Sailing round Whitsundays

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Got back from our trip round the Whitsundays a couple of days ago. If you ever have the chance to visit, especially from a yacht, do it. They are simply beautiful - as you will see from the photos. We spent three days and nights on board the Solway Lass, a 127-ft ketch, built in 1902. which carries 11 sails, 7 crew and 26 passengers. The weather was glorious- clear blue skies, sunshine, light winds (too light, alas, to use the sails). The stars were fabulous at night. Spent the first day snorkelling and then swimming off Whitehaven Beach (6 km of pristine crystalline sands and the bluest water) and the following day snorkelling/diving or chasing the whales who appeared in the distance. Finished by chilling out on a deserted beach, drinking champagne and watching the sunset (whales in the distance, too), and then dancing in the moonlight on the roof of the wheelhouse until they shut the bar (midnight, so not too late.) The less said about black Sambuca the better. Managed not to fall off roof, boat or bunk! Great crew, great crowd of people (with 6 girls to our cabin, this was a good thing) and a great few days.

An unforgettable experience. Can't wait to get back to the tropics, but now planning routes through the glaciers and fjords of South Island. Love, Nicky.

It was indeed an incredible few days. The weather was fantastic throughout, to the extent that I unfortunately now have lobster red legs - thank god for aloe vera gel. I finally tried scuba diving, as well as snorkelling, seeing multi-coloured coral forests, inhabited by rainbow fish and turtles (didn't like the jellyfish however), and one night we were visited by a dolphin. Black sambuca is, it turns out, blue, and creates a lovely violet stain on anything white.

Now cooling down in Christchurch (had to go out and buy some thermals), which has a very English feel to it. love Em

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