14. Pirate territory

As I mentioned in my post yesterday, one of the requirements for the waters in which we are currently sailing is the pirate drill. Although much of what I write below is done with my tongue firmly in my cheek, I do appreciate that piracy is a threat even though extremely unlikely, and the ship, crew and guests do have to be prepared.

As well as the security staff patrolling the decks 24/7, the crew have also readied water hoses at regular intervals around the promenade deck. So it's good to know that when Blackbeard Pirate (or should I say Abdul Pirate) approaches us in his rowing boat brandishing an AK47, we can fight him off with water pistols.

Now, I am no student of guerilla warfare, but I would have thought that stealth plays an important part. So, what does the entertainment department do? Yes, they organise a late night deck party with the house band playing live through 500 amp speakers and rigging up enough flashing lights to supply the emergency services of a small village for 10 years. On the other hand, the thought of our friend Abdul having to join in the dance actions of YMCA alongside 2,000 passengers would probably make him want to run for home as soon as he could.

Anyway, it seems that when we get to our closest point to the Somali and Yemeni coast, we will have a naval escort for a short while and there is also a rumour that we will have some air cover too. However, I'm sure that most of the women on the ship would not mind at all if Jonny Depp or Errol Flynn were to swashbuckle their way aboard. Captain Pugwash might be a different matter though.