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Sailing in the Seychelles
Q: I’m thinking of doing a two-week sailing vacation in the Seychelles. Is August a good time to go (i.e. no hurricanes)? How are the sailing facilities? Do you know of any charter organizations?
Leigh Armstrong
London, UK
100561.1673

A: If you can stomach the thought of spending two weeks cruising coral atolls and lush, coconut-palm and banyon-covered islands–a.k.a. tropical paradise–under blindingly blue skies, then the Seychelles in August might just be the vacation for you. This 100-plus-island archipelago about 1,000 miles off the coast of East Africa lies just
outside the cyclone zone, so you won’t have hurricanes to worry about. Leave the umbrella at home, too, since August is the driest month, with less than three inches of rain on average.

There aren’t any major international charter companies operating in the Seychelles, so your best bet is to contact the Seychelles Marine Charter Association (248-322126; fax 224679) for names and numbers of yacht owners willing to charter their boats. Gloucester, U.K.-based Encounter Cruise Holidays (0666 53991) rents out a catamaran for overnight charters out of the
Seychelles Yacht Club on Mahe. Another idea is to call the Seychelles Tourist Board in London at 071-224-1670. The person I spoke to in their New York office wasn’t overly generous with charter-related information, but you might have better luck on your side of the pond.