Bluewater's Newsletter #4
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Bluewater's Newsletter #4 |
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Piracy
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"Reported incidents of piracy and armed robbery at sea have shown an increase of more than 15 percent over the past 18 months," warned the British Shipping Minister in June of last year. "This must be a concern to all seafarers." Admittedly, most acts of piracy (violent assaults upon a vessel underway) and armed robbery (assaults upon a vessel an anchor or at dock) are directed against commercial vessels, but yachts are also vulnerable. Both carry cash, personal valuables and portable equipment that can be easily fenced. How do you recognize a potential threat of piracy? What can you do to prevent it? And what should you do if confronted by pirates?
The
best defense In 1998, the number of crew murdered or taken hostage by pirates doubled according to the International Maritime Bureau. Fifty-one people died. Over half of these raids occurred in the Indian Ocean. The Indian Ocean may be a fascinating place to cruise but it's unquestionably more dangerous. Most attacks occur at anchor or at berth between the hours of 0100 and 0600. Certain ports represent a greater risk to mariners. The International Maritime Organization (IMO) warns that some ports in Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela, and Ecuador have become increasingly hazardous. "Brazil accounted for more than half the reported [South American] cases in 1997, including 14 attacks reported in Rio de Janeiro and eight in Santos." Nine attacks occurred in Guayquil, Ecuador. Information about current incidents of piracy can be obtained from the International Maritime Bureau's Piracy Reporting Centre, Kuala Lumpur. (Telephone 603-302-0025, fax 603-238-5769, email: ccskl@imbkl.po.my ) Travel advisories are also published online by the British (www.fco.gov.uk/travel/) and U.S. governments (http://travel.state.gov/travel_warnings.html).
Anti-piracy plan
1. Brief your crew
2. Maintain a thorough watch The watch should be posted while at anchor or berthed in ports that have a history of piracy and maintained throughout the night. You might consider doubling the watch between 0100 and 0600 hours. Keep your boat well lighted and your crew out of the shadows. Often one crew member will be taken hostage to ensure the cooperation of the rest. When underway, a radar watch should be kept for vessels that appear to be shadowing your own course. They are likely to be small vessels capable of high speeds. Keep your radar tuned for maximum sensitivity. The watch on deck should pay special attention to the radar's "blind spots" and regularly sweep the sea astern with binoculars. Low light binoculars may be a worthwhile investment. If you should detect a suspicious vessel astern, don't relax your all-around watch. Pirates have been known to use one vessel as a decoy while using another to board.
3. Establish radio procedures The information included in a piracy alert broadcast is prioritized in case your transmission is terminated or garbled.
Raiders may monitor the VHF and an early broadcast (SECURITAY) to "All Stations" with the specific information detailed above may help dissuade an attack. It's wise to guard your radio conversations when in areas known for piracy. Don't openly communicate your intentions or vulnerability and don't boast that your vessel is heavily armed. If an attack does occur, it may provoke a more violent response from your assailants or cause complications with government authorities later.
4. Worse-case scenario Carrying firearms onboard yachts is a topic hotly debated among mariners. The debate is not likely to end here but the use of firearms is strongly discouraged by most maritime authorities. In many territorial waters, their use is outlawed, involving complex legal issues if you should kill or injure a foreign national with an illegal firearm, even in self-defense. There is also the possibility that a violent defense may prompt a more violent assault. Few crews are trained and equipped for a running gun battle. Despite their lurid history, most contemporary pirates are simply thieves. Their purpose is to take what they can of value and quickly leave. The same advice applies to victims of robbery ashore and at sea: cooperate, give them no cause for retaliation, and ensure that they leave as quickly as possible. Yachts are limited in their ability to repel boarders. You might make good use of spot lights to blind your assailants, use a high powered fire hose or radical steering maneuvers to keep them from closing, but once the raiders are onboard, the best policy is cooperation. Since pirates frequently lock up the crew while ransacking a vessel, you might secret a VHF radio somewhere below decks. Your captors, however, may be monitoring the more heavily trafficked channels.
5. Reporting procedures Make detailed entries in your ship's log about the incident and subsequent communications. Perhaps most importantly, care for yourself and your crew. They are likely to be traumatized by such an incident. Some may need counseling. All will need comfort.
Conclusions
Additional resources
IMO to organize missions, regional
seminars on piracy...
Rarely has there been a figure throughout history who has evoked such visions of exotic adventure and utter terror as the pirate. Colorful characters with a black patch over one eye, a foul-mouthed parrot on a shoulder, a bottle of rum in hand, standing in the moonlight over an open chest of stolen treasure. The likes of Captain Kidd, Blackbeard, Jean Lafitte, Anne Bonney, and Mary Reed have secured a place in our folklore as either heroes or bloodthirsty villains. There are now available many well researched, detailed accounts of just how these men and women operated not so very long ago - the maps they used, the rules they lived by, and the weapons they relied upon to carry out their villainous deeds. Since both the legendary and historic pirate continues to be a source of fascination for our customers (especially, for some inexplicable reason, in the Spring of each year), we offer a rogue's gallery of books on the subject.
Blackbeard
Captain Blood
Caribbean Pirates
Pirates
Pirates and Piracy
Pirates Own Book
Under the Black Flag
The increasing dependence upon electronic charting as the sole source of navigational data is troubling to many experienced skippers who have seen catastrophic failures in electronic systems. It seems always to happen off the pitch of an angry cape or during a moonless approach to an inlet. The computer screen goes blank. So does your memory. What was your last known position? When? What course were you steering and how fast? The importance of paper charts can't be exaggerated. They provide redundancy in case of an electronic system's failure. They offer a graphic method of logging navigational data that is simple and concise. In comparison, electronic charting is more convenient, more versatile, and less prone to the mistakes likely when plotting manually. The Yeoman Sport is an innovative product that provides an interface between paper charts and electronic navigation. It makes use of an intelligent mouse that reads a paper chart, displays latitude and longitude anywhere on the chart, and provides range and bearing between any two points. When connected to a GPS, it solves speed/time/distance calculations, uploads waypoints and downloads your current position, guiding you to the coordinates on your paper chart. For the Yeoman Sport to interpret the data on a printed chart, it must establish three points of reference. These points of known latitude and longitude must be manually plotted on the chart, scanned by the mouse, and the lat/lon coordinates entered manually. Admittedly, this could be something of a challenge on a small boat pitching heavily in a seaway. Fortunately, you can reference up to 100 charts beforehand and store them in the Yeoman's memory. Maptech ChartKits have Yeoman reference points preprinted on the charts. There are several distinct advantages to such a hybrid system.
Cost
Redundancy
Display
Graphic waypoints
Durability Portability The Yeoman Sport is designed to be portable. It can be used in the cockpit, balanced on your knees, carried to the flybridge, transferred to a dinghy. In Europe, many are carried onboard lifeboats.
Accuracy
Applications
Specifications Electronic charts
Circumnavigating the U.S. East Coast These new charts complete the inland leg of the "Great Circle Route" from New Orleans and Mobile to Chicago. Maptech ChartKits are available for the Great Lakes, U.S. East and Gulf coasts, completing the entire circumnavigation. The complete inventory of SoftChart's inland coverage is listed below.
SCR10 Upper Mississippi Cairo, IL to Saint Paul, MN
New Zealand charts by Maptech
Geographic areas are listed below: Letters to the editor Surprised at negative tone"I'm surprised at the negative tone of your description of Gulf Stream crossing, Bahamas, from Nassau (crime and thefts), to Exumas, etc.
"Please reread your comments to see the extent of negative
comments and flavor." [Taking Mr. Wagner's advice, we reread our comments - several times. We're still convinced that the Gulf Stream crossing can be dangerous in the wrong weather and you're dingy can be stolen in Nassau. Editor]
Local knowledge - Nassau, Bahamas "I just read the newsletter about the Bahamas this morning and feel compelled to pass on some first hand information about the Bahamas. "We have been living in Nassau aboard our 40' sailboat, Royal Dolphin, for the last year and a half while we teach at The College of the Bahamas. We were lucky enough to get a long-term slip at Nassau Yacht Haven marina just east of the Old Paradise Island bridge. "Before we left for the Bahamas, we read the Yachtsman's Guide [to the Bahamas] , subscribed to two discussion groups, read magazine articles, and generally tried to gather as much information as possible to prepare us for living in the Bahamas. "We didn't call a marina ahead of time because we wanted to see the places first. Once couple we met told us about East Bay which is just west of the old bridge. The Yachtsman's Guide doesn't tell you that it is sandwiched between the sewage treatment plant, which always smells, and the Bahamian shacks were fish, conch, etc., are sold and where all the waste products from cleaning the fish are dumped into the water. The docks were so rickety that we were afraid to walk on them. Rumor has it that the government is not happy with the management and will not be renewing the lease. Since they built the new bridge, large sailboats can't pass under the bridge into the marina anyway. "Our first stop at a marina in Nassau was Paradise Yacht Club on the east end of Paradise Island. The Yachtsman's Guide made it sound like a good place with facilities for cruisers but it turned out that 1)they didn't want long-term dockage, 2) they only had one small 1/2 bath for marina use, and 3) the only shower was an outdoor one used by people using the pool. There weren't any laundry facilities. "We then walked over to Nassau Harbour Club but they didn't want long-term liveaboard, either. That turned out to be a blessing because they have a mosquito problem in the warmer months. "Nassau Yacht Haven was the only place we checked that would allow long-term liveaboards. They have been fantastic! The staff is very helpful and knowledgeable about anything you want to know. If they don't know the answer they know who to ask. There is security 24 hours a day and they are active all the time. Propane tanks get refilled by taking them to the office and someone comes to pick the up, fill then and deliver them. We can have water and drinks, liquor, beer and wine delivered. The City Market (Winn-Dixie) is a short walk away and the young high school boys who bag will push the cartload of groceries back to your marina and help you unload for a nice tip. There are also several boat stores nearby. Lightbourne seems to have the most parts available although no one seems to carry rebuild kits for the head. "If you anchor in Nassau Harbour, you must use two anchors and pay attention to the tide and current. If you are uncertain, ask someone. Anchoring in the Bahamas is a major issue for those of us who cruise and anchor out. Dive your anchors! Make certain they are set. "As for the crime mentioned in your newsletter, I can only say that the Bahamian people are terrific. The recent murders of two tourists on Paradise Island made the Bahamians very angry. They know that tourism is a mainstay of their economy. The perpetrator has been apprehended and is awaiting trial. They hang offenders her in the Bahamas.
"Well, I could go on and on about our experiences in the
Bahamas. If anyone would like to correspond with me about an
upcoming visit, they can contact me at
carolfortune@yahoo.com
."
WWW Links
Sailing the Portuguese Coast: Cruising information, ports and
harbor details, weather forecasts and general information on
Portugal.
Commissioners of Irish Lights: Notices to mariners, aids to
navigation, pictures and links related to the Irish coast.
Irishmarine.com: Web site of the Irish marine industry and
coastal communities featuring topics of interest to the marine
community.
Canal Junction: Canal maps, history, culture, engineering,
museums, folk art - anything (and just about everything) to do
with English canals. Special edition - the Virgin Islands The next issue of Bluewater's newsletter will detail all the resources available for the Virgin Islands - cruising guides, nautical charts, electronic charts - and Bluewater's own guide to cruising the islands. This special edition will be emailed to those subscribers who have indicated an interest in the Caribbean. You can modify your subscription preferences at www.bluewaterweb.com/subscriptions.asp. If you'd like to offer insight, experience, or information about the Virgin Islands, email the editor@bluewaterweb.com . |
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[Editor's Note: The threat of piracy is a somber
topic among mariners and one we
don't address lightly. What
follows is the reasoned advice
given by maritime authorities to
reduce the incidents of piracy and
to mitigate the harm done when
such incidents occur.]
Historic pirates
Product review: Yeoman Sport 
