Sailing Log Week 4: Sailing to Whitehaven Beach

Sailing Log Week 4: Sailing to Whitehaven Beach

After finishing work in Airlie for the week we were ready for a sail to Whitehaven Beach.

We expected Whitehaven to be a highlight of the fourth week of sailing. However, spending time exploring the other locations around Whitsunday Island and climbing Whitsunday Peak made it quite difficult to choose a favorite.

Start of the week on Hamilton Island

Before we could sail to Whitehaven Beach, we headed to Hamilton Island to pick up Haylea from the airport.
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Hamilton Island Harbor

Since there are no anchorages in or around Hamilton Island, we decided to spend the night at a mooring in the Hamilton Island Marina.
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The entrance to the marina was a little narrow, with multi-million dollar luxury boats surrounding us on each side, we were sure to be extra careful to avoid bumps. Because port traffic is so heavy, we also had to radio in just before the sailing club and wait for the “concierge service” to escort us to the berth.

While sailing, we usually always stick to free public anchorages rather than paying for marina berths. We definitely took advantage of the comfort that the quiet birth offered, as well as the untimed hot showers.

Haylea joins the crew

Haylea flew from Sydney to Hamilton Island Airport and joined us on the sail to the Daintree on June 19th.
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Hamilton Island sunsets

One of the best and most popular sunset spots on Hamilton Island is a small hill on the side of the island known as One Tree Hill.
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Since we only had one day to explore Hamilton Island after Haylea's arrival, we made the most of it by watching the sunset over the Whitsunday Islands.
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READ FULL BLOG POST: Best Sunset Location on Hamilton Island – TRAVEL GUIDE

Sailing to Whitehaven Beach

The next day we took out the junk's red sails and sailed to Whitehaven Beach.

It took approximately three hours to sail from Hamilton Island Marina to the anchorage at the south end of Whitehaven Beach.
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No wonder they call Whitehaven Beach one of the most beautiful beaches in the world. A huge 5km stretch of pearly white sand meets the clearest, glassiest water.

At the edge of the sand, the classic greens of the Australian bushland contrast with the sand and water, creating a scene found nowhere else in the world.

We spend the rest of the day swimming, testing out my new underwater housing and managing to capture some of my favorite aerial shots of this amazing beach.
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READ THE FULL BLOG POST: Photos of Whitehaven Beach that prove it's one of the most picturesque places in the world

Hill inlet

One of the most popular activities when sailing to Whitehaven Beach is visiting the incredible Hill Inlet.

Hill Inlet is a shallow sandy eddy that cuts deep into Whitsunday Island on the north side of Whitehaven Beach.

Unfortunately, you don't get the true feel of this landscape from either sea or land. Instead, there is a viewing point on the other edge of the beach.
alt="Hill Inlet drone photo at Whitehaven Beach">
alt="Aerial drone photo of Whitehaven beach">
For those with deeper pockets, a helicopter ride over Hill Inlet could also be an option.

Capture some aerial shots of sailing to Whitehaven Beach

Check out some of my favorite aerial shots of us sailing to Whitehaven Beach.
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Sailing to Whitehaven Beach – Tongue Bay Anchorage

Although weather conditions were excellent, the beach anchorage is not a popular overnight anchorage due to limited shelter. The famous thin, white sand is also not the best place to hold an anchor.

Instead, we sail for an hour to the Whitehaven Beach anchorage, known as Tongue Bay.

Tongue Bay is located on the north side of Whitehaven Beach, just beyond the famous Hill Inlet.
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While we planned to check out the Hill Inlet lookout for the sunrise, our plans were unfortunately put on hold as Marine Parks ordered all vessels to vacate the area. Apparently some helicopter operations were planned in preparation for the Whitehaven Beach Run.

Whitsunday Island Anchorage – Cid Harbor

Instead we sail around Whitsunday Island to the popular anchorage of Cid Harbour.

This is a very well protected bay with beaches lining the side of the island. There is also a small island called Cid Island, which is located on the western side of Whitsunday Island.

Cid Harbor also has the highest rate of shark attacks in Australia. Last year alone there were four attacks in the same bay. There are signs both in the water and on the beaches warning people not to swim.

Although I think it's probably due to the chaos caused by the hundreds of swimmers in the summer months, I didn't want to take the chance.
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Climbing Whitsunday Peak

After enjoying the anchorage and avoiding the water, we decided to do the morning hike to Whitsunday Peak. This is the highest point on Whitsunday Island and should be on the list of anyone sailing to Whitehaven Beach or Whitsunday Island.

The hike is quite steep and took about an hour and a half to reach the summit.

The views stretch across both sides of the island, from Hamilton to the Great Barrier Reef.
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alt="Whitsunday Island Peak">
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FULL BLOG POST: WHITSUNDAY PEAK HIKE, WHITSUNDAY ISLANDS, QUEENSLAND

Return home – Airlie Beach

As you know, there is no stable 4G connection on the islands. So we headed back to Airlie Beach to work for the weekend.

It somehow felt like home after we anchored for the third time in our favorite spot right in front of the marina breakwall.
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