i was enjoying a nice relaxing broad reach this afternoon getting ready for happy hour when something off to port on the horizon got my attention. i grabbed the binos and saw an open boat with what looked like 2 or 3 guys in it. the boat was initially heading towards me then seemed to arc around and fall in behind me probably a mile or two in trail. this was the first boat other than tanker traffic i had seen and i had purposely put a waypoint 50nm off africa to avoid any small fishing boats (hostile or otherwise). not feeling comfortable out here by my self at all i went ahead and accelerated to max speed 7kts and broke out the flare box. i fired off one flare pistol and one red parachute flare directly astern just to make sure these guys new i had seen them. i could not see anything on the flare gun but it made a nice bang. the parachute flare made more like a woosh and in the flare looked more like a slow tracer round with no obvious parachute. after this i got out the binos again and the craft seemed to be disappearing in the swell astern me.

when the sun set i went ahead and took the sails in and altered course 40 deg out to sea and blacked out palapa. fortunately i had experience with the BBB aka bosy boy boat aka imagine back in the gulf of aden who where light Nazi's so i knew all the light sources. after about 6 hours i resumed nav lights when i was passing a freighter and now i am back sailing again about 70nm sw of where i was at 3am local here.

ironically this was the first time i had fired either on of these "devices" they are both out of date but went off with no problem. i am sure i was being paranoid here but after the gulf of aden transit i really dont like to see other boats. i still don't know what these guys would be doing 40nm off the coast heading out to sea at sunset in an open boat cant imagine the fish are that much better this far of shore but who knows. it is really disappointing the somali pirates have generated this type of fear and hatred, before that experience i would have happily waved at them probably traded beer for fish.

cheers, roger