Read how you can be a boat Captain without a boat licence!
Easily the most beautiful place in Australia, the Whitsundays should be on everyone's bucket list.
Location: The Whitsundays
Highlights not to miss:
- Captain your own yacht or catamaran without needing a boat licence
- View the shifting sands of Whitehaven beach from Hill Inlet Lookout
- If you have a little girl who believes in Mermaids visit Daydream Island
- Swim in the beautiful Airlie Beach Lagoon
- Scoot around Hamilton Island in a golf buggy
- Snorkel around the island coves
- Fishing from the back of your own private boat
- Lookout for turtles in Tongue Bay
- Try and dinghy up Hill Inlet (we failed but it was a lot of fun trying!)
- Get a window seat on the flight to Hamilton Island to view the picturesque Whitsunday islands on the way down.
The Whitsundays is made up of 74 small islands off the coast of northern Queensland, and I am a lucky woman to have ticked the Whitsundays off my bucket list in style! Picture this, a huge Highland 35 power catamaran, two thirty year olds and a kid floating away from the safety of a marina without any sea experience. No experience driving a boat, no boat licence and no idea how to read a sea navigator, or use a map, ruler and a compass! One of the adults also gets extremely sea sick!
My experience with Cumberland Charter Yachts started by flying from Melbourne to Hamilton Island. With baggage in tow we walked over the steep hill to the Marina where our boat guide was waiting. After a half day induction, including where to find everything on the boat and the trick to using the on board toilet (which I may have forgotten later) got us ready to tackle the seas!
The induction was information overload for a couple of amateurs however the hard copy manual came in very handy. Eagerly popping more Travel calm, we dropped our Guide off at Daydream Island and feeling insane that we decided to skipper a 34 foot catamaran we uncontrollably laughed as we pulled solo out of the marina.
From Daydream Island we safely sailed in and around the other islands and across to Airlie Beach. We were not allowed to sail out to the Great Barrier Reef however it didn't matter. The coral around the islands were amazing. The colours, the fish, the shallowness of the water were perfect for the three of us.
5 year old Princess found it difficult to snorkel, the whole breathing through her mouth and not through your nose really confused her! A few mouthfuls of seawater also left her very frustrated! Instead, I gave her the goggles and mouthpiece and dangled her over the side of the dinghy so she just had her face in the water. She didn't use the snorkel to breath, however it gave her the idea. Dangling, she was intent on using the snorkel as a microphone! All I could hear were sea gurgles, "Ahhhhhh", "Oooooh", preeeeeety feeeeeshes" "Muuuuuummmmy, starrrrrggghhhhffffiiissshhh". It was an amazing experience to cherish.
Sailing across to Airlie Beach was especially special. It was the first time we left the safety of the island coves and headed into the ocean. It took a couple of hours to get there and the tide was in. This meant we were able to dinghy pretty much all the way up the beach. We thought that was amazing.
After a fun filled day swimming at Airlie Beach Lagoon, walking along the main strip and shopping in the eclectic shops, we were finally ready to head back to the boat. To our dismay, the tide was all the way out, and our dinghy was now beached!
It was so hot, stupidly very sunburnt I had only worn my thongs. The dinghy was so heavy and we must have looked ridiculous because an English barefoot backpacker came and saved us! He was so kind and helped haul the dinghy into the shallows so we could continue the rest of the way. I was so grateful. I couldn't praise him enough, especially given he walked out over the rocks without any shoes on. He was definitely my hero.
The highlight of the trip was being the Captain of "Cumberland Fling" without any kind of experience. The magnificent views, beautiful coral and fish and Whitehaven beach were all amazing. The worst part of the trip was the heat of the sleeping cabins, however with fans and the portholes open we managed to get used to the early November humidity and the gentle rocking motion.
One experience I could have done without was forgetting to lift the handle of the toilet to ensure the dirty water didn't splosh all over the bathroom! I knew there was something I missed in our induction!
Another lesson I quickly learnt was making sure everything was tied down! We hired a kayak but never got to use it because the ore disappeared. A couple of towels, some clothes and the Captain's cap blew into the midnight zone. Losing the metal pole used to bring the anchor back up was by far the most soul destroying loss. It dropped off the bow as I hopelessly watched it drown in the crystal clear water. That was terrible! That meant I had to physically touch the muddy metal chain which was full of seaweed and all other interesting microbes!
Princess thought it was hilarious that I fell off the back of the boat to catch her sinking denim shorts. I thought I took a heroic leap to save them only to get back in the boat and notice I had bruised my back on the rope in the process!
Overall, the whole holiday was one I would certainly do again one day. The crew at Cumberland Charter Yachts were amazing and they made the experience even better with the radio calls. The induction allowed two amateurs to anchor at the marinas and buoys, experience everything we wanted to see, the food package was amazing and overall we http://www.tourismwhitsundays.com.au/loved every bit of it!
This is not an advertisement for Cumberland Charter Yachts. I'm just a travel blogger sharing my amazing experience! Please share this article with your family and friends so they may be able to experience the Whitsundays too!
Further resources
http://www.tourismwhitsundays.com.au/
http://www.ccy.com.au/