In conversation with other yachters the topic of robbery came up and the other yachters said since my friends had an American flag that it was unlikely to be boarded at dock since international opinion was that Americans are armed.

So Americans in most areas are safer due to idea that we are crazy armed folk who shoot back.

Law does follow the flagged vessel but England and Mexico will jail people who bring in arms whether personal or not. Most sailors check all port regulations to make sure they do not violate them.

A handgun is only good as a last resort. The Remington stainless steel shotgun is considered a marine weapon and has been standard on most American yachts for decades.
But many pirates are very well armed and sailors are using water pumps and sound systems to deter pirates. Some recommend picking up a cheap AK47 in Thailand and have that for defense and then toss it overboard when they get to the Mediterranean. I personally think a cheap rifle is a good think to have onboard.

It is recommended that a safe area be on most yachts and sound alarms placed on deck. Watches are necessary in many areas to avoid collisions and attacks.

Most yachts try to join up and convoy in dangerous areas. The Somali coast and Gulf of Aden are the worst. Attacks happen 200 miles from the coast. The merchant freighters are the main targets. That is because ransoms are paid for the crew. The cargo is secondary.

The Ukrainian freighter with the 32 T 72 refurbished Soviet tanks that was pirated off Somalia has brought the piracy up to international concern and making the need to stop piracy as a priority matter.

The simple method blowing the pirates out of the water is not used due to concern for crew and the ship and cargo. The owners of the freighters do not want their ships destroyed or crews harmed.

Since the freighter was not a flagged US vessel the US Navy has no legitimate interest to attack the vessel. That is why they just held the freighter and waited for the Russian to take action if they wanted. The US just prevented the unloading of cargo and allowed the pirates to freely move on or off the ship.

My dad used to operate a sailing charter in the Virgin Islands. So many pleasure boaters were being hijacked by drug runners that, if your vessel was approached by an unknown craft, it was important to be able to bring a couple of stainless steel shotguns on deck. Not to “brandish”, but just to let them see that you were armed. A lot of the drug runners liked to “change ships” to evade the DEA and Coast Guard.

JB- well I was thinking non class 3, but If you can afford the boat and the radar I guess you can afford the best tools for the job.

I agree, partially, but I don’t see any reason why folks should have to pay $20k-$30k for a belt fed machine gun when they should cost between $1-$3k. I’ll admit there’s very little reason for somebody on terra firma to own such a device for self defense, but on the high seas it’s obvious that there’s a practical reason.

Wonder what the gun laws are in international waters?

There aren’t any to the nest of my knowledge, and if there are there isn’t any organization tasked with enforcing them.

Wonder what the gun laws are in international waters?

While I like the .357, I’m thinking that pirates are a 3-gun problem (rifle/shotgun/handgun).

I’m thinking belt-fed machine guns and grenade launchers. Just the other week there was a story of pirates making off with a ship containing Russian tanks. God only knows what all they’ve got on board.

Plus there’s the whole issue of trying to send directed fire from a bolt gun, or even a semi-automatic toward a ship’s occupants, that are floating on a boat, from your boat. Never tried it, and don’t know anybody that has, but it can’t be easy to actually land a hit.

Probably sounds kooky to most, as I’d imagine the majority of people don’t think we actually have pirates anymore, but obviously we do.