Paul and Rachel Chandler, the British couple who were captured by Somali pirates in 2009 and held hostage for 388 days, plan to be back cruising again. Released in 2010 after the ransom had been paid, the retired couple are happily back aboard their newly renovated 38-foot sailboat, Lynn Rival. Their current cruising plans include Morocco, the Canaries and South America, all keeping them well clear of the Somali coast.
In a BBC radio interview Rachel said, “Some friends think we’re mad and our family are apprehensive, but sailing is our life. From day one our close family and friends were very keen that we should get back to normal, they were very worried that we would be permanently scarred by what had happened to us, and I think it was reassuring to them that, having found out that we had our boat back, that the Navy had brought our boat back for us, for them to know that we did actually want to restore it, and get back to cruising to get our lives back again, was reassuring to them.”
“More than anything we just want to be able to get on with living. We don’t want to be defined as former hostages for the rest of our lives.”
