April 10, 2004

Whenever I mentioned that I was travelling to Airlie Beach and the Whitsunday Islands, whomever I was speaking to would exclaim, "You MUST sail the Whitsundays, its the only way to see them." So I did. Or at least I tried.

I booked a yacht trip on the luxury boat Iluka through a company called ProSail. I got a 600 dollar spot for 385 because they were trying to sell out the 16 person boat for the trip leaving the next morning. I chose the Iluka because the other yachts were either full or they were racing maxis, which means that they were built for speed and the only luxury would have been the bunks just inside the hulls. Any rain and I would still be sitting up on deck hanging off the side in a rainslicker with no dry place to go. The Iluka, on the other hand, ended up being a plush little boat with couches and wood and even an Oriental carpet in the living room. Home on the sea.

Unfortunately, the lovely Iluka never really left the marina. Mel, the skipper got her out of the marina and then dropped anchor right in the harbour because the engine wouldnt take us any further. Although she is a sailboat, a running engine onboard is both safe and required by law for the sailing company. We were ferried in by a little motorboat and proceeded to sit in the marina for 25 hours out of the entire 57 hours of the trip. Along with a whole lot of sitting around playing cards, we all had the pleasure of killing time by practicing snorkeling in the lagoon which was a swimming pool with lots of chlorine and tourists but no fish. Imagine how ridiculous we all looked.

We finally set sail the next morning toward the Whitsundays but the weather was rainy and the sea choppy. It wasnt exactly as Id imagined. We stopped for a dive in a little cove but the water was all stirred up so most of what I saw was debris. I did manage to sight a small white tipped reef shark that ended up being a highlight of the dive.

What was lacking in the actual sail was definitely made up for by the crew, the other passengers, and especially the food. We were fed 5 times a day, brekkie, lunch, dinner, and tea two times. Shira and Nadia, our two hostesses, made most of the food themselves and seemed to have a definite liking for cumin. They made an interesting rice dish with cumin and raisins one night and a great pumpkin stew seasoned with cumin another night. I never knew that this overpowering herb could be used in such a multitude of ways. Most likely the reason they used it was because there wasnt much else on hand, but they managed to make the experiment quite successful.

By this time Im afraid Ive managed to sound a bit negative about the trip. On the whole, however, I am quite satisfied. There were definitely moments of golden sun and smooth sailing. I had some great conversations with the other passengers who were a diverse crowd. There was an older couple from Toronto, a young couple from Australia, several Brits, one Scot, and a newlywed American couple who will look for a home once they get back to the US. By look for a home, I mean get in the car in Michigan and drive west until they find a town they want to settle down in. Daniel has been a magician, barista (is that a female connotation?), and wants to be an English teacher and definitely plays a mean game of Hearts. Eva was a dancer and is searching for something to do now that shes married and out of school. One of the British girls is a personal assistant to one of the high ups at a recording label in the UK and gets to go to all of the celebrity galas. She told me a story about interviewing for a job with Claudia Schiffer thinking that she would be a personal assistant/publicity person but found out that it was an interview for a nanny for her soon to be baby.

When alls said and done, Im not sure if Id recommend sailing the Whitsundays as enthusiastically as other people seem to. But if the weather is beautiful and you get a nice boat that doesnt have engine trouble, by all means get to it!