Pirate victim sailors preparing to sail again
by Lee Mylchreest on 2 Sep 2011
Lynn Rival caught in traffic SW
You could be forgiven for thinking they would never sail again. After the horrific experiences that British cruising sailors Paul and Rachel Chandler suffered at the hands of Somali pirates, it would have come as no surprise to the sailing world if they had shunned the idea of ever getting on board a boat again, especially the one which must have so many grisley reminders of their year in captivity in Somalia.
After their return to Britain after a ransom was paid for their release, the Chandlers chose not to return to their former home of Tunbridge Wells, instead moving closer to family and friends in Dartmouth.
Here they have begun restoring the yacht Lynn Rival that was transported back to Britain by the UK Navy after their kidnap, and has been waiting for them ever since. The 38ft yacht was stored at a boatyard near Lymington in Hampshire for the return of its owners, who were more than 4,000 miles away in Somalia.
While their book, http://www.sail-world.com/CruisingAus/Book-of-the-Week---Hostage:-A-Year-at-Gunpoint-with-Somali-Gangsters/87824!'Hostage:_A_Year_at_Gunpoint_with_Somali_Gangsters', is receiving world attention after it was released this month, the renovation of Lynn Rival is proceeding well.
The topsides were newly painted before it was transported to Darthaven, and floated, for the first time in 18 months. Lynn Rival was then towed up river to be lifted out at Noss, where she will undergo further restoration.
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