Paul and Rachel Chandler released after 388 days

by Cruising Association on 15 Nov 2010 The Cruising Association is delighted that members Paul and Rachel Chandler have been released from captivity after 388 days.

They are now at the British High Commissioner's residence in Nairobi and will be returning to the UK shortly. They were kidnapped from their 38ft yacht, Lynn Rival, in October last year in international waters some 600 miles from the coast of Somalia. Their yacht was returned to the UK by the Royal Navy in November, 2009.

Throughout Paul and Rachel's ordeal the Association has kept in close touch with representatives of their families. Soon after Paul and Rachel's capture we were advised that publicity would only encourage hostage-takers to believe their ransom demands would be met and that it would delay Paul and Rachel's release. We have followed the families' request not to give any publicity to the situation and have engaged extensively with the media in order to discourage press coverage. We have maintained silence until now in order to support the various attempts to secure their release.

During the year, many members have enquired about their welfare and what the Association has been doing. All those enquiries have been replied to individually and confidentially. Yesterday, I was informed that Paul and Rachel would be released at 8.00am Somali time this morning and confirmation of their release was received from Paul's sister and Rachel's brother shortly after 6.30am. They requested no publicity until Paul and Rachel were safely out of Somalia.

Paul and Rachel have conducted themselves with extraordinary dignity and bravery in the very harsh conditions of their capture. Many letters of support from CA members have been forwarded to their families. In many instances those letters have been acknowledged personally by family members. The Association's Patron, Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, has been kept informed throughout and has been very helpful in persuading certain elements of the media to toe the line. He says 'I am very pleased to hear that Paul and Rachel are safe. It has been a truly dreadful time for them and we look forward to welcoming them back home. I, in common with all of the CA?s members, have been waiting for this news and I cannot say how pleased I am to hear that they are at last safe and will shortly be on their way home. The growing threat of piracy is something all governments must work towards combating.'

The CA has worked closely with the UK Ministry of Defence, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, and The Maritime Security Centre (Horn of Africa) part of the EU Naval Force, during Paul and Rachel's ordeal. We will continue to do everything we can to make the seas safe for everyone who wants to sail on them and to reduce the risk of piracy to innocent yachtsmen. However, there is a crying need for international intervention to deal with the background issues in Somalia, and the problem of piracy in that area is not likely to be resolved until a stable government and a sound economy can be introduced.

Stuart Bradley
(President)
Cruising Association