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Sailing in the Whitsunday Islands
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If you ever get the chance to visit Australia, you must visit the Whitsunday Islands. A group of islands along the southern tip of Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, the Whitsundays are a dazzling collection of white sand beaches, lush interior forests, and stunningly coral wildlife. For a few days in June, Andrew and I explored the Whitsunday Islands on board a racing yacht called The Apollo.
The trip started out early on a Monday morning. We boarded the boat barefoot, leaving our shoes and sandals behind in a big black trash bag. The crewmembers showed us the deck, lead us down into the cabin and kitchen area, and instructed us briefly regarding sailing protocol. Once we were settled, the boated headed out into the water.
Looking around, we sized up our sailing companions. There seemed to be a remarkable lack of diversity compared to the usual backpacking crowd. There seemed to be three people from every English speaking country excepting South Africa. There were three Canadians, three Americans, three Irish, three Australians, three Scots, four Germans, and what seemed like 24 English. Actually, there were only 24 people on the whole boat, but the English presence was quite dominating.
The other American, a real nice guy named Sean, was a Marine on leave. In a few weeks, he’d have to report back to duty. He’d already been to Iraq, where he’d been wounded. After convalescing in the states, he’d spent a long week 
in Australia. It was a nice relief hearing his comforting accent among the other more exotic English accents that reigned over most of the boat.
The boat ride quickly became exciting. The skipper had placed some bait on a fishing wire, which trailed behind the boat as we sailed. About one hour into the trip, he noticed a tug and quickly reeled in a large tuna. Andrew and some other tourists took turns posing with the fish, admiring its size and color.
Unfortunately, the weather conditions were less than ideal. While the sun shone down from a picturesque blue sky, the wind refused to blow making it 
necessary to use the engine instead of the sail. As a result, the sail stayed down for the entire first day. Still, we made it to our first destination, which was a gorgeous white sand beach that rivaled even the stunning white beaches of Fraser Island.
Taking passengers in groups of six, the crew took everybody to the beach on a small inflatable motorboat. Soon we were basking in the rays of the sun and enjoying a perfect afternoon in the middle of Whitsunday Islands. When we boarded the boat, the skipper had another surprise for us. He’d taken the gutted carcass of the tuna and attached it to a rope. After dinner had been served, he tossed the carcass into the water. The blood soon darkened the water. For the next fifteen minutes, we watched silently as three small sharks sparred for the carcass. When the skipper finally pulled the rope up, nothing remained.
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