Australia / Whitsunday Islands - Safest Sailing in the World
Beautiful and safe, the 74 Whitsunday islands have been regular sailing attractions for tourists ever since their discovery by the Europeans in the late 1700s. Now the area welcomes close to millions of visitors every year, and not just foreigners, but locals too who come here to take in the good air and the sun.
Sea & Coast
Welcome to the most popular Yacht Charter destination in Australia. Whitsunday Islands are a group of 74 islands that make up the world famous Great Barrier Reef off the coast of Queensland (between Townsville and Mackay). Their fame is well deserved since these are some of the most beautiful but also some of the safest waters in the world.
Covering a surface of about 30 by 40 nautical miles, the islands’ name comes from fames explorer James Cook who baptized them “Whit Sunday” (the seventh Sunday after Easter) the day he thought it was when he first saw them. The local geography is dominated, much like the name says, by corals formed an almost infinite number of islands, islets, beaches, coves and pristine coastlines, always a big hit with Yacht Charter crowds.
Originally, the islands were covered in forests, which is why the aborigines used this area as a logging camp, but by the time the Europeans got here, there were already extensive grasslands replacing the thick forests. Today, the forests have grown back and cover most islands with pines and eucalyptus. This is why most of these islands are part of the Whitsunday National Park. Guided walks can be taken by Yacht Charter visitors to admire the wildlife firsthand.
The tropical climate found here is given by the position near the tropic of Capricorn and the same latitude as Tahiti. While there is fair weather all year round, the summer season in Whitsunday comes between November and April with temperatures between 17 and 31 degrees Celsius. Winter is considered to be the period in between May and October when daily averages drop to 17-26 degrees. To give you Yacht Charter sailors out there an example, July is the coolest month and January the warmest in this part of the world.
Culture & History
The Whitsunday island group was formed by volcanic activity 100 million years ago, originally as a mountain range that was later engulfed by the sea. Native tribes roamed these islands for about 8000 years before the Europeans came in 1770 starting with the ship convoy of Captain Cook.
After most of the indigenous population was mostly wiped out, the tourist and Yacht Charter industry began to slowly develop as early as the 1920s. Today, the region is well known as a sailing haven for locals and tourists alike with millions flocking to these sunny shores each year by boat or plane.
The most popular stops are Airlie Beach, Townsville (with its metropolitan center) and Carwell that are all highly developed and perfectly suited for Yacht Charter tourism. This is where you’ll find the most airports and major train and car nodes.
Seamanship & Experience
Most Yacht Charter skippers consider Whitsunday Islands perfect for sailing all year round due to their climate so there is no tourist season in the common acceptance of the term. However, temperatures are somewhat higher from November to January and cooler in July.
Trade winds blow here regularly bringing down air temperature to pleasant values. From March to September they blow from the southeast and in summer they blow from the north, also bringing an excess of humidity to Whitsunday. January to March is the only time of the year when there is a chance of cyclones forming but there are a few weather stations here that monitor conditions regularly and inform Yacht Charter sailors of any dangerous developments.