Sailing the Whitsunday's

3.19 Sailing the Whitsundays

Today is sail day!!! We arrive at the beautiful Avatar, a huge trimaran sitting in a big marina. There are 25 of us and 3 crew members for our 3 day cruise, the nice thing about the Avatar are the trampolines on either side that hang over the water and give lots of extra deck space. We head out of the marina, once clear we hoist the sails, 10 people on the main mast to pull her up....Such a beautiful boat wen she is sailing!! We will sail for a few hours this morning and go out to Maureen Bay to snorkel and have some lunch. The islands are scattered around, all 74 of them that make up the Whitsundays, most are uninhabited.

We arrive at Maureen Bay and anchor and stinger suit up!!! The stinger suits are suppose to protect us from the deadly box jellyfish, not so much from the small thumbnail size irigangi jellies, also can be fatal. The snorkeling here is quite cloudy, we heard it would be, as with all the rain and silt washing into the ocean the water is churned and murky..it was a bit disappointing to me, and being Russ's first snorkel couldn't have been to exciting..that his first and only attempt or venture into the water of the trip. Food on the Avatar was very good, Aaron put on quite a feed for each meal, and each day for sunset we got plates of veggies,crackers, cheese and spreads..all went down well with the goon. Have I mentioned goon yet???? Goon is wine in a box, and if you say you are drinking wine you get laughed at.....$12.50 for 4 liters is goon, with names like fruity lexa and dry white...it is the drink of choice among backpackers as it travels so well once you shed the box and sharpie your name on your goon...soo sad....I refused to buy the $12.50 variety, had headache written all over it!!! Oh to be young again!!

We are off and sailing again...now heading out to Whitsunday Island for the night. We get a great anchor and go ashore for a walk at sunset on the beach...if you see a picture of a gorgeous beach on a post card from Aussie chances are it is Whitehaven Beach....beautiful...powder soft white sand and the rainforest reaching down to meet the beach....lovely...5 of our crew are camping on the beach tonight...

Day 2

Up by 7am and sailing by 7:30...cruisin around the islands and more snorkeling for the day..doesn't matter it is beautiful and relaxing...we have 11 countries represented on our boat..and 1 older couple...and that is not us..for once we are not the oldest!! The snorkeling is better today and the weather is perfect. This afternoon we will sail to a cove near Hayman island, an exclusive offshore resort...very swanky...We get a good spot for the night and soon lots of boats are surrounding us. We are treated to a double rainbow and then a gorgeous sunset!!!!!! that lingered forever. Dinner was a prime rib roast and very good, and later slaps, a drinking game the Irish girls taught everyone...."What's the name of the game....slaps...what's the aim of the game..get f*&^&(% up" best game I think I have ever played...scary playing a drinking game with goon....Our boat was rockin until about 3am..after slaps will brought out the guitar for a sing along and then most people passed out...Ferg our crew member from Nz slept up in the main sail...like a hammock

I grabbed my pillow and sheet and slept up on deck on the tramp, our room was in one of the side pontoons, you had to jump down a hatch in the ceiling, however Russ was snoring so loud he was heard all over up on deck!!! The clouds and the moon were mesmerizing and I could barely go to sleep...suddenly there is music and it is 5:45am....payback for our antics last night from another boat nearby..ouch!!

Skipper Adam slept on deck as well, we wake up around 7ish with lots of people up and around and ready to go! and so we go....

Last day of sailing..Day 3

It is good Friday today, we will sail all day and arrive back to port around 4pm, the boat has been great..great people, great crew and great time...I find a piece of rope on the boat and skipper makes me a turkish rope something..he tries to explain to me as he is tying it how it is done....uh...no not getting it, but I get a cool anklet, in America they are big in Nantucket where I think they are called something else????

The winds are fast today and the weather brilliant, we arrive back in Airlie to early and have to tack and turn and go back out to sea for a bit...it is fun and we get to see and race a few other beautiful boats along the way. We all make plans to meet for dinner and drinks at Beaches tonight..later to learn all the crazy good Friday rules..

So on Good Friday in Australia there is no drinking alcohol, restaurants get around it if they are serving food....so....we get to Beaches and the line for the food is to the door, you can order food but you get a slip with the time on it and you can only drink for 1.5 hours after you order the meal and no one can drink at all after 10pm...soooo... at 8:30 the doors are shut and no more food cause it is 1.5 hrs til 10pm and..all our crew is left on the other side of the doors...all bars and restaurants are now closed until midnight when they can reopen!!!! We are stuck in beaches and about 2/3 of us are stuck outside...bummer...Thanks for the trip!!!