Australia - Airlie Beach Whitsundays – Sailing at the Wet-Sundays, not what I was hoping for and yes I abandoned ship!

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Australia – Airlie Beach Whitsundays – Sailing at the Wet-Sundays, not what I was hoping for and yes I abandoned ship!

The Whitsundays is renowned for being one of the most spectacular places to experience the Great Barrier reef and the normal way of doing this is to join a sailing boat and get out there for a couple of days relaxation along with getting involved with some duties on board. With this knowledge in hand I signed up to go out on an ex-racing yacht called Broomstick and I have to say I was quite excited by the prospect. I had taken sensible precautions and invested in sea sickness tablets so as far as I was concerned I was ready to go.

The morning of departure arrived and I was a little disappointed to see it was raining but it had been doing this now nonstop for so long it seemed the norm. With the rain also comes the wind and while we waited at the marina for my fellow crew mates we were all a little despondent. Because it was low tide we had to take a dingy out to the boat and after ten minutes on the dingy everything I had with me was soaked so that meant no dry clothes for two days, I was still smiling my way through it but some of the team were clearly less than happy. Once on board we got briefed on the boat and the safety aspects and were on our way. Initially the sailing was pretty cool but the weather was relentless, we could not talk because the rain and winds were too strong if you were outside and if you were inside you soon felt sea sick so the options were not great. After a couple of hours five of our twenty three strong crew asked if they could go back because they were not enjoying it, I was very tempted to join them but convinced myself it had to improve, our captain radio for any boats in the area heading back and managed to find someone to take them back, so now there were just eighteen of us. We sailed for about five hours the first day but didn’t do any of the activities such as snorkelling, swimming or island visiting because the weather was too bad therefore making it to dangerous. So we dropped anchor and passed the evening by eating and drinking. Everyone was cold, wet and a little bit down because we all felt it should have been cancelled but clearly the only reason it wasn’t is because the tour company and agents don’t want to give refunds which is disgusting when you really only go out there to see and experience the reef and you can’t see or do anything.

Bed time soon came round and we all did our best to get comfortable which was difficult in a boat that was like a sauna and beds that made you feel like you were sleeping in a morgue. I guess I experienced a very real side to sailing and it’s made me realise I’m only cut out for glamour sailing in perfect clear blue seas on a bright sunny day. Morning came round and six more people asked if there was any way of getting off the boat and back to the main land, the captain again called out on the radio for any boats heading back and found one, this was the point where I decided enough was enough and joined the other six, by the time the boat arrived ten of us got off and left the last eight to it. We made our way back to shore and I was happy to be heading back but so disappointed with the whole experience, I know the weather is out of everyone’s control but when you arrive back at the marina and other boat owners are saying it’s the worst prolonged weather they have seen in years it does add salt into the wound as to why they went in the first place.

Many people from our boat tried to get some sort of refund but got refused because the boat still sailed, I didn’t bother because I already knew the answer and as much as I dislike it I couldn’t be bothered to waste my time on it.

All in all not the Whitsunday experience I had hoped for and to top it off all the roads in and out of Airlie Beach which is the area of the Whitsundays were flooded and no buses could get in or out so I was stuck, what is it with me and floods I seem to attract them were ever I go. I was a touch tentative by this point because my flight left Cairns to New Zealand in six days and I really wanted to get there to see Cape Tribulation and go diving at the reef before it left. After two cancelled busses I managed to leave on the 24^th and would arrive on the 25^th, thankfully I called the airline company and they kindly agreed to put my flight back two days and I have to say the customer service was first class which restored my faith a little in the travel industry, thank you JetStar.

With the Wet-Sundays trip over I was on my way to Cairns to dive at the reef and visit the rain forest, this would be my last few days in Oz and my final chance to see the Reef, please please please let the sun come out!!!!

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