Oyster Yachting
  • Home
  • Blog
  • About
  • Services
    • Professional Services
    • Web Design
  • Videos
    • Baja Ha-Ha Documentary
    • Puddle Jump
    • Desolation Sound Documentary
    • The Pacific Coast of California (1949)
  • Galleries
    • Stricly Sail Pacific 2012
    • Puerto Vallarta
  • News
  • E-Letter
  • Contact

Somali Pirates Capture Sailing Couple and Crew on World Cruise to Distribute Bibles

2/18/2011

0 Comments

 
An American couple, who have been cruising and doing an around the world voyage since 2002, have been attacked and captured by Somali pirates.  The 58-foot Laurie Davidson-designed racer/cruiser, s/v Quest was making its way to Oman under radio silence when the pirate attack occurred in the Arabian Sea.  The last reported location by their SPOT sate
Picture
Jean and Scott Adams, along with two crew members, were making their way under radio silence in pirate waters.  The yacht was about 275 miles from the coast of Oman, in the middle of the Indian Ocean, when the pirates struck Friday February 18, 2011.  They tried to put an SOS signal but the pirates just intercepted them.  The organizers of the Blue Water Rally identified the American crew members sailing with the Adams as Phyllis Mackay, 59, and Bob Riggle, 67 -- both from Seattle, Wash.

Jean is a retired dentist who has a wide interest in natural and biological sciences.  Not much information is available on Scott.  The couple lists their sailing address out of the Marina Del Rey Yacht Club.  Their vessel was built in Christchurch, New Zealand, where it was delivered and the vessel sailed it back to the Los Angeles.

The Adams distributed bibles to natives in normally difficult to reach places, such as, villages in Fiji, Central America and New Zealand.  Their sailing vessel enables them to travel to many different locales while conducting their Christian ministry.  When they left Los Angeles, they ordered Catholic Bibles from the American Bible Society and NIV Bibles from the International Bible Society.  Their ship was loaded down with the religious books stored under the floor boards.  In twist of fate, the Adams' missionary work will face its greatest challenge -- getting the pirates to turn their evil ways around.

The couple embarked on their multi-year trip around the world, which started with the Del Rey Yacht Club's cruising/race to Puerto Vallarta, in February of 2005. The trip included  El Salvador, Costa Rica, Panama, the Galapagos, the Gambiers, Marquesas, Tahiti and across to Bora Bora, on to the Cook Islands, the Kermadecs, the Bay of Islands and Auckland, New Zealand.  The latest leg of their journey began this winter went from India to the Mediterranean, by way of the Arabian and Red seas. The couple was planning to sail to Crete in the spring before continuing to Istanbul.

The situation could be dangerous for the hostages. Somali pirates have been known to torture their captives and use them in negotiations. The Associated Press was told by a Somali pirate early this week that the pirates would begin to intentionally go after Americans in response to the trial that sent another Somalian to the brig.  The attack happened just one day after the sentencing. Abdiwali Abdiqadir Muse was sentenced Thursday to 33 years in prison.  Muse kidnapped a US flagged merchant ship in 2009.

The fate of  the s/v Quest and the lives of their crew remain uncertain at this point.   The US military is monitoring the situation.  The Somali pirates risk a grave mistake if the military deems it is threatening the lifes of US hostages.  That would be a departure from the pirates' business model where they kidnap large merchant ships for ransom from the corporate owners.  Causing harm to the yachties would not help their cause and eliminate chances of any ransom.

The world sailing community and governments need to pressure the Somalian government to become  proactive in order to halt these pirate attacks on private yachts.  At the same, time yachts deciding to transit the area are doing so under great peril.

UPDATE: February 22, 2011

Four days after his posting, it was reported in the press that the Somali pirates murdered the Adams couple and their two crew members. 

U.S. naval forces, who were trailing the Americans' captured yacht with four warships, quickly boarded the vessel after hearing the gunfire and tried to provide lifesaving care to the Americans, but they died of their wounds.  Two pirates died during the confrontation and 13 were captured and detained.   Later, the pirates were brought to trial.  While the details are bit murky, a volley of gunfire erupted after Navy boats stormed the ship holding the hostages. 

Scott and Jean Adam documented their maritime missionary work on their website, S/V Quest Adventure Log.
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Sailing Life

    The Sailing Life blog will cover all aspects of sailing including voyages, maintenance, education, safety, destinations, lifestyle and others.

    Categories

    All
    Boat Show
    Business
    Charters
    Education
    Elecrrical
    Fishing
    Humor
    La Cruz
    Medical
    Mexico
    Music
    News
    Publications
    Regatta
    Rig
    Safety
    Scuttlebutt
    Start-ups
    Tips
    Videos
    Weather

    Steve Szirom

    Archives

    July 2017
    October 2016
    October 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    September 2014
    January 2014
    May 2013
    October 2012
    June 2012
    April 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    September 2011
    May 2011
    March 2011
    February 2011
    December 2010
    November 2010
    September 2010
    August 2010
    June 2010
    March 2010
    February 2010
    January 2010
    September 2009

    RSS Feed

    View my profile on LinkedIn
    Blogroll
    • Calou's Baja Ha-Ha
    • Di's Dream Adventure
    • Estrellita 5.1b
    • I'O and the Waterdogs
    • Log of the Moira
    • Sailing on Hurulu
    • Salacia
    • Sisiutl Passages
    • Third Day
All Content and Pictures Copyright 2013-2017. Steve Szirom.  All rights Reserved.