In all means yes, sell your story. The Government is not paying your debt, so do what you have to do. The free governments should safeguard the seaways, and if not, start raiding the Pirates until it is unhealthy for them to even attempt to ransom free people.

In all means yes, sell your story. The Government is not paying your debt, so do what you have to do. The free governments should safeguard the seaways, and if not, start raiding the Pirates until it is unhealthy for them to even attempt to ransom free people.

Of course the Chandlers should sell their story. They have sufferered tremendously over the last year or so and deserve some compensation, if only to pay pack some of the ransom money to their family and friends and to finance the rebuilding of their lives.

It's all very well being altruistic with someone else's money, but if they want their lives back on track, and their boat back in the water, they're going to need dosh, lots of it. Sell for as much as they can get, after all the amount received can be confidential. Apart from it being an exclusive paid for story nobody has to know the amounts involved. Maybe a paper put up the money and the deals done, hence the injunction?

I have to agree with Dick and the Uk government don't pay and reward the pirates. the internet will tell the pirates the amount of any book deal and make more people will be vulnerable to attack. That is if anyone is daft enough to go there. Libby Purves has the right idea listen to her interview on radio 4

As Somalia is effectively a non-governed state, what is to stop the armed forces going ashore and snatching the hostages back? If the pirates get assaulted everytime they act, how long will they keep doing this for?

As someone intending to set off round the world in the next year or so, to live the dream the Chandlers obvioulsy had then I have a particular interest!
There will be tremendous pressure on the Carters to tell their story and damn the consequences. If they have any consideration for removing this scourge, and not endangering future sailors wanting to live the dream, then they will tell their story openly and in such a way as to discourage pirating.
But I won't be holding my breath they will, and globally the sailing fraternity will suffer.

Paying rasoms will only encourage the pirates. i read somewhere that they were operating close to the tourist esorts of the Seychelles. Say no more of the next lot of hostges

Its not a question of should, they will. I only hope they tell the truth, and tell how everyone told them not to go, and warned them of the danger which they ignored, and they take full responsibility for their stupidity, and apologise to all involved in getting their release.

I'm in agreement with Andrew,
We were discussing this at the WE,
I believe that asa an indirect treat is visible, there is nothing to stop armed forces to fire to kill, as this is pretty much their value of Life. Just look at what the French authorities have implementetd on fishing vessels in the Indian Ocean (10/15 armed commandos on board each vessel-with a mission).

We are poised to head west from Thailand and to get back to the Atlantic our choices are limited. I believe it is unfair to characterize the Chandlers as daft. They were taken on a route that had not seen pirate activity till then.I also think that the fact their ransom was paid and the publicity that will come will make it worse for other sailors but that is life and not something we ought to blame the Chandlers for. Solutions to this problem are not at all as obvious as people like to think. There is risk in any endeavour. Sail when it is windy and avoid the region where attacks have occurred seems like the only answer for now.

Watching the Chandler interview on the ‘Tonight’ programme it seems obvious to me that here is a modest, articulate, intelligent, kind, resilient couple who listen and think carefully before they speak. Their dream was rudely interrupted 700 miles from the African coast.

Offshore sailing requires the ability to ad lib and improvise, as even the very best preparation will not cover every eventuality at sea. The best off shore sailors are self reliant and able to cope alone. The Chandler’s clearly have all this. Their care of each other and their boat until they were forced to abandon her comes through strongly in their story.

This fortitude and ability to ad lib in finding a way to survive also brought them through their ordeal in Somalia.

Huge respect and I would love to read their sailing experiences and their time in Somalia and learn from them.

There are people like me who would not want to climb a mountain but I would never say don’t do it to those who wish to. Those who say the Chandler’s should not have been there have no comprehension of why we go to sea.

We all take risks every day. It's part of being human. Theirs backfired and they suffered as a consequence. Now someone needs to pick up the tab. I'm happy to contribute by buying the book. I think it'll be a great read.