Hostage Dies As Rescuers Attempt To Free Family From Pirates
A young French yachtsman was shot dead yesterday when French commandos stormed his vessel off Somalia, releasing his wife and three-year-old son and another couple who had been held captive by Somali pirates.
President Sarkozy offered condolences as the violent death of Florent Lemaçon, 28, a computer programmer from Brittany, stirred emotion in France: the family’s travels had been followed by many in the country on their internet blog.
Mr Sarkozy ordered the assault, the seventh in a year by French forces against Somali pirates, a week after the Tanit, the Lemaçon’s elderly 36ft (11m) craft, was seized about 400 miles off the Somali coast.
The couple, both in their late 20s, set out last July from Vannes, their home port in Brittany, on a dream voyage to Zanzibar. They were known in western France because the local media followed their struggle to renovate their old boat and decision to sail on a voyage “to escape consumer society”.
In their blog the couple recounted their mishaps and adventures as they picked their way through the Mediterranean, despite repeated mechanical failures.
Mr Lemaçon’s father denied that the pair had ignored the Navy’s warnings. He also pointed out that the couple, who gave up jobs in information technology to make their voyage, had no money to pay any ransom.
Local officials in Brittany said that they were shocked by Mr Lemaçon’s death. François Goulard, the Mayor of Vannes and its MP, said: “There was an idealist side to their project. That’s why we find it hard to imagine this tragic end.” All the people of Vannes “expressed their solidarity with his partner and their child and their family”, he said.
The Government said that the Lemaçons were repeatedly warned of the risks they faced. “It is difficult to understand why these warnings were not heeded,” a Foreign Ministry spokesman said.
The Tanit was seized about 400 miles off Ras Hafun in northeast Somalia as she was sailing slowly towards Puntland, the lair of the pirates on the northeastern coast of Somalia.
In their blog, the couple described what they said was a friendly conversation last month with the captain of the Floréal, a French frigate taking part in in the EU antipiracy operation in the Gulf of Aden.
They claimed that they had merely been told to keep away from shipping routes.
Hundreds of ransom-hunting pirates armed with machineguns and rocket-propelled grenades have hijacked dozens of ships over the past year, mostly merchant vessels.
In January French forces captured a dozen pirates in two operations to save merchant vessels from capture. Last September French special forces stormed the Carre d’As, a yacht carrying a retired French couple captured by pirates two weeks earlier. They freed the pair and killed one pirate, capturing all the others.
In April last year French forces attacked pirates who had just released the luxury cruise yacht Le Ponant and her crew of 30. They retrieved half of the ransom and six pirates were brought to France for trial.
From the Tanit blog
“For us, leaving is just a way of living differently. We do not want to become rich and famous. We do not want to enclose ourselves in the daily routine of Western life. We want to stop all-out consumption. That is why this journey suits us. Sharing with people met on the way, profiting simply from life. For light and the essentials of navigation, the wind and the sun should give us enough energy. . .” Florent and Chloé Lemaçon, writing jointly
“We are happy to resume the voyage. There remain the pirates, which like poachers or other cheats intervene in regions where wealth circulates. As long as we are on these routes, we will take the risk of running into them.” On leaving the Suez canal
“We bumped into Jean-Yves and Bernadette Delanne. They had just been liberated by commandos after being hostages for two weeks. Their tale was impressive and reassuring. They did not feel in danger because these Somalis did not want their lives. They wanted money. Pirates must not destroy our dream.” Chloé Lemaçon, on entering the Red Sea after 8 March
“We will make headway by day and night with all lights out, after reporting our departure to French authorities in Djibouti. . . Since we cannot take part in a convoy with an escort, two friends from Vannes (their hometown) will come with us. That will be more reassuring because our boat is heavy and cannot run away from pirates.” Florent Lemaçon
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sad for little Colin
reality overpassed his parents’illusions
“We want to stop all-out consumption. ”
The food they ate, the toilet paper they used, the fuel for their boat, and their child’s clothes are all products of a consumer society. It’s a tragedy that Lemacon was killed, but it’s hard to fathom his ideology.
It’s the way all greenies and liberals think. It’s a mental derangement syndrome.Fuck’em. They are the Elois.They are the problem and they are the ones that make life miserable for themselves and others. (not for me)
The French were the ones negotiating and surrendering with terrorist and the US was the one letting the Delta Force and Seals do their thing. Wow, how times have changes.
Now, the FBI is going to file criminal charges? What a F-ing joke!
yeah, you read that in your mother goose’s tales
another coonass
How the worm has turned. The French are kicking ass and taking names while we tremble like scared mice.
That’s what happens when you have Obama as President. For people like him surrender is the only option.
Dont worry, its just a distraction from HopenChange.
-A coonass in Afghanistan-
You guys picked up the same shit I did. Idealism is fine as long as it checks with the tenets of “Common sense” like…Burn the flag and I’ll kick your ass, because…I am an idealism on that matter. But where the matters of the world fit in–”I am escaping the consumer society to be consumed by illegal consumers(pirates) emboldened by the consumers of ambiguous verbiage–like solidarity.”
Maybe his child will grow up angry but with his feet grounded in reality on the basis of his loss.
Or maybe the kid ends up growing into a french commando
…gasp!
solomonpal
no, he’ll be a seaman too
check the videos on his parent’s blog
“jeux d’eau sur le pont”, it is evident, and on some others !
my bad
http://tanit.over-blog.fr/categorie-10524391.html
I don’t think they are real idealists, but rather people who wanted to make their world tour.
Florent was repearing his boat since 2 years before the departure in august 2008
See how little Colin is educated by his mother, I can’t see the hippie style in their life, but those of adventurors
There was already a book from a Brit Family that made such a trip a few decade ago, they had that chance, there were no AQ and such an extended piracy.
Besides this tolerated piracy state is a disguised War, that our nations should hold for it is, and not to endorse the altermondialists views, that this is the result of poverty, these fishermen make their local merchand of 4×4 richer each time they land : 50 range rovers are bought on weekends !
my bad, it was a swiss family :
http://www.paperbackswap.com/book/details/9780812818208-The+Walkabouts+A+Family+at+Sea
[...] Pat Dollard, Times Online, “Hostage dies as rescuers attempt to free family from pirates” by Charles Bremner A young French yachtsman was shot dead yesterday when French commandos stormed his vessel off Somalia, releasing his wife and three-year-old son and another couple who had been held captive by Somali pirates. [...]
Moral of the story… Don’t go floating your boat in pirate waters without a canon.
I don`t even go fishing in the Gulf without being armed this is insanity. As far the worlds navies I don`t understand why they just don`t sink those MF`s. If a yacht will pay me well I`ll do their fighting for them . I`d even protect the French for the right price. Idiots and P.C. fags.