This post features student writing.
On Tuesday we boarded our home for the next several days, a sailboat named Condor. We saw a whale within the first 30 minutes and sunbathed on the top deck. We later went to a beautiful beach made up of a narrow sandbar, and then snorkeled, witnessing an incredible reef with a plethora of colors: neon blues, yellows, and reds, unlike anything I’d ever seen. It was eye-opening to see firsthand how much life the Great Barrier Reef truly holds. I was expecting it to be a bit dull, considering how many times I’ve heard that it’s dying. And yes, parts of it are dying, but there is still so much there and so much to save, so we should all try to make an effort in any way we can, no matter how big or small.
The crew was so kind and fed us so well, and after dinner we sat out under the night sky and stargazed. The sky was so clear and it was filled with stars, more than I had ever seen at once. Grey used her SkyView app to show me all the different constellations, like Scorpio and Aquarius, and the Southern Cross. She even pointed out Jupiter to me; it was the brightest thing in the sky and it stood out with its red tint. We also saw more shooting stars than I could count, something I had only ever seen in fairy tales. I slept on the top deck that night with some of the group (while others slept beneath in the cabin), and fell asleep under the light of the stars.
We started Wednesday with a beautiful 2.5-hour hike up the tallest peak of the 74 islands that make up the Whitsundays. Although it was tough, it was totally worth the 360 degree views! After that we helped sail and then went snorkeling in a new reef the crew had yet to explore. It was a fun exploratory mission and did not disappoint! So much beautiful coral and fish. We ended the afternoon playing soccer and frisbee, swimming, and relaxing on the south end of Whitehaven Beach. The sand is so fine and smooth—for some of us the most gorgeous we’ve ever seen. It has truly been an incredible experience on the boat—we love our crew (Josh, the skipper, and Dani and Jay who are deckhands.) They are so fun, feed us well, and have been teaching us how to sail.
The next day started at the marvelous hour of 6:00 AM when we woke up to the sunrise. (It was July 25, the best day of the year because it’s my B-DAY! Kayla, that is!) We ate a typical Condor breakfast of fruit and toast (with Vegemite, of course) while we cruised our way to the north end of Whitehaven Beach (known for filming some of Pirates of the Caribbean). When we arrived, we went for a short walk to the lookout point where we saw an amazing view of the beach and some other islands in the Whitsundays. We spent the rest of the morning swimming, walking, and relaxing at the beach. Every once in a while, someone would spot sting rays, small reef sharks, or even some wild Putney students swimming in the distance.
After an incredible morning at Whitehaven, we got back on the boat for a Mexican-style lunch. Yum! When everyone was done enjoying their burritos, we sailed toward our snorkeling location for the next couple of hours. That snorkel was my personal highlight out of all the water activities that we did because the coral was so vibrant and we saw many different kinds of exotic fish and even spotted a couple of baby sharks. Also, the place we were at was called Raven’s Point, which is the place that Finding Nemo is loosely based on.
Shortly after the snorkel, myself and a few other girls went on a quick hike with Stephen, Jaimie, and the Prosail crew. Since it was my birthday, I got to choose the music that we listened to as we hiked, so I forced everyone to listen to my Thomas Rhett favorites on repeat for an hour straight (Stephen really loved that).
Since everyone else was back on the boat, we hiked very quickly so we could get back to have an afternoon sail. Everyone chipped in to help get the sails up and I even got to be on the helm steering the boat for a little bit when the conditions were good. We sailed to a beach, where we watched the sunset as the crew prepared dinner for us. We ended the night with chicken curry and various vegetable and tofu dishes for dinner, and my birthday celebration with cake and brownies for dessert.
Friday: Another early morning on Condor, again with our typical breakfast we ate during our sail to an early morning snorkel. We snorkeled at 8:00 AM, our favorite hour to jump into cold water to see some fish. The coral and marine life there was quite impressive, which was so nice because it was our last snorkel of the trip.
Later that day, we went for a hike on South Molle Island, and I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed it. It was a two-hour hike in total, and we had a nice view of the islands the entire way as well as a 360 degree view of the Whitsundays at the top. We rewarded ourselves with some hamburgers for lunch before we went for a cruise back to Airlie Beach, where we started our sailing adventure and it came to an end.
My experience aboard Condor was a highlight of this trip so far, and I would like to thank the Prosail crew because it would not have happened without their hard work, dedication, and patience with our group. I would also like to say that being on a boat for four days with 14 other teenagers was something that I was a little bit nervous about, but I could not ask for a better group of goofballs to not only be with for the past four days, but for the entire trip.
— Kayla, Juliette, & Sydney
