On the morning of Saturday, December 14, 2025, Mayotte and its inhabitants were forced to endure long hours of suffering Chido a cyclone of unprecedented violence that devastated the island. It's hard to find the right words in such circumstances, especially when this warm and welcoming land has offered unforgettable memories to those who have known it, both on land and in the heart of its magnificent lagoon. Despite the power cuts, news reached us from the yachtsmen who lived on their boats. They too have been hit hard, and many have lost everything.
An island in the path of cyclones
Located in the Mozambique Channel, between Africa and Madagascar, the 376 km² island of Mayotte is exposed to the tropical cyclones that cross the southern hemisphere from November to April. This time, the overseas territory paid a heavy price. With gusts in excess of 220 km/h (120 knots!), cyclone Chido was the most violent to hit Mayotte in almost a century. The already vulnerable overseas territory was brutally brought to its knees. The ubiquitous squatter settlements were wiped out, while permanent buildings and nautical infrastructures suffered considerable damage.
A fleet wiped out at Dzaoudzi on Petite-Terre
In Petite-Terre, on the eastern side of Mayotte, the Association des Croiseurs Hauturiers de Mayotte (ACHM) did not escape the disaster. Created in 1991, this emblematic structure of Mayotte sailing saw its infrastructure severely damaged. On the eve of the cyclone's passage, yachtsmen on the island had taken all necessary precautions to secure their boats before taking shelter on land.
Despite confidence in their mooring lines and efforts to secure them, the cyclone's devastating force took its toll on almost the entire fleet. Only three yachts miraculously survived, while the others were literally wiped out. The club's infrastructure was shattered, the boats on the quay overturned, and those in the anchorage slammed into the quays and riprap.
Some sank before surfacing dislocated. For some, it was a lifetime of building; for others, it was the thrill of sailing the world's oceans. Sometimes it's hard to recognize what's left of their boats. Our sailing friends may be safe, but all have lost their nautical homes.
The absence of a cyclone shelter
In the absence of a cyclone shelter in Mayotte, some yachtsmen had chosen to move their boats to supposedly safer areas, such as Bouéni Bay. Such is the case of Antsiva, the multi-purpose schooner combining oceanographic research and pleasure boating that we followed a few months ago in Madagascar. Caught up in cyclone Chido, the crew did their best to withstand violent winds of up to 160 kph. But when the gusts exceeded 200 km/h, control on board became impossible. The boat was shaken so violently that the masthead was reported to have touched the water several times, a testimony to the violence of the phenomenon. Inside, batteries were thrown into the engine room, causing extensive damage, including water ingress and activation of the fire alarm. Outside, the dive boat was torn away by the storm, destroying a large part of the port rail in the process. Despite this impressive damage, the crew escaped with only minor injuries and a large dose of luck: Antsiva ended up stranded in the mud of a mangrove swamp, like others.
The May Voile yacht club, located on M'Tsangabeach beach in Bouéni Bay, is also likely to have suffered heavy damage.
Unprecedented devastation
The tragedy left an indelible mark on the region, with the grounding and destruction of all types of boats: those belonging to local fishermen and nautical service providers, as well as essential infrastructure in the port of Mamoudzou. Two of the three barges providing vital links between Grande-Terre and Petite-Terre were blown off course, ending up stranded in impassable areas.
The devastation was not confined to the coast. The inland areas also bore the deep scars of the storm: forests devastated, homes blown away, crops wiped out. In the midst of this chaos, nautical equipment (mooring buoys and other debris) blown far from their moorings into the heart of the mangrove swamps and forests bear witness to the extreme violence of the winds, but remain anecdotal in the face of the human and environmental tragedy caused by the cyclone. At least 14 people have been killed and almost 250 injured, although the death toll could rise as rescue efforts continue.
This situation calls for an urgent appeal for solidarity. The island, already in the grip of severe economic and social difficulties before the cyclone hit, requires immediate humanitarian aid. For those of us who have lived there, when we leave the island, it seems that a part of us remains there; that something indescribable hangs there, and it is with a heavy heart that we see it suffer like this.
