What makes you think that they are "hippies"? The captain and first mate were an instructor and graduate of the Massachusetts Maritime Academy respectively. The first mate had extensive training on how to fight pirates.

I'm not going to pretend I know more than Nuts on this subject since he's a lot closer to this story than I or anyone else in AK but it seems to me that putting the fear of God into these pirates with a some "aggressive responses" might make them think twice before boarding a ship flying Old Glory.