Bart Bear's Blog

Whoever thought that I would get the chance to steer a yacht, let alone a racing yacht? But here I am at the control position of the "Banjo Patterson", ready to take a group of tourists out for a sunset champagne cruise from Hamilton island. I am checking the compass before starting the engine and backing out very carefully, because the marina at Hamilton is full of boats, some of them very expensive so I don't want to scratch any of them. Actually, the crew did most of the work, but I helped a lot. "Banjo Patterson" is an retired Sydney-Hobart ocean racer. More modern yachts are very much lighter and carry more sail so "Banjo" has joined the many old racers that retire to the Whitsundays and carry tourists out for sailing adventures. The Oldies weren't feeling all that adventurous, so a quiet, smooth sail in the Whitsunday channel, drinking champers and watching the sunset was the order of the day on this occasion. Next trip I will talk them into something a bit more lively.

Labels: boats, Hamilton Is, Queensland