Seychelles
From CruisersWiki
The Seychelles
| Seychelles | |
| File:Seychellesmap.jpg Seychelles | |
| File:Seychellesflag.jpg Flag | |
| Capital: | City? |
|---|---|
| Language: | ?? |
| Currency: | ?? |
| More notes about the country | |
Background
The Seychelles islands are in the Indian Ocean 1000 miles due east of Kenya and the African coast. They stretch between four and five degrees south and 55 to 56 degrees east. The country consists of an archipelago of over 100 islands, five or six islands being easily accessible. The entire archipelago is extremely spread out but the main granite islands are roughly 30 miles apart, making for easy cruising.
Cruising boats sail there year round, but the majority will come through on the trade wind route. Boats from the east will generally have come from Australia, Cocos Keeling, Indonesia or Chagos. Others will be coming down from the Red Sea and the Mediterranean. Most long-term cruisers will be in the middle of a circumnavigation heading west.
For many, the Seychelles is a turning point, either sailing north or south. The Seychelles have had a bit of a chequered past as far as yachties are concerned. Until several years ago the government was trying to discourage yachts from visiting. Their strategy was to charge 100 dollars per day just for being in the Seychelles and they controlled movement from anchorage to anchorage very tightly. Their plan worked and cruisers stopped going there. Lately the government has gone through several changes. Originally a French colony, the country was traded back and forth between Britain and France several times. In 1903 the Seychelles became an official British crown Colony. The country gained its independence in 1976 but in 1977 there was a coup d' etat and Albert Rene was installed as president. In the late 80's the economy was hurting. A large chunk of income was European tourism and the recession in Europe was affecting the Seychelles. Eventually, bowing to European pressure, the government changed to a multiparty system in 1992. Rene actually stayed in power after the elections, and European tension eased. For cruisers this meant an overall easing of regulations.
Some restrictions still do apply, but things have changed for the better. Boats are only allowed to anchor in specific anchorages on certain islands, but most of the places cruisers would want to go are on their list. They have a bizarre rule listed on all of the paperwork that states that you can anchor within three miles offshore. Not that any cruising yacht carries enough chain to anchor three miles off shore but it is allowed.
(Sue Brodsky - article in SA Yachting July 1997)
Climate & Weather
Tropical and NOT in the "cyclone belt". The Indian Ocean tradewinds blow from the southeast 15 to 20 knots consistently May through October.
Charts
Submit details of the charts required for safe navigation of the area.
Any navigation notes here.
Local Radio Nets
Submit details of Cruiser's Nets and VHF operating/calling channels here.
Arrival/Departure procedures
Checking into the country is required in Mahe, so the first port of call is Victoria harbour, the capital and main centre of the island. Arrival formalities are easy. In the inner harbour there are moorings but all belong to yacht club members. Quite a few local boats do charter work and can be gone for a few days at a time, so some cruisers use the moorings.
Immigration & Customs
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Visas
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Health & Security
Submit any health warnings/information and any security details here.
Ports & Popular Stops
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Islands
List the main Islands in the group of interest to cruisers.
Cruiser's Friends
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References & Publications
Books, etc.
Links to CruiserLog Forum discussions
Links to discussions on the CruiserLog Forum
External Links
(Spam will be deleted)
Submit useful website links for the region
