(4 & 5 June 2018)
This was my first overnight sailing adventure and it was nothing short of amazing. We managed to get back into Airlie Beach, find a spot for Goldie, grab a coffee and made it down to the Marina. There was a dozen other groups gathered waiting to embark on their voyages to explore the glorious Whitsunday Islands.
Thanks to the bags we were able to sort of identify the other people on our tour, complete with a father and daughter over from Canada, solo female Swedish student, Brit Couple, Brit and German couple, Swedish couple, solo Canadian kid fresh out of high school, the Dutch guy globetrotter, Spanish male explorer, Ecuadorian couple and the female Canadian BFFS. Plus our skipper ,a Kiwi that loved all things water on his last voyage on Summertime and his one man crew, a Finn over on his WHV. Both of whom took excellent care of us.
Once we were all on board and had our safety brief it was smooth sailing out towards Whitehaven beach. Here we went up to the Hill Inlet lookout and down to the stunning beach. Whitehaven Beach is the largest of the 74 islands in the Whitsundays, stretching over seven km and brilliant white silica sand that is among the purest in the world.
We had the afternoon to ourselves to explore the beach etc Which in my books = working on my tan lol . Before I knew it, it was time to head back to the boat,not before a sand shakedown. After a 1min shower (limited water lol) It was snack time with yummy pies waiting for us back on the boat which was ideal 🙂 Then it was a chilled evening sailing across the seas and enjoying the sunset. Dinner was a tasty BBQ and our evening entertainment was tales from the skipper and watching the some David Attenborough worthy night time fish hunting. The Milky Way was visible in all its glory that night and I went to bed a happy lady 🙂
The next day had a rocky start thanks to the sea turbulence and PMS… Waking up in a swaying top bunk was abit surreal lol. I didn’t seem to have my sea legs and was thinking to give the days activities a miss but ended up giving the kayaking a go. We spotted a couple of turtles and stingrays which was amazing!!!
I skipped out of the snorkelling but the skipper took us out on the speedboat to see Nemo and his friends which was definitely another highlight. Just like that our time at sea was drawing to a close and we were heading back to Airlie Beach. This was not a smooth ride and I was sure I would end up overboard or my lunch but I’m happy to report neither happened 🙂
It was weird being back on land but I was happy to have solid ground beneath my feet again!!! Met some cool people on this trip and exchanged tips and information on travelling, life and love. That was the magic of a small group compared to party boats, there was time to chat and laugh without the loud music or excessive drinking.
Once we got our bags and made our way back to Goldie, Nat wanted to go for a scenic flight over the Great Barrier Reef. She managed to bag a seat for the next day so we stayed at the cheapest caravan park in town. I had other plans for my birthday and you can read all about it in my next post!!
Thanks for stopping by 🙂
Leap of Life 