Yeah! I know boats! 10:56am, Mon 05 Nov 2018
So you wake up in the morning feeling a little bit worse for wear and curse yourself for opening that third bottle of red, slowly making your way to the kitchen. It's a scene of destruction after last night's dinner with your best friends but who cares, it was a great night. But then foggy conversation pieces start to float around your head, "Yeah! I know boats..I've swashbuckled bilges before.... I used to have a Jib & tiller!. Yep, let's charter a boat!"
You now come to the realisation that maybe you may have embellished some of your past
nautical experiences and although you're actually quite excited about chartering a boat in the Whitsundays you feel that your skill level is not up to Jessica Watson level.
The answer is...ask us about our Sail Guide options. Now before we go any further; no, we're not going to get you up to 'Sydney to Hobart' standard but we will try to get you to the stage where you are excited about going it on your own and really looking forward to putting everything into practice.
Let's start the day. We start with an area brief. We have a chat about the Whitsunday Islands and some of the important things youll need to know. This is not a 'Test'. You don't need to know the date Capt. Cook sailed past Daydream Island. This is more about which side of a navigation marker to go and what depth of water to anchor in. We will also tell you the best spots to go snorkeling, where to go to get the best sunsets and which bushwalks offer stunning views. We will cover all areas of safety aspects including marine, on board and environment. Safety of you and your crew is our number one concern, we recommend everyone is present for the vessel induction briefing.
Now the boat brief. Here we show you how the boat works and where things are. Little
things like life jackets & fire extinguishers. Most of the larger boats have generators or inverters to allow you to have 240 volt power while on the water so we need to make sure you know how these things work and how to safely operate them.
At this point don't wait until we are a couple of hours into the boat orientation to say, "oh by the way I need to do more shopping, I just can't go without my favorite cereal."
This is your day. You are paying an instructor to teach you how to handle a boat and this can only be done by getting out there on the water and doing stuff. The more time you spend in the marina the less time you will have on the water.
Right! Time to 'Cast Off'. Now depending on the time frame we like to spend a little bit of time explaining how to park the boat. You may have already decided that you are going to call in at Hamilton Island but now you're having second thoughts because you didn't realise the boat is as big as the Queen Mary. Let's practice getting the boat along side and tied up. Once you get the hang of it, you will be happy to show off your skills.
So now we're actually out of the marina with wind in your hair, the first lesson is 'How to anchor a boat' (and still be in the same place next morning). We will spend as much time as you want in getting this right, it's not difficult but we do want you to use our technique. We then move on to picking up a mooring which is much easier.
If you have decided to charter a sailboat now is the time to put the sails up and see what all this sailing stuff is all about. We will explain which sail to put up first, how to 'trim the sail' and for the next few hours practice things like 'tacking, gybing & reefing'.
Towards the end of the afternoon we prefer to let you completely take over whereby you start from scratch by putting up the sails and sail the Sail Guide back to Abell Point to drop the anchor, all the time I'll be watching to ensure you've been taking notice.
Once we're back outside the marina it's time for your briefer to jump off and set you free to explore the Whitsunday Islands, only it doesn't end there. Now that you're on your own, we are going to keep pretty close tabs on you throughout your whole charter. We will speak with you everyday on the VHF radio and offer advice on where to go next for the best fishing spot, also keeping you updated on our local weather conditions. You can call us anytime if you are unsure about any aspect of your boat or where to visit next.
So, now with visions of Russell Crowe hanging off the side of the bow in 'Master & Commander' you can confidently face your friends and say "yeah" I've got this covered".
Talk to us today about chartering a bareboat and hiring a Sail Guide. 1800 075 101
Cumberland Charter Yachts is an award-winning company providing exceptional holiday experiences, leaving customers with a lifetime of memories that exceed all expectations.
