CA members Rachel and Paul Chandler are believed to have been kidnapped by pirates in the Indian Ocean. The couple were cruising in their Rival 38 Lynn Rival and left the Seychelles last Wednesday, expecting to be at sea for about two weeks. They activated their EPIRB two days later and posted a message on their blog saying only ‘PLEASE RING SARAH’.
A source in Somalia has issued a statement saying: "The British couple are in our hands now. We captured them as they were touring in the Indian Ocean." He said the two captives were healthy and ransom demands would follow.
The Foreign Office Consular Directorate have confirmed there are reports that Paul and Rachel’s yacht has gone missing, and that they have been captured. None of these reports can be verified, but the Foreign Office remains concerned, and continues to make careful assessment of the situation.
They have passed details of the couple and their yacht to various international partners in the area, including EU and NATO operations being led by the UK, who are putting resources at their disposal to use in searching for the Chandlers. The Seychelles Coastguard is continuing with their search and rescue operation, and the Foreign Office is staying in close touch with their family in the UK.
The CA, working with other organisations including the Royal Navy, published general guidance on reducing piracy risks in the last edition of their quarterly magazine CRUISING, together with detailed guidance on how to use protected routes when entering the Red Sea. Lynn Rival was travelling to Tanzania, a voyage along the southern edge of the pirate affected zones.
Rachel and Paul are members of the Med and Kent sections and publish an online cruising log at http://blog.mailasail.com/lynnrival
Read a more detailed report about this incident on MedNet or Ted Osborn's report on the piracy situation from the September issue of Cruising.