Red Sea Peril

By Shirley Billing

Cruising World, December 2002:

“In 1996, Peter and Shirley Billing had nearly completed a circumnavigation in their 35-foot ketch, CLYPEUS, when their circle was interrupted off Yemen by a launch carrying six armed soldiers. Accused of spying, they were detained by the Eritrean government. A forced one-way flight to the capital, Asmara, with false names, lends intrigue to this already exciting tale.”

Excerpted from Good Old Boat, September/October 2002:

“On March 19, 1996, on the 13th anniversary of their departure from St. Katherine’s dock, London, to sail around the world, Bill and Shirley were abducted from their yacht at gunpoint and taken ashore for questioning. Transported to Assab then flown under fake identities to Asmara, the Billings were subjected to 18 days of custody. Unable to leave their hotel, they relied on their yachting friends, family, and eventually the English press for their release. Although never formally accused, they understood they were considered to be spies and were being treated as such.

“But Red Sea Peril is more than an account of the Billings’ capture and confinement. The tale of their ordeal is bracketed by other, happier reminiscences; from Thailand to Sri Lanka, Maldives to Oman. Wild elephants, monkeys, ancient ruins, and natives in flowing robes walk the pages of this fascinating look into the cultures of the East.

“The Red Sea, the legendary ‘Gate of Tears,’ stretches their courage and resourcefulness to unexpected limits. Red Sea Peril is a stirring account, passionate and truthful, of an experience few travelers would wish to find themselves involved in. It is certainly not the usual cruising story, and the cabin discussions it has provoked on our boat are very different from most. We enjoyed the book and don’t hesitate to recommend it to friends.”

Excerpted from Sailing & Yachting (SA), July 2002:

“On March 19, 1996, on the 13th anniversary of their departure from England to sail around the world, the Billings, Peter and Shirley, were in the Red Sea, headed for home via the Suez on their 35 ft. ketch, CLYPEUS. As darkness fell, they pulled into a sheltered anchorage on the Eritrean mainland, dropped the hook and caught their breath. ‘It was wondrously quiet,' the author writes, 'eagles soared overhead and shearwaters swooped. Peace at last.’

“An hour later that peace was shattered. A grey launch arrived, and militia men demanded to see their papers. Eventually they were taken at gunpoint from their vessel, and transferred from place to place inland, without being given any sort of explanation.

“Fortunately, through earlier radio skeds with fellow-sailors, the disappearance was noted, and eventually the world press realized their plight. However, it was a month before they were able to continue their trip; a time in which they were never really mistreated, but a time of great uncertainty about their fate, and great frustration because they could not get clarification on anything apart from the accusations of being spies.

“The author tells the tale well, embracing not only the captivity, but astute observations of people along the way, and many other interesting aspects of their trip. Two sentences about their time in Eritrea perhaps sum up the character and attitude of the author. She writes: ‘If we had not spent a further year in Malaysia, we would have missed one of the most worrying, exciting periods of our sailing lives. As it was, the Eritrean government, apart from locking us up in different places (they sometimes stayed in hotels), flew us the length of their country and showed us their capital – all for free.’”