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Annoy Your Friends by Celebrating International Talk Like a Pirate Day

Happy International Talk Like a Pirate Day, everybody, and l'shana tova, tikatevu to our Jewish readers! It's time for the nerdiest, weirdest, and most internet-driven fake holiday of the year (Pirate Day, I mean), so loosen up your vocal cords with some rum and start saying arrr!

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Love Pirates? Portland Pirate Festival Loves You Back

What do you call it when a bunch of pirates get together? Well, call it this fall's Portland Pirate Festival, which needs your help setting a world recARRRRRd for the most fully dressed pirates in one location.

The salty sea dogs will board Cathedral Park September 19th and 20th for two days of kraken riding, sea chanteys and grog. Watch an exhibition of Samoan fire knife dancing or pirate belly-dancing (which we must see to believe), or play a role-playing game called Pirates of the Cursed Seas. Tickets are $12 in advance and $15 at the gate ($6/$8 for children under 12).

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Pirate Problem No More; US Captain Headed Back Home Safely

While we were at home watching The Masters and overdosing on Peeps and chocolate bunnies, a dangerous hostage situation was unfolding but fortunately this one had a happy ending. Captain Richard Phillips was rescued from a group of Somali pirates off the coast of Somalia thanks to the incredible action of the US Navy.

The military hit the pirates with a surprise attack on Sunday, with snipers killing three of the buccaneers and taking one other pirate into custody. President Obama had issued the go ahead to use force if the captain was ever in "imminent danger," and apparently he was, as the pirates were holding an AK-47 to his back.

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Tags: Pirates / Pirate Travel / Dangerous Travel / Cruises / MV Athena / → All Tags

Australian Cruise Ship "Attacked" By Tuna Fishermen

The Australian cruise ship MV Athena was steaming through the Gulf of Aden Tuesday night when as many as 30 smaller boats surrounded the vessel. Was it totally the biggest scary pirate assault ever? Not according to Classic International Cruises, which operates the Athena: The smaller boats turned out to be tuna fishermen, and the ocean liner "escaped" without incident.

Said a company spokeswoman:

The captain followed all security measures as far as readiness on board for any eventuality by placing fire hoses around the decks and continually liaised with all authorities.

It has been confirmed that the approaching small ships were a tuna fishing fleet.

But at least one passenger insists that the cruise line is staging a cover up and that the Athena was at risk. An unnamed Aussie contacted the Australian Associated Press from the ship, saying:

"Less than an hour later the master of the vessel, Captain Antonio Morais of Portugal, confirmed to listeners that two attacks by pirates had taken place."

Crew members used blasts from high-powered water cannon to drive back the pirates who clearly wanted to board the Athena, the woman said.

Either way, the Athena is probably out of harm's way: It's next stop is scheduled for Saturday in Port Victoria in the Seychelles, and the ship will wrap its 39-day trip on December 20 in Fremantle, Australia.

Related Stories:
· Pirates in Gulf of Aden Actually Fishermen [AAP, via news.com.au]
· Passenger Says Boat Was Attacked by Pirates [AAP, via news.com.au]
· Anatomy of a Cruise Ship Attack [Jaunted]

[Photo: Classic International Cruises]

Tags: Pirates / Pirate Travel / Dangerous Travel / Cruises / Nautica / → All Tags

Anatomy Of A Cruise Ship Attack

On Sunday, the luxury cruise ship Nautica got closer to Somali pirates than any ocean liner since the Seabourn Spirit came under grenade attack in 2005. Though bandits fired eight shots at the Nautica, she managed to outrun her attackers, escaping any damage or injuries to the 684 passengers and 386 crew aboard.

How'd it go down? After spotting two small boats on an intercept course, the Nautica accelerated beyond its normal top speed of 20 knots (23 mph) and prepped its defensive long range acoustic device, a gizmo that channels a shrill sound loud enough to rupture eardrums and cause temporary vision loss. As one of the pirate skiffs closed to within 300 yards, a cruise line spokesman told the LA Times, eight shots were fired in the direction of the Nautica. The attackers broke off the assault after all the shots missed.

The next port of call for the Nautica is Salalah, Oman. The ship is on a 32-day voyage from Italy to Singapore, and it continues on to Muscat, which doesn't front the Gulf of Aden, on December 3. Until it gets there, you can help keep watch for further pirate attacks via the Nautica's on-board webcam.

Related Stories:
· Pirates Fire at Cruise Ship Near Somalia [LAT]
· Somali Pirates Strike Again Near Nascent Tourist Hotspot [Jaunted]

[The Nautica in Kobe, Japan: Wikimedia]

Tags: Pirates / Pirate Travel / Dangerous Travel / Islands / → All Tags

Somali Pirates Strike Again Near Nascent Tourist Hotspot

These Somali pirates have hijacked everything from a freighter full of tanks to a megacruiser awash in oil. But the latest report out of the Gulf of Aden involves the soon-to-be-hot Yemeni island of Socotra: Bandits overwhelmed the MV Adina sometime in the past few days, Yemeni officials determined, after its shipment of steel didn't arrive on the island as planned on November 20.

Remote Socotra, which was featured in T magazine in 2007, is right in the middle of the pirate-friendly Gulf of Aden, far enough away from all other civilization that it has the most biological diversity on Earth after Hawaii and the Galapagos.

At the time of the T article, only about 2,500 tourists visited annually, though that was 10 times the number of visitors seen just a few years prior. With a UN plan for slow and sustainable development, Socotra is hoping to cash in on expanded tourism while keeping the local culture and environment intact. Sounds terrific, though we could do without the pirate assaults!

Related Stories:
· Socotra Archipelago Conservation and Development Programme [Official Site]
· Somali Pirates Hijack Yemeni Cargo Ship [Reuters, via NYT]
· Keeping up with the Pirates [Jaunted]

[Photo of Socotra: UncleEddy]

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Keeping Up With The Pirates

If you're like us, you've been having a hell of a time lately keeping up with the rampant piracy off the coast of Somalia. Which supertanker did those guys nab? Whose navy frigate did bandits open fire on? What shipping lanes do we absolutely not want our cruise ship crossing?

Luckily the International Chamber of Commerce, a non-profit based in the UK, has put together a Live Piracy Map, which tracks the latest hijackings, abductions and assaults on the high seas. Predictably, the Gulf of Aden is awash in red Google Maps "pins," solidifying its spot as the world's most pirate-y body of water.

But despite the recent media obsession with the Horn of Africa, you're not necessarily safe elsewhere. The Straight of Malacca, between Malaysia and Indonesia, is still a hot spot, and the coast of Nigeria has its share of danger too. Look alive when sailing your yacht out of Lagos, sophistonauts!

Related Stories:
· Live Piracy Map [ICC]
· Somali Bandits Strike Yet Again [Jaunted]
· Somali Bandits Still Sailing Weapons-Filled Tanker [Jaunted]

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Somali Bandits Strike Yet Again

When news broke today that Somali pirates had attacked and captured a Saudi oil tanker called the Sirius Star, our weekend editor Victor Ozols wondered "if there are really more pirate attacks these days, or just more pirate attack stories." Hard to say, though the number of attacks--and stories--should go down now that international naval patrols are plying the treacherous Gulf of Aden, where most Somali pirates operate. Only problem with that? The oil tanker captured today was hijacked 518 miles southeast of Mombasa, Kenya, well outside the so-called Maritime Security Patrol Area.

The ship is also one of the largest ever captured by Somali pirates, carrying the equivalent of one-quarter of Saudi Arabia's daily oil production. A US navy spokesman told Reuters:

This is unprecedented. It's the largest ship that we've seen pirated. It's three times the size of an aircraft carrier.

The Sirius Star was actually sailing toward the Cape of Good Hope and planning to avoid the Gulf of Aden entirely. Which is probably a smart play: There have been more than 70 attacks or attempted attacks off the coast of Somalia this year alone.

Related Stories:
· Somali Pirates Grab Saudi Oil Tanker [Reuters, via NYT]
· Timeline of Piracy in the Gulf of Aden [UK Times]
· Piracy in Somalia [Wikipedia]
· Somali Bandits Still Sailing Weapons-Filled Tanker [Jaunted]

[Photo of your typical pirate vessel: Wikimedia]

Tags: Sailing / Pirates / Pirate Travel / World Records / → All Tags

Let's All Just Give Up Now: Spunky 16-year-old Set to Break Solo Sailboat Circumnavigation Record

Do you ever feel like you need to do more with your life? Do you yearn to tap into your deepest reserves of inspiration and soar to great heights, taking huge risks and making accomplishments that earn you the love and admiration of people around the world? If so, you should probably get over it. Whatever you were going to do, it's already being done by someone faster, smarter, and younger than you. Case in point: 16-year-old Zac Sunderland, who is on course to become the youngest person ever to circumnavigate the earth solo in a sailboat. A nifty LA Times story introduces us to the high-achieving skipper, who is near the halfway point of his journey in a 36-foot boat called the Intrepid. He has already traveled 12,000 miles and gone through every nautical problem short of sinking, including a recent close call with a group of pirates off the coast of Indonesia. A large wooden vessel flying no flags or markings was clearly on course to intercept him, prompting him to call his family in Thousand Oaks, California for advice. His dad's suggestion: load the .357 and shoot to kill. Fortunately for everybody involved, the pirates turned away at the last minute, and a relieved Sunderland continued on toward Mauritius. If all goes according to plan, he'll break the record in another five months or so at the age of 17 when he returns to his home port of Marina del Rey. As for the rest of us, let's congratulate Zac on the impressive feat, secure in the knowledge that we could do it too, if we felt like it.

[Photo: LA Times]

Related Stories:
· Zac Sunderland, Solo Teen Sailor, Discovers Perils of the High Seas [LA Times]
· Zac Sunderland [Official Site]
· Sailing Coverage [Jaunted]

Tags: Pirate Travel / Pirates / → All Tags

Pirate Trend Going Strong; Divisions Emerge Between Old Schoolers and Jack Sparrows

It's a good time to be a pretend pirate. Spurred by the Pirates of the Caribbean movie franchise, historical pirate re-enactments and festivals have proliferated, with almost 130 different re-enactment groups staging attacks, plunderings, and mutinies at beach towns around the USA, compared with just nine such groups fifteen years ago. But, as an amusing article in the New York Times points out, all is not peaceful in pirate-land. It turns out that the original pretend pirates - those who predate Johnny Depp's swishy celluloid portrayal of Captain Jack Sparrow - resent that their attempts at authenticity are being upstaged by a swelling legion of prêt-à-porter pirates who do little more than say "arrgh" a lot and wouldn't know a schooner from a brigantine. The newbies, however, are the ones driving the explosion in pirate-themed events, such as the recent Tybee Island Pirate Festival in Georgia, which featured an "invasion," a costume contest, and plenty of grog - quaffed by old and new school alike. We think the issue will resolve itself over time as the insincere drift away from the movement for the next big role-playing trend, while die-hards of all stripes consolidate their pirate crews. In the meantime, we'll be perusing the pages of a pirate journal called No Quarter Given for a good deal on a new tricorn hat to wear to the next festival.

[Photo: The New York Times]

Related Stories:
· Can I Get an Arrgh? [The New York Times]
· Pirates Coverage [Jaunted]