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whitsundays: general info
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· history
things to do
· scuba diving
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Name: Cruise Whitsundays
Telephone: (08) 9193 6000
Describe your experience:
The setting sun cast an orange hue over the water as it farewelled the Whitsundays for another day. On cue, Camira, the catamaran came around Abel Point as she made her way into the marina.
At 85 foot long and with her black carbon mast she is hard to miss even more so because she is purple!
"Why purple?" everyone asks as they crinkle their nose and wince when they see the lilac shade of the boat. "Because no one will forget her," comes the reply.
As one lucky enough to spend a day getting acquainted with delights of Camira
and her wonderful crew, the colour grows on you. It would be hard to forget this
beauty anyway, but it's true, as a purple cat she is very easy to pinpoint, especially
in an area where the waters are filled with a selection of day cruises and charter
boats.
The latest acquisition of Cruise Whitsundays, Camira has already enjoyed
an exciting start to her life. Built in New Zealand
she was about the make the journey to Australia as Tsunami, but as fate
would have it, the natural disaster after which she was named struck Asia, so
she was renamed Camira, an aboriginal term meaning "of the wind".
Little remains of the original name other than a small plaque inside telling of its fate, but the mainsail still carried the image of a sumo-like man blowing up a gale.
Camira can take up to 80 people comfortably but on this day we were only 19 which meant there was ample room to laze around on the deck bunk seats or cabin top as she made her way out to the first stop Whitehaven Beach.
The crew of six, including skipper John, obviously love this boat and thoroughly enjoy the pleasure of sailing her. There were even smiles and happy chatter down in the small galley as they washed and wiped the dishes from our delicious lunch.
Camira runs daily day trips to Whitehaven Beach, and as the brochure suggests, it is "not just a cruise". John explains the history of the boat, the sails and her workings, and apologises for the few times when motor sailing is necessary to meet the time deadlines of the day trip. He also comments that with luck, and wind, on our side, they will get her sailing speed up! Capable of sailing up to 30 knots she has so far topped the speedo at 27 (towing a dinghy) but on this day we only managed around 16.
After enjoying the first of our feasts for the day - these come in the form of morning and afternoon tea and a barbecue lunch complete with entre, breads, salads and seafood - it was time to sit back and enjoy the sail to Whitehaven. About two hours later we arrived and for the next hour could spend our time swimming (they supply wet suits) or walking along the beach. Then it was back on board for a leisurely, and large, lunch (alcohol is also supplied) before the anchor was pulled up and the sails sets for Border Island where we drop anchor again and snorkel in the small and beautiful reef in the company of the local fish - the reef in miniature and most enjoyable!
All too soon it was time to return to the mainland - our turn to be on the boat as she cruised into the marina at sunset and the hopefuls watched from shore.
The Camira Sailing Adventure departs daily from Abel Point Marina at 8.30am. A free courtesy bus runs transfers from all local area accommodation to the Marina, which is around five minutes from Airlie Beach. Camira also collects passengers from South Molle and Daydream Island Resort. Prices are $120 for adults, $60 for children (5-15 years), $310 for a family of two adults and two children, $105 for seniors. The day trip is fully inclusive with all drinks, morning and afternoon tea, lunch, snorkelling gear and wet suits supplied.
Book two Cruise Whitsunday day trips at the same time and receive 10 percent off
the price of both. For more information on Cruise Whitsundays and their vessels
Camira and the magnificent wave piercer, Seaflight, call +61 7 4946 4662 or visit
http://www.cruisewhitsundays.com.
- By Adrienne Costin
If you know of a great destination we're missing,
review it for us!!
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