Ex-marines say military training helped them fight off gun-wielding pirates with paddle
Two former Royal Marines have revealed how they relied on their military training and physical fitness to fight off an attack by gun-wielding pirates in the Amazon using just their paddle.
John Bathgate and Ian Roberts, who are preparing to return to South America to finish their world-record 5,128km canoe voyage, said they were able to react to the situation for easily thanks to their commando training.
"Whatever work you do in the military, it does help you to react in that situation. So once I had struck him with the paddle and went for a flanking manoeuvre, Johnny came straight up behind and charged and took two bullets for it," Ian told Forces News.
Expedition leader John added: "Being a bootneck [slang for a Royal Marine] gives you confidence.
"We're fit and we have that inbuilt in us to stay fit. If we hadn't been fit, we might not have been able to deal with it as well."
The former marines told Forces News how the pirates had come up directly behind them on a very flat and wide part of the river.
"They had a sort of malicious intent. You could see it in their faces. It just went from there. We tried to speak to them, but as we tried to pull away, that’s when they drew their pistol," Ian said.
When their attackers pounced on them, Ian thrust a paddle into the chest of one of their assailants.
As John then advanced on the attacker, he heard two gunshots. The first one missed both former Royal Marines, but the second shot went through John’s shoulder.
"I just remember feeling the jolt through my body, and the next thing I knew I was underwater," he said.
Ian then filled the enemy boat with water. He climbed onto the boat and grabbed the gunman's arm to regain balance, but the boat capsized. However, as the boat was capsizing, John came up to the surface.
Moments later, John plunged the attacker into the murky water, where he tried to disarm him, but he ended up being shot in the leg.
"Nothing was going through our minds, that’s the funny thing," said John. "It was so automatic. It was a blank space."
John managed to disarm the pirate and fired two shots himself, one round hitting the pirate in the hip. After the attack, they managed to swim back to their canoe.
The two friends are now planning to return to Peru next summer so they can finish their fundraising expedition, Summit to Sea 23, from the summit of the Volcån Chimborazo glacier to the Atlantic Ocean.
The pair are taking on the challenge to raise money for environmental charity Rainforest Concern, the Royal Marines Charity and veterans' charity RV1UK.
You can donate to the duo's fundraising page here.
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