The Whitsundays are a group of 74 islands in the Great Barrier Reef. They can be accessed by boat from Airlie Beach, a lovely little town with great restaurants and a bustling nightlife. In order to truly experience the beauty of the islands, we decided to do an overnight sailing trip (for about $200 US dollars per person, we got two full days, an overnight, snorkeling, and all food included, it was a great deal). Plus, BYOB? Count us in.
We got to Airlie Beach around 7pm and planned to get dinner then head to bed so we could wake up early to catch our 8am boat. At least that was the plan until we met Chris, a scuba instructor from Scotland. We immediately began sharing travel stories… then sharing pitchers of beer… then before we knew it, it was 2:30am and we were sharing tequila shots. Maybe not our finest decision but hey, the camaraderie was real and now we have our first Scottish friend! (And in our defense, we made our boat on time).
Views and friends from the boat:

The first day of sailing consisted of on and off rain, but we spent it snorkeling, so we were soaked anyway (plus, we got to wear these very fashionable yellow raincoats… bonus!). Unfortunately, the strong winds churned up the ocean a lot, so the water wasn’t as crystal clear as we hoped but we still saw some incredible fish and a ton of coral.
This raincoat was size XXL and smelled like mold; it was all part of the ambiance:

Side note: Taylor is terrified of murky water, swimming far from shore, and the thought of sharks. So shout out to her for facing multiple fears at once and staying calm! (Sadly we didn’t take any pictures while snorkeling, so just go to google image and search “Whitsundays Reef” and pretend we took the photos you see).
Our dingy looking majestic:

After snorkeling, we set sail again, but this time it was a little more… extreme. We have both been on sailboats before and know the feeling of heeling (when the wind causes the boat to tilt to one side) or so we thought. The wind was so strong/powerful that we got to the point (multiple times) where one side of the boat was submerged in water and all 13 of us were on the opposite side with our legs dangling over the edge holding on for dear life.
Tristan’s inner dialogue: “this is freaking AWESOME!!!”
Taylor’s inner dialogue: “omg omg omg omg” followed by strategically planning how she would jump off the boat if it flipped then fend off sharks on her way back to shore with or without Tristan
It was an eventful sail to say the least, but we finally made it safely into a harbor for the night. The evening was spent drinking wine, chatting with new friends, and laying on the deck looking up at the stars while listening to music. It was bliss.
Sunsets, smiles and wine sips:

That was until we had to go to sleep in a cramped boat cabin, together, on a top bunk, with no air flow. Add to it a rocking boat and howling winds and we had ourselves a relatively sleepless night.
Our top bunk, which should probably be for a small child, not two grown adults:

But the morning coffee at 6am the next day made up for all of that. Possibly the most majestic morning coffee spot we’ve ever experienced. Who knew instant coffee could taste so fancy?


We then headed over to Whitehaven beach where we spent a few hours walking along the white sand and swimming in the lagoon. We were required to wear “stinger suits” aka thin wetsuits that protect against jellyfish stings (though we didn’t actually see any!). It was an insanely beautiful place but an hour or two was plenty of time simply because the sun was so hot, even at 11am.
I call this piece “Pale Mainers Still Work On Base Tan”:



Taylor also found a piece of driftwood shaped like New Hampshire, clearly a sign that it is the best state:

View of Whitehaven beach from the lookout:

Then we headed back to town to say our goodbyes and head on our way. It was an experience we will never forget and one of our favorite parts of the trip so far.
Today we arrived in Townsville and will be heading up to Cairns tomorrow for the weekend. Until next time!
Love from down undah,
-T&T