A BAREBOAT CHARTER, WHITSUNDAYS

with sails full and trimmed

COVID19 has certainly shaped many of our plans this year and who knows for how long. Christine and I had booked a three week Greek Bareboat Charter from Kos for September but were halted in our tracks. Queensland Yacht Charters’ enticing emails for Whitsunday sailing caught our attention and presented us with an opportunity to escape South Australia so in November, we were fortunate enough to do our third Whitsunday trip as we kinda like these holidays. QYC’s Kiwi2, a 2019 Beneteau Oceanis 51.1, just happened to be available and what a delight she was to sail. Fostering a Gilligan’s Island theme for a little fun, a mixed bag of sailors from the CYCSA, Squadron and Port Vincent departed Adelaide, hiring Kiwi2 for 11 nights from Airlie Beach. I have previously skippered charters with ‘brave’ friends with little to no sailing experience. Armed with a crew of seasoned and experienced sailors, we worked Kiwi2’s tell-tales and explored grounds further afield in conditions QYC probably don’t need to know about. In appreciation to QYC, they trusted us with our passage plan but said “you’re on your own Darren” - beauty! With an extended survey limit we were able to explore from Bowen to Mackay. Good winds and at times with conditions not wise to fully disclose, Kiwi2 excelled. We thoroughly enjoyed our time south around the Lindeman Islands however a few eyebrows were raised by some privately owned cruising yachties asking “what is a charter boat doing this far south?” They soon discovered we were one of them, or at least we wanted to be, Grotty Yachties! Brampton and Goldsmith Islands were abundant with turtles and an occasional dugong and other locations worth mentioning are Keyser Island and Chance Bay on Whitsunday Island. Cruising and racing clearly have two different mindsets. Being actively involved with both enabled us to push the boundaries on this trip, feeling comfortable and relaxed away from other charter boats, being self-sufficient, and trusting in our sailing abilities to remain safe. The group certainly seemed to smile when winds climbed into the 30 knots plus. This holiday enabled Christine, Maya and Daeleen many hours on the helm to enhance their overall sailing knowledge whilst cruising not racing; velocity made good (VMG) discussions were rightly BANNED! Darren, Alan, and Mal also had plenty of time to refine their knowledge with boat skills finding work arounds for a dead starter battery and some problematic marine electronics, setting anchors correctly so the skipper could sleep peacefully at night and importantly, pulling the boat apart to fix the air conditioner unit in the V-berth that had stopped working on a hot and humid Hamilton Island overnighter, again so the skipper could sleep peacefully. We had a fabulous time on the ocean aboard Kiwi2. As sailors we embrace these valuable moments: laughter, regular tastings of Sailor Jerry and his associates, good music and great company. 200nm of wind in our sails, we returned smilingly exhausted.

Darren Harvey

Christine & Darren