Airlie Beach

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Whitsundays

Captain Birdseye would've been proud. We had decided on an "interactive' sailing experience round the Whitsunday Islands, so rather than stretching out on deck for the trip, we threw ourselves at the mercy of Neptune, on a Pro-Sail Maxi racing yacht, with us tourists paying for the privilege of hoisting sails etc. The boat was called Apollo, god of the sun, dancing, music and festivities. Unfortunately the gods on Olympus (Greek/Roman.. same same!) weren't playing fair, with very little wind meaning that the engine was used more frequently than the sails, but there was plenty of sun, music and festivities!

There was a good mixed group on the boat, with French, German, English...and of course the obligatory Irish, as we met up with Alex and Lyle at the tail end of their summer trip, mournfully facing flights back to Ireland after the Whitsundays.

The pictures of the Whitsunday islands truly do them no justice, with pristine white sand and tropical turquoise waters. It was like stepping into a postcard (Mary Poppins-style) with the silica sand - so powder-fine that one particular man, who thought it was a good idea to carry 2kg of the stuff back home as an abiding memory of the place, got stopped by Customs for smuggling suspected cocaine!

Snorkelled a couple of times on the trip, but water was so cold (in our compulsory lycra stinger suits reminiscent of ski-pants of the 80s) we didn't stay too long, although saw more turtles, and plenty of huge, obviously well-fed on coral, parrot fish. This is whale migration season at the minute, and we were fortunate enough to come across a mother and baby whale on our trip - it was amazing watching the whales breach, and flip their tails in the water.

We had better food on the boat, thanks to our own chef Jenelle, than we had seen for the past 6 months, with steak, potatoes and garlic bread for dinner on the last day. I was introduced to the glory of "Goon", the Aussie slang term for multiple litres of wine served in a cardboard box......quantity and not quality was the order of the day!

Mayoooooooo

Got back on the 3rd day of the trip just in time for the Mayo match at 1am in Paddy's Shennagins in Airlie Beach. Words fail me. Looks like it's on to cheapflights.com or some such equivalent for some flights back home for the final!......that, or get on to Gerry Ryan with my sob story....

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Photos

Charlie's Angel..
..Thomas wanted to keep his stinger suit, but didn't think it would get through Customs

Comments

[Edmond]

The Match
What a Match, for a while it looked like "the Mill at the Hill II" was going to explode, game of the century!! so so so sweet to beat the dubs!!!! Mayo Abu!

[Gareth]

Dub-ble disaster...
Sunday - a black day. Mayo like a phoenix from the flames, rise up and defeat the Dubs, followed by a Derry victory over Shelbourne in the FAI Cup. Adding insult to injury I had to spend 2 hours editting the Shels game for highlights and interviews, reliving the goal too many times. Well done to Mayo all the same and I will be shouting for ye in the final. I'm off to cry into my keyboard....

[Phelim]

Oz / Mayo
Good to see your still alive and kicking. For a while we thought Hisbola or their equivalent out in Asia had recruited you. Instead of the Columbia 3 it would have been the Geesala 1. Oz must have been a big disappointment for you...... imagine travelling half way around the world to wonderful Austrailia to be greated with Sea and Rock - sure you would have got that in Mayo. Are you coming home for the All Ireland. Oul Mickey has made some job of you's. The only thing is you have yet to have a "MAYO DAY" in the championship and I hope it doesn't come in the final again like 2004. If Thomas gets that 2Kg of stuff home there will be some party in Mayo on the 3rd sunday in September.

[Louise - F*cker]

HEY
Hey Rachael and Tom, omg, hahahaha just seen Tom in the stinger suit.........hilarious. Sorry about the Match Rachael but in a way at least the didn't win without you there. Fermangh knew Oonagh and I were away in Oz you see so they held back this year. As for next though, who knows Rach, might see you both in Croke park head to head. hehehe So where are you both now????