8
Location: Whitsunday Islands
Waking up on the ship is way better than waking up in a hostel. We woke up to the sound of Frenchie setting things up for a nice breakfast, and before long, we were all eating and getting ready for the day. The ride in the dinghy to the first location on Whitsunday was a little rough, especially since we all got splashed, but we all laughed it off (I may or may not have accused a few people of wetting their pants since our pants got wet on the ride) and then we moved on to our first hike. Once we made it to the top, we were able to get a gorgeous aerial view of the other side of the island. The sand there was just starting to show itself because of the low tide. After a few group pictures, we made our way down to the other side to get a better look, and although we were a little pressed for time, it was worth it. As soon as our feet hit the squeaky sand, we sprinted over to where some water was still lurking and were able to take some amazing pictures. Seeing the beach expose itself more and more with each minute was unreal; a sand bridge connecting one side of the island to the other even popped up. Even though all of us wouldn’t have had a problem staying there all day, we eventually had to go back to the other side of the island to get picked up so that the ship wouldn’t be stuck in the bay by the low tide. But thankfully, we had the chance to go to the south side of the island! Whitehaven Beach had way more wildlife than the spots we were at before; we spotted a couple of goannas, some awesome birds, and a few people even ate ants! After going on a quick hike and discovering the mountain that looks like King Kong’s profile if he were laying down in the ocean, we started a little Frisbee circle. To my excitement, a bunch of people joined in, and the ones who wanted to learn how to toss a Frisbee well learned to throw like pros by the end of the day. All in all, we had a great time on our second day of sailing (even though we keeled, which I learned is not for me). We can’t wait for the next day!