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photos by : Nico Martinez

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The Epoch Times

The Origin of the Pirates:

Some Conquer Earth, Others Conquer Water

A pirate armed with a kalachnikov, on the boat the Tanit, taken on April 10, 2009, that was seized by Somali pirates on April 4. (ecpad/AFP/Getty Images)

BEIRUT, Lebanon—American and French naval forces have confronted Somali pirates recently, and several have been killed. Pirates took vengeance on April 14 by carrying on their hijacking operations, seizing the Lebanese ship Sea-Horse with over a dozen sailors onboard. They also hijacked a Greek ship holding a crew of 22 Filipinos, and 2 Egyptian fishing boats with around 35 fishermen, as they were crossing the Aden Gulf. In total, over 10 vessels have been hijacked.

The piracy phenomenon has affected both Somali fishermen and businessmen. Democracy Now printed interviews with fishermen on April 14, telling how they’ve been interrogated by the American navy along the coast; helicopters fly overhead, taking photos with the suspicion that they may be pirates. The business community has complained that all merchant ships crossing the area are being checked much more frequently, which makes it hard for them to conduct business.

A consultant and analyst in Kenya, Mohamed Abshir Waldo, has written a paper called The Two Piracies in Somalia: Why the World Ignores the Other?, looking at the root causes of the problem.

The “original” pirates, according to Waldo, “are the foreign trawlers and vessels who [have been] conducting illegal fishing on the Somali coast” since 1991. He also says that these same vessels have been dumping industrial, toxic, and nuclear waste in the water, ruining the Somali coast life. This was the reason “shipping piracy” emerged.

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Stewart 34 Rum Racing

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Meanwhile the Melges 24 latest news here

19 April 2009

Scott Nixon aboard USA-751 Quantum Racing has won the highly-contested Melges 24 division at Charleston Race Week 2009. Among his crew, are 2008 North American Champion companions Amy Ironmonger and Brian Janney. After three days and nine races while competing against some of the best sailors in the world, Nixon is officially the very first to win back-to-back Charleston Melges 24 titles — as a helm and as a tactician. In 2008, he called the shots for winner USMCA President and IMCA Vice Chairman (US) Travis Weisleder.

Currently a resident of Annapolis, Md., Nixon is no stranger to Charleston. His expertise and local knowledge paid big dividends this weekend. He lived in Charleston from 1993 to 1995 as the coach of the College of Charleston sailing team.

Going into the last day of racing Argyle Campbell on USA-795 Rock n’ Roll from Newport Beach, Calif. was seated in the overall lead, only one vital point ahead of Nixon in second place. In third, also one point out was day one regatta leader John Kolius from La Porte, Tx. on USA-776 KO Sailing.

With the potential for three more intense races on tap for the final day only, the 31-boat strong Melges 24 fleet went back to racing under semi-overcast skies and breeze on conditions.

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© 2009 Sam Sharp

TELEFÓNICA BLUE LEG SIX DAY 9 QFB:

received 19.04.09 0030 GMT

Hi there,

It has been a good day of sailing today, flying along at 20 knots, with good breeze and pleasant weather.  However, it is back to the fire-hose sailing with a continuous stream of water blasting down the deck at us.

The fireman and his hose are back with a vengeance which  means after six hours on deck there is very little of you that hasn’t  been given a damn good soaking at some stage.  Luckily though the water is warm and progress is good which makes it all the more tolerable.

Behind us there is a real battle going on between the fleet which makes us all the more grateful for the lead we have, from our vantage point we get to see it all unfold and react accordingly.  We have been keeping pace with the guys behind though which gives us some comfort, however we are still pushing hard to maintain our position.

Really, at the moment, we have got very little to complain about, we are going well at the head of the fleet, the boat is in great shape and the crew is happy and healthy!  Let’s hope it all stays that way!

Cheers,

Simon Fisher – helmsman

TELEFÓNICA BLUE LEG SIX DAY 8 QFB

Received 18.04.09 0716 GMT

The boats behind us have a nice race going on with hardly separation in between them. It always seems that by Rio most teams know how to get maximum performance out of their boats.

It is great to see that Delta Lloyd is doing so well.  Of course I am still a bit Dutch, so I might swing a bit in their favour.  But seeing them doing well, gives hope for the future, as more teams might pick up a boat from this race and enter for the following edition, with the knowledge that they can do well. Also we know there will not be major changes in the rule, so no big design improvements can be expected.

We have been going well and stretched away a nice amount, so it is up to us to keep this going until the finish.  But we will compress again, as soon we start sailing in lighter air the others will gain quickly. It looks tricky ahead, so a matter of keeping our eyes open.

Bouwe Bekking – skipper

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ERICSSON 4 LEG SIX DAY 7 QFB

Received 17.04.09 1723 GMT

Well last night was one of those nights where everything that could happen did.

On the approach to Fernando about 20 miles out we got hit by a rain squall. It blew 31 knots up from 15. That was happy days for us, no problem. But the aftermath was what got the hearts racing. All of a sudden we were in 0 knots and watching Telefónica Black and Delta Lloyd come smoking up from behind. To make maters even worse it was only a short time later before we could see another two boats join the hungry pack.

So, just when we thought we had done alright, and had second place at the gate in the bag, the stress meter went off the scale. Lucky for us, the following pack of wolfs all slowed and we picked up the new breeze first.

We celebrated the points with some guys going to sleep after 14 hours of hard labour; some found something in a bottle that would warm the insides of a 2000 year old Egyptian mummy. Others had to stay on deck and keep the old girl rolling.

Well we are all now looking forward to arriving in Boston after being in some far out places.

Tony Mutter – trimmer

PUMA LEG 6 DAY 8 QFB:

received 18.04.09 2047 GMT

A quick and gentle doldrums has led to yet another drag race across the Atlantic.  Tlefonioca Blue with the jump, and the rest of us nip and tuck-careening through the tropics toward the North Atlantic.

I guess by now there are no surprises, especially when I say that we are in a very close battle with the two Ericsson boats.  But we have a new friend joining our little grudge match.  Telefonica Black has joined the party and made it a four way sprint for Boston at this point.  We have beautiful, but very wet sailing conditions – 90 degree jib reaching in 18-20 knots of wind.  We’re chewing up the miles after having done about 430 over the last 24 hours.  Did I mention it was wet on deck?

And so it is with trade winds – a band of wind about as predictable as any in the world.  It leads to a different style of sailing, not the ‘sail changing world championships’ we have had over the past week.  This is more ‘throw up all the rag you can and hold on’ style of sailing.  Fine tuning is a must.  But at the same time, life on board is about as predictable as we get.  Not like earlier in the leg where you lie down to sleep knowing full well that the wake up call for a sail change could be and will be minutes away.

Stories on deck are still unique on this yacht even with Jerry Kirby absent on this leg.  He was home on his couch sending golf ‘Masters’  updates last Sunday, and my brother Brad is key at sending American sports scores.  Our news specialist, Guy Swindles from the Volvo office is the ‘officia’” sports news reporter to the fleet with emails of scores just about every other day.  I give him a hard time though, that he somehow has missed American football, basketball, baseball and hockey- the big four in the states.  He claims that those sports don’t really exist as they are played outside of Europe and therefore are not news worthy.  I am wearing him down though.  He actually included baseball scores (begrudgingly) in his last update.  I’ll wear him out.

As we were exiting the doldrums, we very quickly and quietly crossed the equator for the final time on this around the world adventure – an equator crossing for the fourth time in fact.   Since there were no ‘Pollywogs’ onboard (first time equator crossing) the event came and went very nonchalant.  On deck I guess a Southern ‘Hemisphereian’ handed the helm to a Northern ‘Hemisphereian’.  No rum, no cigars, no member of the crew had a baby at home – nothing cool at all.  I slept through it all at the nav station.  Ricky claims he has a photo of this intensity for my future viewing pleasure.

In general, all is good onboard the fine yacht – a few days of the same old, same old.  I guess I shouldn’t complain about things settling down to a dull roar.  Fast miles are a good thing.

Kenny Read

Tom & Vicky at home on Sunstone

Sunstone

Finishing their 2nd Round White Island Race 2008

Sunstone getting her IRC rating in Auckland

I had the pleasure of meeting Tom & Vicky during a Thursday rum race on the Stewart 34′s with Bill Miller, and again as fellow competitors in the 2008 edition of the Round North Island 2 handed race. Tom & Vicky have sailed Sunstone, their home, around the world. One of their ambitions is to compete in as many coastal/off shore 2 handed races as they can, visit their www to find out where they have been and some of the people they have met. 150,000 miles later, they are still going strong. This past summer 08/09 they visited Fiordland & Stewart Island before returning to Auckland and competing in their 2nd Auckland – White Island – Auckland race. These 2 yachties are fantastic and have the respect of the local sailing community, where ever they go. I wish them safe sailing and look forward to the next time I share a rum or 2 with them.

Happy sailing guys, your legends. )

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Have A Two’fer From Our Friends at the Lake Champlain Sailing Center

Lake Champlain Sailing CenterThere’s no doubt that this summer is going to be unforgettable here on Lake Champlain. With the celebration of the Quadricentennial taking place over the next few months, the waterfront will be filled with boating, sailing, fishing and most of all, lots of fun for the whole community.

As nice as it is to relax on the rocks by the boat house or have a delicious lunch at Splash, we urge you to get out there and be part of the action! Our friends at the Lake Champlain Sailing Center have just announced and unbelievable “2 for 1 Season Pass Special” that will have you and a first mate experiencing the beauty of Lake Champlain off shore and on the water.

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people sail all over the world, even on lakes )