Location: Long Island, Whitsundays
Weather: Sunrises, sunsets and sunshine

We made it back to the mainland for what would be Jon’s last morning before departing back to the UK but I had one more fun activity for us to do before he finally left. Kayaking.

Salty Dog Sea Kayaking operate out of Shute Harbour and with their fleet of brightly coloured sea kayaks they run trips around the Whitsundays from half to a few days on the water. Today we’d only be having a brief taster of what was on offer – perfect for Jon to go home raving about but just another teaser for me as I mentally prepare for my own kayaking expedition sometime next year.

Once we’ve had our PFD’s (Personal Flotation Device), paddles and dry bags issued we slide our sleek machines down and into the clam, blue waters of Shute harbour. My image of a harbour in the UK is one where there’s boats moving in and out the entire time on grey/brown water – this is very different, there’s fringing reef (coral reef that’s all around the Whitsundays) almost as soon as we leave the slipway, clear blue waters with the occasional turtle popping its head out of the water and beautiful islands dotting the horizon!

Our trip takes us out into the Whitsunday Passage with the destination being White Rock (after trying to find White Rock on Google Maps it appears that the photo which was taken actually has another group of kayakers there already!) a few kilometres to the southeast, the smooth waters making it easy progress for our group of novice kayakers, all of who seem to be having a great time. As we put the final few paddles in the sound of our hulls on the coral strewn beach signals our arrival, we clamber out of the kayaks and make our way up the beach for some shelter from the baking sunshine.

It’s a great perspective on the islands travelling like this – moving along the shoreline closely and slowly which allows you to hear, smell and see everything up close in comparison to sailing or cruising past. The stable kayaks perform well in the hands of the beginners even when the waves start to get up as we join the windward side of the islands.

A morning session can fly by and before we know it we have to head back to the HQ at Shute Harbour, leave our kayaks behind and walk to the ferry. Jon’s part in my great adventure is over for now and we bid a sad farewell as he gets on the ferry back to Hamilton Island where he’ll catch a plane later today.

End of kayak location: Shute Harbour
Distance travelled: 10kms by kayak

…AND LATER THAT DAY…

Location: Abel Point Marina, Airlie Beach
Weather: Sunshine but the winds increasing! 28ºc

After a quick bit of shopping and my three-monthly haircut in Airlie Beach Bre and I raced down to Abel Point Marina (where we seem to have been a thousand times in the last few weeks) and prepared to board a very different type of vessel for a night away on the water.

Forget backpacking, forget 2* accommodation, forget bunk beds and hammocks – this is THE way to travel when on the ocean – The Descarada is a 70ft motor yacht spread across three levels of luxury living, there’s jetskis and kayaks strapped to the upper deck, a massively comfy double bedroom to stay in and staff who make you feel very at home from the moment you walk down the pontoon!

The Descarada was originally designed to cruise around the world by a very rich man who never ended up doing it – why would you build something like this then back out, very bizarre. As a result she has huge 14,000 litre fuel tanks which would have enabled her to travel from Australia to Canada without refuelling – can you imagine doing that journey, what fun!

After a quick RIB ride out of the marina to meet the Descarada Ken, Adrian and Heidi gave us a quick tour of the boat, everything’s so smartly trimmed and luxurious from the teak-look decking to the plush thick carpets which makes you feel like your riding a Rolls-Royce of the ocean.

DescaradA-Boat-Levels

The standard trip onboard goes wherever the client wishes throughout the Whitsundays and usually happens over either two or three days but we’ll only have a night to enjoy the pleasure it offers. Ken powered up the two 150hp engines and set a course due east towards Hook Island and as the sun went down Bre and I headed to the fly bridge to watch the it drop below the horizon feasting on the nibbles we’d been brought to enjoy.

What’s on offer here is a sedate, relaxing type of cruise which allows you to unwind, take in the natural beauty of the area and kick back – book reading, blog writing and sunbathing are the order of the day. However if you want something a little more energising then the kayaks can up the pace, or for the next step up there’s the jetskiis.

Heidi cooks up a storm in the kitchen sending smells through the lower reaches of the boat which entices us up from our room in time for dinner. On the menu tonight are nothing less than huge green-lipped New Zealand mussels in a white wine sauce, rib-eye fillet steak and to finish up crunchy-topped crème brulee! Again I have over eaten…

The wide screen TV provides Bre with the entertainment she’ll need for the night as ‘Blood Diamond’ becomes the focus of her attention as I battle with the latest script for the blog trying to summarise the last few day’s entertainment. As the credits roll so are my eyes in a battle to stay awake so we trudge downstairs to our perfect little room and bed.

Sunrise is just after 5am and as the first light penetrates the porthole I clamber down the ladder and out onto deck. This is the perfect start to the day, Ken the skipper silently cruised us into a sheltered inlet off Hook Island last night and dropped anchor and there’s a beautifully picturesque start to the day.
Breakfast is served on the rear deck consisting of a full fruit platter and Eggs Benedict. Our morning is to be horribly short as its time to head back to the mainland ready to head off on the next chapter of the Best Job adventure – can’t we please stay just another day here onboard?!

As we slowly cruise into Abel Point marina the end we say our goodbyes to the crew and once Ken has expertly guided the Descarada into its berth we make our way up the pontoon…the end of another luxurious experience.

End of day location: Abel Point Marina, Airlie Beach
Distance covered: 65kms through the Whitsundays