Sailing Around Australia; Visitors!

Hayman Island, Whitsundays, QLD

8/10/2015 – Visitors

Since our sailing Around Australia adventure on Easy Tiger began in 2013, it has been Leanne and I on board. Our social life has come form people we met on other boats or along the way. So the idea of having visitors stay on board made us a little nervous.

That’s because we worry about the weather, the provisions, providing interesting destinations and claustrophobia, as a boat can be a very confined space when you are not used to it. We also had an unpleasant experience when we chartered a boat with another couple some years back.

I am sure that everyone who is the slightest bit social able, knows that there is a little apprehension when you invite people around to your house. So if your house was a small space that floats at the mercy of the weather, then you might understand our higher level of anxiety.

We had Leanne’s sister, Sue on board for a couple of weeks in May, which was good. We were in Sydney harbour and the Hawkesbury river which made the destinations easy. Sue was a good “guinea pig” as she is family and really hard to offend. Sue shares Leanne’s love of fishing so it was really easy to keep her amused.

We also had friends from Paynesville, Leanne and Phil stay for a few days in Sydney as well, again all ok with interesting places to pull up and things to do. Being only a few days made it easy to keep up beat as well. These were “new friends” so also a good test to “see how we go” with hosting visitors on Easy Tiger.

Now we are in the Whitsunday Islands and have arranged with more friends to join us for some time aboard Easy Tiger exploring the many islands, bays and anchorages in this cruising sailing mecca.

Ian and Sue were booked to join us at Hamilton Island on the 3^rd of October. Ian offered to change his booking and come a week earlier to help me out which was really appreciated as Leanne, unexpected, had to go to Cairns.

I was quite a bit apprehensive about this as all our married life Leanne has been our social director. To have to entertain someone else for two weeks was something I was not used to at all.

While Leanne was in Cairns I had 6 days by myself to fill in, I tackled a few less pleasant jobs on board including unblocking toilet hoses and fixing water leaks in the engine bays. These are extremely unpleasant tasks and can bring out the worst in me, so much better that I am out of earshot and no one has to witness my little vents of frustration.

Once these jobs were complete I was ready to be moving again. I can’t imagine being in the Whitsunday Islands and not going being able to sail around. The timing of Ian’s arrival was perfect.

We spent the first day stocking the boat (with men’s food like white bread and sausage rolls) sailed up to Woodwark bay, then up to Gloucester Passage the next day to “hang out” with Bossa Nova who also had guests aboard.

An invitation was extended to all aboard Bossa Nova, for dinner aboard the batchelors boat, Easy Tiger. Amanda accepted the invitation very guardedly and then as if according to some plan, offered to bring a salad.

Everything must have gone all right those first few days because on Ian’s recommendation wife Sue also changed her flight to arrive a few days earlier. Either that or someone reported our daily menu to her and it was a rescue mission to save us from ourselves.

We then had five days on board which included Blue Pearl Bay, Macona and Gulnare inlets and a couple of days at Hamilton Island Marina to watch the football grand final.

Then it was back to Airlie Beach to restock the boat with Girls food ready For Leanne’s return.

It has been a real delight having Ian (who has been given the title of 2^nd Mate) and Sue on board. I was worried that they might find the life on board Easy Tiger a bit slow paced as they are both pretty active people at home in Adelaide.

I think though, the fact that Ian has taken to “power napping” in the afternoon for a couple of hours and that Sue is well on her way to reading every book we have on board, that they have fitted into the cruising sailing lifestyle very very well.