Sailing Whitsunday's - Powerplay

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28/11/2009 - Since we arrived into Airlie Beach so late yesterday we were unable to check in for our Whitsunday’s Sailing trip on board Powerplay. We woke up and checked out of the hostel, we pack a small daypack and left our main luggage in the YHA hostel. We headed to the travel agent who gave us some forms to complete and take on board with us, we sat down at McDonald’s and filled them out. Our boat left at noon so we walked all the way to the marina and eventually found Powerplay being prepared. Powerplay was a catamaran which focused on speed and diving. It was also equipped with a spa bath and had a maximum of 18 passengers. It was more of a luxury boat considering the options available for sailing the Whitsunday’s.

When we arrived we sat and waited for the crew to introduce themselves then had some more paperwork to fill before we could jump aboard. As soon as it was done we all had to put our shoes in the shoe bag then board Powerplay where lunch was waiting for us. The group sat around the table as we listening to our dive instructor, CJ to explain the safety procedures and a little about what we were going over the next couple of days. Afterwards we were all shown our beds for the night, Hannah and I had a nice little double which had 5 small windows, a fan and a portable DVD player, who know why it had that. We were all dragged back onto deck to have a chat about diving, then before long we stopped at the first dive/snorkel sight.

Each dive cost $50-$60 but nearly everyone was happy to give it a go at least once and since we were now certified we were going first. We geared up and boarded the dingy as we headed out to the reef. We all entered the water doing the ‘James Bond’ entry, that is falling backwards out of the boat, something we hadn’t done on our dive trip. We were guided around the reef by CJ it was really good but nowhere near as good as Cairns. Once we ascended CJ took the learners for a dive while we relaxed on deck in the spa bath. At the end of the day when we were no longer going into the water we were allowed alcohol. We sat having a few drinks enjoying mid-afternoon dips and snacks as we watched a beautiful sunset in the Whitsunday’s.

It was a few hours or so until dinner was served, the food was good and plenty and we all ate as much as we could. Tonight we gathered in the dining area to hear from our captain as to where we went and where we will be going tomorrow. Afterwards, we watched a slideshow of photos that had been taken by Roxy our cook. After that everyone was stuffed, most people went to sleep, I stayed up chatting to some of the guys before joining Hannah in bed.

Dive 10
Location: Blue Pearl Reef, Whitsundays
Weather: Sunny/Calm
Visibility: 10-15m
Water Temp: 24C
Max. Depth: 10m
Duration: 35mins

29/11/2009 - Everyone on the boat was woken up quite early this morning since it was already on the move around 5:30AM. We had hardly any time for breakfast before the crew rushed everyone onto the dingy in two separate groups, today we were on our way to Whitehaven Beach. As soon as the first group setoff and arrived at the head of the walking trail all the other sailing boats starting bringing people over. When the rest of the group were here we began the short hike to the other side of the bay where the world famous Whitehaven Beach was. First we went to the Whitehaven Beach lookout. It was a stunning view, perfect white beaches with crystal clear water. It was just a shame that the tide was quite high and most of the beach was not yet visible. We all took photos then continued the walk down onto the beach.

We stepped onto the beach, the perfect white sand felt so soft on your feet. We had a few hours to ourselves on the beach to have a look around and take in the beauty of one of the best beaches on the planet. I took the camera and had a walk around taking loads of photos but no photo can really compare to when you’re here in person. It was so hot I wanted so badly to get into the beautiful water but unfortunately jellyfish were found in these areas. That didn’t stop me from at least walking through the water, it was just amazing. Slowly the tide was going out and more and more of the beautiful white beach was uncovered. After another hour or so it was pretty much time to head back to Powerplay. We all got our stuff and walked back to the other beach where CJ was waiting to pick us up. When everyone was back on the boat, lunch was ready and served.

A little later we were on our way to the next dive spot. However Hannah and I and most of the others decided not to spend the cash on another dive eventhough I really wanted to. Instead I snorkeled around the reef, it was incredible, really good snorkeling. I was a little worried when I spotted at least 30 massive Maori Wasse’s they were absolutely huge. I was swimming around for quite a while before I had had enough, I signaled to our captain to pick me up and he did. The divers said it was quite a good dive so I was a little disappointed that I skipped it, but the snorkeling was well worth it. Once everyone was back on board we headed off to our next dive location, it was a sight where neither the captain or CJ had been before but because of the unusual winds they thought we’d give it a shot.

I wasn’t sure whether or not to go diving again as it would cost another $50 but at the last minute I decided to go for it. I geared up and jumped in and once we were underwater we soon discovered the visibility was shocking, very poor. We swam around with not really much going on until eventually we saw a few sting-rays which was exciting. But besides that it wasn’t the greatest dive, not really worth the expensive price. Afterwards we headed back to the Nara Inlet to anchor the boat for then night. Dinner was then served and afterwards once again we all gathered on deck for another slideshow of photos. It was another early night, everyone on the boat was wrecked.

Dive 11
Location: Sabba Reef, Whitsunday’s
Weather: SunnyMild
Visibility: 6-8m
Water Temp: 24C
Max. Depth: 10m
Duration: 35mins

30/11/2009 - Today was the final day of our adventures on Powerplay. We woke up and ate breakfast, it was then when we were told that due to the unusual winds over the past few days, there would be no diving today. This was quite frustrating because even though I wasn’t planning of another dive, I was looking forward to snorkeling. Instead we were going to do a very short walk to some aboriginal caves in the nearby inlet. After breakfast we were taken across to the head of the trail and once everyone was there started the walk. There were flies everywhere, large Mesh Flies trying to bite everyone. We rushed up to the cave had a look, took a few photos of the spectacular view then rushed back down again. It probably took a total of 15mins, the flies were so bad we just wanted out of there. The captain came to pick us up and take us to Powerplay.

Once everyone was on board we headed back into Airlie Beach. We packed our gear and where ushered outside while the crew clean up, not very fair we all thought. It took around 2 hours to reach Airlie Beach, we arranged to meet later tonight for drinks. It was so hot, as soon as we got back Hannah and I headed to Airlie Beach lagoon and jumped in, it was fantastic. A little later after checking back into our hostel we took it easy for the rest of the day. We did a little shopping and used the internet to update our friends then went back for more shopping. At dinner we made a chicken stir-fry, quite fancy considering we were backpacking, it wasn’t bad either. Hannah also had a go at garlic bread from leftovers we found in the hostel fridge, it wasn’t bad either. Soon after dinner we fell asleep in our room.

Accommodation:
Aboard POWERPLAY Sailing Catamaran

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Photos

Whitsundays
Getting ready to sail the Whitsundays aboard Powerplay.

Whitsundays
Our captain waiting to pick up divers in the beautiful Whitsunday's.

Whitsundays
Watching a stunning sunset aboard our boat, Powerplay in the Whitsunday's.

Whitsundays
The sun has set on another fantastic day in Australia.

Whitehaven Beach
Looking across the beautiful blue waters of Whitehaven Beach, shame about the high-tide

Whitehaven Beach
Stunning pure white sand and crystal clear water of Whitehaven Beach.

Whitehaven Beach
Beautiful crystal clear waters of Whitehaven Beach

Whitehaven Beach
A large Goanna crawling through the trees on Whitehaven Beach

Whitsundays
Crusing around one of the 74 islands which make up the Whitsundays

Whitsundays
Fantastic view of Powerplay from the hiking trail.