Pirates

They seem to be taking pirates a lot more seriously than they did when we were in this area in 2009. We received a letter in our cabins saying what they are doing and what we should do in the event that we encounter any. The fire hoses have been on deck for over a week. They now have contraptions to mount them over the side of the rail. They have all the fire boxes closed. In '09 when we were in this area, security told me to put my tiny Arabian knife away in my cabin. I said that was funny since they had hatchets out on deck in the open fire boxes. The next day the hatchets were gone. This time the boxes are closed. 

They now string razor wire on the outside of the ship just below the railing on deck 3 where I walk. There are 24 hour guards armed with binoculars on each side of the ship. There are also sound devices which will break an eardrum when pointed in your direction. Yesterday morning the crew had a pirates emergency drill. Our steward knocked on our door and told us to go into the hallway. They want everyone away from windows and sitting down in case the Capt has to do emergency manuvers. Our ship can go up to 25 knots which apparently is faster than the pirates can go. I was still in my pj's when the drill was carried out so stayed in the cabin. Mel was in the hallway. 

We went out on the deck last night. It was pretty spooky as all the lights were off. The guards had on night goggles. I hope they never see anything. Our schedule has been changed. We were supposed to take 36 hours to get from Dubai to Oman, traveling at 9 knots. Instead we are staying over in Dubai an extra night to leave for Oman first thing in the morning. We will get there in 24 hours traveling at a higher speed. Wonder if anything will change as we pass Yemen and Egypt. It is certainly not a great time to be traveling the world. We will be able to see Iran as we go thru the straights to and from Dubai. We have to pass by Somalia also, although not that closely. From what I have heard there are French warships protecting ships going thru the Suez Canal. Someone also said there are American ships there too. I hope we have an uneventful passage until we finally reach the Mediterranian.