[hackercomplex]

To be honest I didn't mean to troll I just know very little about modern sailing, but I'm truly in awe of individuals who have what it takes to attempt that kind of an extreme adventure.

Never the less, and perhaps it's my American bias coming through here, but I am astonished to discover that some adventure sailors travel great distances without even a single AK-47 on board. In my imagination a revolver wouldn't suffice as a deterrent since it can't be recognized as clearly at a distance, and since many pirates are ex-military they may not be particularly afraid of a pistol.

I personally wouldn't consider navigating the Mississippi delta in a boat at dusk without a shotgun, because there's more than just pirates to worry about, you've got paranoid drug runners looking for their drop zone, hell what about alligators.. it's illegal to harm one, but if a big one's somehow gotten on deck you better believe I'm reaching for my protection.

[EliRivers]

Carrying firearms on board would significantly limit the places a world-hopping yacht could stop at; at best inconvenient, at worst deadly when you choose not to put in somewhere because you don't want to have to drop your AK-47 over the side. A lot of countries really do not want sailors turning up with AK-47s.

[XorNot]

Did you know bear spray is better then a handgun for bear protection? The rate of injuries, from bears, is a lot lower with bear spray, because it turns out no reasonable caliber will actually stop a bear before it gets you whereas the spray only needs to be well, sprayed in the general direction.

The point being, you might want to re-analyze "high seas gun battle" for its actual downsides.

[hackercomplex]

> The point being, you might want to re-analyze "high seas gun battle" for its actual downsides.

I agree that there could be tremendous downsides, but at the same time I wouldn't want to reach for any type of safety gear and not have it.

What if it's not even "real pirates" but rather a haphazard raid by what are obviously hostile teenage boys from a nearby village operating a raft with a single outboard motor armed with only machetes ? These kids couldn't afford a gun and this could happen anywhere where there's poverty not just in areas known for piracy

Another scenario, what about the stranded boat that looks like it's stuck on a sand bar relatively close to port and is begging for a tow. There could be a pretty girl on board. It could be an opportunist type situation where they really did just need a tow, but when they sense you're unarmed they might try to commandeer your craft since maybe they have warrants, or a shaky visa situation inland or whatever.

[hollerith]

The professionals, namely the crew of cargo ships, avoid having guns on board, even when their route takes then to pirate-infested waters. (They also avoid having girls on board.)

[declan]

I think that was the case until a few years ago. Nowadays, Reuters reports, cargo ships have "massively" increased the number of guns on board along with people who know how to use them:

"Like many merchant vessels, the QM2 now carries armed private contractors when passing through areas of pirate risk... M-16-type assault rifles and sometimes belt-fed machine guns...

For many in the shipping industry, the fall in attacks is a vindication of the decision to massively ramp up the use of armed guards. So far, not a single ship with armed guards has been taken by pirates..." http://www.reuters.com/article/us-somalia-piracy-idUSBRE91B1...