There is far more choice for
day charters and day cruises
in Mauritius than for proper overnight boat and yacht
charters;
renting of bare boats is simply not possible.
The typical
day-charter catamarans take between
10 and 30 persons aboard, depending on size. The
trips
usually start at around 9.00 am and are over at around
4.00 pm. Lunches and drinks are included in the rates;
towels like snorkelling equipment is usually supplied. In many
cases, these trips are not exactly the tranquil days at sea as
the cocktails prepared using the local rum seem to be quite potent
under the sun if we judge by the amount of people dancing on the
decks on the way back… Operators of
day-cruise boats based
in the Grand Bay (North) typically propose trips to the northern
islets. Those in Black River (West coast) propose dolphin-watch
and soft
cruises in the lagoon between Black River and
le Morne, while the ones along the east start either from Pointe
D'Esny (South-East) or from Trou D'Eau Douce (East,) with a lunch
stop at Ile aux Cerfs; (East).
For a peaceful day at sea, we recommend the
day-chartering
of yachts on an exclusive basis. The
rentals
include the services of crew (one to two members) and
the organisation of food and drinks to be served on board.
Exclusive day-chartering is of course an expensive
solution but allows the real enjoyment of the peacefulness
of the sea and especially of the moorings. Offering the
flexibility in terms of itineraries and time, they make
possible the avoiding of the crowds by mooring when and
where there are fewer or no other boats. The mooring at
"Ilot Gabriel" for instance is really worth the visit
when all the other boats have left.
As regards to
on-board accommodations and real
cruising
holidays, there are 2 operators proposing overnight or longer
stays aboard. The main one is
Magic
Sails with 3 Lagoon 380 and one Nautitech 475 catamarans.
Based in the North, the overnight stays would be near the islets
of Flat Island, Ile aux Gabriel or Gunners' Quoin.
Sheercat
Ltd offers exclusive overnight trips mainly off the lagoons,
on board its luxury motor catamaran.
(Motor) Boating: There are very few
speedboats
for day rentals but owing to the configuration of the
lagoons and the regulations regarding the use of pleasure
crafts
speedboats in Mauritius are always rented
with the skipper. Possible in Grand Bay (North) and Trou
d'Eau Douce / Ile aux Cerfs (East) where there are several
operators taking people to Ile aux Cerfs, the mouth of
the "Grande Riviere Sud-est" (GRSE) and to other nice
spots in the huge east-coast lagoon.
(Dinghy) Sailing: Dinghies are available in most,
if not all beach resorts and often for free. Unfortunately,
the quality of equipment is often appalling and not suitable
to sailing fanatics. No independent boathouses propose
dinghies on the island.
Updated in June 2008
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