The Wandering Chocoholic

Just back from a three-day sailing trip around the Whitsunday Islands. Whew, am I ever exhausted! It’s amazing how tiring it is to do nothing.

The main reason people come to Airlie is to go on a sailing trip in the Whitsundays, and I’d been looking forward to it for a while. So on Thursday morning, ten passengers and three crew members set out on a sailboat named Enid for three days and two nights on the water.

The trip started off promisingly. Though it was overcast and dreary, the weather more or less held out on Thursday, and it was windy enough to be able to sail rather than motor for a good long time. The rest of the passengers and the crew members were all really great, and we had fun just chilling out on the boat and taking the… clouds. We went snorkeling on the reef and saw tons of colourful fish and coral. We also went on a nature walk on Whitsunday Island, and saw some nice beaches. The food on board was great, and everyone was having a good time. I went to sleep that night in the cramped but comfy enough sleeping quarters, figuring I could do this forever.

Unfortunately, I’d underestimated how choppy sailing can get sometimes. Yesterday, I woke up with a massive sore throat, headache, dizziness, and a bad bout of seasickness to boot. Since I’d felt fine the first day, I hadn’t bothered to take the preventative pills I’d picked up from the pharmacy, and was paying the price heavily. To make matters worse, the heavens had opened up and it rained pretty much all of yesterday and a good part of today. The weather definitely did NOT cooperate with us on this trip. The choice between the stuffy, airless area down below and the soaking wet deck was sort of like a choice between a bullet or an electric chair. I spent most of yesterday feeling pretty miserable, and I was starting to regret coming on the trip at all. Nonetheless, I did make it out to Whitehaven Beach, voted one of the world’s most beautiful beaches (though presumably the award was given out on a sunny day). At Whitehaven, I ran smack into someone I’d gone to high school and university with. Small world.

Faced with the prospect of another night on the rocky, stuffy boat, I instead jumped at the opportunity to camp out on the beach on Hook Island. A night on solid dry land did me a world of good (aside from being absolutely massacred by mozzies) and I woke up feeling tons better this morning. Though it was raining a good part of today, the weather let up enough for another snorkel opportunity and for a walk along a giant sandbar. We saw some pretty cool fish and shells and other stuff like that. The trip ended on a high note, when the sun crept out from behind the clouds as we approached Airlie Harbour.

All in all, I really enjoyed two-thirds of my Whitsundays sailing experience. That said, I’m not particularly eager to jump on another sailboat anytime soon. I think I’m more of a land kind of person, as it turns out. I am glad I went, and now that I’m back in Airlie and have taken a shower and some painkillers, I’m feeling pretty good. I didn’t take my digital camera onboard, but as soon as I develop the film from the underwater camera, I’ll post any photos that come out well.

Many thanks for all the birthday wishes from everyone. And many disappointing thoughts about the Habs’ meltdown and aborted second season. I guess it’s now time to say Go Sens!

Update May 7: The photos from the underwater camera got overexposed somehow and came out pretty lousy, but I’ve uploaded the best ones. Enjoy!