Mandalay

It was a night of fitful sleep in our little berth aboard Hammer, however after breakfast we were ready to head off to snorkel through the nearby Langford Reef.

The current was strong and the water cold as we submerged ourselves. Although our wetsuits offered some protection, this was mostly against jellyfish stings. Nevertheless the strong current forced us to swim hard and this kept us somewhat warm.

We followed after shoals of fish dancing amongst the small coral but whilst we had spotted a sea turtle while aboard Hammer we had no luck sighting one whilst in the water. Whilst the coral was varied in places it was limited in its size and colour when compared to our experience of the Great Barrier Reef. Nevertheless we then sailed on to Blue Pearl Bay, both coral and fish were of a diversity and size greater than what we had seen before.

Even before submerging we could see how the water around our dingy teemed with fish. Once out exploring we saw how diverse the coral was in colour and shape. There were shades of blue, green and yellow with even hints of red in shapes like flowers, trees and even the human brain. Tips of the branches appeared to glow like LEDs and in other places the coral was tube like and swayed in the current. All the while fish of all colours and sizes swam around us, close enough to touch but quick enough to escape our clumsy movements. We could have stayed in the water for longer but the temperature was hard to take. Shivering but elated we threw ourselves back up into the dingy before warming ourselves on lunch and sunshine upon Hammer's decks.

Afterwards we opened the sails once more to head back to Airlie Beach. The boat tilted as the sails and our faces caught the wind. Our hanging feet once again catching spray thrown upward as the hull met the waves head on. Whales and perhaps dolphins were spotted as we bounced and curved a path to the mainland.

Although neither of us have ever had any particular interest in sailing we both really enjoyed ourselves. The crew and our fellow travellers were great company and once again we felt very fortunate to having such an experience.Læs mere