“Mr Lemacon, an engineer, and Mrs Lemaçon, a sales engineer, had given up their jobs to restore the 33-year-old Tanit before setting sail last year, saying that they wanted to flee “the consumer society and its routine”.
But as they sailed into the Indian Ocean, the dangers of the wilder, more lawless world they were entering into were spelled out to them in no uncertain terms. Last month, when they crossed paths with a French frigate participating in a European Union anti-piracy operation, they were “strongly advised” against continuing their intended voyage to Zanzibar. The couple carried on however. In a blog of their journey, they said that they had merely been told to keep away from commercial shipping routes - although they also indicated a laissez-faire attitude to the risk of being hijacked.
“The danger is there and has indeed become greater over the past months, but the ocean is vast,” they wrote. “The pirates must not be allowed to destroy our dream.” In the end, that was exactly what happened.”
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They were warned in no uncertain terms about the area but went traipsing along their merry way anyway. Just like those hippy-dippy types who sailed into Khmer Rouge waters in the seventies and died in Tuol Sleng.
I honestly believe the French Government rescued these clowns more for the pirate’s sake than theirs.
That figures. Military men needlessly put at risk because of the cavalier attitude of some “free spirits” with more money than sense.
I’ll have to look for the blog in the future and see if she blames the pirates or the French military for her husband’s death.