Whitsunday Islands via Sailboat

On Thursday morning Debbie and I walked down to the Abel Marina in Airlie Beach to board a sailboat for the day.  We chose this particular boat because we were told he takes no more than eight passengers.  After being on the "tourist boats" twice already this trip we figured it was time for a different type of adventure.

The sailboat we travelled on (yes the sails were up when we were sailing) 

We were greeted by Julie, the husband of skipper Regge.  At this point we found out that there would be just three passengers on the boat - Debbie, myself, and a lady named Rachel.  The three of us boarded the boat and headed out to sea.  Regge was a very informative skipper and it was like he was taking three of his good friends out to sea.  Debbie and I both felt like we were living the high life.  We sailed between the Whitsunday Islands for about two and a half hours before stopping near Black Island.  Regge is the only day tour operator that is allowed to visit the island so Rachel, Debbie and I were left on our own little island. Before being brought to the island Regge made sure we all had snorkels, masks, and wetsuits.  We also had large fish approach us at the boat (Bat Fish I think).  We fed the fish some cookies and then Regge gave us clear instructions on where the good snorkeling was. He then dropped us off on the island.  I took a few photos and then started to snorkel.  Unfortunately at some point doing my snorkel my underwater camera bag decided to leak.  Needless to say my camera may have taken it's final photo.  (After some advice I have rinsed it with fresh water and now I'm just waiting to see if it dries and works again but if it doesn't at least it had a good long life in digital camera speak).

A bat fish (I think) right at the boat's edge.

Mr. Bat Fish under the water.

The wrecked camera bummed me out a bit, but it was old and I knew at some point it would need to be replaced so I didn't let it bother me too much.  After the snorkle Regge returned to the island with some lunch for us.  If I had my camera I would have taken a photo because the lunch looked fantastic.  It included smoked fish and a variety of fruits and vegetables as well as bread and cheese.  It also tasted fantastic.

The little boat that brought us from the sailboat to our private island.

Once lunch was finished we had a bit more time to take in some of the sun before heading back to the marina.  I guess I was feeling a bit cocky because on the trip home I decided not to put my sea bands on.  I figured I'd been on so many boats the past few days without getting sick that maybe I didn't need the bands any more.  Anyhow, big mistake of course.  The waters were super rough (and it was really windy) and my stomach started feeling very unsettled.  Thankfully I didn't throw up but I did spend a fair bit of time laying horizontally at the bottom of the boat for the ride back.  

Overall it was another fantastic day.  Even though my camera may be broken for good, and I spent a good part of the journey home on resting on the deck floor it was still by far my favourite boat journey of this vacation.

Our private reef and island.

Yes, it was a very tough day AGAIN.

Unfortunately Debbie and I are flying back to Melbourne later this evening.  It's been a really wonderful vacation and I even managed to get a bit of sun kissed skin.  It should help get me through the next few weeks of work before I head of to Darwin in early August.