fenderkicker

The Maltese Falcon Freight Train

Well, it seems the Maltese Falcon had a little fun in the Bay of San Fransisco the other day.  Finally showing off to the locals, the yacht was blasting around the bay when it was struck by a much smaller yacht, right in the middle.
How anybody could miss that wall of sails is beyond me.
Luckily a professional photographer was around to capture the moment.

Piracy in the Med?

A very disturbing incident occured last Sunday August 24, 2008 in Southern Corsica. 

Four masked gunmen boarded a very well known charter sailing yacht and demanded the captain open the safe and hand over the contents.  The captain complied with the demands, and the armed intruders left without injury to any of the guests or crew.

Piracy… in the west med?  WHAT!  Are we in back in the days of Jack Aubrey?  Have we leap frogged back in time?  What is going on!

I remember walking around M/Y Solemar a few months before she was launched in 2003 at Amels Shipyard in Holland. Oliver Sterling from Andrew Winch Design showed us how the swim platform could be entirely locked down, barring any unwanted guests from boarding the yacht from the stern.  Obviously they felt it necessary if the yacht were to be cruising in/through the danger zones (Red Sea, Malaysia, Amazon).  Certainly nobody involved in the project considered it would be used in the Med.

Perhaps this should just be a reminder to the yachting industry that nasty people are everywhere, and that captains must ensure a watch is kept during the night at all times, regardless of location.