Off we sailed to our first Whitsunday Destination, the Fiord-like Nara Inlet, situated at the southern end of Hook Island. We decided to base ourselves on a small beach, drying out at low tide. It is an unusual feeling (but fun) to jump off our boat onto solid ground to go for a walk.
We were amused by the antics of the many stingrays that surrounded our boat as the tide came back in.
As well as the squid that would be rapidly changing colours to blend into the background. Rob decided to occupy himself by fishing out of the dinghy, catching numerous little cod... unfortunately though; he can’t seem to be able to land fish that will be the right size for two!
We went exploring to see some ancient aboriginal artwork (thousands of years old) in a cave at the base of the inlet.
The history of the Whitsunday Islands is quite amazing, and it’s weird to know that when the aboriginals first occupied the area, the sea level was low enough that the Whitsundays were still attached the mainland. The isolation that occurred as the islands ‘sunk’ caused different tribes and cultures due to aboriginals having to live off the sea rather than off just the land. Here, Anna did some more beach combing finding more fishing lures to add to our ever growing collection (the container has changed from a small lunchbox to a bag...), and a ‘new’ cutting board, which she convinced Rob was essential for the boat.
The phosphorescence (little bits of plankton transmitting light, which they also do so if they are disturbed in any way, giving them an appearance like glittering stars) here was amazing too. If you pulled the anchor chain a bit, a ring around it would light up and you could see 10 metres of chain light up with a halo around it.
We also got our eyes accustomed to the world of bareboat chartering. This is where anyone (which means anyone!) can hire a top of the line monohull or catamaran and sail around the Whitsundays. Their regular reports, or scheds as they call them, are broadcast over the VHF radio and can be quite entertaining (“um....our engine won’t start...”). Nearly every bay that they are allowed in, is packed full of them as they play follow the leader. Luckily there are still a number of secluded areas that they aren’t allowed near, or that we can sneak into with the tide thanks to our shallow bottom. They are distinctly recognised by their bright yellow inflatable dinghy’s and also their snobby reluctance to associate with/or even wave/make eye contact with people living on smaller catamarans.
When the wind died down we headed back to Airlie Beach, Rob reefed the sails as it got quite windy and had to start the motor as we were headed for some rather suspicious white water....overfalls are common around here, where the tide moves the water at such a rate, it causes rapids around headlands and through tight passages. It was funny seeing some charter boats heading out under full sail and others with full reefs and some just motoring with no sails. Others were chinking bottles and celebrating while steering apparently not caring what kind of sails they had up. We got back in time to watch the soccer world cup on a big screen at Airlie Beach, we watched the game with passionate European backpackers who at 4.30 am were trying to outdo each other with loud chanting.
We have a clear weather window now, so we are going to be heading back out this arvo, so until then... ciao
We were amused by the antics of the many stingrays that surrounded our boat as the tide came back in.
As well as the squid that would be rapidly changing colours to blend into the background. Rob decided to occupy himself by fishing out of the dinghy, catching numerous little cod... unfortunately though; he can’t seem to be able to land fish that will be the right size for two!We went exploring to see some ancient aboriginal artwork (thousands of years old) in a cave at the base of the inlet.
The history of the Whitsunday Islands is quite amazing, and it’s weird to know that when the aboriginals first occupied the area, the sea level was low enough that the Whitsundays were still attached the mainland. The isolation that occurred as the islands ‘sunk’ caused different tribes and cultures due to aboriginals having to live off the sea rather than off just the land. Here, Anna did some more beach combing finding more fishing lures to add to our ever growing collection (the container has changed from a small lunchbox to a bag...), and a ‘new’ cutting board, which she convinced Rob was essential for the boat.
The phosphorescence (little bits of plankton transmitting light, which they also do so if they are disturbed in any way, giving them an appearance like glittering stars) here was amazing too. If you pulled the anchor chain a bit, a ring around it would light up and you could see 10 metres of chain light up with a halo around it.
We also got our eyes accustomed to the world of bareboat chartering. This is where anyone (which means anyone!) can hire a top of the line monohull or catamaran and sail around the Whitsundays. Their regular reports, or scheds as they call them, are broadcast over the VHF radio and can be quite entertaining (“um....our engine won’t start...”). Nearly every bay that they are allowed in, is packed full of them as they play follow the leader. Luckily there are still a number of secluded areas that they aren’t allowed near, or that we can sneak into with the tide thanks to our shallow bottom. They are distinctly recognised by their bright yellow inflatable dinghy’s and also their snobby reluctance to associate with/or even wave/make eye contact with people living on smaller catamarans.
When the wind died down we headed back to Airlie Beach, Rob reefed the sails as it got quite windy and had to start the motor as we were headed for some rather suspicious white water....overfalls are common around here, where the tide moves the water at such a rate, it causes rapids around headlands and through tight passages. It was funny seeing some charter boats heading out under full sail and others with full reefs and some just motoring with no sails. Others were chinking bottles and celebrating while steering apparently not caring what kind of sails they had up. We got back in time to watch the soccer world cup on a big screen at Airlie Beach, we watched the game with passionate European backpackers who at 4.30 am were trying to outdo each other with loud chanting.
We have a clear weather window now, so we are going to be heading back out this arvo, so until then... ciao
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