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Paul and Rachel Chandler's yacht was returned to them after their kidnap ordeal at the hands of Somali pirates.
(Courtesy Chandler family)
Almost three years after Paul and Rachel Chandler were snatched at gunpoint and taken hostage by Somali pirates, they are returning to the high seas - in the same yacht from which they were taken.
The British pair were taken prisoner for 388 days while sailing in the Indian Ocean in October 2009 with the pirates demanding a $7-million ransom, a sum the Chandlers knew was far beyond what their family and friends could raise.
Hidden in Somalia, they faced the risk of disease and feared getting caught in the cross-fire between multiple gangs or being sold to al-Qaida.
Their torment now just a memory, the Chandlers are due to set off later this week on a six-month cruise to Brazil aboard the Lynn Rival.
"It's our life," Paul told NBC News. "Our yacht ... enabled us to get our sanity back. We won't be beaten by these guys."
In their months as prisoners, the couple sometimes wondered if they should have jumped into the midnight ocean at that moment. However, they know that it would only have meant certain death. Instead they spent six days in confined space with Somali pirates while they and their boat were brought to a container ship. From there they realized bigger plans were afoot.
"We knew we were going to be taken on shore, and when we landed on Somalia, then it really hit home and that was a real low point," Paul said.
There's much more to this story, to read about it at NBC News, CLICK HERE.
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