Pirates Aboard Quest By Michael

http://www.svquest.com/

News broke today that pirates captured the cruising boat Quest yesterday while she was underway a few hundred miles offshore of Oman. News reports indicate that four U.S. citizens are aboard.

I checked out Quest's blog and found the following on their home page:

I thought we should have a contest and see if you can figure out where this guy on the left came from!! The winner gets to join Scott & myself for our trip across the Indian Ocean, up the Red Sea to the Med. Hurry up before this offer expires!

"The guy on the left" they refer to is a picture of a guy who appears to be a Pacific Islander. I'm not trying to win their contest, but wondering if the winners are the two other Americans with them now...

There is not yet a lot of news available about this incident. Reports do not indicate that s/v Quest (hailing from Drummond Island, MI) was travelling in a convoy of crusiers, a practice that seems to be common in the area over the past few years.

The Quest crew took delivery of their Laurie Davidson-designed sloop in New Zealand in 2001 and sailed her to California. Since that time they have cruised extensively, apparently with the goal of circumnavigating (and she was in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico in 2003). Their site is rich with information about their travels. We extend our best wishes for a quick, safe resolution to this incident to the Quest owners and their crew.

--MR