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Retired Brit tourists fought off Somali pirates with deckchairs
Daily Mail ^ | 5th May 2011

Posted on 05/06/2011 8:23:09 PM PDT by george76

A retired couple who were enjoying a luxury cruise fought off Somali pirates with deck chairs as they attempted to storm the ship and kidnap them.

John and Barbara Jeffery had been enjoying the trip of a lifetime when the violent pirates tried to take over the ship they were sailing on.

As gun shot rang out, the couple defiantly armed themselves with deck chairs, tables and whatever came to hand as they helped to beat off the outlaws.

terror struck just one week in, when the MSC Melody was off the coast of Somalia, a spot haunted by pirates, when the couple and their fellow cruise passengers spotted a small speed boat following them.

Mr Jeffery described how the bandits struck in the night: 'It was about 11.30 in the evening.

'There would have been about 15 to 20 of us on deck. We had decided to enjoy our drinks outside as the entertainment in the bar area wasn't up to much.

'One of the passengers said they could see a small boat following us in the wake of our ship.

'I could hear the engine of the boat as well. When I looked over the side we saw their small boat had pulled up alongside us.'

John said the pirates hauled themselves aboard by slinging a rope over the side: 'I don't know how but they had somehow managed to get a rope hooked on to one of the lower decks and there was a pirate climbing up the side.'

With no members of the crew or security guards nearby, the passengers realised they would have to take matters into their own hands.

(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Extended News; Foreign Affairs; News/Current Events; United Kingdom; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: cruise; deckchairs; luxurycruise; pirates; somali; somalia; somalipirates; unitedkingdom; waronterror
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To: Gene Eric; Seadog Bytes

LOL!


41 posted on 05/16/2011 4:27:39 AM PDT by SunkenCiv (Thanks Cincinna for this link -- http://www.friendsofitamar.org)
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To: SunkenCiv
Guess they chaised them off.

If only they had had rocket loungers. Or should I say rocket lawnchairs?

42 posted on 05/16/2013 12:15:49 AM PDT by piasa (Attitude adjustments offered here free of charge)
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