Jan - The Captain's little quip is cute (and a bit arrogant, considering the enormous damage the pirates have done to shipping in that area). There certainly are small zodiac-type craft that can travel as fast as a cruise ship. Indeed, with the right engines/motors, such craft can easily maintain speeds in excess of 30 knots, far greater than any speed a cruise ship could manage. Fortunately for Regatta and its passengers, these particular pirates were not in such fast boats. My point in my earlier post was: Why in the world is Oceania sending a ship into those waters other than in an armed convoy? Seabourn had the good sense to take advantage of such a convoy. Cheers, Fred