Whitsundays: So I get a little seasick

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I've never experienced seasickness before, but this trip would be a different story. The sailing trip was on a maxi boat called the Boomerang. A maxi boat is basically a large sailing boat that used to race. The trip was a 2day/2night sail around the island that included stops at multiple beaches, snorkeling spots, swimming areas, etc. I was again paired with a random group of 24 other people. I turned out to be the only American. Everyone could fit into the category of European with locations like Germany, Italy, Wales, England, Ireland and Switzerland. Including the crew we had 29 which proved to be pretty tight sleeping/living conditions.

We boarded the boat in the afternoon and quickly took off for Hook Island. From here we did some snorkels and just swam around. There is basically zero waves here because the Barrier Reef kills them some ways off the coast lines. After a quick dip in the water we headed to our docking destination in an inlet. The weather turned crappy at night which kept us off the topside so the wine drinking went on below deck. Most of our transporation for day 1 was using the motor and almost no sails. Day 2 would be much different.

A quick jump plunge woke us and readied us for sailing at 7:30. The winds were higher today so we'd be putting up the sails and cutting the engines. The sails went up around 9 and that is when the issues began. I wish I could describe the angle we were sailing at, but everyone in the boat had to sit on the high side which was way up in the air. Anything not tied down tumbled off into the water. I passed on seasickness pills but about 45 minutes into a 3 hour sail I started feeling queezy. I moved to the rear of the boat with the crew and was forced to heave into a bucket because of the crazy angles. They didn't want me leaning over the edge.

After a few more bucket sessions we arrived at Whithaven Beach which made it all worth it. The sand is 99.98% silica and it again resembled powdered sugar. It is notorious for destroying phones and digital cameras The pictures don't do it justice. After a few hours on the beach I was feeling better again. The rest of the time we motored to our destinations.

The next night was clear and I've never seen so many stars before. Besides out boat lamps the closest artificial light was 20 miles away. We all hung out on the deck with the crew drinking till about 1am and looking at the starts. Again, the sights overshadowed my stomach. Luckily a very nice Korean couple gave me some of their pills. I met a ton of great people, too bad they were all heading south. I might meet up with some of the Welsh girls later in the trip. Sorry this was so long. I'll keep it down next time.

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Photos

Boomerang
The trusty maxi racing boat, boomerang.

Raising the Sails
Contributing to my own downfall

Comments

[Megan]

Okay, I'm officially ready to come back!