Andre and Jill's Adventures: Week 3: Setting Sail on the Whitsundays

An absolute "must do", as has been the advice of anyone and everyone who has visited Australia's East Coast, is sailing the Whitsunday Islands. We took the advice of those of you who encouraged this expense (because it is probably the most expensive splurge while visiting AUS), and would recommend you add it to your bucket list if you've never been.

We had initially inquired into the different options for a sailing trip at an information agent in Townsville. Thankfully they wouldn't make our booking as they felt we could negotiate a lower rate or perhaps sail on stand-by and save some money. Once we arrived in Airlie Beach, we visited a local Whitsunday tour agent and inquired into the option of booking a trip on stand-by. Due to the time of year and limited tourists, all of the trips are basically stand-by. So, we chose a 2 day, 1 night trip on a boat that would take a maximum of 14 passengers, and a 25% discount. The next day we learned there weren't enough bookings, so the trip was canceled. Although a bit short notice, we went back in and were upsold to a 2 night sail for a few more dollars. Since we had already spent the better part of 2 days waiting for the previous trip to be canceled, they offered us a free upgrade to the best boat on the water IF this trip canceled. So...no extra money, guaranteed departure, and not just 2 nights, but 3! We were sold!! We paid our money and crossed our fingers....

In the end, we ended up on the Pacific Sunrise, and she did not disappoint. We were astonished that we paid only half of the regular price for 3 nights aboard a huge sailboat that was only 50% capacity. We had a great group of 8 other people, 3 couples and 2 gals from Tourism Queensland on an experience sail, and all 25-35ish.

We boarded late Sunday afternoon and made our way to a bay near Whitehaven Beach where we would anchor for the first night. We had our first of many 5-star meals prepared by an amazing young chef...another perk of this boat...and enjoyed spending our first evening under the stars on the top deck. We were up early in the morning, a very clear and sunny day to be spent visiting Whitehaven Beach and turtle watching and snorkeling in the bay. Whitehaven is the most amazing sight with the bluest water surrounding the white silica sand beach. We have some great pictures, but I'm not sure they do the real thing justice. The crew kept saying it was one of the best days they've seen on Whitehaven in a long time, so we are now very thankful for the delay of our trip. We saw many turtles, huge bat fish and a manatee in the bay. The next day was spent kayaking and snorkeling in another bay. We were the only ones in a small bay filled with fish, as it is a fish feeding area. The First Mate, Luke, took us out in the little tinny and as soon as we were in the water, he started feeding. It was one of the most amazing experiences...so many fish, big and small, and every color that we had yet to see, surrounded us for the better part of an hour. There were also some very large fish that came to feast on some of the smaller one's we fed. We all learned to help out a bit on the deck with the sails...I'm not sure we actually helped much, but it was fun to learn. After all of this, it was back on the boat for more amazing food and a friendly game of Texas Hold 'Em. Andre didn't make it very far, but I lost in the last hand. Beginners luck, I say.