Silent Night (Marilyn)

For three days I made my home on a 50 foot yacht called ‘Silent Night’.  We had speculated about the origins of the name, but it turned out to be nothing more romantic than the name of the sponsor – a bedding manufacturer.  This yacht was the proto type for the winged keel, its original name had been Madame De Farge, but the keel has now been replaced and the whole thing refitted to go from being a fully equipped racing vessel to a pleasure boat for tourists.

The first thing we were told to do was take off our shoes.  During the safety talk the captain also said that although there was a shower on board there was not enough water to wash your hair.  The cruise was looking better and better as far as the children were concerned.  No shoes and no showers!­

We headed out of the bay with 13 people on board, my family of five, six German tourists and two crew.  The yacht was small and below deck was very cramped.  Peter and I had the ‘deluxe’ cabin...the word shoebox comes to mind; an interesting prospect for someone who is both claustrophobic and suffers from motion sickness.

We headed out to the Coral Sea on a sunny Friday afternoon.  We anchored at Hook Island and set ourselves up to go snorkelling.  Decked out in very unbecoming full length lycra ‘stinger suits’, goggles and snorkel we swam amongst tropical fish and coral reefs.  Watching the coral was quite mesmerising, time seemed to stand still as I floated along with the tide and stared in wonder at the many splendid fish.

Early the next day we pulled anchor and headed for Whitehaven Beach.  Whitehaven Beach is advertised as being the most beautiful beach in Australia, and perhaps the world, so we were keen to see it for ourselves.  The sand was a stunning white and the water a clear blue.  Unspoilt by resort development we walked along the water’s edge soaking up the beauty that surrounded us.

Later in the day we snorkelled again, this time one of the crew fed the fish with left over bread from our breakfast.  The fish were everywhere!  Tropical fish come in the full spectrum of colours and combinations of colours and they are not shy. It was like swimming in an aquarium.

Our ‘pocket maxi’ was a motorised sailing ship and on the second day the captain very delightedly set up the sails and turned off the motor.  Now we were at the mercy of the wind. The ability of the crew to set the sails to make full use of the available wind required more skill than I had realised.

During sailing time, to balance the boat, the passengers were instructed to sit on one side of the boat with legs dangling over the edge.  This was a terrific spot to view the surrounding islands and watch the rhythmic and continuous rise and fall of the ocean.  It was my favourite time on the boat. 

Sailing the Whitsundays was a spur of the moment decision made when we arrived at Airlie Beach. From the moment we boarded the vessel we knew the decision had been a good one.  Nicholas, Ryan and Jackson each had a turn at steering the boat when the sales were up. Seeing a whale and her calf playing in the waves on our way back to port on Sunday morning was an added bonus.  We shared an experience that we all loved; sailing was an unexpected treat, a memory that we will always treasure.