Blog of SV Lynn Rival

Like many sailors I was distressed to hear about the British couple, Paul and Rachel Chandler who were kidnapped by Somali pirates this week. They were on passage from the Seychelles to Tanzania. News of their kidnapping broke after their EPIRB was activated and they posted a brief message on their blog. I visited the blog in the hope that I could leave a message of support but unfortunately this is not enabled. It's worth visiting the blog to understand the route they took. They were clearly as careful as they could be. They came through the Red Sea and along the Southern Arabian Coast in a rally and kept going East to India. After working their way down the Indian coast they left Goa and headed Southwest for the Seychelles. After the Seychelles they were kidnapped in transit to Tanzania. The thing that shocked me was how far from Somalia they were. I assumed that the hijackings were closer to the Somali shore. From what I can calculate they were hijacked 500-800 miles from Somalia and well South of Somalia. The range of these pirates is frightening. I understand that Rachel and Paul have been taken inland in Somalia. We're all thinking of you and wish for your safety and swift return.