Inter-island skippers get a raw deal from operators

Skippers on inter-island yachts cruising the inner islands and Amirantes claim they are being paid peanuts. It is alleged that while the operators, mostly foreign are earning a lot of foreign currency for the cruises, they only get a few hundred rupees in return.

Some skippers have told the Weekly that they are aware that while for an inner island ( Praslin, La Digue , Curieuse) sail, tourists are being charged 150 euros daily for a skipper, they in turn only receive R500. That is only about a quarter of the charge, even taking into account the official exchange rate. It is of course worth a lot more on the parallel market.

For cruises to the Amirantes, such as Desroches, Alphonse and African Banks, visitors pay 200 euros for the skipper, who only earn a measly R700 a day from the mean operators, who enjoy all kinds of concessions from government and inject little into the economy.

Some visitors rent the catamarans or mono-hulls bare-boat and skipper it themselves, but a fair share of the operators have to cater for the clients’ safety, hire local skippers , who know the reefs, shoals and currents like the back of their hands or the inside of their pockets.

There are presently about a hundred such yachts doing inter-island hopping, an attraction which neighbouring competitors cannot offer. And it appears that foreign operators have struck a gold-mine.

The five main ones operating in Seychelles are: Dream yachts, based at Praslin; Angel Fish and VPM, both at Roche Caiman; Moorings/ Sunsail at the Wharf Marina and the newly established Marine Cat at Eden Island. They all offer a combination of catamarans, mono-hulls or just big yachts. Charges for visitors often depend on the size of the vessels.

Besides paying skipper when needed, food and fuel costs come separately.

Seychellois mariners have claimed that some vessels are allowed to operate in Seychelles with foreign crew. One is a large landing craft owned by La Digue hotel tycoon Gregoire Payet, skippered and manned entirely by Asians. This is unfair to the local mariners and especially if they, the foreign sailors, are not paying for the permission to work in the country. Others include the mono-hull ferries plying between Bel Ombre and Silhouette for the benefit of “Labriz hotel”, manned mostly by foreigners. Some of them have had to sit for their certificate of competency exams with the Seychelles Port Authority.