This port's not for drinking
By Christine Retschlag
Jun 17, 2004, 16:26
There was a bottle of port left on the shelf.
Warm Whitsunday winds whispered from the north and had Sherlock Holmes been aboard the vessel Chille, one wonders what he may have deduced.
But for beginner sailors it?s simply a handy phrase for remembering the left side, or port side, of the boat.
Holmes may have also been bemused to discover there are also “leeches” and even a clue or “clew” on a sailing boat.
But beware of “tell tales” as they sometimes lie.
Learning to sail in the Whitsundays is like unravelling a murder mystery, and at the end of the day is quite elementary, particularly under the guidance of a good sailing instructor such as Chris Jones.
"All a good sailor needs is passion. They need to want to sail, have a love of the ocean and going to new places,” he says.
“You are either a cruiser or a racer. You are hooked or you're not.
“Generally you?re hooked.”
Sunsail Whitsundays, based at Hamilton Island, offer a three-day Competent Crew Course, aimed at turning even the most nautical novice into a sensational sailor.
Set aboard vessels such as the 47 foot Chille, would-be sailors learn all the basics such as nautical terminology, sail handling, rope work, mooring and anchoring, using a dinghy, and basic meteorology.
The $800,000 boat is your classroom, the 74 Whitsunday islands your black board and the wind your ultimate teacher.
The language of sailing is as colourful as the Great Barrier Reef itself, such as the “luff” or front end of the sail; “leech” or back end of the sail; and “clew” back edge of the sail.
Your tell tales, or strings on your main sails which indicate wind direction, can mostly be trusted, but like an informant in a Holmes plot, can sometimes lie.
Add to the adventure colourful crew men, such as Carlos the Spaniard, Erle and his daily pearls of wisdom, and the charming Cherelle, who held an insatiable thirst to set foot upon the silicon sands of Whitehaven Beach, and you?re in for quite a ride.
All that was left was to sail, through the aqua marine channels and around the riveting reef, before mooring in a secluded spot and snorkelling in a Whitsundays wonderland.
Upon successful completion of the course Sunsail will present you with a Competent Crew certificate which enables you to charter a yacht from any of its 39 cruising destinations worldwide - if you can drag yourself away from the Whitsundays.
Yachts such as Chille sleep eight people comfortably and offer all the comforts of home, including a barbecue on the bow or back of the boat from where you can cook dinner, and watch the sun set on another quintessential Queensland day.
There's even a woman who delivers pizza right to your boat, although for over $100 just to deliver, you?d want to eat the crusts as well.
“At the end of three days if you can?t get from one point to another I?ve failed,” Chris says.
“Here in the Whitsundays we are in protected waters. You don?t have a swell but choppy water you?d find on a river.
“It?s a beautiful place to learn.”
While Hamilton Island is a sailor?s paradise, there?s also plenty to do for land lubbers.
The island's resident artist Greg Wardle hosts art classes for those who believe a Pro Hart sounds more a golfing championship than a masterpiece.
With the Hamilton Island Harbour as your muse, pick up a paintbrush and learn techniques such as texturing to create an abstract art work of spinnakers and sails.
And at the end of the course, you can always compare your work with Greg?s and others, including Pro Hart, in the island?s gallery located in the Reef View Hotel.
The Reef View Hotel offers fantastic views over the surrounding islands and generously sized rooms or for an element of luxury, spend a few nights at the Hamilton Island Beach Club.
Situated right on Catseye Beach, the Beach Club is the island?s exclusive accommodation from it?s wet edge pool to the CD players in the beautifully furnished rooms.
Here you can hang up your painting, listen to the waves lapping the shore, and dream of sailing, sunsets and Sherlock Holmes.
More information
Sunsail?s Three-Day Competent Crew Course runs from Mondays to Wednesdays and costs $650 pp.
A learn to sail package costs from $1,150 per person and includes four nights accommodation in Hamilton Island?s Palm Terraces (twin-share); the three-day Competent Crew Course including course notes and certificate upon completion; daily buffet breakfast; return airport-resort transfers; free use of non-motorised watercraft; free use of island resort shuttle; and kids stay, play and eat free program.
Holiday packages for partners who want to enjoy the facilities of Hamilton Island without enrolling in the Competent Crew course start from $500.
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