Sailing Whitsunday Islands

“Are you afraid of a coke machine?” our affable guide asked as he began a discussion about the threat of shark attacks. Barefoot with his dreads dangling in the wind, he continued, “More people die or get injured from vending machines than they do from shark attacks.”

It was at this particular moment, I realized I had become comfortable out on the water. For years I’ve been terrified of water. My Mom used to have to bribe me – with promises of ice cream cones, candy, comic books or hockey cards – to participate in swimming lessons.

Travel, has in many ways, thrust me out of my comfort zone. Recently I’ve gone sea kayaking in Vietnam and Finland, cruised down the Mekong Delta and tested the waters of Ha Long Bay.

Although, I’m not as at ease on the water as someone who has grown up doing all of these activities, I’m no longer afraid of it.

With the breeze gently running through my hair and the sun tickling my skin, I actually felt in my element as the boat gently rocked from side to side. I was enjoying my time out on the turquoise waters of the Whitsunday Islands aboard the regal Derwent Hunter.

As I sipped on tea and wolfed down delicious slices of chocolate cake, I couldn’t wait until we reached Langford Reef and Bali Hai to enjoy beach combing, snorkeling and a chance to simply admire these paradise islands with white sand and turquoise water.

Whitsunday Islands Travel Video:

The following is a photo essay and travel video capturing our experience for the day:

Photo Essay: Whitsunday Islands in Australia

A shot of boats in the harbor at Abel Point Marine.

The magnificent Derwent Hunter – our sailing vessel for the day.

Raising the sails was a family affair.  I’m not sure who enjoyed doing this more – Dad or the kids.

This couple was all smiles as they helped raise the sails of the Derwent Hunter.

Here Audrey admires the scenery aboard the Derwent Hunter.

Audrey’s smile says it all as we had to pinch ourselves realizing we were actually getting to see the Whitsunday Islands of the Great Barrier Reef with our own two eyes.

On this particular day we were able to spot several other sailboats but there would be stretches where we were out on the water on our own.

We honestly couldn’t have asked for better weather conditions to go sailing.

This is just the first shot of the impressive cloud formations we witnessed sailing for the day.

Of in the distance you’ll notice what appears to be a tiny strip of beach.  Later on in the day we had a chance to walk along it.

This is the closest we got to another sailboat during our day long adventure.

I honestly wished this one day sailing trip could have extended into an overnight journey.

A view of the trusty Derwent Hunter as we enjoyed walking along the beach.

A found a nice shady spot to sit down when I snapped this photo from the beach.

It was thrilling to spot wildlife on the secluded Whitsunday islands.

A shot of Audrey admiring the views from a quiet section of the beach.

We had roughly one hour to enjoy our time on the first beach before we headed in for a buffet lunch feast.

Snorkeling was the highlight of the day for many passengers on board the Derwent Hunter.

This is a shot from the second beach we visited where nearly had this who stretch of sand to ourselves.

Footprints in the sand.

With views like this, I only wish we had more time to explore more of the Whitsunday Islands.

Well, we got caught up in the moment:  sharing our love on the sand

I honestly can’t think of a beach that I’ve visited off the top of my head that could compare with this one.

One last shot as we reluctantly made our way back to Airlie Beach.

We partnered with Queensland tourism for this epic adventure.