Wednesday 2nd March - Whitsunday Islands

---

We are up at around 7:00 and go for breakfast at around 08:00.
When we return to our room the luggage has been packed up and moved to reception. We checked out and got a courtesy car to the marina to catch our ferry to the mainland (Shute Harbour) We then got a bus to take us to the Abel point marina to check-in for the sail, but we are sailing with Whitsundays Sailing Adventure, and we find out that we need to check in at the office in the main street of Airlie Beach so we have a 10 min walk back to their office in town. We check in and find out that there are only a total of 8 people on this sailing! It is about lunctime now so we take the opportunity to grab lunch while we are in town. We also go to an internet cafe to catch up on e-mails, check the bank account etc.

We make our way back to the marina, we are to be met at around 15:00. We have some time to kill. So Di goes shopping and buys shoes. She can't make her mind up between two pair, so the shopkeeper makes her an offer and she ends up buying both! She also buys some sea-sickness pills as she is still worried about the sailing.
Three-o-clock comes around and we are met by three members of the Pacific Sunrise crew. We are allocated cabins we are in the "Blue Pearl" cabin. We went on board and are offered water/tea/coffee and are then taken to our cabin. It is really good and must be the best cabin on the vessel. We have a sizeable room on the top deck with air-con and en-suite. The room has windows all around the room, and there is a sun deck just outside our door. - It is great! We are given a safety brief by Jessie, who organises all the diving and snorkelling. Then Captain Shay then tells us about the route we will take, something about the Whitsunday Islands and its marine life. Shay is agreat guy with a good sense of humour. He also plays guitar, he has two on board and I get a shot of them from time to time. He has a Tanglewood 6 string acoustic and a small (miniturised) guitar called a “Backpacker” (I must look into getting one of these when I get back to the UK!). We set of “sailing”- actually there is not enough wind for the sails so we are using the motor. We have sparkling wine and canapés on the way and get to know the other passengers. There is an English couple in the process of emigrating to New Zealand, a couple from California on honeymoon and a young German couple, the girl had just finished a PHD in the UK and is taking sometime out before going into the “real world”. There are 5 crew on board. As well as Shay and Jessi, there is the chef and two other girls

We have dinner at around 19:00 it is a 3- course meal, the main course being Salmon. We all sit together around a big table. The food is excellent. After dinner Shay takes us up to the top deck and points out the stars to us. After the talk we had on stars when at the Kings Canyon Wilderness Lodge, Di and I have enough knowledge to be dangerous and can spot the Southern Cross and Orions Belt. He then shines a torch into the water and it is teeming with sealife. We see squid chasing and catching smaller fish. And a large fish called a Ramora that attaches itself to the bottom of the boat that is then makes an appearance, the fish is quite large and is a lovely blue colour. Although this is really amazing, it is just a taster for what we will see in subsequent nights (and days).
We turn in after a long enjoyable day. Tomorrow we are going to the beach in the morning.

---