Cruising the Seychelles

Man in red sailing gear steers a small sailboat—Guide to Poole’s vibrant lakeside sailing scene.

By Christian Brewer British Sailing Team Member and Former Olympian

View of a calm turquoise sea with sailboats, perfect for chartering Seychelles, distant islands, and green foliage.

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My favourite place to charter a boat

You can charter yachts in some truly spectacular places around the world, from the Caribbean and the Mediterranean to the Indian Ocean, the Pacific and beyond. Some destinations are highly seasonal, such as the Caribbean, where hurricane season and peak winter demand both need to be considered. Others, while still beautiful, can feel increasingly busy and touristy at certain times of year.

The Seychelles

For me, the best charter destinations combine reliable sailing conditions, memorable scenery, good anchorages, wildlife, warm water and that feeling of properly getting away from it all. The Seychelles delivers all of this in abundance. Here is one of my favourite places to charter: the Seychelles.

Situated just four degrees south of the Equator and around 1,000 miles east of mainland Africa, the Seychelles is my favourite exotic sailing destination. The dramatic granite rock formations, white sand beaches and lush green scenery have left a lasting impression on me.

Aerial view of a marina with yachts, red-roofed buildings, and lush greenery by the coast under a partly cloudy sky.

Thanks to its position outside the main cyclone belt, the Seychelles is generally considered a year round sailing destination. There is also only a four hour time difference to the UK, so there is very little jet lag to contend with once you arrive. The winds are mostly benign, typically south easterly from May to October and north westerly from November to April. The strongest winds are usually between July and September, when they can reach 20 to 25 knots. This is worth bearing in mind, as much of your time will be spent at anchor.

Flights usually involve a stopover in the Middle East, with a flight time of around 13 hours. This makes it a little longer than flying to the Caribbean, although no internal flights are required, as you fly directly to the main island of Mahé.

My choice would be to charter a yacht from either The Moorings or Dream Yacht Charter, which started its business from these islands around 25 years ago.

The main charter sailing area is centred around six key islands, including Praslin, which lies around 20 miles north east of Mahé. Praslin is the largest of the islands typically visited after leaving Mahé. Provisioning can be sparse once you are away from the main island, so you need to stock up on the essentials before setting sail. We had great fun exploring the fresh food and fish market in the capital, Victoria, before setting sail.

Here is a run through of the islands we visited…

A person stands on sandy ground by tropical plants; others relax under a shaded shelter—perfect for chartering the Seychelles.

Cousin Island

Cousin Island is an old plantation site which has been transformed into a nature reserve with a coral reef. The island is available to visit at set times during the week. A great deal of nature conservation work is carried out here, and you may see hawksbill turtles creeping up the beaches to lay their eggs, as well as a variety of indigenous birdlife.

Curieuse Island

Curieuse Island is a rocky national park and a former leper colony. We anchored in Baie de Raie and dinghied ashore. Thankfully, there is very little on the island to worry about, although we were still careful where we put our feet, keeping clear of the huge mud crabs and giant spiders as we made our way up the track to the Doctor’s House. The island is also home to the most adorable giant tortoises, many of them over a century old. If you are lucky, you may even see them being fed.

View of a tropical coastline perfect for chartering in the Seychelles, with turquoise water and sailing boats anchored near a reef.

A sandy path winds through dense tropical forest with tall trees and lush green foliage on both sides.

Praslin Island

Praslin Island, the largest in this group, is home to Vallée de Mai, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is famous for the Coco de Mer palm and its suggestively shaped seed pods, which grow high up in the forest. Here you may glimpse black parrots, geckos, Seychelles skinks and many indigenous plants and insects.

La Digue

La Digue has a tiny harbour, where we managed to squeeze our 47ft catamaran between the fishing boats, anchoring forwards and tying off to the land astern. It was tight, but fortunately catamarans have twin engines, which helps enormously with manoeuvrability.

From La Digue we hired bicycles and visited L’Union Estate, where there are massive rocks, more giant tortoises and old plantation houses. The island is also home to one of the world’s most famous and photographed beaches, Anse Source d’Argent, with its black granite rocks, white sand and swaying palm trees. For me, it is heaven on earth.

A large tortoise with a domed shell rests on grass—an iconic sight when chartering Seychelles.

Small rocky island with palm trees, perfect for chartering Seychelles yachts in clear blue water under a cloudy sky.

Île aux Cocos

Just off La Digue, to the north west, is my favourite snorkelling spot: Île aux Cocos. This is a national park area with designated mooring buoys only, so you need to pick your moment to visit. The water is warm and clear, with beautiful coral and the most brightly coloured fish you will ever see.

For anyone looking for a charter destination that feels different, adventurous and genuinely special, the Seychelles is hard to beat. It offers relaxed sailing, extraordinary wildlife, beautiful anchorages and scenery that stays with you long after you have returned home.

I’m off to look through my holiday snaps and reminisce about days spent sailing in the Seychellois sun, while I debate the merits of turning the heating on during this cold, wet June day in the UK!

Christian Brewer is a member of Whitstable Yacht Club and a former Olympic Squad and British Sailing Team member in the Tornado class.

He has won fifteen National and one European Championship in catamarans and in One Design keel boats.

A former sailmaker and charter yacht sales manager, Christian has sailed extensively in Europe, the Caribbean, Pacific, Atlantic and Indian Oceans.

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