Whitsunday Cruise & 40th Anniversary Reunion in Sydney December 16-25
 Whitsunday Cruise |
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December 16 Monday: Sydney – Hamilton Island
Hamilton Island
Choi’s wedding has drawn the family to Sydney. We decided to take a holiday together. Lawrence with the help of his close friend Vincent found and charted a boat for a 3-day Whitsunday cruise. Lawrence and his buddies (Vincent & Wendy, Julian & Flora, Albert & Rosanna), Wini and Bob and I joined. It only cost us $450 per head.
This is my second cruise in Whitsunday. I had a lovely cruise there after Shirley’s wedding in October 2010. As there are 74 islands in the park, there is always something to see. We flew to Hamilton Island in the morning. Wini and Bob stayed in a hotel while the rest of us shared two service apartments. As it is expensive to eat on the island, we cooked for ourselves. Lawrence loves steak and has learnt from our father how to cook. He volunteered to be the chef while others helped to prepare the vegetables. We had an excellent dinner.
December 17-19 (Tuesday – Thursday): 3-day Cruise at Whitsunday cruise
Day 1 – Our gang of ten assembled at the Marina before 10am. Vincent called Billy, the captain and we finally found our boat Pacific Blitz, 15.5-metre long and 4.5-metre wide sailing yacht. Last time I was sailing in a yacht was in the Caribbean in 2005. I was excited to set foot on a yacht again. Though small, it is fully equipped. I shared a tiny cabin with Lawrence and slept on the upper bunk. I had to crawl into the bed which is only 2 feet below the ceiling.
 First sight of Pacific Blitz |
 Gang of Ten on board |
Billy is the captain while his partner Pet handles the rest. He is 69-year-old, a Maori from New Zealand and is crazy, jiggles and talks all the time but can only cope with one thing at a time. Our yacht is slow and can go only a few knots per hour. Our first stop was the Long Island where we had two hours. I took the 3.5-km circuit walk while Lawrence and friends were canoeing. By 2pm, we all assembled at the beach waiting for Billy to take us back in the dingy. He did not come on time and we did not get back on the boat till 3pm.
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After a late lunch, Billy said we would go to the Nara Inlet, Hook Island. We arrived before 5pm and I thought we would have our first snorkel. Billy then told us that the boat would anchor here for the night as the bay is sheltered. But we could not swim or snorkel as the water is not safe. We had an early shortly 6pm. Despite limited facilities, Pet did a fantastic job and we had beef stew for lunch and lamb for dinner.
Bob, the engineer fixing the water problem
After dinner, I sat on the bow to watch moon rise. Billy was beside me pumping their air-mattresses as they prefer to sleep under the starry sky. He told me about himself and how he met Pet exactly three years ago today. Suddenly, we heard Pet yelling ‘No water’. Billy grumbled and said the water tanks should have water. Luckily we had three engineers namely Bob, Julian and Albert on board. Bob spent the next two hours on his knees in one of the toilets fixing the problem. Finally water twinkled down. Bob revealed that the problem was not totally solved as there was no spare part on the boat. We all took a one-minute shower. After the shower, we had to press a button to drain the water away. This process creates lots of noise. The flurry of activities and noises did not stop till 11pm. I dozed off and was awaken when raindrops fell from a pothole on my face. I got up to close the pothole. It then became too hot and stuffy. I opened it once it stopped raining.
Day 2- The weather was fine. After breakfast, Billy started the engine and we passed the Black Island (a turtle sanctuary) and Hayman Island with an exclusive resort which according to Billy cost $1800 for a villa a night. We arrived at the Butterfly Bay on the northern side of Hook Island around 10am. Billy told us to swim ashore with our snorkeling gears on for reef and fish viewing. I have been to some better spots before and am not impressed.
 Butterfly Bay, Hook Island |
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After lunch, Billy told us to take a rest before taking us to another bay. Later Billy changed his mind and said we would spend the night here. We were annoyed as we had not sailed at all and had hardly seen anything. He was frustrated and claimed that the sea would get rough and some of us might be seasick. He had a point but we were keen to move on and look for better spots for coral and fish viewing.
Billy succumbed. We asked him to use the sail. Behind the helm, he gave instructions to the five men to put up the front sail. Fantastic! We arrived at the Blue Pearl Bay located on the eastern side of Hayman Island in an hour’s time. I have been here before as this bay is calm and picturesque. Half a dozen boats arrived before us. We spent two hours snorkeling, swimming and walking on the beach. By the time I got back to the yacht, the sun had already set and it was too late for a photo.
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 Headland at Blue Pearl Bay, Hayman Island |
Tonight, we had fish for dinner. Pet brought a cake to celebrate Rosanna’s birthday. We all had a good time enjoying the pan-fried fish, nut cake, cheese and biscuits. During dinner, Bob discovered diesel on the floor under the dining table. We immediately told Billy about this but he showed no sign of surprise. He said diesel had come out when the boat was tilting on one side during sailing (I cannot understand anyway). He assured us the boat would not be on fire. Bob cleaned the floor in order to get rid of the smell.
While Pet was doing the washing, the water was off again. Bob and Billy were on their knees and took less than an hour to fix it. Thanks to Bob’s efforts, we had water for a shower!
I was tired and tried to sleep. Unfortunately, the wind was very strong and I found the noises two feet above my head unbearable. I took my bed sheet and slept on the bench in the dining room instead. In the middle of the night, I was awaken by rain dropping on my face. I jumped up and closed two potholes and two ceiling windows. Billy and Pet rushed in with their sleeping bag. Billy quickly checked and found the windows had already been closed by me. He dropped down at the other end of the bench and slept. He snored so loudly that I could not sleep! When he got up, he told Bob that he was sleeping with a Chinese lady!
Day 3 – We had early sunrise and began to get up. I still felt sleepy when I got up from the bench around 7am. It’s time to negotiate with Billy and find out his plan for the day. He said he would take us to swim with turtles. Fantastic!
Sandy bay for turtles
The guys pulled the front sail and we had plain sailing. The sea was not too rough and we arrived at our destination where the two tiny islands are linked up by a sand bar during low tide. Billy said that around March millions of turtles would be lying on the beach and no one is allowed to set foot on the islands. As it was windy, he said we could not stay there. Instead, he moved the boat to a shelter bay at Black Island. As millions of eggs have already been laid and buried in the sand, no one is allowed to set foot on the island. He advised against swimming and snorkeling as the current was too strong. He stopped the engine and we had a cooked breakfast with egg, sausages and toast.
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 Lovers Cove, Daydream Island |
Where next then? Billy said he would take us to the Daydream Island. The wind was strong (over 20 knots an hour). He turned off the engine and we raced across the sea with the front sail up. Lawrence, Albert and Vincent had a nice time basking in the sun. We set our sight on the Lovers Cove, Daydream Island shortly after 11am. Billy did not turn on the engine and relied on the wind to reach one of the fixed buoys. We wasted over half an hour and Billy finally managed to drop the anchor. He used the dingy to take us to the beach and said he would come back at 2pm.
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I suddenly discovered that I had been on the Daydream Island! After the cruise in 2010, I was dropped off on this island before taking a 40-minute ferry to Hamilton Island to catch my flight to Sydney. This time, I had more time to explore the island. Flora, Julian, Rosanna, Wini and I took the 1-km long rainforest walk and saw several kangaroos. The path is shady with good views of the sea and islands nearby. We took a short broad walk to see other parts of the resort. I also had a nice swim with coral fish at the Lovers Cove before returning to the boat.
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While we were enjoying ourselves, Bob stayed behind with Billy. We later discovered the boat was running out of diesel. Billy claimed he had filled the fuel tanks and someone must have stolen the fuel. He got 40 litres of diesels delivered in two tanks from Shute Harbour. Bob noted another problem with the boat: the pump did not function and Billy had to take out water out from the bottom of the boat manually.
Hayman Island
Pet prepared a nice salad and chicken skewers for lunch. With sufficient fuel, Billy started the engine and spent almost three hours to reach Hamilton Island. We were dropped off at the Marina before 6pm. Flora, Rosanna and I went straight to the supermarket and brought pasta, scallops and vegetables for dinner. The first thing we did was to take a good shower. Feeling clean and comfortable, I could relax and put the problem of the yacht and Billy behind us. We were all tired and went to bed after a nice dinner.
December 20 Friday: Hamilton Island – Sydney
I originally planned to get up early to take a 2-hour walk in the morning. But I was lazy and spent the whole morning in sorting out the photos. We bid good-bye to Wini and Bob as they flied to Brisbane before returning to the States. Our flight left the island at 2pm and we were back in Sydney after 5pm. Tony booked a table in a nice Chinese restaurant in North Sydney and I had a sumptuous dinner with eight dishes with Tony and Karen, Lawrence, Vincent and Wendy, Selina (Wendy’s sister and my Ho Lap schoolmate) and Patrick.
December 21-25 Saturday-Wednesday: Sydney
I had a relaxing time in Sydney and only a few events worth mentioning.
First and the foremost is the 40-year reunion with schoolmates of the Ho Lap College. In the 60s, students in Hong Kong had to complete six or seven years of secondary education before entering a university. But as I had to work in day time and studied in the evening, I took nine years before entering the University of Hong Kong in 1975. While studying in the Ho Lap College from 1971 to 1973, I met Karen who proposed a reunion for the Oz gang in Sydney.
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The reunion consisting of three parts took place on Sunday, December 22. The first part was a walk organized by Selina and Daniel from 10am to 4pm. We set off with two cars and nine participants on a walk-cum-drive trip. We had a lovely walk in Bradleys Head and Middle Head which affords fabulous views of Sydney, the harbor and its numerous suburbs and beaches even on a hazy day. We discovered accidentally one of the four nude beaches in Sydney.
The best discovery of the day was the charming Athot Hall which was over 100 years old. We had an excellent light lunch there.
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From 5:30pm to about 8pm, we had a reunion dinner in a Chinese restaurant in Thornleigh. We took the largest table available for 15 persons. Miss Tang our English teacher, six schoolmates (namely Eric, Jacob, Jasper, Karen, Selina and I), five spouses and three children joined. We had good appetite and had 13 dishes!
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Jasper, Miss Tang & Eric (B) Karen, Selina, Sarah & Jacob (F)
After dinner we went to Selina’s grand mansion and spent hours chatting about the old days. The 1972-3 year book brought by Miss Tang brought back many happy memories. Have we changed much? We may have put on weight and have a few lines on our forehead. But I recognize them since they still talk in the same old ways!
We had water melon and cherries for dessert. Karen is creative, a talented photographer and a perfectionist. She showed us her videos on Northern lights taken in Yellowknife this September and on her trips to Jordan, Turkey and Russia. I told them about my travel and website while others mentioned about their retirement plans. Miss Tang surprised us by throwing in a lucky-draw: she had brought us presents and I got four bookmarks from Turkey and Vietnam. The party broke up after midnight. Karen and I got home after 1am.
Second, I had time with my family. Lawrence and I had lunch with Alan and Vicki on December 21 and spent an afternoon in their house in Cherrybrook. Alan is very proud of his garden and achievements. We also went to Shirley’s new home in Hurlstone Park before Lawrence left on December 23. We flipped through her wedding album and watched her handsome 2-year-old son Thomas with amazement. Time flies.
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Third, I hosted a dinner on Christmas Eve in a Japanese restaurant in the city. It’s a blessing to have dinner with Alan and Vicki, Shirley, Leigh and Thomas and my good friend Karen, her mom and Tony, Karen before leaving Sydney. The dinner also marked the end of my happy stay in Australia.
 Leigh,Thomas,Vicki & Shirley |
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Remarks
My nephew’s wedding has brought Lawrence, my cousins and me to Australia. It is a rare occasion for a family photo. It is a pity that Lawrence’s family (Sally, Wai Leuk and Wai Yan could be join). We all welcome Jane into the Wu’s family and wish the newly-wed couple a happy life together.
Though I have been a frequent visitor to Australia, I always find something interesting to do. This time, I made my first visit to South Australia and Fitzroy Island, Queensland. I saw a rare green Red Centre and have rediscovered Cairns which has retained its natural tropical charm despite more developments since my last visit in 2002.
Karen & I, 1975
Despite my short spell in Ho Lap College, I have fond memories of the school. Karen has become a good friend after we got reconnected in 2000. I cannot thank her enough for having and taking me and Lawrence around. She is a foodie and has treated with home cooking using her state-of-art cooking utensils. My mouth starts to water when I think of her scallops and fried chicken wings.
Buckwheat noodle with fresh salmon & scallop
This is a year for anniversaries. I went to Taiwan with my social work class 1978 in July and celebrated the 40th anniversary with DGS girls. The 40th anniversary of my Ho Lap schoolmates in Sydney is wonderful too. I have reconnected with Jacob, Jasper and Eric whom I had not seen since 1975. Time flies and I do not know whether I shall be able to join their future reunion activities in Australia.
Finally the Whitsunday cruise is an unforgettable experience. Wini left Hong Kong in mid 70s to pursue studies in the States and has remained there since. We do not meet often. I am glad the cruise has brought us together. Though this is not her style of travel, she has coped very well with the rough sea and the discomfort on a tiny yacht. Wini and Bob are fantastic and I hope we can have another family trip again!
Safe return to Hamilton Island, December 19, 2013
I love the sea and have taken several sailing trips. Some of the boats are small and old with basic facilities. But Pacific Blitz seems to be the worst. I am claustrophobic and do not like sleeping in a confined bed with a very low ceiling. The yacht has not been properly maintained. Billy claimed that he had done 30 trips this season with solid booking till late January 2014. He is aware of the problems but has done nothing. Had it not been for Bob’s professional knowledge and support, we would not have had water from Day 2. The diesel leakage can be serious and it is inconceivable that the boat had no fuel on Day 3. I am glad that we had a safe landing in Hamilton Island.
All in all, we have not seen much of Whitsunday owing to the monsoon weather, the speed of the yacht and above all the weird behaviors of Captain Billy. He gave us many promises but would change his mind the next moment. Billy is a happy-go-lucky person and I do not doubt his ability to sail. But he must ensure the yacht’s sea-worthiness and learn to communicate with his clients to enhance customer satisfaction.