Whitsundays sailing trip: bareboat or skippered crew

A Whitsundays sailing trip can take three main forms: a bareboat that you sail yourself, a hire boat with a skipper or sail guide on board, or a berth on a crewed group trip. The right one depends on your sailing record, your budget and how much freedom you want. This guide gives rainfall averages, compares the three on price, skill and freedom, then sums up the park rules and how to choose.

Where you will be sailing

Tourism Whitsundays says the Whitsundays lie midway along the Queensland coast, and it counts 74 islands. The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (GBRMPA) says the group has more than 90. Whitsunday Escape and Queensland Yacht Charters (QYC) are based at Abel Point Marina in Airlie Beach.

The Bureau of Meteorology's averages for Hamilton Island Airport, from 21 years of records, show February as the wettest month (347.9 mm) and September as the driest (23.7 mm). Average rainfall stays under 100 mm a month from June to November.

Sources for this section: Tourism Whitsundays; GBRMPA, Enjoying the Whitsundays; Whitsunday Escape, home page; QYC, FAQs; Bureau of Meteorology.

The three ways to go

Bareboat charter

Whitsunday Escape says a bareboat is generally a charter boat that comes without a skipper or crew, so you and your group sail it. It says its boats are not bare at all: the charter price includes linen, a galley, refrigeration, snorkelling gear and a dinghy with an outboard motor.

Cumberland Charter Yachts says no formal qualification is needed, but it asks for your boating resume and you must show you can handle the boat. Its briefing takes three to four hours, depending on your experience. QYC says some boating experience is essential. Both offer a sail guide to hirers with less experience.

QYC prices each boat by the night. In mid season 2010 it listed sailing yachts from $440 a night (a Catalina 320) to $1,090 (a Bavaria 50). A five night minimum applies; shorter standby stays may be available. If two people share the $440 boat, it costs $220 each a night. Extras come on top: fuel (QYC says about $20 a day for a yacht) and a reef tax of $20 a person per charter at QYC, or $24 a person at Whitsunday Escape from April 2010. For these yachts QYC listed a non-refundable damage waiver of $180 to $400 per charter, by boat size, plus a refundable $500 bond. Whitsunday Escape says it demands no non-refundable bond waiver but normally holds $1,500 to $3,000 on your credit card. It says the balance of the charter fee is due 60 days out and is then non-refundable, and it recommends travel insurance.

Skippered charter (sail guide)

Here a paid guide joins your hire boat to help you handle it. Whitsunday Escape lists "Skipper / sail guide instruction" among its other services. Cumberland says its sail guides hold commercial marine qualifications and at least an inshore yachtmaster certificate, and help with docking, anchoring, moorings and sail handling.

A guide adds to the price. Cumberland charged from $195 for a half day, with transfers, and $295 a day for a guide who stays on. QYC charged $180 for a half day and $300 a day. On a daily rate you also provide the guide's food at either firm, and Cumberland says a guide who stays on needs a private cabin.

Group sailing trips

On a group trip you buy a berth, not a boat. Prosail's price list from 1 April 2010 shows how it works. Two days and one night on the 75 ft Hammer cost $339 a person. Two days and two nights on the 80 ft maxis Broomstick or Condor cost $409. Prices include meals, a shared berth, the skipper and host, and snorkel gear. Local fees are extra, at $40 a person on the one night trip and $54 a person on the two night trips.

The boats hold 22 to 29 guests and leave on set days and times. Guests can help sail if they ask the crew.

Sources for this section: Whitsunday Escape, home page and booking conditions; Cumberland Charter Yachts, FAQ and sail guides; QYC, charter rates and FAQs; Prosail, prices, pre-departure info and FAQ.

Park rules for sailors

GBRMPA says zoning applies to most of the sea around the Whitsundays, except parts of Pioneer Bay and Shute Harbour. Penalties apply for breaking zoning rules, and GBRMPA says to carry its free zoning map on the water or risk a fine.

In the Marine Park you can generally anchor in most places, but you must not damage or remove coral. You must obey No Anchoring Areas, generally marked with pyramid-shaped buoys. GBRMPA asks you to use public moorings where available, and you must keep to the time limit on each buoy.

Sources for this section: GBRMPA, A guide to visiting the Whitsundays; GBRMPA, Zoning guide; GBRMPA, Anchoring and mooring.

How to choose

• You sail well and want freedom: choose a bareboat.
• You want your own boat but are new to sailing: add a sail guide, who also shares local tips.
• You travel alone or have only a few days: choose a group trip, because you pay per person.

Before you book, ask each company about the experience it needs, the bond, the fuel, the reef tax and what happens if the weather turns bad. Rules, prices and conditions change, so confirm the details directly with the company. This is general information, not a safety or legal guarantee.

Sources for this section: QYC, charter rates; Cumberland Charter Yachts, sail guides; Prosail, prices and departures.

Sources

1. Tourism Whitsundays, home page: archived page
2. GBRMPA, Enjoying the Whitsundays: archived page
3. Whitsunday Escape, home page: archived page
4. Queensland Yacht Charters, FAQs: archived page
5. Bureau of Meteorology, Hamilton Island Airport: archived page
6. Whitsunday Escape, booking conditions: archived page
7. Cumberland Charter Yachts, FAQ: archived page
8. Cumberland Charter Yachts, sail guides: archived page
9. Queensland Yacht Charters, charter rates: archived page
10. Prosail, prices and departures: archived page
11. Prosail, pre-departure info: archived page
12. Prosail, FAQ: archived page
13. GBRMPA, A guide to visiting the Whitsundays: archived page
14. GBRMPA, Zoning guide: archived page
15. GBRMPA, Anchoring and mooring: archived page