Sailing from Turkey to Seychelles

[Ric Burns]

I am at the moment in Fetheyi Turkey and am planning an imminent departure through the Suez to Seychelles, there was another boat going that way who contacted me please recontact me as I have lost your details. anyone else going that way, any contact or advise would be great.

[atoll]

you are leaving it a bit late for getting down to the seychells,the sw monsoon off the African coast can start as early as the first week of april,giving you head winds and 2 knots of current against you,and strong south easterlies south of the equator.

at this time during the march- april transition if you are lucky there might be a little NE wind left,but more likely flat calms so be prepared to motor the 1800 miles south of Socotra.

I have done the trip 5 times but always left the med in November,and returned with the monsoon in april from madagasgar/Mombasa.

[Ric Burns]

Thanks for that unfortunately a crew member was unable to sail which has put our plans back a bit and hopefully we will find a replacement and can get going..
What route did you take and when was the last trip you made?
Thanks

[atoll]

Originally Posted by Ric Burns

Thanks for that unfortunately a crew member was unable to sail which has put our plans back a bit and hopefully we will find a replacement and can get going..
What route did you take and when was the last trip you made?
Thanks

last time was 2006 going north,then 2001 south bound in nov-dec then north in april-may 2002'
then north bound in 97.
also 2 trips east west from Thailand./Australia

mostly I went inside of Socotra and to mombassa,dar es salaam,then across to seychells-madagasgar-comores or the reverse.

a better bet might be,so late in the season,to head for sri lanka then chagos, in april-may with the SW monsooon then head to the seychells from chagos after crossing the equator where you will find nice SE wind after april-may

[Ric Burns]

Thanks for that,
We really would like to get the boat,sailing,to Seychelles and appreciate your input.

[atoll]

Originally Posted by Ric Burns

Thanks for that,
We really would like to get the boat,sailing,to Seychelles and appreciate your input.

as far as i can see you really will not have the option of heading south from Socotra,assming you leave in the next week,it will take a month to get to the bottom of the red sea by which time wind and current will have swung against you.

don't underestimate the somali current as it is very strong,up to 2 1/2 knots or 60 miles a day against you by may.

I do recommend the other route,and have heard good things about tricomalee in sri lanka as a stop for yachts,and chagos 800m south is well worth a visit.

this would allow more time in the red sea which is spectacular, the whole of the Sudanese coast has safe marsa anchorages,with the locals very accommodating even if you have no visa's,eritrea also.

by early may you will have good SW winds and current ensuring a fast trip to sri lanka ,chagos you can get a permit to stay a month by this time the SE trades south of the equator will be blowing nicely ensuring a fast trip to the Seychelles.

attached Is a photo of the Somali current once the SW monsoon has started

[Bulawayo]

If I can help, please let me know. We have completed 8 passages south to north and a further 8 passages in the opposite direction with the last being in 2105. Regards.

Originally Posted by Ric Burns

I am at the moment in Fetheyi Turkey and am planning an imminent departure through the Suez to Seychelles, there was another boat going that way who contacted me please recontact me as I have lost your details. anyone else going that way, any contact or advise would be great.

[BobFord]

Having used the Socotra option ages ago , I am interested in having views on the piracy risk. Do you consider that the risk can be managed ?

[Bulawayo]

There are numerous opinions on this matter - the current information is that there have been no reported piracy issues for two years now, and at least one cruisers rally sailed (S to N) a few months ago. The usual caveats still apply - stand off both Aden and Somalia, keep radio silence, lower your radar reflector, swith off AIS if you have it and keep a good watch. In the Gulf of Aden you can usually see both the Somali and Yemeni coasts for much of the time and the shipping can be busy. We opt to keep closer slightly to towards Yemen. If you choose to stay north you'll find Oman a good coast to cruise along and a very good place to provision with decent prices. It is also a good place to ship items into (no import issues) and good for international flights. If electing to use the SW monsoon beware the risk of cyclones which can be frequent, esp from late May to late July. We ran before Cyclone Gonu a few years ago - a really scary experience. Do not attempt to sail south following the Somali coast during the SW monsoon period. We have regularly clocked 7 - 9 knots of current there - it is officially one of the strongest sets in the world, great if going northwards.
If you are going with this time of the year then take the north Indian Ocean route as previously advised and use the weather - August is a good time to run along the Yemeni coast, refuel/revictual in Salalah and then head eastwards towards the subcontinent and follow the dying SW monsoon in a loop around. As also advised, the marsa's of Sudan provide superb resting locations (they are ike mini Norwegian Fjords) but these can be very, very deep. Also beware the Red Sea pilot book as several marsa's are inaccurately represented and are actually totally blocked by coral despit the Pilot book alleging deep water. In Massawa, Eritrea there is a small boat private boat dock that we have used. The owner is very helpful and he can also provide a secure dock for a couple of boats if required. Once you get south of Egypt provisioning is very challenging everywhere but decent water and fuel are not an issue. There are also plenty of good protected anchorages on the west inside passages. Saudi can also be entered in an emergency and we have found them to be very helpful and courteous as long as any women are covered ankle to neck to wrist and preferably with a head scarf. An emergency in Saudi means either medical or mechanical - not simply to rest. They do bring a mechanic along to check, but an impeller with several vanes missing does not take long to re-install. We keep one to hand.

Originally Posted by BobFord

Having used the Socotra option ages ago , I am interested in having views on the piracy risk. Do you consider that the risk can be managed ?

[daletournier]

I know that a number yachts stopped at Socotra last year without incident, although it is south of the international transit corridor.

Sent from my GT-N7105T using Cruisers Sailing Forum mobile app

[BobFord]

Interesting report , Bulawayo! I lived in Bulawayo , with parents when I was a nipper ! Anyhow, it still seems to be a risky voyage ( re piracy ).
Feeling lucky !!

[Bulawayo]

Hoezit Bob.....Yeah, born there but grew up in Salisbury (Harare now).
The piracy issue is likely still a possibility as much as is it possible just about anywhere. There have not been any issues for two years now and last year the passage appeared as busy as it was when we first made the route. A lot of people seem to just dash up/down the Red Sea as quickly as they can, whilst missing the opportunities that exist there. The diving off Sudan is superb and there are numerous protected anchorages. The history along the way is outstanding and is it pretty easy to take advantage and stop to visit these. Personally, we use the Red Sea route and rest regularly along the way. We used to stop along the Yemini coast as well as but presently would not due to the civil war. The area is pretty well patrolled by various warships now and hence the no reported piracy for te last couple of years. Oman's navy, supplemented by the Brits, keep Omans coastal waters safe as well.

Originally Posted by BobFord

Interesting report , Bulawayo! I lived in Bulawayo , with parents when I was a nipper ! Anyhow, it still seems to be a risky voyage ( re piracy ).
Feeling lucky !!