The trip (to Mayotte) from around the north tip of Madagascar, took us about four days with lots of motoring, light winds and a strong counter current.

Port of Entry: Dzaoudzi

It was safe to enter the channel at Dzaoudzi at night – it was well marked to the anchorage area, but you need to get permission from the Port Captain on VHF Channel 16 to enter Mtsamboro pass.

We had friends come in a few days later who weren’t able to radio for permission due to equipment failure and they were approached three or four times by the authorities in boats inquiring as to where they were headed and whether they had permission.

We were able to anchor in the Dzaoudzi Anchorage and managed to avoid the unmarked wreck jutting out of the water in this area.

This wreck is located at 12deg46.435’S, 45deg16.050’E. Part of it is always above the surface as shown in the picture below, but it is unmarked and unlit.

Checking in and out

We checked in at the airport and the process was fast and easy.  We saw the gendarmerie who accepted the clearance form from the ACHM yacht club. The officer stamped and returned it and my passport and told us to email it to the local Harbormaster (the address is on the form).  No customs visit was required even though there is a space on the form for customs information.

The check out procedure is that we filled out the Outward Declaration form and had to go to the airport to get immigration to stamp the form and passports. No customs visit was required. This form has to be emailed to the Harbormaster who then issues you a Maritime Clearance form via email. I believe the turnaround is within a day. I have attached a copy of our Clearance form as a guide.  There is no cost for clearing in/out of Mayotte.

There were no questions asked or an issues about our cat on board. There is a veterinarian past the bakery and he does health certificates if needed.

Facilities, provisioning and fuel

The ACHM yacht club has the one available mooring buoy and we understood that as new arrivals we could stay on it for 15 days free.

After the 15 days if we wanted to use the club facilities it was a 20 Euro/month per boat fee which allowed use of their showers, kitchen, workbench and tools etc. The showers were clean and although the water was not heated the water pressure was good.

Laundry machines are 2 Euros per load, no dryer. There are some evenings when there is a scheduled water shutoff. Some days there is lunch available for 9 Euros a plate which was always very tasty. Club members are generally very helpful and welcoming.

Transportation is generally 2 Euros in a shared taxi. The ferry to go to Grande-terre runs every 30 minutes and you pay only one way (buy the refillable card at the ferry station on Grande-terre). Cost is 0.75 Euro/trip/person. There are quite a few supermarkets, Sodifram, Carrefour, also Baobob. There is an ATM located near the dinghy dock/ferry on Dzaoudzi.

There is a covered fresh market about a 15 minute walk from the dinghy dock and across the street from the market there are fishermen selling freshly caught fish. There is also a bakery on the way to the market where fresh baguettes can be purchased for 1.10 euro. There are at least two mobile carriers for SIM cards downtown L’Abbatoir. Orange and SFR. Coverage was the same but Orange was about 50% cheaper.

Fuel at Ballou

Gasoline is easily obtained near the dinghy dock and you can use a card for payment. Diesel is a bit more complicated if you want to bring your boat to be filled at Ballou. You have to apply (by filling in several forms) for a fuel card, which you have to add funds to by a bank transfer prior to use. Before going to the fuel dock at Ballou, you need to make an appointment to ensure you have customs clearance prior to docking.

Docking at Ballou can be tricky depending on weather as it is not very well protected from wind or waves. After our first experience with refueling on our boat, we decided to just bring our jerry cans in the dinghy the second time around. You can also go to the Total Energies station by vehicle but if taking a taxi, it costs 15 Euros each way as they cannot pick up any other passengers while you have your fuel cans. Diesel is called Gasoil in Mayotte.

Inquiries for a fuel card can be sent to Nancy at [email protected]. Nancy speaks very good English and she is responsive and helpful. She will send you the forms and assist to process the refund on the card to you at the end of your stay. Evidently there is no tax-free diesel for yachts in transit.

DHL packages arrived quickly from the US but was very costly for shipping. Customs duty must be paid as well, even though it is a yacht-in-transit, unless you have a commercial boat or business. Nash at DHL was very helpful and also spoke very good English.

For some boat items on Petite-Terre, you can check Mariteam which is close to Sodifram/Shopi, opposite the Gendarmerie National on RN4. Raymaine is the owner; he is very helpful and speaks decent English as well as his son who also works in the store at times.

For boat repairs/work we recommend checking with SV Nautic on Grande-terre. We were able to get some stainless steel fabrication/welding/installation done on our boat with them. You have to go to the marina over on Grande-terre for the work due to electricity availability. It can be uncomfortable as the ferry runs every 30 minutes right next to the dock and causes a bit of swell.

There are mooring balls available around Mayotte on a first come first serve basis. They were in good condition. Apparently the white balls are for boats over 10 tons and the yellow for lighter ones. Overall it felt very safe and we never had any security issues although we were told that at night on Grand-terre it can be dangerous and to take a taxi if needing to move about there.

Summer Q
SV Endless Summer

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About the Authors

We are a couple that started sailing back in 2019 from Panama on our Prout 50 Quasar. We plan to circumnavigate and are currently in Madagascar after crossing the Indian Ocean from Indonesia.  Our loose plan is to cross the Atlantic in early 2024 for the Caribbean.

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The opinions expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not reflect the view of Noonsite.com or World Cruising Club.