We got to Airlie Beach late in the evening and left early the next morning for our tour of the Whitsundays, a stunning island chain off Australia’s east coast. The Boomerang, an 83ft long, 20ft wide maxi racing yacht, would be our ride. Before being used for Whitsunday sailing tours, Boomerang (under its previous name of Onedine VII) was used to great success in races all over the world, including the prestigious World Maxi Race series. Our 2 day 2 night sailing tour aboard Boomerang was a very exciting experience; all of the guests got stuck in and didn’t hesitate to help our fantastic crew get the best performance out of this famous vessel. There were 31 people onboard during the trip including our 3 crew members, skipper Max, first mate Jordan and chef Griff. Depending on how familiar you are with yachts you probably wouldn’t have looked at Boomerang and thought she was big enough to comfortably hold all of us. You’d partially be right; it was bloody hot in those bunks at night and the double Jill and I were assigned was barely big enough for the both of us. There was maybe a foot and a half between the bottom of the bed and the ceiling and there were sections where it came right down. I whacked my head on those sections a bunch of times, I really should have picked up on that quicker and I wish I could stop having to learn lessons like this the hard way. That said though, there was no shortage of room up top where we spent nearly all our time and the vessel had a full galley, 3 dining tables and 3 bathrooms. We weren’t short of space there and since this trip was definitely aimed at a younger audience (drinking and partying were the order of the day), we got on famously with everyone onboard. There were some great characters from the British Isles there, a bunch of Swedes, Germans, Swiss and a Dutchman too. Apart from Jill and an Aussie couple it was a European smorgasbord of seatastic adventure!

We did a fair bit of sailing on the first day, making sure we covered the distance we needed to. Before the Whitsundays, I hadn’t been on a ship with a sail for an extended period of time, but got a good taste of how life on a boat like this would be during the trip. We turned cranks to raise sails, tacked when changing direction, sat off the edge on both the port and starboard sides during sharp turns (the yacht was cutting through some serious water; it must have been angled at something like 50 degrees during most of the turns) and made decisions affecting our heading based on how long our alcohol supply would last. Sailing is great. As we sat in our swimwear with our legs over the edge of the yacht, the waves splashing on us as they gently rocked the boat, we had the wind in our hair, the sun on our skin, great music playing on the loudspeakers and fantastic people to keep us company. The islands themselves didn’t disappoint either; our surroundings during the journey were incredibly beautiful. For those of you that have read my previous posts, I felt like I did in Halong Bay, Vietnam. I really didn’t know which way to look it was almost too much to take in. It was definitely too much to capture with a camera. We arrived at our spot for the night in good time so Max suggested we go for a swim. It was a good way to get better acquainted with everyone.

I mentioned earlier that the bunks were a little cramped but by the time we actually had to get into them the initial shock of seeing them had subsided. When we got in though there was another shock: how hot and sticky it would be sleeping in them. It was very difficult getting settled and I don’t think I’ve ever been as hot or as uncomfortable when I’ve been trying to go to sleep before. Everyone was a hot sweaty mess when they woke up. It wasn’t so great for the guys but a lot of the girls were mortified at how horrible they looked, felt and smelled in such close quarters to all of these other people. We did a lot of excellent stuff on the second day that more than made up for the sleeping arrangements though.

After an early start at 7 for breakfast we sailed to one of the Whitsunday Islands for a 30 minute bushwalk. At the end of the walk we’d be at Whitehaven Beach, one of Australia’s most impressive gems and home to the finest silica sand in the world. The bushwalk was VERY hot and sweaty, we were trekking on a mostly shady path through trees and thick vegetation but we were all ready for it to end long before it actually did. We took a detour to a scenic lookout point so we could see what Boomerang looks like from a distance but we more than relived when we arrived at the crystal clear, blue waters of Whitehaven. We couldn’t get into the water quick enough. We all admired the world famous sand composed 99% of silica after we’d had the chance to cool off. This sand is so soft, pure and free of impurities that when NASA was deciding which sand to use for the glass on the Hubble telescope they had only one place in mind. NASA paid the Australian government millions of dollars for the privilege of using this sand. It really was a beautiful beach but we were all surprised when we got to the next place and it was even more stunning. I’ve seen a lot of very nice, postcard perfect beaches on my travels through Asia and Australia but I wouldn’t hesitate to call this one the most stunning of them all. We hiked to a lookout point on this island too before heading back to Boomerang on a dinghy for some more sailing. There were some extreme turns on the way to our first snorkeling spot and then more as we headed to the second one. I’m sure Max and Jordan did a lot of those turns just to give us all a good time but it was pretty cool. The snorkeling sites, especially the second one, were too. The Whitsundays are home to an incredible variety of marine life and the weather, current and water conditions were just perfect for letting us get the most of our time here. We were a little disappointed we didn’t see turtles, something the Whitsundays are famous for but we had a fantastic time in the water. We were treated to an amazing sunset as we sailed to our stop for the night. It was quite possibly the nicest sunset I’ve ever seen. Along the way we saw the smallest lighthouse in the southern hemisphere. There was also an eagle that was strangely intrigued by our boat. “EAGLE, EAGLE!”, Jordan shouted. “COME GET OUR SAUSAGE!”. Max and Jordan were going crazy acting like they’d taken a few too many magic mushrooms. It was brilliant, they got everyone really excited as the eagle got closer. When it was nearing us, Jordan pulled out a sausage (thankfully not his own) and started waving it in the air. “SAUSAGE! SAUSAGE!”. When the eagle was right above us he threw the sausage into the air. There were gasps and then an eruption of cheers and applause as everyone onboard celebrated the eagle’s success. The crew was all brilliant guys and a big part of why I had such a great time there was the three of them. Griff’s cooking was delicious, I thought it was miraculous that anything came out of that tiny kitchen let alone the wonders Griff cooked up for us. And all three of them were hilarious. The sorts of people I’d be happy to call my friends.

There was one more snorkeling site the next day before we had a chilled sail back to the mainland. It was another incredible site but this one had an added treat. Turtles! The first turtles either Jill or I had seen in the wild. Swimming with them was an amazing experience. We were all in a fantastic mood as we headed back and relished the fact that we saw everything the Whitsundays have to offer during our short time there.

After Boomerang was docked and we were heading off, Max told us about a get together that happens in a local bar for the guests of these trips. Jill and I would have gone anyway but it worked out perfectly since we wouldn’t be catching our bus to the next town until 11:45 that night.

It had only been a few hours since we last saw them but talking to everyone again was great. We partied it up over drinks as a final goodbye before Jill and I headed off for Rockhampton.