Current Pirate Activity


-Blast

The area around the Straits of Malacca has a lot of stuff, even though I've recently read things were getting much better in that area. The below is articles say it:

http://www.abc.net.au/ra/news/stories/200804/s2219040.htm?tab=latest

http://www.abc.net.au/ra/news/stories/200804/s2215918.htm

They don't seem to agree with the map.

Guys on commercial vessels are often somewhat prepared to deal with pirates. If they don't have anything better, firehose and decent sized pieces of metal like container twist-locks can be used to fend off. If you are sitting low in the water, the lack of free board makes defense more difficult.

Yachts and smaller vessels will usually have a much harder time, if attacked.

Glad they didn't show any cruise ships being hit in the Carib, since we will be there later this year.


Kindasorta along those lines, an interesting read is And the Sea Will Tell, by Vincent Bugliosi. I personally think ole Vince backed the wrong horse in this case...

The cruise line we are taking has all of its security people from Nepal. We always like to think that they are former Gurkhas. No one would want to mess with those...

Scouser Pirates

Sorry, but it appears that those pirate want-to-be's operating south of the Saudi peninsula need to find new careers.

Gurkha plus Kukri equal protection (to a certain level at least). They even have crossee kukri's on their shoulderboards. Makes me feel better protected...

We pillage, we plunder, we rifle and loot.
Drink up me 'earties, Yo Ho!
We kidnap and ravage and don't give a hoot.
Drink up me 'earties, Yo Ho!

Yo Ho, Yo Ho! A pirate's life for me.

We extort, we pilfer, we filch and sack.
Drink up me 'earties, Yo Ho!
Maraud and embezzle and even hijack.
Drink up me 'earties, Yo Ho!

Yo Ho, Yo Ho! A pirate's life for me.
Yo Ho, Yo Ho! A pirate's life for me.

We kindle and char, inflame and ignite.
Drink up me 'earties, Yo Ho!
We burn up the city, we're really a fright.
Drink up me 'earties, Yo Ho!

Yo Ho, Yo Ho! A pirate's life for me.

We're rascals, scoundrels, villans and knaves.
Drink up me 'earties, Yo Ho!
We're devils and black sheep, really bad eggs!
Drink up me 'earties, Yo Ho!

Yo Ho, Yo Ho! A pirate's life for me.

We're beggars and blighters and ne'er-do-well cads.
Drink up me 'earties, Yo Ho!
Aye! But we're loved by our mommies and dads!
Drink up me 'earties, Yo Ho!

Yo Ho, Yo Ho! A pirate's life for me.
Yo Ho, Yo Ho! A pirate's life for me.
Yo Ho, Yo Ho! A pirate's life for me.
Yo Ho, Yo Ho! A pirate's life for me.

But seriously, piracy is a serious problem.

... and relatedly...

Global Incident Map

Lots to keep Situational Awareness on...

I'd like to build a yacht and put a couple scantily clad female animatronic models sunbathing out on front, all mounted to a submersible attack craft. Sail it around indonesia for a while. That ought to ferret out a bunch of the scalawags. Bait 'em in, then blast their bones to davey jones' locker, har!