The by now normal early pickup saw us inboard the minibus at 07:10 en-route to the catamaran Camira for a day sailing around the Whitsunday Islands. The boat can take 100 passengers but it did not seem that large. In the event only 24 boarded at the marina with the promise of others at an island nearby.
The boat had originally been called Tsunami but this was changed following the Boxing Day tragedy. Camira is Aboriginal for wind but unfortunately today was definitely NOT a camira day so the engines did the work of the sails.
Once the additional passengers were on board we headed for Whitehaven Sands, 6.4km of 98% pure silica sand. The sand is pure enough for glass making. Its other property is that it does not hold the heat of the sun so always remains cool throughout the day.
We were transferred to the beach via the inflatable boat and enjoyed an hour swimming and sunbathing before returning to Camira for a fantastic BBQ.
For most of the trip we lounged on the trampoline nets slung between the two hulls with the sea passing silently below, very hypnotic and refreshing.
Next stop was to snorkel from a reef. We have probably been spoilt in Cairns but the visibility was not great. Even so both Nicola and I used our newly aquirred gear and had a very pleasant hour chasing unfortunate fish (including a trumpet fish) before returning the Camira for afternoon cheese and wine with Camira chocolate cake. No guessing which option Nicola took.
Back at sunset to Sidewalk Cafe for more food and to make use of the free WiFi to update the blog for all you whinging POMS (that includes you Matthew).
A very pleasant and relaxing day.