With Captain Richard Phillips leaving Mombasa Friday for reunions with family and friends, the Maersk Alabama pirate drama came to a happy ending (except for pirates’ unhappy end).

What a crazy ten days it was.

Cameraman Mal, Producer Claire and Assignment Manager Anastasia had the funny idea of just turning me around at the airport and jetting us all down to Africa at that moment.

Cold weather Korean gear in hot humid Kenya might not have worked sartorially.

So it was a night of lives from the London bureau then off the next day.

The piracy story is, of course, a big draw. And mix in U.S. victims and heroism, and you’ve got a tale that’s bound to knock anything else off the edge so I was happy to be on it.

For the past year, I’d been treking down to Africa reporting on the growing problem of piracy off the coast of Somalia. I’d spent Christmas cruising with the French Navy in the Gulf of Aden. I’d spent time with the Dutch Navy in their anti-piracy mission. I’d nosed around the ports of Mombasa and Djibouti. And talked to sailors and folks a little too close to the bad guys.

But this was a different spin. Now, the Americans were targeted. For the first time in a longtime.

By the time we’d made it Friday to the Severin Seaside Resort on the Indian Ocean coast in Mombasa (OK there are upsides to covering this story), the tale had changed. The crew had seized back control of the Maersk Alabama and were headed our way. And the Captain was in the clutches of the pirates bobbing around in a lifeboat, with the growing might of the US Navy around him.

It doesn’t get much better than this.

Luckily, I’d managed to squirrel away some sleep on the flight down and at the Nairobi Hilton because it was another of many long nights of live shots (remember we were seven hours ahead of New York time so a 7am to 7 pm schedule gets shifted to 2pm to 2am).

Somehow it seemed to get hotter, more humid and breezy as the night wore on. After that first night, I realized I wasn’t going to win any GQ awards for grooming.

Saturday, it was down to the Mombasa Port to await the arrival of the Maersk Alabama. Along with all of the US media who had also made it over for this one. Mal found a spot for our stream box lives (no clunky and costly satellite dishes for us), Claire managed to secure us some soggy but filling boxed lunches from the hotel, our driver Jack turned out to be a big buddy, and then we waited for our ship to come in.

Which it did rather neatly in the early evening hours. Mal was very pleased that his super duper new camera sent out better shots of the ship then the rest of the world was getting via AP.

After a bit, I dragged Mal over to the ship and “shout-chatted” with a few of the crew members. They all praised their captain and at that point and were still worried about his welfare. But at the same time, were sure he’d pull through.

Only one crew member came out and screamed at us calling us “media leaches.” Hey, I’ve been called worse. And they’d had a long week.

Sunday and another busy day. We got a close- up look at the Maersk Alabama. I’ve seen literally giants of ships at sea in my coverage of piracy, but in port this one looked pretty big too. The stern sits fairly low to the water and you might imagine how the pirates could shimmy up ropes. Still with guns blasting and a hostile crew on deck, still quite a feat for four brigands.

Then, you could just imagine the fight and counter fight which occurred on board which resulted in Captain Phillips being launched in a lifeboat with the armed pirates and the crew back in charge of the ship.

Helping with our imagining, FBI agents who walked up and down the decks with the crew members recreating the act of piracy. The ship was dubbed a crime scene and the those involved could face a trial in the states. I called it on air “CSI Mombasa.”

Meanwhile, I had been getting word that Phillips’ lifeboat was drifting closer and closer to the Somalia coast. If it got there, the pirates could get him on shore and stash him away in a pirate lair. It would be a whole new ball game.

And so I reported all day that we were at a turning point in the story, perhaps a moment when the US Navy might have to make their move.

At 7:30 pm local we got the word they did…that US Navy Seal sharp shooter rescue which saved Phillip’s life and saved the day for the US…which was beginning to look like a helpless giant.

We had one more late live shot at the hotel. Which is where we got the news about the rescue. And for the next ten hours we reported about the ten minutes of celebration with the crew at the port. And then some!

By this time, too, cameraman Mal’s foray into the hotel’s buffet was beginning to take hold. He’s seen it all from Al Qaeda insurgents to Taliban terrorists, but the Mombasa potato salad did him in. So in between live shots on the roof, he’d lie down among the African ants to try to ease the pain.

Nevermind…Monday came, the Bainbridge was steaming our way with Captain Phillips, and it was a new day of lives, lives and more lives down at the port. The folks back in NY thought with Easter and all it was best to re-tell the story and add anything new. Mal found a perfect spot for me to stand where you’d get to see the whole port. Except I was standing in the middle of a rancid pile of garbage.  It’s a living.

Back to the hotel Monday night, and it’s my turn to trip up. A hot dog at the gas station convenience store where we usually stopped for essentials turned into a “highway to bathroom hell” for me too. That’s what Immodium is for.

Tuesday and a new wrinkle to the story. The Destroyer Bainbridge steamed to Mombasa with Phillips on board and a made-for-TV reunion port side between Phillips, his crew, and the captain and crew of the Bainbridge was on its way.

Then another bunch of wily pirates act up again and make a run on another American ship, the Liberty Sun. Luckily that crew did a good job of keeping the new set of pirates at bay as well, but the Bainbridge got diverted and messed up all of our plans.

The Maersk Alabama crew would end up leaving without seeing the Captain here in Mombasa. Oh, well, someone else’s fun.

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A brief word here about the Kenyan people. They’re really wonderful. From our driver Jack to the longshoremen at the port, to the folks that waved to us from the highway, they’re friendly and helpful and hardworking. And definitely deserving of a bit more than they have in life right now.

And a surefire way to get a smile out of any Kenyan is to mention one word….Obama. They are very proud of their local son.

So now Wednesday, we were on Captain Phillips watch. We decided to do that near his Maersk Alabama ship. There were a few considerations in picking that location. One of them was a sea tale Mal claimed he knew of. Something about the ship being the Captain’s “mistress” and when he’s separated from “her” he’s got to return to give her a” kiss” or something.

Needless to say our Brainroom worked all day trying to nail that down… to no avail.

Well, there was no sign that night of the Bainbridge or a smooching Captain, so luckily before we stayed too long and collapsed from port exhaustion, Anastasia sent us back to our hotel for the night.

Bright and early Thursday,the Bainbridge (and the Liberty Sun) arrived in port. Hoo-rah.

It was rather cool seeing the Bainbridge up-close. I know how big destroyers are, but it still is smaller than I had imagined.

You could see where those three US Navy Seal sharp-shooters stood at the stern of the ship as they targeted the three pirates holding Captain Phillips in the lifeboat.

When you estimated the 30 yard distance between the ship and the lifeboat it really didn’t seem that far. Except for a few things : This happened at dusk and at high seas. The pirates were partially obstructed. And there was a hostage that couldn’t die. Nice work.

Now we spent the day guessing whether Phillips was inside the ship. The Pentagon said he was off and at a nearby hotel. We had checked there and there was no sign of him.

Other journalists at the scene thought he was on the ship. It seems they were right. Early in the morning Mombasa time Friday, there was video of the Captain getting into a car and speeding off to the charter jet to take him home,getting in clearly portside. Next stop, Vermont.

And after a day of somewhat decompression. Back home to London for us at all. This pirate drama is over. But as I well know…..

Check out the exclusive photos:

We were among just a handful of press outside the Underhill, Vermont home of Captain Richard Phillips at 6:30 this morning.  ABC, NBC, CBS and CNN weren’t here, just one other satellite truck and camera crew providing a pool (shared) feed to the 3 broadcast nets, plus a reporter and photographer from the NY Post .

The home sits on a rural two lane road surrounded by fields of grass, thick stands of trees and mountains in every direction,  including Vermont’s tallest peak, Mount Mansfield.  The town of Underhill has a population of just over 3000.

I spoke twice at length with Gina Coggio, a sister-in-law of the Captain, who told me the family was staying optimistic and positive and had reason to believe the situation would turn out well.

The family knew Richard had a dangerous job but he’s “amazing at it”, they weren’t surprised he’d offer himself as hostage because “he’s that kind of man” and it shouldn’t be necessary to arm ships, “especially when they’re carrying relief to people who desperately need it.”

“It’s a scary situation, a sad situation and a real situation” she said, and everyone is “doing the best they can to insure everyone’s safe and it ends peacefully.”

We thanked her for her time and promised not to bother her, instead waiting for the family to approach us when they had an update.

The media crowd grew slowly throughout the morning, then started to mushroom. Three large satellite trucks rolled in along with a total of nearly two dozen cars, lining the roads and field across the street.

A dozen cameras set up on tripods on the other side of the Phillips’ weathered white picket fence.

The family asked the press to respect their privacy and stay off the yard and across the street but many weren’t listening, running to the property whenever there was a sign of activity, like when friends used a yellow ribbon to tie flowers to a tree.

Finally, at 4 pm, family friend and neighbor Michael Willard approached a podium set up for Andrea Phillips and addressed the assembled mass of cameras, microphones and news people.

“I have a very brief statement from Mrs. Phillips. She has decided she does not want to make a statement now… until this is resolved, and would like you to respect her privacy. She has stated she would like you off of her premises and away from her house by tomorrow morning.”

Since the Phillips family owns the property across the street too, this meant we wouldn’t be able to speak to ANY family or friends coming or going to and from the house.

“Could you be more specific?” I asked. “You mean the entire area?  She doesn’t want any media anywhere near her house?”

“That’s correct” he said. “She’s… She’s done very well under the circumstances and, uh, I think this is getting a little bit out of hand for her so…”

“She understands the world is concerned?” I asked.

“She’s fully aware of that but you know, she’s under enormous strain and she’d just like her privacy respected… Right now she’s just overwhelmed and she just can’t deal with this right now. She’s upset enough about her husband and his situation and just needs her privacy.”

He thanked us and left and we will of course do exactly as the family has asked.

As if President Obama didn’t have enough in his foreign In-Box. Add one more hot spot… Somalia.

You remember Somalia:  The Black Hawk Down incident, which left 18 American soldiers dead in 1993.   That was the last time the US got seriously involved in the place.  Now there’s a call for this new Democratic President to get involved.

We’ve been following the place closely for the past year.  In May we were down in Kenya listening to horror stories from Somalia refugees.  And from international aid groups.

An outfit called the al Shabab is trying to take over the place.   They’re an Islamist terror group with ties to al Qaeda believed to harbor  militant suspects wanted by the US.

In October we were in Djibouti with the new Africom US military command.  Their job in part is to try to rein in groups like Al Shabab.  Or at the very least get African countries to do the dirty work.  They’re concerned.

And in December we cruised the north Somalia coast with the French navy, and looked up close at the Heart of Darkness that is this troubled land.

Right now things could get a lot worse.  The Al Shabab are on the move.  They just took over a key central Somalian town. They want to turn the place into an African Taliban Afghanistan.

But as we found out after some more digging, there could be some openings for the new President:

The hated Ethiopian troops who have been hated as occupiers for the past few years just left.

African Union peacekeepers, less hated, who also said they might leave, are staying.

The long-time President of Somalia seen as a roadblock to peace quit and should be replaced with a more moderate guy.

Some of the more moderate Islam groupings are being brought into the government.

There is bloody in-fighting between the Al Shabab group and other Islamists.

And even that international naval force off Somalia is nabbing some Pirates.  Their earnings are thought to help fuel trouble in Somalia

So you see, there is a chance Mr. President.  Now if we could only spare some time from a half dozen other hot spots and that global financial crisis!

Check out Greg’s report:

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My guys did it!   Just a few days after cameraman John Templeton and I left the good sailors of the French Navy frigate Premier Maitre L’Her in Djibouti, Africa, they snagged a bunch of pirates trying to make a move a ship off Somalia.

Watch the video!

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Here’s what the commander messaged me :

Hello Greg,

Maybe you have heard about it : On the 1st we caught two pirate skiffs with 8 pirates, weapons, ladders.   We had to fire an intimidation shot, but it was OK.

Unfortunately you and John were not with us…

Maybe another time?

Regards,

Lt Cdr Alexis Beatrix

I’m not surprised.   In the week we were out with them they were checking out everything that moved on the Gulf of Aden, investigating suspicious fishing boats, bigger ships, criss-crossing back and forth between Somalia and Yemen in the Gulf.

Then there was new word that another French ship thwarted some more attacks this past Sunday.   And that the latest European effort coupled with moves by the US and other nations was putting a dent into the pirate problem.

Some more pics from the road!

Keep up the good work folks!