A CONVOY of 40 4x4s and four motorbikes escort a young bride to her nuptials at a sandy beach in the Somali village of Hobyo and are used to light up the twilight celebration.
Her pirate commander groom has no eye patch – but the sword and knife hanging from his belt do create a swashbuckling effect. "I am proud to be the leader's wife," Sahra Ali said.
Piracy is a big draw for many in the tiny fishing village, awash
with ransom cash but lacking running water or power.
The pirates' impressive returns and flashy lives mean even children and young women want to jump on the bandwagon, either by joining one of the sea gangs or marrying a well-heeled member of one.
Ali is the envy of local girls, but she is all too aware that one wrong move by her husband means she could be a widow.
"After a week, he will go to the high seas and I am not confident he will return safely," she said.
So far this year, Somali brigands have hijacked nearly 30 vessels, meaning 2009 could be even worse than last year, when pirates from the Horn of Africa nation seized 42 ships.
Walking along a sun-drenched beach in Hobyo, two men shake hands to seal a new joint venture deal in piracy. They hope to combine resources and launch their own piracy outfit once they receive their cut of the ransom for the Greek-owned MV Ariana their gang is holding.
"This is a done deal. No more consultation," said 28-year-old Roble in a loud and excited manner. "When I become an investor and I am successful on two or three more attacks, then I will retire, but not now."
The village of Hobyo is awash with role models for aspiring buccaneers. Roble said a former colleague had retired early and invested his piracy dividends in the business of supplying khat, a mild, leafy narcotic well-loved by many Somali men.
The trade is lucrative but Roble has written it off as a business idea. Friends tell him his face was broadcast on television while he was on the Ukrainian ship MV Faina, one of the most high-profile hijackings. "I would like to do the same and join him, but some of my former colleagues scared me. I am very afraid to travel," he said.
The TV images also make it impossible for him to leave for Europe as a refugee. Another pirate forked out £10,000 to be taken to Sweden, he said.
While Roble wants to leave the dangerous trade after a few more attacks, there are others who will happily take his place.
Abdihafid, 13, dropped out of school, ran away from home and has taken up chewing khat and smoking cigarettes like the brigands he sees in Hobyo.
"I want to be a commander of a pirate group," he said. "I know I am far too young, but I will wait until the right time."
Meanwhile, local girls are finding it hard to resist the monied pirates.
Halima, who, at 24, is considered a bit too old to be single, said: "I don't want to marry a pirate, but time is flying and pushing me to have a pirate boyfriend because he is rich."
