Another voyaging boat seized

In addition to the American ship recently seized by Somali pirates (and then taken back by its feisty crew– although the captain reportedly remains in captivity) a voyaging sailboat has been seized off the Somali coast. It is a 42-foot Colin Archer French-flagged vessel en route to Zanzibar via Kenya called Tanit (at left) with five French nationals on board, including a three-year-old. According to the Australian web site Sail-World, this is the third yacht hijacked this year off Somalia. The French voyagers are reportedly liveaboards who are sailing around the world on a very tight budget and have little money for a ransom. Sounds like the Somali coast is a great place for voyagers to avoid right now.