Yachties often say you don’t want friends or family to stay on board for too long. But we feel differently about that; we think guests are golden! We had Wade’s cousins Grant and Deb with us for 3 days, and it just was not enough. If work did not get in the way for them, we would have loved them to stay longer. We had so much fun and jam-packed our time together.
Great sailing, snorkeling, sightseeing, feasting. Among the places we visited for a few hours or overnight were Bauer Bay on South Molle Island, Butterfly Bay on Hook Island, Langford Island, Blue Pearl Bay on Hayman Island and Stonehaven on Hook Island. Here is a chart with the spots we stopped at marked in orange.
There were a few firsts for Grant and Deb: swimming with Batfish, spotting a Manta Ray, seeing a real Giant Clam rather than just the smaller ones, cruising at 10 knots without effort. It was not crowded, the breeze was steady at 20 knots most of the time, but when not sailing, we were sheltered and comfortable.
Here is a gallery of the seascapes and underwater world we played in. The images are best viewed as a full screen slide show. Just click on the first image to get it started.
We reluctantly got back to Airlie Beach on Monday afternoon after a brisk sail – three reefs in the main and lots of twirls in the jib, with 30 knots of wind!
And here is a photo of us taken by Grant. It is not often we get one of ourselves!
We are in the Whitsundays till early next week, when our friend Sue from Sydney is joining us for the next leg of our adventure. We will be heading north, sailing through new territory for us all.
Sv-Anui 
Great pictures, Chris! Have a lot of fun my friend! 🙂
Thanks HJ – it is nice to share this beautiful place with family and friends. We like our solitude but can also crave company!
I miss you both!
We miss you too my friend, too long between get togethers!
Watch out, here I come, 3 more big sleeps! ⛵️👏
Can’t wait! It’s blowing a gale here but we are managing to get everything ready. Your bed is made, fresh towel hanging, gin and a reserve of tonic put aside, and we’ll get the food on Monday before you arrive! We are ready!
You guys are havin way too much fun ! I have just completed an 8day run Hobart to Southport with 20-40kts and plenty rain showers !
We just snuck a few days of manageable weather in the program! It is now blowing at over 30 knots with overcast skies and the odd shower. We were hoping to go back to the islands before our friend Sue arrives, but are now staying put!
We are governed by the weather, though, eh ! ?
Very much so!
Beautiful pictures Chris. Enjoy your time with Sue – I know she can hardly wait!
Thanks Barbara – lots of new adventures for her and for us as we sail further north.
As usual your photography is brilliant. Love seeing your sea cruising. Just beautiful. Cheers. Continue to enjoy ⛵️
Hi Caroline – thanks for the feedback. Photos when we are sailing are often taken in the same angle and can get a bit boring but I try. I probably should take more videos but it takes a lot of work to develop afterwards! Anyway, thanks for visiting and glad you enjoy the virtual sailing on board and diving underwater!
We too enjoyed our family and guests for our passage north to Whitsundays last month, especially our good farmer friends from Millthorpe who had never sailed before. So nice to share good times and sundowners at sea with friends. Enjoy the rest of your trip north.
Thanks Greg. It is always special to share amazing experiences and see your friends or family’s excitement!
Looks like so much fun. Can’t wait.
There is a lot to look forward to as you build your Easy!