Hi There,

Has anyone sailed bareboat on the Whitsundays. If so can they recommend a charter company, is there a level of experience needed to make it easier, what was it like?

hi itch,

i sailed a 27' cat up the whitsundays for a while some years back.

it was hired.... no you don't have to know how to sail. you can just keep the motors running if you want. plus you need to run the motors now and then to charge the batteries...

all charter companies give you a run through anyways... plus they are always on the marine radio incase you have any questions.

generally, you have to be anchored before 5pm. so that stops any night time sailing issues. plus, as the whitsundays is a listed environment you can only moor in certain locations, so you end up hopping around the place.

if you have sailed before you will be set. the only times things can get a bit nervy are when you are heading into port. channel markers and depths and so on. so if you already have a power boat liscence you will know that stuff any way.having a knowledge of wind direction is the most important thing. the hire companies will advise on everything else. best moorings, weather patterns...etc.

i would recommend cats as well, they have a massive deck and can handle shallower moorings. if the tide goes out and you got the depth wrong, it doesn't matter, they sit flat. they are however harder to anchor as there is more drag...

i was easily able to sail the 27' solo... things don't happen that quickly. navigation is fun as well.

i really recommend it. i had a blast. never actually got in the water, just sailed, drank, partied, sailed

Itch,

I did a 40 footer for a week about 10 years ago. We had 8 people on board. I was the only one who had any sailing experience. If you can windsurf then you will have no problem. (ie. you'll know which side of the sail/boat the wind is meant to be, and you won't gybe accidently and knock someone off the boat with a swinging boom). They'll take you out for half an hour or so to make sure you can use everything.

We used Whitsunday Escape and had no real problems. You have to make radio contact each morning with your plans for the day, then each afternoon to make sure you have reached your berth for the night. Navigating around the reefs to get into each night berth can be fun - motoring at 2 knots with a look out up front, charts in your hand and eye on the depth sounder.

For $50 per boat, you could moor on Hamilton Island and have full access to the resort facilities. Not sure if they still do this, but it was a great way to spend the last night after being stuck on the boat for a week. Large showers, restaurant meals - YAY!!

Every one of our party except me had one day of sea sickness. Solution - take the tablets BEFORE you get sick.

Also consider what everyone in your party expects. I was after lots of open ocean sailing, but some others just wanted to sit on the beach all day. Good to establish this to keep everyone happy.

Regards,
Harrow.

hey there itch,
i went up to the whitsundays about 18 months ago - used Whitsunday Private Yacht Charters (find 'em on google). they were great. top service, top yacht (Hunter 34'), good price. highly recommended. we went in december, it was just the start of "official" stinger season but we swam every day without a suit no worries. i was unable to find a windsurfing hire place around airlie beach, which was a bummer 'cause there are some top places and plenty of breeze up there.
around new years eve is a good time to go, beautiful weather, not too crowded and it is only mid-season for yacht hire prices.
they say you need no sailing experience at all, but i am an experienced yacht sailor and i reckon it would be a bit iffy if you know nothing about yachting. having said that, navigation around the place is pretty easy, there are heaps of landmarks and maps to find your way around.
my advice is definitely to buy or borrow the bok "100 magic miles" - it will tell you pretty much everything there is to know.
have a top trip - i am very jealous!!!
andrew