Speaking of piracy, as I was just the other day, reading in the newspapers of the escalation of hijackings of vessels like the Sirius Star, way off the east coast of Africa, and the increase in acts of piracy in general, I believe the problems have arisen as a result of the official line as handed out to me: "Upon being approached by pirates or hijackers, do not take offensive action. Allow them to board and do nothing to provoke acts of violence from them. Let them take what they want."
Why not send out invitations? During the last two decades of the twentieth century, in and around the Caribbean and especially off the coast of Venezuela, the boarding of cruising yachts became epidemic and some of the violent attacks on skippers and their wives have been too ghastly to relate, not to mention the murders. Much of the mayhem was, and still is, kept out of the world's press because tourism is vital to the area.
There are many seafarers, perhaps 75%, who refuse to carry arms on board. It is my belief that, if you undertake to cruise in waters that are known to be infested by pirates, it is the skipper's responsibility to bear arms with which to protect his crew and any passengers. After all, you wouldn't go to sea without any bilge pumps on board, just because you had faith in the integrity of the hull. The official advice not to retaliate has boosted the confidence of these desperados and they no longer stop at rape, pillage and murder; now they feel empowered to take the whole ship and make off with it!
In my own experience, pirates have twice approached the vessel under my command. Once, three days out of Antigua, with a crew of six charter guests who were fulfilling an ambition to cross the Atlantic under sail, a fast black 'rib', or inflatable speedboat, could be seen approaching, apparently from out of the wide blue yonder. What, I asked myself, could such a boat be doing some four hundred and fifty miles from the nearest landfall?
My guess was that there must be a 'mother' ship, somewhere over the horizon to the north of us. Having persuaded everyone to disappear below decks immediately, I broke out the arms and ammunition, principally a Franchi riot gun designed for business rather than pleasure, so to speak, and a .38 automatic with a couple of spare magazines.
Spotting an old freighter on the opposite horizon, south of our position and heading east, I asked one of the crew to use the VHF radio to make contact with it and explain our situation. The people aboard the rib, which was now approaching at such speed that a 'cockerel's tail' of water was streaming out from behind it, must have been a party to the communication via their own radio because the boat veered away, turning back towards the north.
Had these thugs come within range, however, there is no question that I would have opened fire, having previously read that Lloyds of London attributed more than 75% of yacht losses at sea to piracy, including the throwing of crew into the sea to drown at their leisure. Make no mistake, to these desperate villains, life is cheap and they have no compunction whatsoever in killing to get their hands on a prize.
It is unfortunate that the image of piracy, as served up to the public, is that of a bunch of cheeky rascals with hearts of gold behind their gruesome appearance, romanticising a sector of society that is, in reality, nothing more than the very dregs of humanity.
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