Expedition voyages for discerning explorers departing from Hamilton Island. Learn about the Great Barrier Reef ecology from friendly owners, Lynne and John Boyce who for nearly 30 years' have welcomed guests to their floating home and personally introduced them to the very best of this water wonderland. Enjoy healthy gourmet meals and fine wines aboard Australia's most awarded charter yacht, Sydney Sundancer, which is licensed to carry more than 50 day guests. With spacious decks and weighing 37 tons, she is not only luxurious but incredibly stable. Just imagine the comfort factor when individual cabin bookings are limited to a maximum of 8 guests, or 10 for private charter. Children are very welcome, but only for private charter.
Glass bottom dive tender equipped with a deep ladder ensures ease of access to / from the water on snorkelling and scuba excursions. Other personally guided activities include reef walking expeditions and uninhabited island exploration. Every day is packed with a different "Discovery Channel" experience!
Visitor book quote : "A wonderful chef, a brilliant skipper! We were willingly enticed into a whole new world and adored every minute!"
7 day 7 night cruises but shorter periods by arrangement.
When families learn together, they bond together and nothing can be more fun for families of all ages than learning about nature in the worlds’ largest marine reserve! Lynne and John will personally introduce you to amazing experiences on uninhabited islands, in the intertidal zone and under the water.
The islands abound in wildlife and Aboriginal caves complete with ancient paintings. At low tide, fringing reefs emerge revealing a multitude of marine life that Lynne will identify. Entering the magical world of colourful coral gardens and friendly fish is as close as just jumping off the back of the boat. Lynne and John offer free tuition to those who have not snorkelled before, and will guide you to the best locations underwater.
Most of the Whitsunday Islands are a truly pristine environment! The islands used to be part of mainland Australia but became separated when the sea level rose after the last ice age, so they display much of the native flora and fauna seen on mainland Australia. Lynne and John will guide you to places of rare natural beauty and to ancient aboriginal caves complete with paintings predating Captain Cook's discovery of the area in 1770. There are cathedrals of palms to discover and vistas to appreciate from most islands.
The diversity of wildlife includes 200 species of birds as well as wallabies and goannas so you will need to keep your cameras “at the ready”!
Living aboard John and Lynne's yacht, your days adventure begins on waking and continues unabated through to after dark, when fish can be seen leaping from the water under the ship's strong search light. There are close encounters with nature as dolphin play at the bow and whales leap playfully in the distance.
Guests are welcome to take the helm, to sail the yacht, secure in the knowledge that the captain knows the location of all the reefs, so they can enjoy the sailing while being relieved of the responsibility. Your captain will, of course, be pleased to instruct on the finer points of sailing and many novices (at the beginning) conclude their holiday with confidence and assurance in their newly found ability.
There is so much deck space where just the two of you can relax that you may feel you are the only guests aboard. Lynne and John like to think of their yacht "Sydney Sundancer" as the little sister to the QE2, and indeed previous guests have advised that their level of service for those who want a "do nothing" holiday, is similar, but most importantly they guarantee no children aboard, when they accept honeymoon cabin bookings.
By participating in any of the activities shown in other tours, your honeymoon can be as active as you wish. John and Lynne will even take you to secluded beaches where you can enjoy a private picnic and swimming.
The Whitsunday waterways are home to such a diverse variety of marine life that the fishing will excite the experts. When Paul Hogan (Crocodile Dundee) was asked about fishing in Australia, he answered "Fishing in Australia? There are so many fish in Australia that you have to hide behind a tree to bait your hook!" Your hosts, Lynne and John Boyce, know from more than 25 years experience, where you will catch a "Whopper"! But if your preference is simply to observe, that's OK also, and they will take you places where colourful friendly fish swim right up to your mask as if to say "welcome to my world"!
The Great Barrier Reef is the largest tropical coral reef system in the world. It comprises about 2,900 separate reefs off the coasts of the islands and the mainland, and barrier reefs facing the sea. John and Lynne have dived almost half its' length and have chosen the most spectacular locations for you to explore.
Lynne is always in the crystal clear water to guide you, ensuring all the best corals and fish are observed at close quarters, and to inform the names of the fish and corals that you are viewing. John is always nearby in the "glass-bottomed" catamaran dive tender so "non swimming" guests can view the magnificent fish and corals.
The American gourmet food and wine magazine "Bon Appetit" has written to Lynne, requesting one of her recipes for publication in the USA. You can be assured that her meals will exceed expectation and surpass much of what is served in well known Australian restaurants.
Lynne has the ability to produce mouth-watering delicacies in remote areas almost instantly because her daily duties also include guiding guests on morning and afternoon excursions visiting exotic locations that are usually only seen on the "Discovery Channel"! To fulfil her duties as chef, tour guide and deckhand she has developed time saving techniques which are published her online cookbook : "Gourmet Sailing....Delicious Dining on the Great Barrier Reef and other delights". She shares the secrets of her success in easy to follow instructions that will enable you to entertain your friends and family with enviable results. Warning : do not open this book on an empty stomach else you will become instantly ravenous...
Culinary delights including uniquely Australian dishes as well as fresh seafood, combined with other tropical delicacies and complimented by an extensive range of quality and award winning Australian wines will delight the connoisseur.
Get “up close and personal” with inhabitants of the world’s largest tropical marine reserve! Your hosts, Lynne and John Boyce, personally introduce you to the best of this World Heritage listed location. Within the Marine Park are 1500 species of marine fish, 360 species of hard corals, six of the world’s seven species of marine turtles, 200 species of birds and 14,000 dugongs (manatees). You could even encounter giant huge humpback whales that migrate to the Whitsunday's each year during July to September. Capture (on film) a whale leaping from the water, a dolphin dancing at the bow or a turtle gliding by, as you sail effortlessly over crystal clear calm seas, these experiences are at your finger tips when you sail with the experts.
On a live aboard holiday, you are welcomed into John and Lynne’s floating home with the same enthusiasm as they would welcome friends. They have introduced a "Special Budget Package": a discount of AUD40.00 per person per day off the full service prices (where you literally enjoy 'waiter service' all day) in return for help with the washing up and general shipboard chores. This Budget Package still incorporates all chef prepared gourmet meals but the discount is only available when you relieve Lynne and John of all 'after meal' activities. This is just like fully participating in general shipboard life and allows anyone taking advantage of the discount to participate as crew.
From late June to mid September, which are by far the driest months of the year in North Queensland, the magnificent Humpback Whales migrate to the Whitsunday Islands from Antarctica to give berth to their young. Guests have regular spectacular encounters and sightings of these magnificent creatures during these months.
Within the Marine Park are 1500 species of marine fish (that’s more than ten per cent of the world’s fish population), and your expert guides know where to locate friendly fish who will swim up to your mask and look you in the eye as if to say “Welcome to my world.
A trip to the Outer Great Barrier Reef, where scuba divers and snorkelers enjoy spectacular corals and other marine life that make up the world's largest living natural formation is a highlight of their holidays. They even have a “glass bottomed” catamaran dive tender so 'non swimming' guests can view the magnificent fish and corals without getting wet. John and Lynne are your key to this fantastic experience.
Your hosts Lynne and John believe that fantastic food is the best accompaniment to the daily breathtaking wonders of nature experienced, so Lynne has published an online cook book (in response to decades of requests from guests) entitled "Gourmet Sailing....Delicious Dining on the Great Barrier Reef & other delights" which will give you an appreciation for both the meals enjoyed and also for the daily adventures experienced by all aboard.
Some chefs spend hours preparing difficult to follow recipes while others need a restaurant sized kitchen to cope but Lynne has the ability to produce mouth-watering delicacies in remote areas almost instantly because her daily duties also include guiding guests on morning and afternoon excursions to exotic locations that are usually only seen on the "Discovery Channel"!
To fulfil her duties as chef, tour guide and deckhand she has developed time saving techniques that she shares in easy to follow instructions that will enable you to entertain your friends and family with enviable results.
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Expedition voyages for discerning explorers departing from Hamilton Island. Learn about the Great Barrier Reef ecology from friendly owners, Lynne and John Boyce who for nearly 30 years' have welcomed guests to their…
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Expedition voyages for discerning explorers departing from Hamilton Island. Learn about the Great Barrier Reef ecology from friendly owners, Lynne and John Boyce who for nearly 30 years' have welcomed guests to their…