This kind of information and knowledge MUST be a serious part of any well-versed sailing channel, yet... Personally, as far as I have been watching this type of channel, NONE have done such a thorough episode on this specific topic as this one. I am sorry your loss of a sailor friend. Thanks for the sound advice, detailed collection of facts, and for putting this out there, for others to have the opportunity to learn, and spread the word.
Thank you so much for your kind words! I’m happy to see so many understand the intentions of sharing this story, and the importance of getting this message out. Only by exposing this challenges we can put pressure on Gouvernements to take actions if they wanna change the reputation on their nations. All the best and and thank you for being here.
Sorry about the loss of your friend. Explanations, Charts all add up to you being a Great Instructor :) Appreciate all that you have to say and explain so well. Fair Winds 😎
Your diagnosis of this sad story seems excellent. I'm an old ex-sailor who lived and travelled for several years with the Indians up and down the Caribbean coast of Nicaragua and know this ares very well. Piracy is quite common in these waters and on land. No knowledgeable outsider who is safety conscious would travel alone on land or sea here. In addition to local Miskito Indians, the area used by heavily armed drug runners going up the coast at night from San Andreas and Providencia Islands.
Thank you so much for watching and also sharing your experience and knowledge about this region. Your absolutley right about heavily armed drug runners. This is a serious problem in all the border zones from Panam to north America and east via Columbia to Venuzuela. Better stay far offshore. Thank you for being here! Much apreciated. All the best
We have heard many stories of Pirates operating out of Nicarauga into these waters where friend disappeared. The pirates operate at night, they watch AIS for sailboats coming into their area, they turn out their lights and motor to the vessel they intend to board, kill and steal the boat. Andreas was probably being chased by pirates at midnight, so turned NE trying to get away. The second EPIRB was probably with him when he was pushed off his boat, and lost when he drowned. There are several videos on youtube as well
Thank you so much for watching. Witness observations from this region explains also extend use of big rigs with commercial 48 mile radars. Meaning they see you 24-30 miles before your AIS would give you away. As you say it’s a well known area for brutal piracy attacks and needs to be exposed. All the best and stay safe🍻
Fantastic content Thomas! Its always a chance we take. Condolences towards your friend. In saying that, I think this is your niche. Planning, tactics, safety etc. your knowledge base/experience is wide and comes across clearly, not saying too much or too little. I have just crossed the Bass Strait, I have the same sleep pattern as you at night. I just run a rolling 30 minute alarm being up and awake for 5-10 of those 30 mins, checking ais, coarse and horizon. The weather was forecast to be North East which would of been a beam reach, instead it was East N East putting the wind forward of the beam but not close hauled. I could not afford to lose any ground and at one stage was looking for alternative ports. Not many in this area! Fortunately late on the second day the wind went North East (20 hours later than forecast) which gave me the sea room to get in. . After watching this i will save up for a Radar! Steve
Thank you so much Steve for watching and for leaving a comment with kind words. I’m happy to hear you have a safe and healthy approach towards solo sailing. I know your feeling about finding a place to anchor after a long hard passage in bad weather. This can be rough and a challenge of endurance. I have video coming soon about solo sailors challenge at anchor. Tools I use and strategies. Thank you for being here! Knowing that sailors in general and solo sailor especially enjoy and appreciate my content means a lot. I take it as compliments and inspiring. All the best and cheers from BE FREE🍻
Wow, definitely a sobering message. I'm glad you shared this information and your thoughts on what might have happened. I think its good to understand what the risks of sailing are beyond the ones that nature poses. Do you carry any thing you could use as a weapon in self defense on board Be Free? I'm sure that there are plenty of countries that would not permit firearms and would confiscate those during your stay (or even permanently?). Perhaps a weapon wouldn't be of much use anyway? I've seen other sailing youtubers speculate about the nature of many pirates that might be out there. Some claim that many of them are desperate fishermen or farmers that are so destitute that they resort to piracy to feed their families. The implication is that they are not very well organized and not well equipped and are basically opportunistic. Perhaps they have guns but like you mentioned are not inclined to travel in bad weather etc, or their boats don't have a long rage to go too far off shore. Of course none that excuses their actions especially when they take lives. This was a good video even if it wasn't so happy-go-lucky. Thanks for sharing!! :)
Thank you so much for watching and sharing your thoughts as well. I believe in many situations a gun onboard would escalate the situation. Doesn’t take many bullets to sink a fibreglass boat. And if 5 persons have automatic weapons one persons gun is not much. The murder in San Blas is a good example as he tried to defend himself with his gun. The pirates outside Nicaragua and Honduras are well organised and works in a group of boats. Eyewitness reports from other confrontations they had seriously big radars on a rigg on top of a fast boat. So best way to stop this is to spread awareness and even if possible make it difficult for nations having this advertising for their tourism. The value of having things spread out was clear in Panama as they where forced to take action even though down playing it, still some positive results. All the best!
@@SailingwithThomas Wow, there is so much more that I did not know about piracy! It's good that you're spreading the word. Hopefully this helps to encourage these nations to crack down on this organized crime.
Good analysis. Informative. Onboard ‘protection’ is always a hot topic. Everyone should have a plan. Bright light or camera flash to temporarily blind an intruder…and don’t forget the fire extinguisher blast into the face. Deploy old ropes to foul their prop. Personally, I’d have something well hidden to use as a last resort. Relying on pirates mercy should never be a last resort.
Thank you so much for watching and for your comment as well. If sailing through piracy infected waters a preparedness plan is mandatory in my mind. I have my solutions tactics and strategies. Also sort of protection and self defence solutions. However sometimes this can escalate situations so it’s a difficult and challenging topic. Best solution is going in a convoy. All the best and thank you for being here
I have watched this several times and shared it with friends. Your sense of loss is clear but your ability to analyze overtakes it and you have done a magnificent job of trying to understand what occurred. I know this video took a tremendous amount of work to create and I wanted you to know that I learned things and it also reinforced things you have previously taught us. Should I ever be so blessed as to wander the Caribbean as you have I will sleep in the cockpit for no more than 20 minutes at a time and will not sail without a capable radar. I cannot help but wonder if one is pursued by pirates if turning off AIS and turning off all lighting and tacking or turning out abruptly under power would lose them but they likely had radar if that is indeed the circumstance of this tragedy.
Thank you so much for watching and even sharing. Much appreciated! This episode was time consuming but felt it was important story not to take lightly. The pirates in this waters use professional 48NM radars so they would pic you up long time before your AIS would reveal your position. Also they operate very organised in groups of boats. So neither weapons or other self defence would made much difference. Therefore stories like this needs to be told so the nations closing their eyes can realise we live in the new millennium with social media’s and RUclips etc. When they discover the impact it can have in tourism Gouvernements often do things. Still Venezuela have been a no go for sailors for a long time. Every sailor knows this from the community. Still now and then there is sailors sailing into this waters to find out for them self. Some make it and some not. All the best and cheers 🍻
This is an excellent explanation of how to think and plan ones route. As you highlighted, there are indeed more questions than answers in this case. Very nice go-through of possible scenarios.
Thank you my friend🙏🏻 This was not easy and I belive we will never know exactly what happen. Being tired of loosing sailor friends I felt the need of sharing this and hopfully it can contribute to some awerness. All the best!
What a great video Thomas. Excellent analysis and excellent advice for all of us intending to sail in this region. Your thorough understanding of the risks and means of mitigation are a valuable resource. Thank you
Thank you so much for watching and your kind words. I’m thankful for knowing fellow sailors appreciate my videos and especially topics to make us all safer. Then the effort and time to make this kind of episodes feels worth doing. All the amazing support and feedback from fellow sailors is such an inspiration to me as a sailor and much appreciated. I have often stated I’m not a RUclips’r I’m just a sailor uploading videos. I believe there is a difference which I hope shines through now and then. Thank you so much for being here! All the best
I want to thank you for this video Thomas. Al you mostly see in all these sailor video's is the nice snorkling in blue water, the fun with friends on anker, the nice 30 days sails crossing an ocean. And you get the impression that sailing the globe is one big party. It is very important that you made this video and show us the other side. It can be pretty dangerous out there. Thank you so much. A big hug from the Netherlands.
Thank you so much for your kind words and for watching this episode even though it is pretty serious topic.Thankful to know the important message came through with only intentions of creating awareness and share knowledge to make sailors safer. Knowing before going is more important than ever. Imagine poor nations after lockdowns and getting even poorer... I believe we will see more opportunists and piracy so sharing is caring and help each other telling the truth about what’s going on. All the best
Thomas, I really appreciate this episode and showing it is not all blue skies and bikinis. Your sleep pattern is what I use and I hope you are safe to enjoy the good parts of solo sailing. Our thoughts are with Andreas and all the sailors who have not reached their destination. André in Sydney
Thank you so much for watching and your respectful and kind words. Happy to hear from a sailor sharing this lifestyle and even down to sleeping patterns. Wish you all the best and and fair winds André! Cheers 🍻
This video should be a must-see for any person sailing in this vicinity. Far too many channels push buying a boat and just getting out there. Leaving before you have the knowledge and life-saving instruments aboard could be a death sentence. Thomas, thank you for sharing your message. If it only reaches one person, who watches and takes your advice, it is a success. I'm looking forward to your time in San Andreas.
Thank you so much for watching and your kind words. I’m really thankful knowing my message got out and intentions behind. As you point out my hopes is the same, if it only saves one life it’s definitely a success. Thank you for being here!
An old Navy CPO told me the safest thing to use solo is a basic auto radar detector. He said another vessels radar would set it off, and it would work enough to wake you up if you are sleeping.
Thank you for watching and your comment. Your old Navy friend have a good point. Especialy towards comersial ships. Problem starts when encounter other sailboats with no AIS or Radar. Happened twice to me. Both times I have been catching up at night and first time was in the midle of the Atlantic. Small boats are difficult to spot on a radar in heavy seas, so auto radar and transponder is not a bad idea. Thank you for being here! All the best
I live near a town that depends on the sea for a living. Thank you to the ships and organisations - like the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) - that support sailors. Prayers for Andreas and all those who have lost their lives at sea.
Thank you so much for your kind words and for being here! I have several friends working at RNLI and even have hats and T-shirts from their station. All the best
My thoughts are where were the epirb's located? Many have multiple including in life vests leading me to think that the boat didn't sink or there would have been more alarms. Seems like piracy makes the most sense. I wonder where they could look for the vessel?
If the yatch was the valuable item they were after they may have disabled the AIS and then changed course the Eperbs could have been thrown over board with the life preserver as a false trail. While the yatch was sailed away.. The other possibility is a catastrophic failure leading to flooding unlikely yes but ive seen a vessel where a depth sounder came out of its through hull and the boat with a couple aboard and in daylight found the entire cabin already deep in water they began bailing and help was soon on the scene but it was only when they realised where the water was getting in they were able to plug it. Then a superyatch crew or coastguard turned up with a petrol bilge pump.. They were able to pump out and limp back to safety. Could he have he suddenly found his vessel already half sinking lights out electrics failing trying to find the leak and pump out and not giving up and launching his life raft..? Did it automatically deploy or was it a manual deploy type? With his engine running and the boat possibly going down at the bow she might have gone down fast without him realising how close this was to happening.
Your search and rescue back ground really shined. I think you are spot on about the incident. Great episode and a good tribute to your fellow sailor. I hope others in the area take the warning.
Thank you so much for watching and your kind words. It was a challenging but important episode to get out. So reading all this kind and supportiv feedback means a lot. Thank you for being here and all the best
Thank you so much for your empathy and for watching this difficult episode. Im thankful for knowing even being a sad story still being valubale and having some takeaways. Thank you for being here
Thanks for sharing Thomas - maybe the pirates were activating the Epirbs to mislead it seems strange to find an epirb and a west floating in the water This was very instructive and shreds some light on the actual dangers of solo sailing..
Thank you for watching and for your question. I dont belive pirates would ever activate epirb on purpouse. They know help is not far away as this things really works well. I belive they did not noticed the first he sat of, but the second one. This they destroyed hence the fact only one was found out of two activated. Hopfully this episode dosent scare people from sailing but contribute to enlighten challenges and make sailors knowing before going as a rule of thumb. All the best
Thank you so much for watching! Yes Pirates is absolutley real even though level of brutality variates. Luckily it’s still mostly safe and beautiful places we can sail without worrying about this. All the best
I would guess that if he was worried enough to deploy epirb and then have an hour while being chased, he would have used radio or a satellite phone to contract someone and let them know any details. Perhaps he didn't have such equipment.
I guess we will never know. Im sure he did what he could. So many things imposible to understand not being there. I belive he had his hands full turning around, trimming sail and navigat avay as best he could. Thank you for watching🙏🏻
Thomas....I'm sorry to hear of the loss of your friend and my prayers are with his family. There is a warning here as well. History has shown that the occurrences of piracy in the Caribbean (as well as other locations) has been slowly increasing over time and with the current political, economic and food situations plaguing the world, I fear piracy will increase dramatically in certain areas of the globe....like the Caribbean. Stay safe and continue to spread the word to research routs and destinations. Thanks for the video.
Thank you for watching and for your comment as well. I belive you are correct about your predictions and even though there is so many safe and nice places to cruise around knowing before going is key. Sharing real stories is important and hopefully contribute helping others to prepare for reality. All the best and thank you for being here
Very sorry for the loss of your sailing friend. And this is such a sobering message to all sailors in the Caribbean and elsewhere, so thank you for making people aware of what's going on... Since none of us carry chests filled with gold and silver on our boats anymore, what exactly are these pirates hoping to get that's worth killing for now? The boat and electronics? And if they steal the boat , how are they going to sell it and to who?
Thank you so much for watching and for your kind words and good questions. Some parts of our world a human life is sadly not worth much. Depending on the size of boat it’s in this region normal to repaint and use it later for drug runs. Then the boat will be dumped somewhere after it’s done it’s run. In this case I believe they realised Andreas had been able to activate EPIRB meaning they did not have much time. So most likely just took what’s valuable and then sink it. But this we will never have the full insight in. All the best and thank you for being here
Great episode!! We need real sailing information! Pirates are real and dangerous. Some say that they are just poor and hungry. Nonsense! Sorry about your friends..
Thank you so much for watching and for being here! Your right about the fact some pirates are almost professional. The ones outside Honduras and Nicaragua even operates with professional radars and are more organised then most sailors are aware of. Normally I don’t like to share this kind of things but felt the need of sharing this story. All the best and cheers 🍻
Part of being free is being free safely. Great job Thomas. You outline the dangers of piracy and solo sailing very well with abundant information that may help many stay safer in the future. I love your abilities with graphics. It always makes things easier and interesting. Thanks for making too notch content.
WOW what an important vlog you've posted. Thanks from a fellow solo cruiser. Very very sad for the loss of your friend, Terrible for his family, because there is no body, he'll just be a missing person for years to come.
Thank you so much my fellow solo sailor! Your kind words is much appreciated and also for you being here. Knowing sailors appreciated my content means a lot to me, and thank you also for showing empathy for the family and friends loss here. All the best
I'm glad to see this type of video being shared. Too many times I've seen magical amazingness shared in sailing that has no basis of the potential danger you are putting yourself in.
Thank you for your kind words. This video was difficult to make of obvious reasons but hopefully it can create some awareness helping others. All the best
Takk Espen! Føltes naturlig å lage denne episoden nå som jeg er på San Andres. Vanskelig tema men håper jo å spre litt bevisstgjøring. Skål fra fantastiske San Andres🍻
@@SailingwithThomas ja og syntes det var veldig bra! Må også innrømme at det ga litt betenkeligheter fordi jeg selv skal ut på jordomseiling i fremtiden også soloseiler.... Lærer litt hver dag😊😊
Det går stort sett bra. Bare ta noen forhåndsregler her og der, og ikke minst gjør litt egne undersøkelser. Det er få steder utenfor Norge du ikke behøver å låse jolla med sollid kjetting. Jolletyverier og plyndring av verdisaker i cockpit om natten er vel det mest vanlige. Lys i cockpit er veldig effektivt for å ikke få besøk osv. Så det er mange enkle ting/tiltak som gjør det mye bedre for deg selv.
Hi Thomas, great information in your post. I'm sorry about your friend, that's awful. I have been following the sailing channels for about 6 months now and you're the first person that addressed this fact. It seems like all the piracy is in the western Caribbean, is that correct? Be safe out there and keep the content coming.
Thank you so much for watching and your kind words. Yes western Caribbean is definitely the worst in terms of piracy. However the entire Caribbean is lots of opportunists and criminals. Some places worse than others. And some places the worst criminals is wearing a badge hustling you when checking in to the country. Pretty big contrast to Europe. All the best and cheers 🍻
Thank you for watching and for being here. I belive the best we can do is to expose and to warn. By exposing it might force some actions like we experienced in Panama. They finally took action down there after being globally famous for piracy overnight. All the best and Thank you for your comment
@@SailingwithThomas Doing that openly, public I guess you are not more an welcome tourist to Panama! Need now to do that, with all the other countries that are not combating the pirates activities
Thank you for watching and your coment as well! Yes its true living comes with a risk. I dont wanna scare people, but sometimes a reality check is in place. This storry needed to be told, at lest for my own peace. All the best🍻
Well, whoa, was not expecting that but so glad I tuned in. Your information is once again very helpful (thanks for your hard work with the graphics as well). Moreover, so sorry for the loss of your friend and condolences to all who loved him and knew him. 💫💝
Kondolerer Thomas ❤️. Vi mister alle kamerater, venninner og familie . Når det skjer på havet er det noe annet. Tanker om å ikke komme i mål med hva som har skjedd - vil du måtte leve med dine dager. Slik er livet. Denne episoden er en tankevekker - samtidig viser du igjen ditt unike kunnskapsnivå. Min dypeste respekt. Hilsen Inge Fra Varangerfjord
Veldig bra episode. Tror mange romantiserer Caribien waters og ikke tar inn over seg baksiden av klart vann og solvær. Flott du deler historien og gir god info. Be safe og ta vare🙏
Takk🙏🏻 Karibia er langt fra så fantastisk som det meste du ser på RUclips. Om jeg skulle laget en liste over helt trygge steder hadde den blitt veldig kort. Litt lengre med visse forhåndsregler. Korrupsjon er svært utbredt, og selv simpelt tyveri ombord mens man sover er ille nok. Møtt mange som har kommet over Atlanteren som har gjort lite research og blir overrasket. Takk for at du er her!
Well done Thomas. Single handed sailing is a constant risk anywhere but in pirate water and all the ship traffic at the Panama canal makes it one of the most dangerous areas. A terrible tragedy that can happen to even fully crewed and equipped boats. Piracy has always been a problem and the best protection is a lot of distance.
Thank you so much for your kind words. 100% agreed distance is the best strategy, second best in my opinion is going in a convoy. Thank you for watching and for being here!
So sorry for the lost of your fellow sailor and friend. Indeed a sad story however the content of this video is so educational, especially when the content is explained by a well versed sailor like you. Thank you for sharing your knowledge. Stay safe, fair winds.
Thank you so much! Dont like to scare people or be the one saying dont go there or do this... But this specific storry needed to be told. All the best 🍻
Thank you for sharing this story and my condolences to you and of course his family, it must be heartbreaking especially as there is no proper closure, you can only ever speculate. It certainly isn't a risk free lifestyle.
Thank you so much for your kind words and for being here. Much apreciated. Its definatly not a risk free lifestyle even though it mostly goes well I hope to contribute now and then making this lifestyle safer in on way or another. All the best
Thank you for the detailed report, what happen with your friend.Question;You have described what has been encountered at the first epirb, but what was encontered, at the second epirb?
Thank you for watching and for being here. What happen to the second epirb is a mystery and left for speculations only. The fact this transmitt for 24 hours and do float its to be asumed this was found and destroyed by pirates not aware of the first being deployed earlier. But this is my guessing only. All the best
Thanks for sharing , a tragic loss! , very interesting with the diagram distances . The golden rule sounds like always sail in a group, i have watched some sailing vids , with encounters with local coast guards off a certain nations. If they are corrupt then they too will have access to good radar etc. I wonder if a Mayday Mayday is issued when being attacked by pirates , is it likely or unlikely someone friendly would pick up the distress signal in real time ?
Thank you for watching, and for being here. Some places a mayday on the VHF is asking for trouble letting opertunists and pirat know you’re a sitting Duck. I also have observed coastguard in some nations closing their eyes looking the other way, and some even asking for cash to let you continue sailing. Thats why knowing before going is key. All the best
Thanks for sharing ! Please 🙏 accept my condolences, but please try not to approach the " wild/ $ hungry "areas/ territories : Let your friend Soul stay in Peace .Our FATE - is often predicted from our Birth : lines on every hand are already showing one's- Life length, marriages , etc ..etc . Andreas was pretty careless - and it was his own choice .We all would go " home. one day , sooner ..or - later .Noone is eternal.He lived his life , he has made his own choice! Cheers , mate Greeting from 🇳🇿 .
Thank you so much for watching and for being here. Please remember a sailor is never to be blame for being attached by pirates. Decisions could been poor but we don’t really know what happened or even why he choose this route. All the best and cheers to life 🍻
Dette var en sterk, emosjonell og svært interessant video, Thomas. Jeg er imponert ! - ikke minst over den respektfulle og fine måten du presenterte denne triste historien på. Mine kondolanser... Lett å forstå at du har lagt ned maaaange timer med redigeringsarbeid og arbeid med kommentarer for å kunne presentere en så god video. Du er veldig dyktig - og det trøster meg å vite at du er en meget våken, realistisk og erfaren jordomseilingskaptein! Det gir håp og trygghet : vi møtes nok igjen! Fortsett med å ta alle fornuftige forholdsregler og , for all del,: ikke gjør noe dumdristig, kjære gamle nabo og venn. Be safe, be free, be wise! Tenker på deg. Med all din innsikt og kunnskap , med ditt klarsyn og med din solide erfaring, blir det spennende å se hva du kommer til å gjøre når du en dag kommer i havn og tilbyr din unike kompetanse - kanskje på landjorda.👍🙏👏..
Hey Dag! Så hyggelig å se min gamle nabo og venn her, og takk for veldig hyggelig tilbakemelding på en tung video. Vi må ta igjen litt tapt tid neste gang jeg er hjemme en tur. Hvem vet hva fremtiden bringer, kanskje kurs og foredrag om jeg skulle gå i land igjen. Men blir forhåpentlig en stund til ennå. Uansett hyggelig at du følger med her og så håper jeg vi sees snart. Alt godt
Thank you 🙏🏻 I hope this video can contribute to some awareness. Difficult topic and story I felt important to share. Don’t like to scare people but it’s reality and sometimes we need a reality check as well. Fair winds ⛵️
I would wish for the whole world to be friendly like us my friend unfortunately evil exists. Too bad we're not given the right to arm ourselves worldwide without the restrictions of governments. An armed society is a peaceful society.
Thank you for watching and for being here. Guns or no guns is a complicated topic. Lots of examples armed sailor escalate the situation ending up dead instead of just robbed. Last example I know first hand is in Panama 3 years ago. This is one of the reasons I belive this is an important message to share, and also exposing nations housing pirates. Hit back where it hurts, and in Panama this also was proven by the fact minister of tourism called for action against piracy destroying reputation and tourism. If some of the most corupt nations could manage to improve I guess there is hopes for other nations as well. So this needs to be shared and this story needed to be told. All the best
I'm a new subscriber. I'm binge watching. Lolo. I'm so sorry to hear what happened to your friend. It scares me you sail alone!! I know you are experienced but it still scares me. If you ever take on crew let me know. I've been a long time follower of rick and Maddy. They have invited me as crew but I haven't been able to join them yet. They told me im welcome anytime. I promise I am a normal person lolo. I have 2 mini Australian shepherd boys and I just can't leave them. They are my sweet babies. Could never bring them sailing either. Would be to stressful. Please take care and be careful. Thanks for your great videos with information, knowledge and much more. I would love to learn hands on from you. I have 2 favorite channels now! You and captain rick moore!!! 👍🤙💖
Sad for the loss of your friend. It really points at piracy. - i guess AIS is easy to get, Cheap too for a lowly pirate. Radar on the other hand cost good money. But perhaps well worth it if you can sail through the night mostly hidden. Nav lights are still fairly dimm at 6-10 mile
I turn my AIS off now and then, and even stopped broadcast my position via satelite to my website to protect myself. Even going dark with no lights have been nessesary. However the most brutal pirates seems to be the best organized. They are not amateurs, using comersial 48 mile radars tracking you long time before your AIS would give you away. Thank you for watching and for being here.
I feel personally that having a system sailing with guns would eliminate most of piracy. It shouldn't be any more problematic than sailing and registering a pet. It gets checked in and it gets checked out. I understand that people have different feelings about guns, but if it was like an established concept that boats offshore have a weapon onboard it would eliminate the problem almost 100%.
This kind of information and knowledge MUST be a serious part of any well-versed sailing channel, yet... Personally, as far as I have been watching this type of channel, NONE have done such a thorough episode on this specific topic as this one. I am sorry your loss of a sailor friend. Thanks for the sound advice, detailed collection of facts, and for putting this out there, for others to have the opportunity to learn, and spread the word.
Thank you so much for your kind words! I’m happy to see so many understand the intentions of sharing this story, and the importance of getting this message out. Only by exposing this challenges we can put pressure on Gouvernements to take actions if they wanna change the reputation on their nations. All the best and and thank you for being here.
Sorry about the loss of your friend. Explanations, Charts all add up to you being a Great Instructor :) Appreciate all that you have to say and explain so well. Fair Winds 😎
Thank you so much🙏🏻 Much apriciated and hopfully this can spread some awerness among sailors. All the best🍻
Your diagnosis of this sad story seems excellent. I'm an old ex-sailor who lived and travelled for several years with the Indians up and down the Caribbean coast of Nicaragua and know this ares very well. Piracy is quite common in these waters and on land. No knowledgeable outsider who is safety conscious would travel alone on land or sea here. In addition to local Miskito Indians, the area used by heavily armed drug runners going up the coast at night from San Andreas and Providencia Islands.
Thank you so much for watching and also sharing your experience and knowledge about this region. Your absolutley right about heavily armed drug runners. This is a serious problem in all the border zones from Panam to north America and east via Columbia to Venuzuela. Better stay far offshore. Thank you for being here! Much apreciated. All the best
We have heard many stories of Pirates operating out of Nicarauga into these waters where friend disappeared. The pirates operate at night, they watch AIS for sailboats coming into their area, they turn out their lights and motor to the vessel they intend to board, kill and steal the boat. Andreas was probably being chased by pirates at midnight, so turned NE trying to get away. The second EPIRB was probably with him when he was pushed off his boat, and lost when he drowned.
There are several videos on youtube as well
Thank you so much for watching. Witness observations from this region explains also extend use of big rigs with commercial 48 mile radars. Meaning they see you 24-30 miles before your AIS would give you away.
As you say it’s a well known area for brutal piracy attacks and needs to be exposed.
All the best and stay safe🍻
Fantastic content Thomas! Its always a chance we take. Condolences towards your friend.
In saying that, I think this is your niche. Planning, tactics, safety etc. your knowledge base/experience is wide and comes across clearly, not saying too much or too little. I have just crossed the Bass Strait, I have the same sleep pattern as you at night. I just run a rolling 30 minute alarm being up and awake for 5-10 of those 30 mins, checking ais, coarse and horizon. The weather was forecast to be North East which would of been a beam reach, instead it was East N East putting the wind forward of the beam but not close hauled. I could not afford to lose any ground and at one stage was looking for alternative ports. Not many in this area! Fortunately late on the second day the wind went North East (20 hours later than forecast) which gave me the sea room to get in. .
After watching this i will save up for a Radar!
Steve
Thank you so much Steve for watching and for leaving a comment with kind words. I’m happy to hear you have a safe and healthy approach towards solo sailing. I know your feeling about finding a place to anchor after a long hard passage in bad weather. This can be rough and a challenge of endurance. I have video coming soon about solo sailors challenge at anchor. Tools I use and strategies. Thank you for being here! Knowing that sailors in general and solo sailor especially enjoy and appreciate my content means a lot. I take it as compliments and inspiring. All the best and cheers from BE FREE🍻
Wow, definitely a sobering message. I'm glad you shared this information and your thoughts on what might have happened. I think its good to understand what the risks of sailing are beyond the ones that nature poses. Do you carry any thing you could use as a weapon in self defense on board Be Free? I'm sure that there are plenty of countries that would not permit firearms and would confiscate those during your stay (or even permanently?). Perhaps a weapon wouldn't be of much use anyway? I've seen other sailing youtubers speculate about the nature of many pirates that might be out there. Some claim that many of them are desperate fishermen or farmers that are so destitute that they resort to piracy to feed their families. The implication is that they are not very well organized and not well equipped and are basically opportunistic. Perhaps they have guns but like you mentioned are not inclined to travel in bad weather etc, or their boats don't have a long rage to go too far off shore. Of course none that excuses their actions especially when they take lives. This was a good video even if it wasn't so happy-go-lucky. Thanks for sharing!! :)
Thank you so much for watching and sharing your thoughts as well. I believe in many situations a gun onboard would escalate the situation. Doesn’t take many bullets to sink a fibreglass boat. And if 5 persons have automatic weapons one persons gun is not much. The murder in San Blas is a good example as he tried to defend himself with his gun. The pirates outside Nicaragua and Honduras are well organised and works in a group of boats. Eyewitness reports from other confrontations they had seriously big radars on a rigg on top of a fast boat. So best way to stop this is to spread awareness and even if possible make it difficult for nations having this advertising for their tourism. The value of having things spread out was clear in Panama as they where forced to take action even though down playing it, still some positive results. All the best!
@@SailingwithThomas Wow, there is so much more that I did not know about piracy! It's good that you're spreading the word. Hopefully this helps to encourage these nations to crack down on this organized crime.
Part of the problem as well is the pirates that are smuggling drugs are not trading it for money anymore but guns.
My respects to you Thomas. You are a great friend to have for sure.
Thank you so much🙏🏻 All the best🍻
Good analysis. Informative.
Onboard ‘protection’ is always a hot topic.
Everyone should have a plan. Bright light or camera flash to temporarily blind an intruder…and don’t forget the fire extinguisher blast into the face. Deploy old ropes to foul their prop.
Personally, I’d have something well hidden to use as a last resort. Relying on pirates mercy should never be a last resort.
Thank you so much for watching and for your comment as well. If sailing through piracy infected waters a preparedness plan is mandatory in my mind. I have my solutions tactics and strategies. Also sort of protection and self defence solutions. However sometimes this can escalate situations so it’s a difficult and challenging topic. Best solution is going in a convoy. All the best and thank you for being here
@@SailingwithThomas agree
I have watched this several times and shared it with friends. Your sense of loss is clear but your ability to analyze overtakes it and you have done a magnificent job of trying to understand what occurred. I know this video took a tremendous amount of work to create and I wanted you to know that I learned things and it also reinforced things you have previously taught us. Should I ever be so blessed as to wander the Caribbean as you have I will sleep in the cockpit for no more than 20 minutes at a time and will not sail without a capable radar. I cannot help but wonder if one is pursued by pirates if turning off AIS and turning off all lighting and tacking or turning out abruptly under power would lose them but they likely had radar if that is indeed the circumstance of this tragedy.
Thank you so much for watching and even sharing. Much appreciated! This episode was time consuming but felt it was important story not to take lightly.
The pirates in this waters use professional 48NM radars so they would pic you up long time before your AIS would reveal your position. Also they operate very organised in groups of boats. So neither weapons or other self defence would made much difference. Therefore stories like this needs to be told so the nations closing their eyes can realise we live in the new millennium with social media’s and RUclips etc. When they discover the impact it can have in tourism Gouvernements often do things. Still Venezuela have been a no go for sailors for a long time. Every sailor knows this from the community. Still now and then there is sailors sailing into this waters to find out for them self. Some make it and some not. All the best and cheers 🍻
Thank you Thomas, a sad but salient episode so sorry for the loss of your mate. Appreciate your courage and sensitivity to make this episode
Thank you so much for watching! This was among my most difficult and demanding episodes to make, but important for me to share. All the best
This is an excellent explanation of how to think and plan ones route. As you highlighted, there are indeed more questions than answers in this case. Very nice go-through of possible scenarios.
Thank you my friend🙏🏻 This was not easy and I belive we will never know exactly what happen. Being tired of loosing sailor friends I felt the need of sharing this and hopfully it can contribute to some awerness. All the best!
What a scary reality of sailing solo. Sorry for your loss and to condolences to the family’s of the missing Sailors. A nice tribute Thomas. 👍👍
Thank you for your kind words and for being here. All the best
What a great video Thomas. Excellent analysis and excellent advice for all of us intending to sail in this region. Your thorough understanding of the risks and means of mitigation are a valuable resource. Thank you
Thank you so much for watching and your kind words. I’m thankful for knowing fellow sailors appreciate my videos and especially topics to make us all safer. Then the effort and time to make this kind of episodes feels worth doing. All the amazing support and feedback from fellow sailors is such an inspiration to me as a sailor and much appreciated. I have often stated I’m not a RUclips’r I’m just a sailor uploading videos. I believe there is a difference which I hope shines through now and then. Thank you so much for being here! All the best
I'm sorry for your lost friend. Thank you for making it into a teachable moment to help others avoid the same fate.
Thank you so much for watching and your kind words! All the best
This is why I watch SwT videos. It's like listening to a mentor who has no ulterior motives except to encourage and educate.
Thank you so much for watching and for being here! Makes me happy to read you find my videos valuable. All the best and cheers 🍻
Sorry you lost your friend, but thank you for this information.
Thank you for your comment and for being here. All the best🍻
I want to thank you for this video Thomas. Al you mostly see in all these sailor video's is the nice snorkling in blue water, the fun with friends on anker, the nice 30 days sails crossing an ocean. And you get the impression that sailing the globe is one big party. It is very important that you made this video and show us the other side. It can be pretty dangerous out there. Thank you so much. A big hug from the Netherlands.
Thank you so much for your kind words and for watching this episode even though it is pretty serious topic.Thankful to know the important message came through with only intentions of creating awareness and share knowledge to make sailors safer. Knowing before going is more important than ever. Imagine poor nations after lockdowns and getting even poorer... I believe we will see more opportunists and piracy so sharing is caring and help each other telling the truth about what’s going on. All the best
Thomas, I really appreciate this episode and showing it is not all blue skies and bikinis. Your sleep pattern is what I use and I hope you are safe to enjoy the good parts of solo sailing. Our thoughts are with Andreas and all the sailors who have not reached their destination. André in Sydney
Thank you so much for watching and your respectful and kind words. Happy to hear from a sailor sharing this lifestyle and even down to sleeping patterns. Wish you all the best and and fair winds André! Cheers 🍻
This video should be a must-see for any person sailing in this vicinity. Far too many channels push buying a boat and just getting out there. Leaving before you have the knowledge and life-saving instruments aboard could be a death sentence. Thomas, thank you for sharing your message. If it only reaches one person, who watches and takes your advice, it is a success. I'm looking forward to your time in San Andreas.
Thank you so much for watching and your kind words. I’m really thankful knowing my message got out and intentions behind. As you point out my hopes is the same, if it only saves one life it’s definitely a success.
Thank you for being here!
Thank you for this information Thomas. This is definitely an eye opener, you are a very savy sailor and thanks again for sharing this story and tips.
Thank you so much for your kind words and for being here. All the best!
An old Navy CPO told me the safest thing to use solo is a basic auto radar detector. He said another vessels radar would set it off, and it would work enough to wake you up if you are sleeping.
Thank you for watching and your comment. Your old Navy friend have a good point. Especialy towards comersial ships. Problem starts when encounter other sailboats with no AIS or Radar. Happened twice to me. Both times I have been catching up at night and first time was in the midle of the Atlantic. Small boats are difficult to spot on a radar in heavy seas, so auto radar and transponder is not a bad idea. Thank you for being here! All the best
Thank you for this information .i had no idea the extent or location of this piracy. .areal service to the marine community .
Thank you so much for watching and for your kind comment. All the best!
I live near a town that depends on the sea for a living. Thank you to the ships and organisations - like the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) - that support sailors. Prayers for Andreas and all those who have lost their lives at sea.
Thank you so much for your kind words and for being here! I have several friends working at RNLI and even have hats and T-shirts from their station. All the best
So sorry to hear about your friend.
My thoughts are where were the epirb's located?
Many have multiple including in life vests leading me to think that the boat didn't sink or there would have been more alarms.
Seems like piracy makes the most sense.
I wonder where they could look for the vessel?
If the yatch was the valuable item they were after they may have disabled the AIS and then changed course the Eperbs could have been thrown over board with the life preserver as a false trail. While the yatch was sailed away..
The other possibility is a catastrophic failure leading to flooding unlikely yes but ive seen a vessel where a depth sounder came out of its through hull and the boat with a couple aboard and in daylight found the entire cabin already deep in water they began bailing and help was soon on the scene but it was only when they realised where the water was getting in they were able to plug it.
Then a superyatch crew or coastguard turned up with a petrol bilge pump..
They were able to pump out and
limp back to safety.
Could he have he suddenly found his vessel already half sinking lights out electrics failing trying to find the leak and pump out and not giving up and launching his life raft..?
Did it automatically deploy or was it a manual deploy type?
With his engine running and the boat possibly going down at the bow she might have gone down fast without him realising how close this was to happening.
Thank you for watching🙏🏻 Guess we will never know... Only one of the two EPRB’s where found, pointing in direction of piracy as well.
Your search and rescue back ground really shined. I think you are spot on about the incident. Great episode and a good tribute to your fellow sailor. I hope others in the area take the warning.
Thank you so much for watching and your kind words. It was a challenging but important episode to get out. So reading all this kind and supportiv feedback means a lot. Thank you for being here and all the best
Hi Thomas, Thank you for the valuable information, So sorry for Andreas lost .He shell be remembered.
Cheers Gerard.
Thank you so much for watching and for being here! All the best and cheers 🍻
Wow Thomas, interesting and sad. So sorry for your friend, had he taken your advice........Got to be a bad dream for you.
Its been a burden for a while so I felt for sharing this story now. Thank you for watching🍻
Sad story but important message... Stay safe, cheers !
Thank you🙏🏻 All the best 🍻
Thomas, My heart breaks for andreas's family an for you!! I really appreciated this episode learned so much!! ✌🏼💗
Thank you so much for your empathy and for watching this difficult episode. Im thankful for knowing even being a sad story still being valubale and having some takeaways. Thank you for being here
@@SailingwithThomas I'm grateful for the lessons an wisdom you share .. ✌🏼💗
Thanks for sharing Thomas - maybe the pirates were activating the Epirbs to mislead it seems strange to find an epirb and a west floating in the water
This was very instructive and shreds some light on the actual dangers of solo sailing..
Thank you for watching and for your question. I dont belive pirates would ever activate epirb on purpouse. They know help is not far away as this things really works well. I belive they did not noticed the first he sat of, but the second one. This they destroyed hence the fact only one was found out of two activated. Hopfully this episode dosent scare people from sailing but contribute to enlighten challenges and make sailors knowing before going as a rule of thumb. All the best
informative and again an important contribution to the sailing community. thumbs up.
Thank you for info. Indeed it’s important to share.
So sorry about your friend Andreas. I guess Pirates are a very real part of sailing.
Thank you so much for watching! Yes Pirates is absolutley real even though level of brutality variates. Luckily it’s still mostly safe and beautiful places we can sail without worrying about this. All the best
I am sorry for the loss of your friend ,and thankful for the sharing of your knowledge ,
Thank you so much for your kind words and for being here! All the best 🍻
Brilliant Thomas. Appreciate the graphics. You have done lots of good work here
Thank you for watching and your kind feedback. Much apreciated! All the best
Thanks, informative, sorry for Andreas and all missing sailors.
Thank you for your kind comment and for watching. All the best
You're a good man Thomas - thank you for sharing your thoughts on such a loss.
Thank you so much for watching and your kind words🙏🏻 All the best
I would guess that if he was worried enough to deploy epirb and then have an hour while being chased, he would have used radio or a satellite phone to contract someone and let them know any details. Perhaps he didn't have such equipment.
Perhaps a storm would inhibit such communication.
I guess we will never know. Im sure he did what he could. So many things imposible to understand not being there. I belive he had his hands full turning around, trimming sail and navigat avay as best he could. Thank you for watching🙏🏻
Great episode Thomas, den var virkelig spændende en smule sørgelig på samme tid. Tak fordi du deler.
Takk for at du så på denne episoden og din feedback også. All the best
Thomas....I'm sorry to hear of the loss of your friend and my prayers are with his family. There is a warning here as well. History has shown that the occurrences of piracy in the Caribbean (as well as other locations) has been slowly increasing over time and with the current political, economic and food situations plaguing the world, I fear piracy will increase dramatically in certain areas of the globe....like the Caribbean. Stay safe and continue to spread the word to research routs and destinations. Thanks for the video.
Thank you for watching and for your comment as well. I belive you are correct about your predictions and even though there is so many safe and nice places to cruise around knowing before going is key. Sharing real stories is important and hopefully contribute helping others to prepare for reality. All the best and thank you for being here
My condolences in the loss of your friend and thank you for this well done video.
Thank you so much for watching and for your respectful comment. All the best
1st ,I’m so sorry about your friend.thank you for sharing,it’s all good stuff!!
Thank you so much for watching and being here. All the best!
Very sorry for the loss of your sailing friend. And this is such a sobering message to all sailors in the Caribbean and elsewhere, so thank you for making people aware of what's going on...
Since none of us carry chests filled with gold and silver on our boats anymore, what exactly are these pirates hoping to get that's worth killing for now? The boat and electronics?
And if they steal the boat , how are they going to sell it and to who?
Thank you so much for watching and for your kind words and good questions.
Some parts of our world a human life is sadly not worth much. Depending on the size of boat it’s in this region normal to repaint and use it later for drug runs. Then the boat will be dumped somewhere after it’s done it’s run. In this case I believe they realised Andreas had been able to activate EPIRB meaning they did not have much time. So most likely just took what’s valuable and then sink it. But this we will never have the full insight in. All the best and thank you for being here
Great episode!! We need real sailing information! Pirates are real and dangerous. Some say that they are just poor and hungry. Nonsense! Sorry about your friends..
Thank you so much for watching and for being here! Your right about the fact some pirates are almost professional. The ones outside Honduras and Nicaragua even operates with professional radars and are more organised then most sailors are aware of. Normally I don’t like to share this kind of things but felt the need of sharing this story. All the best and cheers 🍻
Thanks for the information...
Thank you so much for watching. All the best
Part of being free is being free safely. Great job Thomas. You outline the dangers of piracy and solo sailing very well with abundant information that may help many stay safer in the future. I love your abilities with graphics. It always makes things easier and interesting. Thanks for making too notch content.
Thank you so much for your kind words and feedback. Much appreciated. All the best and cheers 🍻
Great content, thanks for the info
Thank you for watching and for your kind feedback. All the best
WOW what an important vlog you've posted. Thanks from a fellow solo cruiser.
Very very sad for the loss of your friend,
Terrible for his family, because there is no body, he'll just be a missing person for years to come.
Thank you so much my fellow solo sailor! Your kind words is much appreciated and also for you being here. Knowing sailors appreciated my content means a lot to me, and thank you also for showing empathy for the family and friends loss here. All the best
Thank you for the info.
Very sorry about your friend.
Stay safe! Cheers! Jeff
Thank you so much Jeff! All the best.
really enjoy your insight, the flare was something that i didn't know
Thanks for sharing your loss
Thank you so much for watching!
All the best
I'm glad to see this type of video being shared. Too many times I've seen magical amazingness shared in sailing that has no basis of the potential danger you are putting yourself in.
Thank you for your kind words.
This video was difficult to make of obvious reasons but hopefully it can create some awareness helping others.
All the best
Thank you for piecing together some aspects of this story. Sorry to hear about the loss of a friend.
Thank you for watching and for being here! Your kind comment is much apreciated as well. All the best
Wow...... If we Just could know... Stay safe Thomas🙂 great that you show all of this, great to know🙂
Takk Espen! Føltes naturlig å lage denne episoden nå som jeg er på San Andres. Vanskelig tema men håper jo å spre litt bevisstgjøring. Skål fra fantastiske San Andres🍻
@@SailingwithThomas ja og syntes det var veldig bra! Må også innrømme at det ga litt betenkeligheter fordi jeg selv skal ut på jordomseiling i fremtiden også soloseiler.... Lærer litt hver dag😊😊
Det går stort sett bra. Bare ta noen forhåndsregler her og der, og ikke minst gjør litt egne undersøkelser. Det er få steder utenfor Norge du ikke behøver å låse jolla med sollid kjetting. Jolletyverier og plyndring av verdisaker i cockpit om natten er vel det mest vanlige. Lys i cockpit er veldig effektivt for å ikke få besøk osv. Så det er mange enkle ting/tiltak som gjør det mye bedre for deg selv.
Thank you - this is useful information and there was not one hint of sensationalism in a single word.
Thank you so much for your kind words and for being here. All the best
Hi Thomas, great information in your post. I'm sorry about your friend, that's awful. I have been following the sailing channels for about 6 months now and you're the first person that addressed this fact. It seems like all the piracy is in the western Caribbean, is that correct? Be safe out there and keep the content coming.
Thank you so much for watching and your kind words. Yes western Caribbean is definitely the worst in terms of piracy. However the entire Caribbean is lots of opportunists and criminals. Some places worse than others. And some places the worst criminals is wearing a badge hustling you when checking in to the country. Pretty big contrast to Europe. All the best and cheers 🍻
Course and speed are puzzling. Sorry for your loss.
Thank you so much for your kind words and for being here. All the best and cheers 🍻
Mycket tragiskt detta med Andreas. Väldigt bra information, och visa hur viktigt det är att ha rätt information. Med vänlig hälsning, Tomas 👍👍⛵️⛵️⛵️
Takk Tomas, det var en tung og komplisert episode. Men føltes både riktig og viktig å få budskapet ut. Takk for at du er her.
Sorry for your loss. Thank you for sharing and explaining
Thank you so much for watching and your kind words. All the best
Thanks you, for the informations, sad story. Terrible that nothing is done to eradicate pirates on the region
Thank you for watching and for being here. I belive the best we can do is to expose and to warn. By exposing it might force some actions like we experienced in Panama. They finally took action down there after being globally famous for piracy overnight. All the best and Thank you for your comment
@@SailingwithThomas Doing that openly, public I guess you are not more an welcome tourist to Panama! Need now to do that, with all the other countries that are not combating the pirates activities
My condolences Thomas. To everyone watching, don’t be afraid, be aware…live free or die trying.
Thank you for watching and your coment as well! Yes its true living comes with a risk. I dont wanna scare people, but sometimes a reality check is in place. This storry needed to be told, at lest for my own peace. All the best🍻
Well-presented Thomas
Thank you so much🙏🏻
Thank you for sharing ,the dangers and perils in that area...🍻 to all missing sailors
Thank you so much for watching and your comment. Il definitely 🍻to that! For all the missing sailors 🍻
Great post Thomas. A toast to Andreas. 🍻
Thank you so much for your comment ant for watching. All the best and and cheers 🍻
Well, whoa, was not expecting that but so glad I tuned in. Your information is once again very helpful (thanks for your hard work with the graphics as well). Moreover, so sorry for the loss of your friend and condolences to all who loved him and knew him. 💫💝
Thank you so much for being here and for watching. Also your kind words are much apreciated. All the best
Kondolerer Thomas ❤️. Vi mister alle kamerater, venninner og familie . Når det skjer på havet er det noe annet.
Tanker om å ikke komme i mål med hva som har skjedd - vil du måtte leve med dine dager. Slik er livet.
Denne episoden er en tankevekker - samtidig viser du igjen ditt unike kunnskapsnivå.
Min dypeste respekt.
Hilsen Inge
Fra Varangerfjord
Takk for at du ser på og er her! Og for din fine kommentar. Var en vanskelig episode å lage men følte behov for å få historien ut. Alt godt 🍻
Thankyou Thomas, as always well explained, sorry for your friend gone missing, That radical almost about turn I concur he was running.
Thank you so much for watching and for being here. Yes I’m sure he was running for his life. Sad story! All the best
Thank you for explaining this Thomas. And I'm sorry about your friend.
Thank you so much for watching and your kind comment. All the best and cheers 🍻
OMG that is a sad story. Thanks for working through the assumptions and for sharing.Hope your friend rests in a peaceful place after all...
Thank you for watching and for your kind feedback. Hope he rests in peace as well! It was a storry that needed to be told. All the best
Sincerest condolences for the loss of your friend... Hope the truth comes out sooner rather than later... Be safe Thomas!
Thank you so much🙏🏻 All the best!
@@SailingwithThomas 👍👍
Sorry for your loss.
😥🙏
Thank you so much for watching and for being here. All the best
Veldig bra episode. Tror mange romantiserer Caribien waters og ikke tar inn over seg baksiden av klart vann og solvær. Flott du deler historien og gir god info. Be safe og ta vare🙏
Takk🙏🏻 Karibia er langt fra så fantastisk som det meste du ser på RUclips. Om jeg skulle laget en liste over helt trygge steder hadde den blitt veldig kort. Litt lengre med visse forhåndsregler. Korrupsjon er svært utbredt, og selv simpelt tyveri ombord mens man sover er ille nok. Møtt mange som har kommet over Atlanteren som har gjort lite research og blir overrasket. Takk for at du er her!
Well done Thomas. Single handed sailing is a constant risk anywhere but in pirate water and all the ship traffic at the Panama canal makes it one of the most dangerous areas. A terrible tragedy that can happen to even fully crewed and equipped boats. Piracy has always been a problem and the best protection is a lot of distance.
Thank you so much for your kind words. 100% agreed distance is the best strategy, second best in my opinion is going in a convoy. Thank you for watching and for being here!
So sorry for the lost of your fellow sailor and friend. Indeed a sad story however the content of this video is so educational, especially when the content is explained by a well versed sailor like you. Thank you for sharing your knowledge. Stay safe, fair winds.
Thank you so much for your kind feedback and friendly words. Much apreciated! All the best and Thank you for being here.
thank-you Thomas for an informative dose of reality. cheers.
Thank you so much! Dont like to scare people or be the one saying dont go there or do this... But this specific storry needed to be told. All the best 🍻
Thank you for sharing this story and my condolences to you and of course his family, it must be heartbreaking especially as there is no proper closure, you can only ever speculate. It certainly isn't a risk free lifestyle.
Thank you so much for your kind words and for being here. Much apreciated. Its definatly not a risk free lifestyle even though it mostly goes well I hope to contribute now and then making this lifestyle safer in on way or another. All the best
Thank you for the detailed report, what happen with your friend.Question;You have described what has been encountered at the first epirb, but what was encontered, at the second epirb?
Thank you for watching and for being here. What happen to the second epirb is a mystery and left for speculations only. The fact this transmitt for 24 hours and do float its to be asumed this was found and destroyed by pirates not aware of the first being deployed earlier. But this is my guessing only. All the best
Great job Thomas!
Thank you so much🙏🏻 All the best and cheers 🍻
Very sad - but excellent video - true sailor
Thank you so much for being here and for watching. All the best
Cndolences ....well done Thomas
Thomas...you are great
Thank you so much🙏🏻
Very educational and well formulated on tactics and reasons why… sad but thanks!
Thank you so much for kind feedback on this difficult and sad topic. Hopefully contributing to awareness and safety among sailors. All the best
Very important message for all of us.
Thank you so much for watching and understanding the intentions behind this demanding video. All the best
Thanks for sharing , a tragic loss! , very interesting with the diagram distances . The golden rule sounds like always sail in a group, i have watched some sailing vids , with encounters with local coast guards off a certain nations. If they are corrupt then they too will have access to good radar etc.
I wonder if a Mayday Mayday is issued when being attacked by pirates , is it likely or unlikely someone friendly would pick up the distress signal in real time ?
Thank you for watching, and for being here. Some places a mayday on the VHF is asking for trouble letting opertunists and pirat know you’re a sitting Duck. I also have observed coastguard in some nations closing their eyes looking the other way, and some even asking for cash to let you continue sailing. Thats why knowing before going is key. All the best
@@SailingwithThomas thanks for reply 👍 🙂
So sad the loss is😔but we should be thankful that he could live his dream sailing.
Thank you so much for watching and your comment. At least he lived his dream and had traveled the world more than most people I ever met. All the best
Thanks for sharing ! Please 🙏 accept my condolences, but please try not to approach the " wild/ $ hungry "areas/ territories : Let your friend Soul stay in Peace .Our FATE - is often predicted from our Birth : lines on every hand are already showing one's- Life length, marriages , etc ..etc .
Andreas was pretty careless - and it was his own choice .We all would go " home. one day , sooner ..or - later .Noone is eternal.He lived his life , he has made his own choice!
Cheers , mate Greeting from 🇳🇿 .
Thank you so much for watching and for being here. Please remember a sailor is never to be blame for being attached by pirates. Decisions could been poor but we don’t really know what happened or even why he choose this route. All the best and cheers to life 🍻
Sorry for your friends loss. So sad
Thank you so much
Dette var en sterk, emosjonell og svært interessant video, Thomas. Jeg er imponert ! - ikke minst over den respektfulle og fine måten du presenterte denne triste historien på. Mine kondolanser... Lett å forstå at du har lagt ned maaaange timer med redigeringsarbeid og arbeid med kommentarer for å kunne presentere en så god video. Du er veldig dyktig - og det trøster meg å vite at du er en meget våken, realistisk og erfaren jordomseilingskaptein! Det gir håp og trygghet : vi møtes nok igjen! Fortsett med å ta alle fornuftige forholdsregler og , for all del,: ikke gjør noe dumdristig, kjære gamle nabo og venn. Be safe, be free, be wise! Tenker på deg. Med all din innsikt og kunnskap , med ditt klarsyn og med din solide erfaring, blir det spennende å se hva du kommer til å gjøre når du en dag kommer i havn og tilbyr din unike kompetanse - kanskje på landjorda.👍🙏👏..
Hey Dag! Så hyggelig å se min gamle nabo og venn her, og takk for veldig hyggelig tilbakemelding på en tung video. Vi må ta igjen litt tapt tid neste gang jeg er hjemme en tur. Hvem vet hva fremtiden bringer, kanskje kurs og foredrag om jeg skulle gå i land igjen. Men blir forhåpentlig en stund til ennå. Uansett hyggelig at du følger med her og så håper jeg vi sees snart. Alt godt
Hard stuff,but agree very important to share👍👍
Thank you so much for watching and for understanding the need of sharing this story. All the best
So sorry Thomas. This story will affect all sailors
Thank you 🙏🏻 I hope this video can contribute to some awareness. Difficult topic and story I felt important to share. Don’t like to scare people but it’s reality and sometimes we need a reality check as well. Fair winds ⛵️
Thank you for sharing this story.
Thank you so much for watching🙏🏻 All the best!
Very informative!!!
Thank you so much for watching and for being here. All the best
I would wish for the whole world to be friendly like us my friend unfortunately evil exists. Too bad we're not given the right to arm ourselves worldwide without the restrictions of governments. An armed society is a peaceful society.
Thank you for watching and for being here. Guns or no guns is a complicated topic. Lots of examples armed sailor escalate the situation ending up dead instead of just robbed. Last example I know first hand is in Panama 3 years ago. This is one of the reasons I belive this is an important message to share, and also exposing nations housing pirates. Hit back where it hurts, and in Panama this also was proven by the fact minister of tourism called for action against piracy destroying reputation and tourism. If some of the most corupt nations could manage to improve I guess there is hopes for other nations as well. So this needs to be shared and this story needed to be told. All the best
Thank you Thomas, good advice..
Thank you so much for watching and your kind comment. All the best
To your friend!🙏🥰
Helt nødvendig film du har laget. Din film kan redde andre seilere bort fra farlige farvann.
Takk Kjell! Ønsker deg alt godt på ditt eventyr ⛵️
I'm a new subscriber. I'm binge watching. Lolo. I'm so sorry to hear what happened to your friend. It scares me you sail alone!! I know you are experienced but it still scares me. If you ever take on crew let me know. I've been a long time follower of rick and Maddy. They have invited me as crew but I haven't been able to join them yet. They told me im welcome anytime. I promise I am a normal person lolo. I have 2 mini Australian shepherd boys and I just can't leave them. They are my sweet babies. Could never bring them sailing either. Would be to stressful. Please take care and be careful. Thanks for your great videos with information, knowledge and much more. I would love to learn hands on from you. I have 2 favorite channels now! You and captain rick moore!!! 👍🤙💖
Safe travels my friend
Thank you so much and fair winds ⛵️ Cheers 🍻
Sad for the loss of your friend. It really points at piracy. - i guess AIS is easy to get, Cheap too for a lowly pirate. Radar on the other hand cost good money. But perhaps well worth it if you can sail through the night mostly hidden. Nav lights are still fairly dimm at 6-10 mile
I turn my AIS off now and then, and even stopped broadcast my position via satelite to my website to protect myself. Even going dark with no lights have been nessesary. However the most brutal pirates seems to be the best organized. They are not amateurs, using comersial 48 mile radars tracking you long time before your AIS would give you away. Thank you for watching and for being here.
I feel personally that having a system sailing with guns would eliminate most of piracy. It shouldn't be any more problematic than sailing and registering a pet. It gets checked in and it gets checked out.
I understand that people have different feelings about guns, but if it was like an established concept that boats offshore have a weapon onboard it would eliminate the problem almost 100%.