Oh what a trip!
One of the many manmade lagoons we saw in Australia, offering beautiful swimming space to the public, adjacent to the open water
I've been asked what my favorite part of this trip was, and sailing the Whit Sundays is in the top two. We arrived by train to Arlie beach and had a few hours to explore before heading to our sailing vessel.
Keilie seeming pretty relaxed at the prospect of an afternoon on her own!
We embarked on the Boomerang, a Maxi vessel which competed in worldwide sailing competitions in her former life, boasting the international title of fastest sailing vessel in 1989 and 1990.
Sailing the Whit Sundays
The crew asked for help in hoisting the enormous mast. As a sailer, I knew my dad would love it if I participated, so I jumped at the chance! It was not an easy job, but I ended up helping every time the masts were needed.
Taking the dingy out to a little island to watch the sunset
The little island had a number of interesting sculptures, including this giant spider with a military helmet and a machine gun...
Have I mentioned the food?
On the island we were served afternoon tea, set up on another of the odd scultpures
The sunset was breathtaking, and the company was perfect. True to our group dynamic, we played games, goofed off (including a high jump contest); we even had a talent show.
While the nights were cold, when the wind was low, the weather was absolutely gorgeous!
We spent the day laying in the sun, journaling, and enjoying the views. During our second day, we saw a sea turtle surface momentarily before diving back down. We also saw humpback whales! We saw a pod breaching, including a baby whale, while at the same time, off the opposite end of the boat, I saw a giant humpback tail flapping! It was simply majestic.
We snorkeled twice during this second day. The first site had an unimaginable array of fish. Every size, color, and shape you can imagine! The Whit Sundays are located on the inner Great Barrier Reef, so the sites were beautiful.
The second site we went to had far less fish, but a lot more live coral. Both sites were very cold!
Our coolest of cool guides, Keilie
After two snorkels, our day wasn't over!
Next we headed to White Haven Beach for beautiful views, more crazy fine silica sand, and the chance to see sharks and stingrays.
Lookin' like a local, y'all
The only beaches I've seen to rival our beautiful Gulf Coast
Getting up close to a wild stingray
We saw baby nurse sharks in a little lagoon, but they were so fast, there was no way to snap a picture
Our second night on the Boomerang was reserved for our 'fancy dress' party. We were all excited to don our findings from the Op Shop
What a good looking group!
My costume came together around a pair of white fuzzy boots in a matter of minutes. Daniel's took forever...as in 30 minutes past closing for the Op Shop and we were still struggling to find the right ladies wear for his broad shoulders. The tight purple pants were a perfect fit, though, after the Op Shop attendant swore up and down he would not be able to get them on.
In the end, Daniel took the best looking purple jacket and cut the sleeves and the back to get it to fit over the mesh shirt he picked up.
The evening began with a catwalk to determine best costume. As many may know, Daniel and I love a good costume party, and have a bit of a competitive side in each of us. Not surprisingly, the costume catwalk was determined to be a tie....between the two of us.
A mama polar bear and Prince
You can't see my fuzzy boots which were the cornerstone of the costume, and a real threat to my safety when dancing on a boat at night, but they were awesome.
A tie was declared with a dance off to determine the winner. I was ready, set, go, until Daniel broke out the worm....on the deck of a boat. I conceeded in a doubled over fit of laughter and pride. My man has moves!
The mayhem continued with more games and dancing
We played a game where we had to pass an orange under our chins and a pool noodle between our legs...no hands. Made for great pictures!
Drea the pirate passing the orange to Autumn the 80s yoga instructor
The laughter was endless even though our team lost!
This picture is so great. Agho as John Hammond (Jurassic Park) giving up control as Nicole passes an orange in PJs
The next game was an over under game where we had to take a boat rope through our costumes, alternating going up or down.
I will not share pictures from my end. I was last in line for my team and we had a big lead after losing the orange noodle game. I was doing just fine getting the rope through my little romper when my dear friend and teammate, Drea, came to help. She pulled the rope so fast, it snapped the buttons on my romper! We managed a win with my teammates taking control of the rope while I clung to my costume! Again, we were locked in a tie.
The tie breaker of the team games was again determined by a dance off (there was a definite trend going on here). Daniel, Bryan, and Agho were all on one team and danced to Genuwine's Pony, which we somehow heard at least four times during the trip, so it kind of became the theme song.
Bryan was in a wet suit with a little hat and a hobby horse for a perfect jockey costume.
He made the most of his prop for his dance moves!
My team danced to Barbie Girl, with a storyline and props....unfortunately, with Abi and Emily acting as horses while Bryan and Daniel rode onto the scene, I lost to Daniel...again.
While I now see it was justified, my competitive side got the best of me, and I ended the night having a heated discussion with our skipper, Turtle, about how I felt cheated from the win. He was a good sport and we all had a great time that night!
The next morning we were all a bit tired and cold, but the wind had picked up so we were ready to officially experience sailing the Whit Sundays
I took advantage of having my polar bear gloves!
Getting ready to set sail
We sailed back to the harbor and it was an experience of a lifetime. The winds were gusting at 36 knots, which is really strong in case you're not sure! We were all on the high side, legs over the edge and holding on, as the low side was literally under water for much of the way. The waves were enormous! It was loud, and cold, and fast, and exhilarating!
While I absolutely loved it, I think Drea enjoyed it the most, and I was lucky enough to be sitting next to her. Drea's enthusaism helped me forget that I was freezing and truly enjoy the experience. She was talking about how fun it would be to live the life of a sailor. I hope I hear many stories of future sails from you, Drea!!
Our path through the Whit Sundays
We had an absolute blast on the Boomerang. This marked the climax of our G Adventure tour, and were three days I will remember forever.
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