I must firstly offer my apologies for the fact that this blog has taken so long to get out. We took part in this fantastic day trip around the Whitsundays back in November but I’ve been waiting for some of the footage I have used in the blog to be released!
The Whitsundays – picture perfect location and a sailor’s dream for the weather. Add to the mix one of the most famous yachts in Australian maritime history and you’ve got the perfect ingredients for a superb day on the water.
It’s been a busy week, so far we’ve hosted media from three different countries and today is another one, not so bad when you think we’ll be out enjoying their company from the deck of an old time racing yacht.
We all make our way across the Whitsunday Passage onboard Fantasea’s fast boat. Arriving at Shute Harbour we disembark and make our way along the jetty to where Ragamuffin leaves from. As we arrive we spot her straight away, she’s an imposing figure in the marina and easily the largest of all the yachts moored here, measuring in at 24 metres long.
George the captain is equally as imposing – with a huge Merv Hughes-style moustache his tough exterior soon melts away as he welcomes us onboard. The rest of the crew run through the basics we all need to know, the shorelines are thrown off and we motor out into Shute Harbour ready for a day’s adventure.
With 25 other people on deck there’s load of room to enjoy the sunshine and the usual crew tasks are handed out to us. First thing and most important in order to propel us to our first destination of the day, is hauling up the sails and Cameron (the host of China’s Getaway holiday program) and I have been picked out as the likely candidates for bumping the sail.
On more modern racing yachts this operation is done using grinding winches to take up the slack of the sheets (ropes to the rest of us!) but here on Ragamuffin it’s those good old tools known as your own hands. We take it in turns to haul in as much as we can until the sail is right at the top of the mast and ready to fill with air. Now that’s one heck of a feeling – shoulders burning, heart racing and the satisfaction of providing the power for today’s sail. Well almost.
The sail across the Whitsunday Passage is awesome, the wind is right up, the sun is out and we are flying! Spray breaks over the bow of the boat and we’re heeling over dangling our feet over the side to provide ballast – just like every professional sailor does.
The wind is still pumping so we head to one of the more sheltered bays on the leeward side of Hook Island, the second largest of the Whitsundays, and drop anchor to check out the conditions. They’re virtually perfect.
Ragamuffin offers the chance to SCUBA dive, which is unique for a day trip sailing adventure out of the Whitsundays. We stop in Mackerel Bay and get dressed up ready to head overboard and down into the depths below. I’ve dived here before with Islandiveand it’s a good introduction into what the fringing reef of these islands has on offer.
We spend 45 minutes filming for the Getaway program which is great, the idea of bringing the media out here is to showcase the spectacle that is the Whitsundays gaining publicity for the area and hopefully making people think about it a a holiday destination.
The afternoon draws to a close far too soon and before we know it the sail is flapping in the wind and our course has been set for home. The sound of the water lapping on the hull is one of those things that’s so perfect about sailing, a noisy diesel engine just doesn’t do the same for me!
Once we’re tied up at the marina we bid our farewells to the crew and thank the for a very memorable day out on the water. Time to head back to Hamilton Island.
As we’re out on the ocean the Aussism’s have been dropped in favour of some nautical terminology, pay attention please!!
Between the Devil and the Deep – in wooden ships, the “devil” was the longest seam of the ship. It ran from the bow to the stern. When at sea and the “devil” had to be caulked, the sailor sat in a bo’sun’s chair to do so. He was suspended between the “devil” and the sea the “deep” a very precarious position, especially when the ship was underway.
Starboard – The Vikings called the side of their ship its board, and they placed the steering oar, the “star” on the right side of the ship, thus that side became known as the “star board.” It’s been that way ever since.
Three Sheets to the Wind – We use the term “three sheets to the wind” to describe someone who has too much to drink. As such, they are often bedraggled with perhaps shirttails out, clothes a mess. The reference is to a sailing ship in disarray, that is with sheets (lines not “ropes” that adjust the angle at which a sail is set in relation to the wind ) flapping loosely in the breeze.
Took the wind out of his sails – Often we use “took the wind out of his sails” to describe getting the best of an opponent in an argument. Originally it described a battle maneuver of sailing ships. One ship would pass close to its adversary and on its windward side. The ship and sails would block the wind from the second vessel, causing it to lose headway. Losing motion meant losing maneuverability and the ability to carry on a fight.
Weather: Very light winds, blue skies and a few puffy clouds – lets go sailing!!
Mum and Dad were visiting me for the last few days of the Best Job in the World experience and I’d been harping on about sailing around the Whitsundays and how damn amazing it was when I did it back in August during Race Week here on the island.
So there was no better way to demonstrate exactly what I’d been going on about than to actually get them out onto the water to try it for themselves. Mum is known for being a little bit prone to seasickness so I prayed hard the night before for a calm ocean and sunshine…
Result! Perfect conditions for sailing – a mirror like ocean greeted me from the balcony of the Blue Pearl with ‘Simpsons’ clouds punctuating the otherwise infinite blue skyscape. I’m going to miss this view you know – it’s the biggest and best TV screen I’ve ever had and so much more rewarding than sitting in front of an actual television!
We’d caught the first Fantasea ferry of the day across the Whitsunday Passage and Vanessa from Whitsunday Rent a Yacht was there to whisk us the incredibly short 750 metres around to their offices and pontoon where we’d depart from. I’ve cruised into Shute Harbour on countless occasions and dreamily gazed across to the fleet of modern looking yachts with their telltale blue and red ensigns wondering exactly what goes on there…we were about to find out.
Having just a smidgeon of experience on the water before really didn’t fill me with the overwhelming confidence I’d need to take out one of the yachts for an overnight cruise. So we’d been given the option of having a skipper come out with us so we’d have a more relaxing time – this was just what we needed. Think about it – me in charge of a $750,000 boat really wasn’t the sort of responsibility I needed just yet.
Mike and Nancy would be our impeccable hosts for our ‘far-too-short’ trip – usually you’d need around a week to explore all of the hidden gems around the 74 islands of the Whitsundays but with Christmas just around the corner we only had an overnight trip. Well Mum and Dad were chuffed just to be onboard.
‘Chantilly’ – the pride of the fleet would be our home for the next day, she’s a pretty stunning looking catamaran from the outside and that’s before even climbing the stairs up her hull and into the luxurious cockpit living area.
Being a Beneteau she’s kitted out for a very comfortable lifestyle with an outside hospitality area right next to where the captain sits and behind the extensive glass windows is the smartest lounge area I’ve seen on a sailing boat. Why tip over on a mono-hull when you can cruise level on a catamaran?
Downstairs the smart theme continues and there’s space for my family and loads more, in fact ‘Chantilly’ has space for ten people to stay and each of the rooms even has an ensuite bathroom with shower and more than enough room to swing a cat too.
I’ve always wondered who would be cruel enough to actually swing a cat around just to size a room – bizarre words and phrases we use aren’t they!?
Back on deck its all about relaxing this time around, previously I’d been learning about sheets, grinding, knots etc but Mike has everything under control and can literally sail the yacht sat in his chair. The electric winches, jammers etc operated by the flick of a switch all within easy reach. Amazing.
From the moment we got on board I knew food wasn’t going to be a problem here; Nancy has been furiously working away in the kitchen with the vast array of gorgeously palatable food that Whitsunday Provisions have supplied for our mini-expedition and round after round of cheese, fruit, cakes and chocolate keeps appearing from nowhere. The time to diet is in the New Year – not now.
As we head across the Whitsunday Passage the wind starts to pick up just enough to fill the mainsail and after an hour or so of moving under motor the sound of the engine goes quiet and we’re finally cruising by perfectly natural means…that of the wind.
It totally transforms the experience and for the first time in a few weeks I grab my book and head to the foredeck to catch up on some vital reading. It’s times like these that have been few and far between over the last few months and with the backdrop of the Whitsundays on offer it really does feel like a holiday at last.
Mum and Dad are in their element too. Dad has taken the wheel for the past hour and under the watchful eye of Mike is carefully steering us into one of the many sheltered channels around Hook Island in time for lunch – another meal already.
We spend the afternoon cruising around the picturesque islands and decide, with the northerly winds, to head to Tongue Bay just short of Hill Inlet and Whitehaven Beach – ready for an early morning assault on the tourist destination. Our dinner under the stars is superb, the BBQ is fired up and we watch the glowing fiery orange ball drop behind the horizon as dinner is served. There is nowhere I’d rather be in the world right now…
Mum and dad haven’t had the pleasure of seeing the iconic sight of Whitehaven Beach from the viewing platform by Hill Inlet and so Mike drops us off in the rubber duck and we prepare to climb over the crest of the hill. Seeing the white silica sands from up high gives you an idea of why so many people walk this route every day – 350 on average.
With the morning disappearing fast we get back on board and start the final cruise around the southern tip of Whitsunday Island before turning north towards Hamilton Island and home. It also gives us a chance to see Blue Pearl just one more time from the water as we cruise by slowly, struggling to make headway against the strong tide which rips through Fitzalan Passage.
Mooring up in Hamilton Island marina we clamber onto the pontoon after a perfectly relaxing couple of days with Mike and Nancy; the perfect hosts onboard a perfect yacht….if I use any more ‘perfects’ I’ll turn into a cat. What I’m trying to say is I actually relaxed for once and loved it!
Next time around my sailing skills will be adequate enough to take one of these beauties out for myself – maybe not around the world but definitely around the Islands of the Whitsundays. Why not try it yourself?
End of day location: Hamilton Island
Distance covered: 107kms on the water
Marine facts this time and hopefully you didn’t know them before today:
Dolphins can hold their breath for 30 minutes, turtles hold their breath for 60 minutes or more, whalescan to stay submerged for up to 2 hours..fish just breath the oxygen that is in the water.
Humpback Whales can eat 6 tons of Krill a day . They live to around 60 years of age and grow to 45 tons. They can propel this full weight out of the water with just 2 flicks of the tail.
Green Turtles are the biggest local turtle and can grow up to half a ton..and reach two metres long
Coral trout start their lives as females and change sex to become males later in life.
Cuttlefish is the most unusual, it has green blood, three hearts and can change color in an instant.
Weather: Very, very strange one here….a dust storm has hit the Queensland coast for the first time in decades masking the skyline in a dull red/orange. Feels like the apocalypse is coming! 28°c
I spent last night battling away trying to get the final parts of my PADI Advanced Dive Course completed before departing to the mainland as today I was departing on Whitsundays Sailing Adventure’s newest dive boat – the very impressive Emperors Wings. Suffice to say I completed it and the theory part of the course is now complete! YAY!
I’m on the road and the water for the next ten days with a visit to the Great Barrier Reef onboard an Islandive vessel then a few days on Long Island at Peppers Palm Bay and wrap it all up with a back-to-basics visit to my neighboring rock, Whitsunday Island and a camping trip – this will be pretty special.
Being away for this long means one thing however…hauling around virtually everything I own in four bags…I’m turning into a high maintenance chick here!
We’re departing from Abel Point Marina and as I arrive there’s already a few of my fellow passengers waiting for the off so we make our way down the pontoon to Emperors Wings – a luxury, purpose built sailing boat with accommodation for 30 people and equipped with everything onboard for diving and snorkelling – this is the way to explore the reef.
I’d met a couple of the crew the week before when diving the S.S. Yongala so it was good to see some familiar faces and as the rest of the passengers arrived onboard Sammy showed me to my bunk which was a big, comfortable double bed – no hammocks or bunks here.
Wings 2 Layout
With five crew and 24 passengers on board there’s loads of space for everyone with a relaxing lounge area and huge flat screen tv used for viewing the daily slide show. Being a purpose-built boat there’s some excellent features like the heated spa on the main deck, hydraulic lifting platform for the rubber ducky and the most organised setup for the dive kit I’ve seen; everything’s built around giving the passengers a thoroughly comfortable, interactive and educational experience whilst out on the ocean.
Stu our skipper for the trip (another Pom addicted to working in the sunshine has been with the company for five years) steered us carefully out of the marina and into the Whitsunday Passage heading east towards Whitsunday Island, our destination for the night. The open deck arrangement of the boat means there’s loads of space to lay back and enjoy the ride and a perfectly good time to find out a little more about the other passengers and what their individual stories are.
My fellow travellers are from all over the world; amongst others there’s a couple from Canada (Bre will be happy!), a group of New Zealanders now living in Australia, three Brazilian girls and a few individuals all on their own little mission around the world. There’s no set demographic to this sort of trip it’s pretty much a open book but everyone’s got one thing on their mind – to have some fun, get some sailing in and to discover more about life on the Great Barrier Reef.
Our first destination for the adventure is along the coast of Whitsunday Island, taking in the dramatic scenery it has to offer with Hoop Pine trees and dense bush all the way down to the waterline broken up by granite boulders and tiny sandy bays. One of my Canadian friends comments on how alike the terrain looks to that of their own home in British Columbia and I totally agree. The hills of Whitsunday Craig and Peak teasing me to climb them and at some point I will!
With the south-easterly blowing at a fair pace we make for the sheltered waters of Tongue Bay just around the headland from the famous Whitehaven Beach and drop anchor for the evening. I moored up here during my sailing course and spent most of my time in the water swimming around the boat then…today was no different and I launched myself off the stern of the boat into the warm ocean.
The smell of good cooking wafted through the boat as Cari had fired up the barbeques on the stern, Sammy had been working furiously all afternoon preparing our dinner and finally our rumbling bellies would be satisfied. It’s surprising quite how hungry one gets lazing about in the sunshine, very important to fill up tonight though as there’s a big day ahead tomorrow with diving all day.
Once dinner is out of the way everyone beds down for an early night, with the exception of Stu and Johnny who gently glide the boat around the headland and to the south of Whitehaven Beach where we finally moor up for the night. I’m restless as ever and end up sitting on deck with one of the passengers, Julian from France, watching the moon on the ocean and watching for shooting stars. I don’t want to be anywhere else on the planet right now….just here with my thoughts.
I awake from my slumber, having finally made it to bed, and poke my head out of the port hatch as the sun is breaking the horizon to the east. There’s only one way to wake a sleepy head and that’s to jump straight in the ocean, the shock of cool water on my face enough to jerk my brain into life and after a good swim I feel ready to take on the day.
Whitehaven is one of those places that just has to be visited if you’re in the Whitsundays, it’s an iconic symbol of what ‘perfect’ beaches are all about; crystal clear water, blue skies, lush green trees and of course the contrasting fine white silica sand. I’ve been a few times now to this gem of a location but can never tire of its majesty and happily visit once more as the rest of the boat disembarks for their first experience. I swim to the shore as part of my continued training for the Whitehaven Beach 2km Swim in November!
Turtles seem to be the order of the day as we spotted a few on our trip around the island last night so in the spirit of the trip I try and make one out of sand….what do you think?
I’ve come on this trip to progress my diving to another level and hope to leave with my Advanced certification which will allow me to explore yet more amazing places under the water and to do this I need to complete a number of tests on each dive with the first being navigation.
The beauty of a trip such as this one is there’s a chance for non-divers to try their hand at using a SCUBA setup. Certified divers only made 20% of the passengers…everyone else had the chance to try it out for the first time.
We made our way to the more sheltered waters of Hook Island and Mackerel Bay as it offered protection against the north-easterly wind which had swung around over night. At the stern of the boat lies the kitting-up area and here Steph, my wonderfully experienced Dive Master, was issuing our BCD’s, weights and my compass and dive computer, something I’d need for this part of the course.
After a quick tender ride I dropped into the ocean, descended to three metres and began to focus on what surrounded us….not a lot actually! The visibility was pretty poor at no more than five metres meaning spotting marine life wasn’t exactly easy…but I was here for another reason, my navigation test. The poor conditions actually made the test better for me as I had no idea where I was heading during the task which required me to swim 15 metres, turn through 90°, swim 15 more etc until I’d returned to my starting point having completed a full square.
I passed with flying colours! After a couple of easier reciprocal navigation tests we made our way back to the awaiting Emperors Wings, changed back into our dry kit and prepared for the next part…the night dive on the outer reef! Totally exciting and something I haven’t done for over a year. The nerves will be jangling for this I can tell you!
As we motored out to the reef the wind picked up giving a few of the passengers a pretty hard time with green faces above and below deck. The rolling of the ocean dropped off slightly as we came onto the mooring we’d spend the night on.
Then all of a sudden it was here – my chance to dive the Great Barrier Reef at night!
The blue underwater lights from the boat were already attracting Giant Trevally, bright silver flashes signalling their arrival as they twisted and turned attempting to catch the bait fish who’d become hypnotised in the iridescent glow. We were on…..
It’s a totally different experience to me, diving at night. Yes you still use the same equipment (plus a light and glow stick or two) and you still travel down to roughly the same depth but the feeling is somewhat different. Spatial awareness becomes more intense, the 3D effect of lights hovering around you seem almost otherworldly and with the restricted tunnel of light you look down it takes more concentration to realise where you’re placed in the water compared to your surroundings and other people.
We moored up along a row of famous coral bommies here on Bait Reef known as the Stepping Stones, they tower up from the ocean floor and are impressive during the day but at night they become almost cathedral-like. The first time I shone my torch all the way up the wall my regulator nearly dropped out of my mouth!
As with the majority of the world, at night the reef sleeps with the exception of some pretty hungry predators. The Giant Trevally swim all around me using my torch light to seek out unwary fish resting outside the protection of the coral beds, they’re like futuristic android ships patrolling swiftly and silently the depths of the ocean….and then there’s the sharks!
As I scan the horizon wide-spaced green eyes stare back at me slowly swimming along just far enough away to not appear a direct threat but close enough to remind me I’m now in their world. During the dive I spot around ten of them, White and Black Tip Reef Sharks all big enough to inflict a nasty bite should they feel that way, but thankfully they keep their distance. A Wobbegong sitting motionless on the rock is the closest I get to a shark.
It’s all over far too quickly, I check my depth and rise to the surface along with the other divers, eyes wide open racing with adrenaline from the experience. We board the boat and talk constantly about what we’d seen and the incredible underwater adventure we’d just had together. If you’re certified this is the way to do a night dive in perfectly clear water, surrounded by coral and predators onboard a fully catered catamaran. I struggle to get to sleep….
The next day dawns early for me as usual, I make my way to the foredeck and watch the sunrise out of the hazy, orange sky (it’s actually a dust storm which has engulfed the Queensland coast for the first time in decades, click here for more info and pics) an hour later Sammy announces that breakfast is ready and then we’re off again….three more dives today!
Once I’d got the practicals out of the way for my Advanced course the dives were probably some of the most relaxing and observational I’d ever had; schools of fish cruised off in the distance, anemone’s wobbled in the foreground and my favourite the cleaner wrasse worked furiously picking off any parasites from hospitable subjects at the cleaning stations. This is the reef working in perfect harmony and with the visibility back up to around 25 metres the big television show I’ve dropped into seems gigantic.
This type of trip encompasses so many different things you may be looking for as a traveller, backpacker or tourist – you’re being catered for on all levels and never feel hungry or left out, the snorkelling or diving are as much or as little as you desire and the experience of sailing hard across the wind hanging off the pulpit as the hull slices through the swell simply can’t be beaten.
By the end of an exhausting day I was three dives more experienced, had gained my next level of certification and was a very happy man…and that was before another cracking meal arrived on the table.
As we arrived back in the marina and prepared to leave it felt like the end of a true adventure. I’d made lots of friends, taken on some challenges, seen some unique sights and really felt a pang of sadness as I unloaded my kit back onto dry land. That’s one for the memory bank for sure.
HEY YOU GUYS, DON’T FORGET TO ENTER OUR COMPETITION TO WIN THE BEST EXPERIENCE IN THE WORLD!
One of the best week’s so far….
After leaving Brampton on Monday I came home to Hamilton Island right in the middle of Audi Race Week where the festivities were well and truly under way. There’s been a huge range of things going on and I’ve tried to do as many as possible…here’s a few of the highlights:
The Audi Drive Challenge – Take one top-of-the-range Audi RS6 (a mind blowingly quick machine), cone off an area of the runway, bring in Brad Jones (V8 Supercar driver) to put me through my paces, and then let me loose on the course. Sounds good to me! The competition is more a test of consistency rather than outright speed with each driver having three laps of the course; the first as a practice and then a test to see just how close you can get the times for the other two…and it’s more difficult than you think. This brute of a machine goes like stink when you put your foot down! There’s a rumbling 5 litre V10 engine, which propels the lightweight body to 100km\h in a little over four seconds and I love it!
After a day racing around the track the tyres are shredded, the track’s covered in rubber and the results are in…the prize for the lucky winner – a brand new Audi A4 Avant. Suffice to say it wasn’t me, instead a very lucky Bruce Griffiths from the yacht Silhouette who got to take home the car plus he won the ‘nearest the pin’ golf challenge and took a further $2000 away with him! Some people have all the luck.
A day out racing on ‘Spirit of the Maid’ - This is the one I’d been waiting for all week, the chance to get out and experience race week on the water in the thick of the racing with the big boys. Bruce Absolon is the owner/skipper of this Farr 65 ex-Volvo Ocean Racer which took part in the 1997 Round the World Race, I’d actually seen this boat come across the finish line 12 years ago when I was working in Cape Town for Champagne Mumm so it was amazing actually having the chance to race on such a famous machine. The biggest rival for the crew is the boat moored right next door, Merit, which also sailed in the same race giving me two blasts from the past – this was the boat we had to beat!
I was welcomed onboard by the very friendly crew, found a role for the day (backstay winchman) and together we all headed out to the start area….slowly, very very slowly. Traditionally the winds for this week are the prevailing south-easterlies which pump through the channels powering yachts of this size at speeds of around 20 knots – perfect for ex-ocean racers. However this week has been very different with such light winds that the race organisers even had to cancel one of the days, only the second time in 25 years the last being due to a cyclone hitting the island! With the wind forecast to pick up during the afternoon my anticipation levels were rising, maybe we could get this beast racing across the ocean to victory!
First of all a quick lesson from the crew to familiarise me with the job I’d be responsible for – making sure the backstay sheet was hauled in as we tacked and jibed our way through the light conditions. We drifted towards the start line, barely moving forwards against the tide through Dent Passage then with five minutes to go we turned for the final time towards the start buoy risking an inside line on the other boats in our class…and it paid off! We comfortably stole their wind and moved up the inside of the fleet passing Merit as we went, perfect we’re in front of our key rival already.
Our course for the day was set early in the morning by the Race Committee, a team of 25 dedicated sailors highly experienced in tide/wind and boat knowledge. They sent us out into the open water of the Whitsunday Passage, around Pine Island to the west before a long reach across the wind and south towards Cone Island, a turn around Pentecost island and then back towards Dent island for the final race across the line; a total distance of around 50kms.
Now my experience of sailing amounts to little more than a three day course I took back in July and all of a sudden here I was helping to crew one of the ‘Big Boys’ in race conditions – to say I was slightly nervous and apprehensive would be an understatement, I really did have to pinch myself to grasp the concept of what was happening here. Even though our boat was progressing at a relatively slow speed the adrenaline was pumping through my veins enough to cause my mouth to dry out totally as soon as the video camera was pointed at me and I was asked a question – what’s wrong with you Southall, pull yourself together! I loved it, the feeling of competition, knowing that your effort can make just that slight micro-second of difference to the boat’s speed and ultimately the distance between you and finish line.
With the wind gathering strength all the time (sometimes hitting almost 12 knots! – nothing for this boat but great for the day anyway) Spirit of the Maid started to come into her own and we started to pull away from the competition – up into 5th place on the course and so far the highest placing of the week for the crew. As we turned towards Cone Island suddenly we were hit by a ‘knock’ – another sailing term I didn’t really understand but apparently ‘a change in wind direction’ and just made it round the outside of the rocks before almost coming to a total stop in the shadow of the island….how frustrating is that with all of our speed effectively lost, the sails flapping and the boat moving nowhere.
We sat for a few minutes motionless, all the time the fleet catching us, until suddenly the sail filled and we were off again building speed once more – but that’s the thing about sailing, what happens to you may also happen to the other boats! The approaching fleet including Merit turned the corner and entered the ‘car park’ too but this time there was no easy breath of wind to pull them through and for nearly fifteen minutes they sat there totally becalmed unable to do anything about our ever-increasing lead as we pulled clear. How exciting!
Once round the eastern corner of Pentecost island it was up with our huge ‘kite’ sail and a fast downwind leg to the finish line, our new found lead slowly extending and as we crossed the finish line Merit was nowhere to be seen, actually completing the course 25 minutes after us….a moral victory giving Spirit of the Maid a 3-2 lead in the mini-competition between the yachts and a satisfying grin to Bruce and the crew. That’ll cost the opposition a bottle of rum tonight!
A round of golf on the new Dent Island course (or Hamilton Island Golf Club as it’s known) and some corporate challenges – Golf…one of those interesting games that I’d never played up until this job started and suddenly I found myself MC’ing the ‘Hole-in-One’ competition at the new course and then playing eighteen holes on what is going to be one of THE best courses in the world! Peter Thompson, a five times winner of the British Open, designed the course on what many thought would be an impossible island…far too much rock, steep drop-offs and no green grass in sight. The course he did design however officially opened this week and it’s flippin brilliant – the views across the Whitsundays are amazing, the course long and narrow making it a testing but fascinating challenge and the clubhouse at the end of it the perfect place to mull over all those balls lost during the round…..and there will be a few I can tell you.
Dad and I headed out onto the course and did fairly well….for beginners anyway, that equates to us loosing only 20 balls on the first nine holes and believe me if you ever get the chance to go and play it you’ll actually see that’s a pretty damn good round of golf there! Having the use of a gorgeous set of Callaway golf clubs probably helped a fair bit too, having only played before with knackered rental clubs these ‘weapons’ can strike the ball miles – that is of course when you actually manage to hit it on a straight line. The pictures below really don’t do the course justice as the views, the fresh air and the complexity of the challenge have to be experienced first hand:
During Race Week there were also a number of other activities taking place on the golf course, all designed to pit the yachts teams against each other both on and off the water.
The Longest drive challenge – simple enough, hole number 10, blast it off and see where it lands. I finished second here….how I’ll never know!
The Putt challenge – to see exactly how close you can get to the hole from the other side of the green. Didn’t enter this one…..
The Hole in One Challenge- Tee off across the water towards the floating island (the competition I was MC’ing!). This is near on impossible, the winner actually being the guy who’d hit the island twice out of his three attempts.
The Grinder Challenge – James Hill and I had a go at this as the first team of the day, set a time of 6.37 seconds for 20 revolutions and thought nothing of it. Halfway through the day we were still holding up in 4th place on the board but by the end we’d been nudged off. We arrived back at the comp to find a huge group of sailors all cheering and jeering “your the guy with the best job in the world, you’ll never do it!” – temptation took over. So one more big push between us…..and the clock read 6.13….we’d just taken fourth place from the professional sailors who do this every day. God that felt good!
I’ve got a few days off as my Mum and Dad have arrived from the UK and we’re heading off to experience some of the awesome things I’ve been lucky enough to do since starting the job like visiting Reefworld, dining on the Denison Star, visiting Whitehaven beach etc.
Oooo and before I forget we’ve been lucky enough to have a few more whales passing the balcony here at the Blue Pearl….here’s a couple of pics for you:
Will put together another post to summarise this before getting right back into the itinerary towards the weekend…..have fun!
A shot across the bows - ’A shot across the bows’ derives from the naval practice of firing a cannon shot across the bows of an opponent’s ship to show them that you are prepared to do battle.
Three sheets to the wind – very drunk. Sailors at that time had a sliding scale of drunkenness; three sheets was the falling over stage; tipsy was just ‘one sheet in the wind’, or ‘a sheet in the wind’s eye’.
By and large - On the whole; generally speaking; all things considered. To get a sense of the original meaning of the phrase we need to understand the nautical terms ‘by’ and ‘large’. ‘Large’ is easier, so we’ll start there. When the wind is blowing from some compass point behind a ship’s direction of travel then it is said to be ‘large’. ’By’ is a rather more difficult concept for landlubbers like me. In simplified terms it means ‘in the general direction of’. Sailors would say to be ‘by the wind’ is to face into the wind or within six compass points of it.
Weather: Little fluffy clouds, blue skies, not enough wind but 26°c
After months of hearing it talked about the best week on Hamilton Island is finally here…IT’S RACE WEEK!
Four years ago building work commenced on the site of the new Hamilton Island Yacht Club and I was very honoured to be there at the official opening last night in the presence of the owner Bob Oatley and the Premier of Queensland Anna Bligh.
The new Hamilton Island Yacht Club
On what was once a rocky and muddy entrance to the marina, now sits what must be one of the finest yacht clubs anywhere in the world – something that will adorn the pages of many an in-flight magazine for years to come. The architect Walta Barda was given a blank page and asked to create something unique which would reflect the boating and marine lifestyle which it would become an integral part of and the result is this.
Now I’ve flown over it and sailed past it a fair few times since arriving on the island and it wasn’t until I actually got down to see it at ground level that I realised quite what a spectacular building it is appearing as a cross between Sydney’s Opera House and the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao.
The evening’s opening night was attended by 500 people with the official cracking of the champagne on the bow-like spit by Anna Bligh the Premier who gave Tourism Queensland, the Best Job campaign and even me a mention during her speech. Mum and Dad would have been so proud if they’d have heard it!
With the Premier Anna Bligh
I had to dash away from proceedings for half an hour to meet Amanda Fitzgerald, the weather presenter from Channel Ten, as we were co-presenting her five minute slot together! (another job for the Island Caretaker) Brilliant fun – arrive panting from the run, have a script thrust in my hand, practice saying ‘Toowoomba’ a few times and….we’re live to air!
Presenting the weather with Amanda, Channel 10
‘Sydney 17, Brisbane 24 with temperatures increasing steadily next week’ – oh what fun but over far too quickly and then back to the opening party for more introductions and socialising.
Day One out on the water….
Up with the sunrise for the next of my commitments – a guest slot on Race Week radio down in the marina. Dean Miller (a presenter on Creek to Coast) and Rob Mundle (sailing journalist and legend) are the hosts and we had a ten minute chat about life on the island, plans for the week and how the Ashes were panning out – for once in England’s favour!
Race Week Radio
After watching many Cowes Week sailing regattas in the UK from the shore working for Mumm Champagne I had the chance to get out on the water and see some of the racing up close and personal aboard one of the hospitality boats Alanis – a luxurious motor launch full of the Tourism Queensland staff all on a big ‘thank-you’ weekend from Hamilton Island for their work over the last few months. Very well deserved too you guys.
We cruised down towards the start line off Catseye Beach together with a few other hospitality boats and the 194 yachts which make up this years competitive field. The 11 different classes all tightly bunched up twisting and turning around the ‘virtual’ line between the committee boats waiting for the starting claxon.
With virtually no wind this must be one of the most difficult things to do as a skipper, navigating around the other boats keeping one eye on the clock, one on the line and the other on keeping your yacht in one piece.
Passage Peak overlooking the start line
And then they were off…..the fleet heading south towards the turn around mark off Lindeman Island on a perfect day for spectating, if not sailing. The light breeze doing little to force a ripple on the surface let alone power these Formula One yachts through the crystal blue blue waters. It was a slow trickle south….
Chasing down towards Lindeman Island
We were lucky enough to spot a few Humpback whales on the way down the passage and caught two napping in open water, a mother a calf, who only realised we were there at the last minute and hurriedly splashed under the surface…not before I’d grabbed a few pics though:
Breaching baby Humpback
Powering past the near-static fleet we sat off Lindeman Island awaiting their arrival with the Grand Prix Div 1 boats arriving first as they turned into the channel….and lost all wind. Totally becalmed and going nowhere fast.
I wish we could have stayed around to watch the outcome but there’s work to do with this job you know and I have to visit Brampton Island for a few days so we headed back to Hamilton Island marina and straight to the airport.
Hamilton Island Race Week is one of the biggest events on the calendar here in the Whitsundays. I took a stroll around the island yesterday to soak up some of the atmosphere, sights and sounds of what promises to be an action packed few days. There’s plenty more to follow but here’s some of its images….
Weather: Cool start, scattered clouds, clearing to blue skies and light wind. 25°c
That was the worst night’s sleep I’ve had in months. Went to bed feeling like my world was trying to destroy me – I mean come on I’ve got the best day ahead of me tomorrow of the adventure so far and I’m feeling truly grot. Swirling headache, aching joints and a churning stomach are not the best ingredients and preparation for three days on the ocean.
Crawled out of bed feeling exhausted after waking every hour through the night and dragged myself into the shower, wow that’s the sort of wake up I needed. A cold blast of water in the face washing away the cobwebs of my broken sleep.
Bre drove me down to the marina where I met the Fantasea launch and headed across to Shute Harbour, Airlie Beach through the cool morning air, light clouds topping the hills in the distance mimicking the South African Cape Doctor of Cape Town. Arriving at the offices ofExplore Whitsundays, Jess was there to sort out the paperwork in an office which resonated with ringing phones (good to see they’re busy!).
Down at Gloria’s cafe the group had started to gather and mill around, by 9am 20 people were waiting, surely this many people aren’t going on my yacht – at least I hope not, I wanted a personal sailing experience not a tour boat!
Then, Matt, our skipper and teacher for the three day course rocked up, happy and confident. He pulled four of us aside telling us we were the chosen ones for an aquatic adventure on his vessel, Another Fiasco – with all of the others cramming onto a larger yacht thankfully.
Ian (Kiwi), Anthony and Nick (brothers from Sydney) and I formed the students for the next few days. After an extensive safety briefing we boarded our Jutson 43’ - a previous class winner of the Sydney Hobart Yacht Race, dropped into the cabin and grabbed our bunks where we’d rest our weary heads. No hammocks and cramped conditions here, a full fore cabin to try and recover from last nights crap sleep.
Another Fiasco our Jutson design yacht
I’m here to study for my Introduction to Yachting, the first stepping stone in my nautical life, something which I really need in order to sail anything during Hamilton Island Race Week at the end of August. By the time I hit 40 I want to have sailed across an ocean if not around the world and this throws me straight in at the deep end, perfect.
By the time we steered out of the harbour the weather was almost ideal, we could have a little more wind but the sun and the blue of the sky were picture perfect. First thing to learn – steering this puppy, taking the huge helm in my hands I felt a rush of happiness flood through me, the aches and pains of the night had drained from my body leaving me with a euphoric, totally happy feeling.
This thing turns on a dime and is so stable and maneuverable, we practiced handling the boat as it’d be us steering and navigating, using the compass and following a heading using our eyesight and the instruments. Loads of new terminologies to learn as well - halyard, sheet, leech, foot, shackle, tack, jibe. I’d definitely heard of them but couldn’t ever tell you what they meant until today!
Once away from the harbour it was time to get some sail up, the main being the first to attack. Attach the halyard, bring in the sheet and grind until its up and tight – the breeze building filling the Kevlar triangle forcing the boat forwards lifting the bow of the tender and the speed to 7 knots – WAHOOO WE’RE SAILING!!
Learning the skills essential to sailing our new found means of transport was both fun and fairly easy. Matt’s a great teacher and very soon we’d all had a chance to bounce, feed and grind our sails into position, through a couple of tacks and towards our destination for the night, Tongue Bay – just off Whitehaven Beach.
We moored up, watched the last part of the day’s light fade to the horizon, packed the sails away and finally enjoyed a beef curry sat under the stars whilst relaxing in the warm night air punctuated only by the loud cacophony coming from one of our fellow moored yachts full of enthusiastically merry backpackers. Good luck to them, but it did rather spoil the ambiance of the place!
There’s nothing quite as hypnotic and almost maternal as the sound of the waves lapping against the hull and it has to be one of the best ways to fall asleep…
As the morning light flooded through the fore hatch I hauled myself from my bed and up onto the deck, tasting a whiff of the salty air. Sitting in the chilled light seagulls flew past skimming the surface, a turtle surfaced just off the bow, alternating his head and shell before diving below for another mouthful of sea-grass and bodies started to appear on the other craft moored around. The bright light slowly warming me as the wind speed increased….great conditions for day 2.
Leaving the crowds to take the early hike across the peninsula to Betty’s Bay, there were more important things to be getting on with – learning some of the essentials for my International Crew Certificate. The course covers a number of modules all of which touch on important areas of sailing and for the first time in ages I felt as though I was in for some serious learning. Topics such as Boat Handling, Weather, Man Overboard, Rope work, Sail Handling and Navigation all coming on board, so to speak.
I’ve often been on other people’s boats and seen things like green and red marker posts, flashing buoys and channel indicators but never really been able to read them but today was the day when it all dawned on me. The last time I had to tie knots was back in cub scouts when I was eight, the years haven’t been kind to my head and all of that vital information has leaked out so it was back to learning from scratch with things such as the Bowline, Figure of Eight and the Half Hitch – my wee brain still struggles to remember them even now!
After we’d swatted up and bulged the brain with now found info we spotted a gap in the departing crews from the other boats and headed ourselves across to Betty’s Bay through the forested track to the magnificent sight of Whitehaven Beach once more and had an hour playing in the foreshore with the rays and fish who’d pulled in to relax in the warm waters. A little snippet of which can be found below:
Our sailing plan for the day was to head north with the wind at our stern beating a broad reach (ooo look the technical terms are coming out now!) downwind between Border and Dumbell Islands before diving west across the northern extremity of Hook Island and finding some overnight shelter at Stonehaven Anchorage.
As the afternoon drew on the predicted wind speed increased with white tops appearing across the open ocean sending the smaller craft racing for cover in the numerous picturesque little bays which appear all around the Whitsundays, the beauty if being an island? Having one side which is always sheltered from the wind!
The gusty 25 knot blasts of the southerly winds were a real wake up call – this was mad sailing with our yacht Another Fiasco healing over until our leeward rail was almost in the water and us racing along at nearly 11 knots sending spray over us. So how the heck do the round-the-world sailors do it? I’ve made it my goal to conquer the Southern Ocean and this is crazy enough…how would it feel to be racing down 20 metre waves with a 50 knot tail wind?!?
The sun dropped away for the day behind Hayman Island as we cleared the channel and found our anchorage for the night along with the yachts we’d been racing for most of the day…..and beaten even though they were bigger with much more sail area! No names here of course to spare their integrity (begins with ‘c’ ends on ‘ondor!)
Food in the system, we bedded down for a night of rocky, splashing sleep…..
Awaking to more gusting wind, Nick and I jumped into the ocean to wash the night’s sleep away, spotted a whale in the distance off the stern and together with the others prepared our ‘reefed’ sails for the day sailing back across the Whitsunday Passage.
With the wind as unpredictable as was predicted we couldn’t afford to have a full mainsail up so instead the ‘reef’ configuration reduced the sail area by raising only 70% of its height giving us much more control in the heavy conditions. As we cleared our moorings it was obvious to see why….heeling straight over even with the reduced setup.
Matt handed me the helm and we were off again, I love this bit although it does get a tad scary when the gusts you can see racing across the ocean towards you finally hit the sail sending the boat into an accelerated surf across the already angry ocean….adrenaline levels high, shoulders working and the love for sailing quickly building.
Heading across the Whitsunday Passage under 25 knots of wind
The day finally came to a close as we neared Airlie Beach harbour taking our final tack across the wind giving us a clean run back into our destination and arriving perfectly on time to be greeted by the Explore Whitsundays team and Nick/Anthony’s parents, Matt bringing our home for the past few days to a comfortable rest alongside the pontoon.
Well that had the perfect effect:
Ignited my love for the sport so many people participate in round here
Got me out to meet some other holiday makers up for the same thing, and
Started the ball rolling finding a boat to help crew during Hamilton Island Race Week
To have a look at the GPS track of the route we took over the three days, please follow the linked image below or in the right hand sidebar of my blog:
Explore Whitsundays are based in Airlie Beach, carry 30,000 passengers every year who have the chance to take on a marine adventure by sailing, snorkeling, swimming or diving around the islands. I can heartily recommend one of the smaller yachts like Another Fiasco if you really want to crew or actually get involved or one of the bigger Maxi’s if you’d rather someone did it for you. Their fleet includes yachts from 15m up to 23m or even a tall ship for something very different.
I’ve returned home tonight feeling like a salty old sea dog, crisp, sun-kissed and extremely happy. Job done.
