THE SEYCHELLES

THE SEYCHELLES

JUNE 18 - ??

We arrived at the Quarantine Anchorage (04-37.097’ S; 055-28.491’ E) in  the Outer Harbor at 0936 hrs on June 18, 2016.  This is where all incoming yachts are required to anchor and await the officials for clearing and “Free Practique”.  Even though it was a Saturday and a national holiday, everyone turned up within two hours and we were cleared at 1154 hrs local time (UTC +4).  There were at least eight officials that came aboard but the process was friendly and straight forward. They gave us a Receipt for Harbor Master Dues in the amount of 300 SR (Seychelles Rupees) which, at the time of this writing, is about $US23;  13 SR = $US 1.00.  The currency is relatively stable and doesn’t fluctuate very much in the international market.

We had made arrangements for a berth at North Eden Island Marina which is one of the newest and most expensive marinas in the Seychelles.  We had no other choice because our manual windlass is not working properly and I have had to retrieve most of the chain by hand.  One has to be prepared for sticker shock when visiting the Seychelles.  It is the most expensive country we have visited thus far.  The Marina Fees, plus the whopping 15% VAT the government assesses for everything, came out to be $US49.60 per day.  That’s more expensive than Stateside!  On top of this, the Seychelles government taxes yachts at the following rates:  < 20 Gross Tons:  $US6.54 for each day for the first 5 days; $US5.46 each day over 5 to 10 days; $US4.38 each day over 10 days.  They have found a goldmine in transient yachts!

After 12 days of exorbitant prices, we were able to negotiate exactly one half that price at Angel Fish Bayside Marina which is just across the channel at less than 1000 ft.  We will stay here until the new windlass arrives from the States and then move down to Providence which is about 2 miles South of here where a shipyard called Gondwana is  located.  It will take about four days to install it and I have a few more things to be worked on.  After that we will start to visit some of the beautiful islands.  In any case, we are trapped here until the beginning of September when the SE Trades start to relax and the danger of gales diminishes significantly.  It will be an 800nm sail from here to Mayotte which is part of the Comoros but still under the French flag.  After that, it’s 200nm to Nosy Bee, Madagascar.

Other than the public busses ($0.40 cents), nothing is cheap in the Seychelles.  The economy is based on well-to-do tourism and fishing.  I believe that they have one of the largest tuna fish factories in the world at Port Victoria which is the capital of the island.  We are on the Mahe Island, which is the main island of the Seychelles.  It is mountainous with peaks rising to 3000 ft.  They are buffeted by the SE Monsoon and the NW Monsoon.  Right now the SE Monsoon is in full force so the temperatures are pleasant at 74-80 degrees Fahrenheit.  There are frequent brief rain showers as the SE’ly winds cool once they hit the steep mountains.  The showers are usually light and very brief.

The Seychelles consist of 115 islands spread out over 600nm apart.  The northern islands are granitic in nature, mountainous and show huge granite boulders and rocks with fringing coral reefs.  The southern islands are coralline, sandy and flat with palm trees.  Very few of the islands have inhabitants.  The total population of the Seychelles is about 90,000 people of which the majority live on the island of Mahe.  The Gross National Income is around $US 12,500 per year which puts the country in the wealthy class for African nations; Madagascar has a GNI of $US1000 per year, making it the poorest.  Still the majority of the Seychellois must struggle to make ends meet when everything is imported and very expensive.  Most of the creole food consists of fish, fruit and vegetables which are abundant on the northern islands.  It’s a multi-ethnic society where cross breeding between Africans, Caucasians, Arabs, Chinese, Indians, and others has taken place over the centuries.  The predominant physical aspect is a lighter chocolate brown and decidedly African/Creole. The country wasn’t settled until 1770 by the French who brought many African slaves with them.  Shortly thereafter, the British took possession of the islands and under the Treaty of Paris in 1814 assumed legal rights.  Slavery was abolished in 1835 by the English and this brought a new influx of immigrants from Africa.  Nevertheless, the language and customs remained French and continue to this day.  There are three official languages in the Seychelles:  Creole, English, and French.  This is the center for the Creole Language which is taught in school but most people can converse in English and French.  The Seychellois are friendly but can be a little reserved.  Races and religions are, on the whole, harmonious but I have a feeling that because the local Caucasians have fared better than others, and the fact that most of the tourism is white, there is some resentment amongst the Creole population.  The country is 90% Roman Catholic.  Crime and violence are on a very low scale.

Unique to the Seychelles are two phenomena:  Coco de Mer and Land Tortoises.  The erotic Coco de Mer is a double-lobed coconut which takes the exact form of a female pelvis and genitalia;  the island of Aldabra has over 150,00 giant land tortoises.  When first discovered, floating in the sea and cast up on beaches, the Coco de Mer was thought to have come from a tree that grew at the bottom of the ocean.  Its exact location was not known until French settlers discovered the Coco de Mer Palm Trees on Praslin Island which is about 20nm NE of Mahe.  Even then, the main concentration of these nuts were hidden in a valley of dense jungle growth and not discovered until modern times.  Today the Vallee de Mai is a  UNESCO World  Heritage site.  The Coco de Mer is protected under CITES from export without a permit.  The Seychelles government does export some of the fruit to Hong Kong where it is thought to be an aphrodisiac.  The Chinese seem to think that anything unusual might be an aphrodisiac:  they would do far better, and protect endangered species, using Viagra.

Victoria, the smallest capital in the world, has just about everything the cruiser or tourist might need.  It’s not a particularly beautiful city and the architecture doesn’t excite.  The Seychelles Yacht Club is a friendly welcoming place and serves good food and alcohol at better prices than anywhere else:  $US8.00 for a meal and $5.38 for a beer.  Eventually, we will take “Solstice” down there and anchor:  reputedly, the holding is not great.  I don’t want to do this until we have a reliable windlass.  Sometimes moorings are available without charge.

Once we start sailing around some of the more interesting places, I’ll update the blog with more info.