Pirates attack yachtsman off Mozambique

News of an attack off Pemba Bay in Mozambique here:

A member of Kingsley Holgate's African Rainbow Expedition, Bruce Leslie of Shongweni, near Hillcrest, is in a stable condition in a Johannesburg hospital after being stabbed by pirates during an attempted robbery at Pemba Bay, northern Mozambique, this week.

The expedition by land and sea, launched last month, aims to educate people along the East Coast of Africa about malaria, and to distribute mosquito nets, particularly to mothers with babies who are most at risk.

Leslie was attacked on the inflatable boat accompanying the expedition's Arab dhow, Spirit of Adventure, to the beach base the crew had set up in Pemba Bay on Wednesday. Leslie is the skipper of the dhow. He was stabbed in the neck, hand and foot during the struggle. ...

...Leslie was trying to stop pirates from stealing the outboard motor on the inflatable when he was attacked and ended up in the water. Nothing was taken. He swam to the safety of the Spirit of Adventure dhow, where he was dragged on board by the Swahili crew...

Holgate said what happened to Leslie was an unfortunate, isolated incident.

"Violent crime is not common here, but Yamaha outboard engines are like gold and we need to watch our security," he said.