To
book a sailing holiday on Solway Lass click
here >>>>>
To learn about Solway Lass's Fijian History click
here >>>>>
"If
you haven't sailed the Whitsundays, you haven't
lived," according to Sue Fuller. She packed
her sea legs and swimsuit and set sail on the
century-old tallship, Solway Lass, for a nautical
adventure never to be forgotten.
When
I clambered aboard the beautiful old tallship,
Solway Lass at Airlie Beach, life so noticeably
slowed that I could have tossed my watch overboard.
For the next three days and nights, meal times
were heralded by delicious aromas and "cocktail
hour" began when the sun dipped a reasonable
distance towards the horizon.
In
2002, Solway Lass celebrated her 100th birthday,
having started her life as a sail powered cargo
vessel, built in 1902 in the Netherlands.
She's
had a long and tumultuous history, and the Solway's
crew love to share her colourful past with a maximum
of 32 guests on board at any one time. Seized
as a prize of war by the British in 1915 and used
as a Q-ship during World War One, she was again
seized by the Germans in World War Two, before
being badly damaged by a mine. After the war,
the Solway Lass set sail for warmer waters and
plied the South Pacific as a cargo vessel, eventually
falling into disrepair.
Totally
rebuilt, Solway Lass took pride of place in the
1st Fleet re-enactment during our Bicentennial
Year before travelling north to the Whitsundays,
where she is understandably the pride and joy
of Airlie Beach-based Southern Cross Sailing Adventures.
With
10 sails and 5,500 square feet of sail area, this
is sailing for grown-ups in fully-catered comfort!
You can do as little or as much as you like, and
during our voyage, nearly everyone joined in the
fun of learning to hoist and trim sails or have
a go at taking the helm.
While
the creak and groan of timber deck is an age-old
sound, rest assured life below deck is comfortably
modern. Solway Lass is air-conditioned and has
11 cabins for 32 guests, with a choice of double
or twin cabins or four-share. There's a bar, and
bathrooms complete with hot showers; just the
thing for rinsing off the day's salt water. Appetites
were unfailingly hearty and food on the Solway
Lass was fresh, delicious and plentiful.
We
covered around 90 nautical miles (160km), exploring
beautiful spots including Whitehaven Beach, Blue
Pearl Bay on Hayman Island, Mantaray and Nara
Inlet and stopping to snorkel, scuba dive and
swim on the island coral fringing reef. By around
4:30pm each day in a calm anchorage we often tied
up with one of Southern Cross's four ex-racing
yachts, including famous Whitbread maxis, The
Card and British Defender.
The
Solway Lass departs on its three day/three night
trips from Airlie Beach every Tuesday and Saturday
at 7:30pm. All meals are included.
Being
one of the world's most spectacular aquatic playgrounds,
the Whitsundays has a huge fleet of boats which
ply the islands and nearby Great Barrier Reef.
Day tours on fast-catamarans, fully-crewed tours
on famous sailing sloops and motor cruisers are
available from the islands and the mainland, or
you can take the "drive yourself" option
of bareboating.
The
Whitsundays is also home to the biggest fleet
of bareboat charter boats in the southern hemisphere.
To book a sailing holiday
on Solway Lass click
here >>>>>
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