Joe,
The last time I remember the Brits fought and recapture the yacht, the captain of the yacht was killed. Once the pirates board the yacht, our goal is the save the crew not see how many pirates we can kill. Believe me, if we can get separation between the hostages and the pirates, the pirates would be in the after world. There is a big difference between arming a freighter and attacking the pirates from a freighter than from a small yacht. The weapons these pirates have can easily sink a small yacht. Can someone tell me how many Russian pleasure yachts are sailing or were saved in that region. As a sailor I am angry and I feel your anger too but this problem cannot be solved by arming our yachts. We have to be more careful when sailing in that region. Sail in groups, convoys etc.