Sailing in the Whitsunday Islands

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jalroles

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We are thinking of chartering in the Whitsunday Islands next August and wondered if any members have useful information about places to visit, nice places to eat, recommended anchorages and locations for refuelling and replenishing water and provisions. I get the impression that the Whitsundays is all about anchoring in peaceful bays rather than marinas/harbours which is great and is why I ask about the provisions and water supplies. There will be four adults on board and we will charter from either Hamilton Island or Abel Point Marina. Thanks in anticipation.
 
Did it a long time ago [1988]. Well worth while.

See if you can get hold of a copy of '100 magic miles of the Great Barrier Reef : the Whitsunday Islands' from Amazon or Abebooks.
 
We spent a week there back in the early 1990's. We had the boat (an Oceanis 39) fully victualed (gourmet option) in Airlie Beach for a week before we left and did not go ashore anywhere near civilization for the whole week; anchoring in a myriad of superb bays and beaches, sometimes with other yachts and sometimes alone. Totally magic! There are places to go ashore and eat such as Hamilton Island; but, certainly in those days, that is not what we felt the Whitsundays were about. I would agree about obtaining a copy of a "100 Magic Miles", an excellent guide and pilot book!
 
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Fantastic area. 100 Magic Miles is very worthwhile getting before you go, there will probably be a copy on board but you'll be too busy to read it in depth.
Hamilton Island is OK but I found it a bit artificial, a bit like Tracy Island.
Our charterers did not like us to anchor overnight, always tried to get us onto an official mooring. In fact anchoring was not encouraged for fear of damaging the coral. There are a good few visitors moorings but are supposed to be vacated after a short time, 2 hrs I think? Unless you are on one after 5pm.
Nara & Macona Inlets are magic.
You won't have enough time.
 
jalroles said:
We are thinking of chartering in the Whitsunday Islands next August and wondered if any members have useful information about places to visit, nice places to eat, recommended anchorages and locations for refuelling and replenishing water and provisions. I get the impression that the Whitsundays is all about anchoring in peaceful bays rather than marinas/harbours which is great and is why I ask about the provisions and water supplies. There will be four adults on board and we will charter from either Hamilton Island or Abel Point Marina. Thanks in anticipation.
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You sure?

http://www.news.com.au/travel/news/...ays-holiday-spot/story-e6frfq80-1226509078327
 
sailing in the whitsundays

While touring Australia 10 yrs ago we spent 2 wks in the whitsundays.
Paradise on earth. How I wish we had the boat with us
just enjoy your wonderful holiday ( how we envy you).:):)
 
Everything you need to who is on www.channelwhitsunday.com

This website, run by a friend of mine called John Naylor has links to local suppliers and lots of great news.

John lives on a cat in the marina at Airlie Beach and knows everything there is to know about chartering and sailing there. Just call him. He is really helpful.
 
Spent a few weeks there during July a couple of years back while doing the World ARC. Bloody cold most of the time with more than one morning of fog. Don't imagine August will be much different.

Have to say it was a big disappointment apart from amazing Whitehaven Beach (miles long, silica sand) and I was very glad I hadn't made a special trip all that way. I imagine I would have like it more had the weather been better and also if I hadn't just spent time in French Polynesia which truly was amazing.

If you do decide to go, I have a 2010 copy of 100 Magic Miles that you can have for a small donation to the RNLI.
 
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I'm lucky enough that my boat's home port is smack bang in the middle of the Whitsunday Islands cruising area (Shute Harbour).

In two weeks you still won't be able to visit all the anchorages. The charter companies will be able to supply the "100 Magic Miles" book which is the cruising bible for the area. Picking up a copy before you arrive would probably be a better idea for pre-planning.

You can resupply at either Abel Point marina or Hamilton Island marina. At no point would you be more than, say, about 4 hours cruise time from either. I notice a lot of charterers also book stays in the Marina during their charter as both Airlie Beach (Abel Point) and Hamilton Island are well worth more than a passing visit.

August isn't too bad a time of the year to visit (September and October are the best). August is the end of the trade winds season so expect SE winds up to around 25 knots and sometimes a bit higher at times. No problem, just be aware that wind against tide can be "interesting" in the passage on big tides and brisk winds.

If you want any specific info feel free to pm me. Cheers
 
Jeannius said:
Spent a few weeks there during July a couple of years back while doing the World ARC. Bloody cold most of the time with more than one morning of fog. Don't imagine August will be much different.

Have to say it was a big disappointment apart from amazing Whitehaven Beach (miles long, silica sand) and I was very glad I hadn't made a special trip all that way. I imagine I would have like it more had the weather been better and also if I hadn't just spent time in French Polynesia which truly was amazing.

If you do decide to go, I have a 2010 copy of 100 Magic Miles that you can have for a small donation to the RNLI.
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Lol I was going to write that it can be a bit cool as it is the middle of winter for us, but I see lots of lily white (or bright red!) people frolicking in the water that time of year even though I still have to don the wetsuit to go in the water in October so I just assumed it is an acclimatisation thing. A quick Google check should show the average temperatures but both air and water are around or just north of 20 deg C in winter.

And I agree the place can look very drab and dreary on cloudy and windy days but absolutely transforms in the sunshine. Whitehaven Beach and Butterfly Bay are definitely the two must visit locations.
 
We are lucky enough to have chartered there three times over the last 20 years, the last being in late July 2007. That visit proved interesting in that of course it's the Oz winter. It was cold - we flew in to Brisbane from Darwin and it was 7 degrees....there was a possibility of the local plane being unable to land at Hamilton Island due to the poor weather. However it was all ok but we had a reef in the main all week and seemed to be the only boat actually sailing, others choosing to motor..... we loved it anyway, hence the re-visits. I'm sure your charter co. will look after you.Try to include the sailing with touring other parts of the country - it''s just too far to go ! Enjoy the P and Q.
 
As advised by ReefMagnet, Hamilton and Airlie are the ONLY places to re-victual but the range is small and cost high at Hamilton. They are also the only places to get water other than Shute Harbour. From Shute you can get a bus to Airlie Beach/Cannonvale supermarkets for food which will save you money and give a full range compared to Hamilton and could save you a day depending upon your cruising plans. Hamilton and Airlie are also the only places to find restaurants.

The whitsundays are more for quiet and sometimes empty anchorages. Popular bays with coral have mooring boueys with time limits during the day and there are nowhere near enough for all the boats out on the water. There are plenty of bays where free anchoring is fine and safe.

Charter companies usually want you anchored by 1630 as they want you to be able to see the fringing coral reefs and 'bommies' when deciding where to anchor (when the sun is still high enough, even though it may seem early to stop.

Even though the temp might be only 20C in August, remember that is measured in the shade. It certainly won't be 6C overnight, more like 17-18. See this site for more info http://www.hamiltonisland.com.au/hamilton-island-weather/

It's a great place. 2 weeks will just be a taster.
 
whitsundays

Having visited the paradise called the whitsundays (as a landlubber) the boat was back in the med,I can assure you the most dangerous argumentative thing is not the crocks " very dangerous" or the sea snakes.jellyfish,sharks,etc
but be very aware of the guy at the bar trying to get a last drink 10 minutes after the landlord has called time.
This is one very dangerous individual,definitely not to be tackled by a pom.
This is the guy who thinks that Mike Tyson is a wimp.
YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.:D
 
jalroles said:
We are thinking of chartering in the Whitsunday Islands next August and wondered if any members have useful information about places to visit, nice places to eat, recommended anchorages and locations for refuelling and replenishing water and provisions. I get the impression that the Whitsundays is all about anchoring in peaceful bays rather than marinas/harbours which is great and is why I ask about the provisions and water supplies. There will be four adults on board and we will charter from either Hamilton Island or Abel Point Marina. Thanks in anticipation.
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Well we did a private charter around the whitsundays up to Christmas Day just gone, FANTASTIC ten days sailing around the islands had a great time the yacht Kasella was a Bavaria 50 5bedrooms was more than enough for the eight of us, no whales but great snorkelling and the kids enjoyed it so much we hardly knew they were with us. We stayed a couple of nights at Hamilton Island at a marina charge but apart from that we stayed out either on moorings at different snorkel locations or anchored up in places like Nara Inlet, Tongue bay Whitehaven, Long Island (party time) CID Harbour absolutely great time well worth it and will do it again and again, try www.kasella.com.au it was like a grand a day but there were eight of us, we thought it was the cheapest way to do it and we had a spare bedroom to boot.
 
jalroles said:
We are thinking of chartering in the Whitsunday Islands next August and wondered if any members have useful information about places to visit, nice places to eat, recommended anchorages and locations for refuelling and replenishing water and provisions. I get the impression that the Whitsundays is all about anchoring in peaceful bays rather than marinas/harbours which is great and is why I ask about the provisions and water supplies. There will be four adults on board and we will charter from either Hamilton Island or Abel Point Marina. Thanks in anticipation.
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We chartered there three years ago and, apart from the obvious attractions two things stood out. The Aussies are extraordinarily fussy about health and safety type stuff; I had to do a little prac exam when I picked the boat up (I'm YM) -' can you do a couple of tacks mate', 'righty oh mate, can you go over there and lay the hook?' Each evening, we had to radio in before 1700 and tell them where we were and, at two marinas we visited to re vittel, a bloke came out in a rib, got on and insisted on parking it for us! Not a big deal but I found it a bit at odds with the general Aussie laid back attitude.
The second thing was a bit more of a pain. Whenever we went in the water, we had to don 'stinger suits' (sort of thick stocking like stuff) This was due to the presence of Irakandji (no, I hadn't heard of them either) They're very small (about 1-2 cm) jellyfish but, they punch well above their weight.
They may be seasonal, I'm not sure, but, look up 'Irakandji Syndrome' and I guarantee you won't go swimming without the aforementioned catsuit!
Despite all this, you'll have a great time
 
richgiddens said:
We chartered there three years ago and, apart from the obvious attractions two things stood out. The Aussies are extraordinarily fussy about health and safety type stuff; I had to do a little prac exam when I picked the boat up (I'm YM) -' can you do a couple of tacks mate', 'righty oh mate, can you go over there and lay the hook?' Each evening, we had to radio in before 1700 and tell them where we were and, at two marinas we visited to re vittel, a bloke came out in a rib, got on and insisted on parking it for us! Not a big deal but I found it a bit at odds with the general Aussie laid back attitude.
The second thing was a bit more of a pain. Whenever we went in the water, we had to don 'stinger suits' (sort of thick stocking like stuff) This was due to the presence of Irakandji (no, I hadn't heard of them either) They're very small (about 1-2 cm) jellyfish but, they punch well above their weight.
They may be seasonal, I'm not sure, but, look up 'Irakandji Syndrome' and I guarantee you won't go swimming without the aforementioned catsuit!
Despite all this, you'll have a great time
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As I understand it, without the daily or twice-daily radio contact the skipper would be required to hold a Queensland skippers licence.
 
Caladh said:
We are lucky enough to have chartered there three times over the last 20 years, the last being in late July 2007. That visit proved interesting in that of course it's the Oz winter. It was cold - we flew in to Brisbane from Darwin and it was 7 degrees....there was a possibility of the local plane being unable to land at Hamilton Island due to the poor weather. However it was all ok but we had a reef in the main all week and seemed to be the only boat actually sailing, others choosing to motor..... we loved it anyway, hence the re-visits. I'm sure your charter co. will look after you.Try to include the sailing with touring other parts of the country - it''s just too far to go ! Enjoy the P and Q.
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Perhaps you were unlucky with the weather?-Do not think it has ever gone below 18 degrees at my daughters north of Brisbane in two years.It gets rather wet at this time of year but usually still warm and muggy
 
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