We kept our stern at a 90-degree angle to the ship and this forced us to circle, but at least it did not allow the ship to get any closer. It had the feel of a slow speed chase but felt threatening nonetheless. I suggested we hail the ship on radio, if only to let them know we knew they were there. Whether it was this move or the presence of the rifle, the ship dropped its pursuit after an exciting two hours. Though the event lacked the Hollywood flare and dramatic end, it was real and could have ended differently.
Pirates are a popular discussion topic among cruisers in the area.
Just weeks before we ran our gauntlet through pirate alley, we had heard that an Australian family was boarded by pirates and robbed, leaving their boat shot full of holes. We made it through and were lucky. Skip ahead now to the Red Sea, one day out from the Eritrean port of Massawa . The wind had turned around and came at us on the nose, increasing to 35 knots and creating 25-foot waves. Our propane had leaked out during the night and left us with no cooking fuel.