The Whitsunday Islands

A timeless return

By Mathew Channer

Photos by Sailing-Whitsundays.com

On my first day as a commercially registered yacht captain, I sailed a Fontaine Pajot 38 catamaran from mainland Australia across the Whitsunday Passage to the western shores of the world-famous Whitsunday islands.

We cruised northeast on a 15-knot beam reach… perfect catamaran sailing conditions, watching the hazy shapes of the islands colourize and morph into crescent beaches, jungled ridgelines and rocky outcrops. The sails stayed taught and sharp in the wind, urging us over the small blue-green waves. My hands were firm on the helm, absorbing each soft jolt sent through the rudder along the chain-and-pulley steering system. I couldn’t wipe the dorky grin from my face.

The year was 2013. I was 23 years old, armed with more enthusiasm than knowledge, and, just then, I had no idea how lucky I was to be sailing in the Whitsunday Islands.

Located within Australia’s Great Barrier Reef Marine Park, the Whitsundays is a grouping of 74 islands nestled within spitting distance of land and accessible by multiple ports and two airports. It’s also home to what is anecdotally if not formally considered one of the most beautiful beaches in the world: Whitehaven Beach. It’s the perfect cruising ground, so abundant with natural beauty, stunning wildlife, and countless picturesque anchorages that the widely distributed local cruising guide by David Colfelt (now in its 15th edition) is boldly titled 100 Magic Miles of the Great Barrier Reef: The Whitsunday Islands (1985). It’s a title no-less deserved today, for no matter how far word spreads or how popular the Whitsundays becomes with visiting cruisers, you can still motor out from the nearby town of Airlie Beach, point your bow toward the eastern horizon, and sail into a tranquillity that feels unchanged since humans first laid eyes on these islands thousands of years ago. As I was about to find out.

CLICK HERE to read the rest of this article FREE in the digital version of Canadian Boating May 2026

Related Articles

Video Gallery

Bennington 22 MSB

By Andy Adams

If you’ve already had firsthand experience with a pontoon, you will easily understand the appeal of the Bennington 22 MSB. But if you haven’t, let’s start by reviewing a few of the reasons why pontoon boats have become top sellers in markets across North America.

Pontoon boats began in the early 1950s as basically four steel drums lashed to a frame. They were not unlike the log rafts of ancient cultures and not much more sophisticated at first.

Read More

Destinations

The Best of Two Worlds

By Mathew Channer

Interior British Columbia might not be as famous for recreational boating as Canada’s Great Lakes, yet it is no less a world-class boat­ing destination. The mountains offer their own flavour of marine adventure with their series of long, deep ribbon lakes, and there is perhaps no area that embodies this more uniquely than the iconic Okanagan basin in southern B.C. One could be forgiven for assuming this valley was purpose-built for nautical fun, with a few delightful perks thrown in to make the area entirely irresistible (wine-tasting, anyone?).

Read More

Lifestyle