 |
| Sens de La Vie Whitehaven Beach |
Whitsundays 12th to 18th August.
We arrived at Abel Point
Marina in true Capt Mayhem style with 50 racing yachts all departing out of the
Marina to start the race course. Crazy, boats going in all directions causing
me much concern squeezing our boat through the middle of them in the narrow
channels of the Marina. Meanwhile Capt Mayhem is waving and being very
socialable.
WE had the pleasure of
welcoming on Board our guest crew Mike and Kim O’Regan. sailing with us for a
week.
Mike brought up the water
heater on the plane which we were ever so grateful which was not an easy task
with a half meter cube box weighing 30kilos.
The heater I organised over very limited reception finding the exact
make and model of our old one. True to
the reputation of Raritan water heaters our heater lasted 25 years, so good a
product that nothing has change in its design; it should be a simple retro fit.
After spending an enormous
amount of time preening myself in the luxury amenities that Able Point Marina
have installed in the new section of the marina we welcomed on board our guests
and a dear friend Leesa who is travelling in the area with her border collie
dog Flynn. Sundowners on board with our visitors resulted in lively conversation
over too many champers.
A relaxing evening at award
winning Hemingway’s Restaurant and Bar and catching up with the Skipper Phillip
Bell of the Yacht She; who is competing in the Whitsundays Yacht Race
week. Mike, Phillip and Terry are all
part of the Engineering brains trust of the Gold coast, who have worked
together for over 30 years on major projects across the Gold Coast.
3
engineers go into the Bilge
“Should
I call a Plumber?” I said
Mike the Hydraulic Engineer,
Terry Civil Engineer, and Phillip Structural Engineer called a site meeting to
discuss the replacement of the heater system and pressurizing the heat exchange
system from the motor. Rum was involved,
much debate, swearing, every tool imaginable strewn across the cabin, one sore
back, one cut finger and one sore leg.
The project was completed with
some on the spot modifications and repairs to existing plumbing requiring 2
trips to the plumbing suppliers.
Kim and I took off to do a
spot of shopping during the installation as my running commentary was not
appreciated. We got off the marina only
to be herded on a bus with 500 people coming off the Dawn Princess. We had
become part of the cruise ship tour bus to Airlie.
What a great tourism dollar
injection this ship gives to Airlie. Music at every corner, Buskers and markets
were on and every restaurant and shop was full of passengers from the
cruiser. The little tourist village was
alive with happy travelers.
Damage can be still seen as
some buildings are still under repair but the vibe in Airlie village is
positive and certainly thriving with tourists. Spoke to a couple of retailers
and they all commented that the cruise ships have given Airlie the boost it
needed and they are recovering despite delays in some restoration work.
WE provisioned in the
afternoon when I secured the courtesy car and made our plans for our next
anchorage.
Leaving Airlie in true Capt
Teza style of mayhem and chaos we departed with the fleet of racing yachts into
20 knot winds.
An exhilarating sail across
the Whitsunday Passage doing 12 knots under sail was an exciting debut for our
crew. The guest crew learnt very early that they must secure items when under
sail. We were sailing on a list by 30 degrees
with fruit, water bottles, sun cream and other personal items all
sliding on the saloon floor. We headed to Nara inlet but the swell in this
normally calm anchorage was not bearable and our crew were starting to look a
little green.
We made passage to the
protective anchorage of Cid harbor until the blow dissipated in a couple of
days.
Time spent reading fishing and
just relaxing in Cid Harbour was very welcomed by all.
The fish have all disappeared
and no crabs were caught. With little
rain the fish are all upstream in waterways.
After the winds settled we
made our way to Whitehaven beach via Hamilton Island in perfect sea conditions.
Whitehaven Beach is beautiful,
and I enjoyed my first swim in the crystal clear waters. Damage is evident from the cyclone with the
foreshore trees all dead along the entire beach creating a grey wall of debris
and fuel for fires.
It’s a fire hazard to have so
much fuel of dead trees. I guess the
budget to clean up and do restoration work did not extend far enough to
National Parks. I am hopeful they have a replanting program to restore the
beach front.
 |
| Whithaven Beach |
We anchored overnight enjoying
the calm and the quiet lapping of waves on the beach.
Next morning we headed to
Butterfly Bay for a snorkel. Perfect conditions and we were blessed by the
presence of whales along the eastern side of Hook Island.
 |
| Whale |
I have snorkelled in Butterfly
bay many times over 20 years. Butterfly
bay was the first to be hit by crown of thorns many years ago which wiped out
most of the coral but I am pleased to say even with some damage by the cyclone
it has restored, and interesting that it has more species of coral than I have
seen in the past. I got to swim with a
turtle which was a bonus. On this
occasion I did not see the big Wrasse that reside in the bay but I am sure to return to explore more of
the coral reefs at Butterfly Bay whilst in the Whitsundays.
 |
| Australian Surveillance Plane Hook Passage |
 |
| Capt Teza Fishing |
After a late lunch we headed
for Stone Haven , North tip of Hook Island in mill pond conditions , relaxing
with a few too many cocktails and a lot of merriment from the crew as we were
on a high from a wonderful day in perfect conditions.
Our Crew Kim and Mike had a
wonderful time and gained a new appreciation for the wonderful scenery and
pristine waters of the Whitsundays. They travel overseas regularly and enjoy their
travels to different countries and cultures but remarked that this trip
inspired them to see more of this beautiful country we call Aus.
Good Food, good company,
beautiful surroundings, perfect weather, whales, turtles, dolphins lots of
laughs all aboard Sens de la Vie.
We are truly grateful of our
experiences in life.
No comments:
Post a Comment