Southport to Airlie Beach / 600 Nm / 10 Jul – 20 Jul 2022

You’ll fly into either Brisbane or Gold Coast Airport on the 10th of July 2022. We’ll have a crew dinner on the night of the 10th nearby and complete final preparations for departure the next day. On the 11th of July we’ll depart Southport Marina and head north, up the Queensland East Coast, through the Whitsunday Islands to Airlie Beach. It’s a navigators minefield with islands, reefs, whales, commercial ships, pleasure boats and the Australian Navy to watch out.

This voyage normally takes 6-7 days sailing time to complete and we’ll break it up with some overnight stops in sheltered islands, bays or at a marina along the way. On the way north we’ll assess the weather conditions and tide times to decide whether we sail down the eastern or western side of the Stradbroke Islands, Moreton Island and the world’s largest sand island; ‘Fraser Island’. The inside (western) route has additional navigation challenges including crossing the notorious Wide Bay Bar at the southern tip of Fraser Island.

We would expect to arrive at an Airlie Beach Marina on the 19th of July and you are welcome to stay onboard the entire time and should plan to fly out of Airlie Beach (Proserpine) on or after the 20th of July.

Your crew package includes:

• all meals onboard
• crew meals ashore in Southport and at Airlie Beach
• accommodation onboard
• your Ocean Sailing Expeditions crew shirt
• marina fees
• the use of a PFD (personal floatation device), PLB (personal locator beacon), and a safety tether
• your bedding, a pillow and towel is also included along with suncream.

Your crew package excludes:

• accommodation ashore
• flights and transport to and from departure and arrival ports and visas
• alcohol
• toiletries
• clothing and wet weather gear

You will need to complete a 2-day Sea Safety and Survival Training Course or equivalent Category 1 Course at least 1 month prior.

Its always recommended that you book flights with date flexibility in case of unforeseen changes due to weather or schedules. Accommodation options if you want to stay ashore either side of the trip: AirBNB, Booking.com, Wotif & HomeAway.