 034 442 Contact David: solutions@fueltreat.com.au Don’t accept any “Fuel Treatment”. They are not all the same!!! Ask for FUELTREAT BC250 or FT400. Available through the following stockists: Townsville: (07) 4721 5588 (Reliance Oil) Cairns: (07) 4035 2538 (MTUDDA) Darwin: (08) 8947 0233 (AFD, Winnellie) Townsville: (07) 4774 4977 (MTUDDA) Brisbane: (07) 3899 5555 (Pacific Petroleum) Mackay: (07) 4952 2122 (MTUDDA) Brisbane: (07) 3877 6060 (MTUDDA) Bowen: (07) 4786 1954 (Reliance Oil) Gold Coast: (07) 5588 1900 (MTUDDA) Martin Vives photo
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