Feature: Somalian PiratesFeature: Somalian Pirates

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Somali Pirates Murdered my Friend Glenda Sales was left helpless as pirates operating off the coast of Somalia, captured and murdered her friend Phyllis.

When Phyllis died I had known her for 18 months. Some people would say that 18 months isn’t the longest time to get to know somebody and in most instances I think they would be right. However, when you have a year and a half covering 25,000 miles, facing gigantic storms and 30foot waves together you get to know people pretty quickly. We met whilst part of a boating rally that would take us around the world. She became one of my dearest friends.

Phyllis was so easy to like. She was at every party, one of those people who never seemed to have a bad day. Phyllis simply didn’t do downers. She was great with the kids and they, in turn, seemed drawn to her. She and I would sometimes spend many happy hours trawling though local shops with the children, looking for simple gifts and trinkets for people we would meet in remote places along the way.

She wasn’t perfect - who is. She couldn’t hold her drink and once she had one she found it difficult to stop. Never though did I

ever hear her speak badly of anyone. Many could take a leaf out of that book. She was independent. She always rode her own hired scooter. She hated to ride pillion, preferring to be in control of her own destiny.

She didn’t have her own boat so was happy crewing for anyone who would have her the second time round. She spent months helping us crew our boat during the trip. She more than pulled her weight, did most of the cooking and stood her watches - claiming the dawn watch. She couldn’t resist the magic of the sun rising over the water. Thus our friendship grew even closer.

It was during her last voyage with us that things began to go wrong for Phyllis. When we arrived in Sri Lanka she had developed a badly ulcerated eye and was immediately admitted to the local hospital. Against all medical advice she flew to Southern India to

that this was by far the safest route. We stayed together in large groups. Making sure that all boats were in sight.

We will never know or understand why Quest decided to go it alone and head straight across the Indian Ocean to Oman. It is possible that the boats owners, driven by their Christian faith, had decided to try and distribute bibles along the way. We were five days out from Mumbai when it was reported that their boat had been boarded by pirates. A reconnaissance plane had seen their yacht towing two fast skiffs and reported several black Somalis on the deck. All legitimate incumbents were white.

I tried not to believe it, to justify it as some terrible mistake. I could not bare to think what they must have been going through. The next hours, days were appalling. I doubt anyone slept much in our heightened anxiety.

What happened next is at best sketchy. There were an unbelievable 19 pirates on board - two distinctly separate factions. All electronics had reportedly been destroyed and provisions exhausted, which is not surprising seeing that the

The most dangerous waters in the world.

The waters around Somalia and across the Indian Ocean are now considered to be the most dangerous in the world. Although Somali pirates originally focused on capturing large commercial vessels, in the last year or so they have started to target smaller luxury yachts in an attempt to ranson their hostages for large sums of money.

• At the end of 2011 more than 300 people were being help by various pirate groups based in Somalia.

• Pirates used to base themselves on the Somalia coastline, wrapped around the Horn of Africa. They are now known to be using larger captured vessels as ‘mother ships’ so they can launch attacks from far out to sea.

• They are heavily armed with automatic weapons and rocket-propelled grenades. They use small, fast speedboats to get around and work in crews of around 10. Once they find a target they use hooks and rope ladders to board the shit and overwhelm the crew. They often

• No government and several consecutive years of drought have made moving into piracy an appealing prospect for many of Somalia’s people. Receiving millions of dollars in ransom fees has made piracy one of Somalia’s biggest economies.

“ Negotiations were underway and several Somalis indicated their their preparedness to surrender when shots were heard.”

boat was only built to support four. Four American warships in the area surrounded the hostage yacht. Negotiations were underway and several Somalis indicated their preparedness to surrender when shots were heard aboard the Quest. Navy seals immediately raided and boarded the stricken vessel. Two pirates were killed in the attack. A further two had been killed sometime previously at the hands of their fellow kidnappers. We will probably never know what happened aboard Quest in those moments but what we do know is all four captives had been shot. It is likely that Phyllis was still alive when the rescuers reached her but they were unable to save her.

I don’t like to think about the conditions and hardships faced by Phyllis and the others during those weeks under the control of the pirates. I do believe that Phyllis would have been a constant source of support to the others, it was in her nature. The atmosphere in the aftermath of their deaths was one of sheer disbelief, of sadness and shock.

I had had the privilege of knowing Phyllis for just 18 months. But they were 18 months that I will never forget.

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Left: Glenda and Phyllis enjoy a stroll on the beach, only weeks before her life was taken. RIght: Phyllis was always the life and soul of any party.

Left: Phyllis riding her scooter. Top Right: A boat similar to ‘Quest’. Right Middle and Bottom: Boats were told to stay together.

rejoin the rally. Though she was still not well enough to crew she kindly accepted an offer from the American owners of a boat called ‘Quest’ that was sailing from India to Oman.This would end up being her last voyage and over the following weeks the plight of the vessel and it’s crew would be headline news around the world for several weeks to come.

We were all aware that the piracy threat in the Indian Ocean was increasing and that it was being exacerbated by the unseasonably calm weather that allowed their fast skiffs easier access to targeted vessels. Following their unequivocal advice we arranged to sail in close convoys following the Indian and Pakistan coastlines before making the relatively short hop over to Oman. Despite being over twice the distance, we were assured

Have you got a story to tell us? E-mail Eddie Jones at e.a.jones@winchester.ac.uk