Yaarrrrr!

Yo Ho Ho Ho, a pirates life for me. Well that was the image i had in my head before we went on this sailing trip (along with scurvy and lots of rum). Andrea and Elayne had images of the QE2, strawberries and champagne. I can say now, it was a lot closer to what I imagined.

It was a 3 day sailing adventure around the Whitsunday islands. We were greeted at the marina by Rohan (the skipper) and Jimmy(the deckhand), i'll get onto these two in a moment, they deserve their own section. Simply getting on the boat was a problem for the ladies, then the other bombshell came for them...not allowed to wear shoes on the boat. There was another group of 4 people coming with us, two Aussies and two kiwi's. We were given a brief guide of the rules whilst on deck, and then taken downstairs in pairs to our rooms. We could only go in pairs 'cause there really wasn't enough room downstairs. Andrea and my room (well i thought it would be Andrea and Elayne's) was right at the bow(front) of the ship. Gonna use nautical terms at it sounds like I learnt something. Anyway, here's the layout. Even with short arses like Andrea and myself, we could actually reach the end of the bed with our toes when on it. Tim, you really would of had a problem, not to mention a very sore head 'cause of it being so low. That tiny little bit of grey just above the cooker on the port side was where Elayne would eventually sleep. She said it was very comfy, but i think she was just being polite.

The first day we set sail for some snorkeling at Blue Pearl bay at Hayman Island, then snorkeled somewhere else probably just off the west coast of Hook Island. We saw some pretty nice fish and the most amazing coral whilst snorkeling throughout our trip here, far better than anywhere else we've snorkeled. Finally we set anchor for the evening at Nara Inlet on Hook Island. Definitely, no snorkeling here as it is a hammerhead shark breeding ground...gulp! Due to the fact that we were at the marina for 8 in the morning, sailing all day and stuff, you're pretty exhausted by the time sun goes down, so after some food and drinks it's pretty much time for bed. Sleep the first night was ok, a little weird getting used to the noises and the rocking but ok nonetheless. The skipper went to sleep in the main sail, whilst jimmy had this special seagoing tent/bivouac to sleep in on the deck. After a little rain in the first evening, the skipper got out of the sail and slept in the saloon section of the boat with Elayne, and also Brook (one of the 4) who couldn't sleep because of a power struggle for the duvet with her boyfriend.

Let me give you a little description of the skipper and the deckhand. Both, have lived their whole lives at sea. The skipper seemed to come from a very well to do family and was only 21, although experienced. Jimmy, was a 30 year old veteran fisherman, used to the really bad seas around Antarctica for months at a time. Jimmy had some pretty amazing tattoos. As you can tell these two were from completely different backgrounds, Jimmy spent most of his time shouting at Rohan for being a complete idiot. Fishermen can have some quite colourful language at times, probably not far off Dockers and Americans. Rohan is Jimmy's boss tho! you could never tell. Somehow, Rohan just took it all on the chin, i think he's a deep respect of Jimmy.

In the morning (around 7), it was up for small hike on hook island which would take in some aboriginal cave drawings and a great lookout. Andrea got bit in the cave 'cause of all the bugs there. Then back on board for breakfast. This day was going to involve a lot of sailing as everyone wanted to go onto Whitehaven beach, there was also a warning, it will be a rough journey for around 2 hours. When a sailor says this, he means it. You can't stay downstairs in rough weather unless you were a fisherman like Jimmy (who was studying), or stupid like me (who was just reading). Apart from the rocking around, i knew something was afoot when the skipper shouted down for Jimmy to get the waterproofs. I could see that the ones on deck were getting hammered by the waves, but it wasn't until i started to feel a bit sick and had to go up did i realise that they looked like drowned, miserable, rats. I could see all the romance of sailing shatter in Andrea's eyes.

When we got to our destination, it was a bite to eat, and then a dingy ride over to the beach on the other side of the peninsula to Whithaven beach. Then another hike, this time a longer one, which took in big Lizards and Green Tree Ants. Let me tell you that I licked an ants bum and it tasted of lemon sherbert, even Andrea did ! Elayne never, 'cause she never wanted to return to England and have that story to tell. If ever you're downunder, try it, it's quite weird...i wouldn't go putting them in your gin and tonic tho. Even wikipedia doesn't acknowledge that fact, hrm...might edit that page. The thing that tickled me about the ants was that when your finger got close to them, they reared up and got all aggressive probably saying stuff like "come and have a go if you think you're hard enough".

Whitehaven beach looked amazing from the air, but on it was amazing. Simply the best beach I have ever been on, and not a person or building in sight. The sand is that pure, that they use it for making lenses on mega telescopes (The Hubble was one). We played tri-nations beach cricket, and I can say that we did England proud that day. The Kiwi's and Aussies are a bunch of pansies. After the beach, it was a sail back the way we came, this time with the waves not against us, to anchor up on the west side of Whitsunday Island. This was to prove quite an interesting night.

After a little food and drink whilst watching the sunset, it was time for a spot of fishing. Now I love fishing lots and have done it most of my life (except not in Manchester), Andrea wanders along, on fire from catching her first ever fish in Fiji, and goes and catches a shark ! I caught nothing all night by the way. When i get permission to upload the picture of the shark (Andrea says she needs airbrushing like a top model) i'll put it up for all to see. The shark has already grown a foot since Andrea caught it...she'd make a great fisherman. By the time we're in England, expect I expect for her to expanded it to Jaws or Flipper size.

That night it blew an absolute gale ! The ship was rocking heavily, creaking, the wind truly howling. Most of us didn't get much sleep. The skipper, again made is way downstairs for the evening to sleep in the saloon with Elayne and Brook. The rocking was so bad, that at some point Rohan fell off his bed and straight down ontop of Brook! I don't quite know how she took that. Jimmy, the trooper he was, stayed tied onto the mast on deck, he said that he spent most of the night floating in the air :D.

The day after was some extreme snorkeling in the sea (i was getting washed away with the current so Jimmy had to pick me up in the dingy), a bit of food, then the journey back with a little sparkling wine. The trip back was great, nice winds and waves, sun beating, ipod playing on deck...it was almost as Andrea and Elayne imagined it :)