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Boat and yacht charters in Mauritius |
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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;
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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). |
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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.
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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.
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(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 July
2007
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