A joy shared
is a joy doubled
-Goethe
We look forward to like-minded fellow sailors!
The Extra Mile offers adventure sailing trips in the Seychelles and other sailing areas. Climb aboard our 40′ catamaran with a small group of like-minded fellow adventurers and explore the islands’ secluded coves, pristine beaches and snorkeling spots, all while learning to sail. Previous sailing experience is not required.
You can optionally obtain a certified sailing qualification with us through the internationally recognized NauticEd system.
Our fellow sailors are crew members and not passengers. If you are between 18 and 25 in age and/or at heart, enthusiastic about sailing and leading an adventurous (and not always comfortable!) life on the boat, keen to experience and explore nature, if you have a good team spirit and are ready to go the extra mile for yourself and others, then you are the person we are looking for!
Life skills and values to gain on the boat
While exploring the deep blue ocean and its magnificent islands, spending time ashore to explore the richness of unique endemic species and enjoying swimming and snorkeling the reefs, our adventure trips focus on learning to sail and appreciating the simplicity of life. Our aim is to practice essential life skills, such as taking control and responsibilities, building confidence and dealing with situations that might not go as smoothly as expected. This includes managing preparations, provisioning, cooking, maintenance work, sails, ropes and night watches, if necessary, as well as an understanding of navigation and weather predictions, etc.
In other words, in addition to learning to sail, our program offers a unique experience of developing life skills, personal growth, a special awareness of our environment and insight into marine life and freediving.
Learning to SAIL
Sailing is a complex activity where, under the guidance of a sailing instructor, you can learn, amongst others, the following sailing skills:
- Maneuver training on a catamaran
- Getting to know the special features of a catamaran
- Maneuvers under sail (tacking, jibing, heaving to, reefing)
- Maneuvering under power
- Anchor maneuvers
- Navigation / tour planning
As well as other life skills:
- Acquire security
- Understand weather systems
- Basic understanding of diesel engines, gearboxes and mechanical systems
- Energy knowledge: DC, AC, solar and batteries
- Language skills
- Team building and social skills
- Provisioning and cooking
- Discover fascinating endemic plant and animal species on remote islands!
If you would like to prepare yourself for the essential fundamentals of sailing you can learn the theory online in advance on NauticEd. Bonus: You also get a free online logbook as well as two free courses that will get you started once you create your profile. If you also want to get your sailing license, you can contact us.
Freediving
Our program also offers an introduction to freediving as well as an understanding of marine ecology and fish identification. Freediving is a breath-hold diving activity which will allow you to experience and interact with the underwater world without the aid of artificial breathing devices. While engaging recreationally with marine life, we will practice the skills and knowledge needed to safely and efficiently freedive in open water.
Citizen Science with iNaturalist
iNaturalist is one of our platforms that connects us with countless scientists and naturalists who can help us identify and learn more about our natural world around us. With the help of the iNaturalist Citizen Science app, we are able to contribute as citizen scientists by entering our observations of plants and animals with photos and properties into the application on site. By collecting qualitative data, creating data points for sightings, and documenting changes and site developments we are able to make a valuable contribution to the core elements of the iNaturalist Citizen Science app and support scientific and community monitoring projects (for example, coastal protection monitoring projects).
Costs
We are not a registered organization and do not make any profit for our services. However, we split the costs equally between us and our fellow sailors. There are two categories: boat costs contribution and on-board cash. The costs of arrival and departure must also be considered, as well as the recently introduced Seychelles environmental levy of SCR100/person/day (approx. €7.29).
Boat costs contribution: The considerable costs of boat procurement are easily apparent from comparable offers from charter companies. Here we can usually come up with greatly reduced offers, which means a discounted flat rate per day for our fellow sailors. See the specific offers for more information.
On-board cash register: The on-board cash includes food and drinks, diesel and petrol for the dinghy, final cleaning, port fees, mooring fees, bed linen and towels. Furthermore, these may also include possible costs in the event of damage, incase there is no insurance coverage or if the damage was intentionally caused by a crew member. These costs largely depend on the personal preferences of the crew as well as the sailing area. Usually they are around €20/day. At the beginning of our trip, each sailor pays a deposit €150 into the cash register, and Splitwise enters and allocates the costs incurred in order to do everyone as much justice as possible.
Current offers:
Our calendar is flexible. Some sailing trips can be planned well in advance, while others can only be booked at short notice. You are welcome to contact us and tell us your wishes.
