Europa
The only recognized moorings are located on the sandy plateau that borders the reef off the north coast. This anchorage is very exposed to north winds.
Bassas da India
Anchor in a depth of 21m in the sand with broken coral, approx. 300m NE of the eastern end of the reef.
Juan de Nova
The only possible anchorage here is in the lagoon off the north coast. This lagoon is exposed to the north wind sector. There is a meteorological station here and visitors are not welcome.
Glorieuse
In 2012, France founded parc natural Marin des Glorieuses, a marine protected area, to preserve the endangered flora and fauna of the islands. There are anchorages offshore and at Île du Lys.
The following anchorage information from SY Mala who visited the Glorieuse Islands in October 2015:
There are no dangers on the approaches to the Glorieuse Islands, which consist of two main islands, Île du Lys (N) and Grande Glorieuse (S). There is a reef connecting their eastern sides. If approaching from the NE (i.e. with the wind on passage from Seychelles to Mayotte) round the N tip of Île du Lys and approach the anchorage from the NNW.
The anchorage is on a large sandbank with depths from 4-8m and just a few low lying coral heads (less than 2m from the bottom). It is possible to anchor at night, following these WP:
11 29.732S / 47 22.814E
11 30.298S / 47 21.907E
11 30.758S / 47 22.084E
11 31.287S / 47 22.086E
The anchorage is at WP 11 31.334S / 47 22.151E in the sand in 4-6m (depending on the tide) with excellent holding and at least 40m from the nearest coral head (which is only 1m high). Of course, this is only one possibility. If arriving during the day, finding a suitable spot is very simple. The anchorage is sheltered from northerly winds but from swell, all the way through from N thru E to S. Navionics as well as CM93 are very accurate and precise.
Tromelin
Anchor to the NW of Tromelin Island in depths of 13m. It is not possible to land here.
Last updated: November 2015
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Posted on behalf of Anton Kosi, of SY Mala – 10 November 2015:
We just left Juan de Nova, another French island in the Mozambique channel. We arrived, anchored, went swimming and were contacted by the French military over the VHF (there is a meteorological and military post on the island).
They instructed us to leave as soon as we had solved the reason for stopping there. Whilst we did not have any “good reason” on a beautifully sunny and perfectly calm day, we did not argue and left Juan de Nova before dark. So, generally, no “tourists” are welcome on the island.
Posted on behalf of Anton Kosi of S/Y Mala:
We stopped at the Glorieuse islands for two nights while in transit from Seychelles to Mayotte. French scientists on a large sailing boat who were there at the same time told us on the third day of our stay that a permit is needed to visit the islands, but short stays of a few days are tolerated without a permit if in transit to Mayotte.
No French police approached us. They are located on Glorieuse island while the main anchorage is close to Ile du Lys. And, indeed this is a wonderful place under and over the water. My suggestion to everybody sailing close to the islands is to stop there at least for a day or two.
We (Pakia tea) just thought we’d give it a chance and went to Glorioso without a permit. We anchored SW of Ile du Lys, stunning Lagoon, amazing Birdlife. Scientists from Reunion who visited the Island at the same time asked us to stay on the beach and not to venture inland to not disturb the animals, as it is a strict nature reserve.
On the second day of our stay, a RIB with young French Soldiers and a Police Officer came alongside and asked for our permit. Since we didn’t have one he said we should leave immediately.
We asked the Police Officer to come on board and explained that we originally hadn’t planned to visit this place, but that we were Biologists and very curious about the state of the local reefs – especially in the light of the current major bleaching event. He was friendly and understanding, we were allowed to stay one more night but had to leave early the next day.
For anyone who would like to visit this fantastic place in the future, permits can be obtained at Reunion, from TAAF.
Please respect the nature reserve – strictly no fishing and taking of wildlife!
From stormy Richards Bay 🙂
Tom