The Great Barrier Reef is the largest tropical coral reef system in the world. At around 2,300 kilometers long it is almost 10 times the size of the Belize Barrier Reef. At 348,000 square kilometers, the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park is the largest World Heritage Area and the biggest tropical marine reserve. Lets put that in perspective, it is about the size of 70 million football fields or roughly the same size as Japan or approximately half the size of Texas. Within the Marine Park there are 1500 of the world’s 13000 species of marine fish (that’s more than 10%), 360 species of hard corals, 600 species of echinoderms (starfish, sea urchins & sea cucumbers), 500 species of seaweed, 6 of the world’s 7 species of marine turtles, 200 species of birds, 14,000 dugongs (also known as the endangered species Manatee). It comprises about 2900 separate reef off the coasts of the islands and the mainland, and barrier reefs facing the sea. All activities within it’s border are managed by The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority.
I am John Boyce and together with my wife Lynne (you can see our photograph when you click on “view this supplier profile” at the top of this page), we would love to welcome you aboard our "floating home" and personally introduce you to the wonders of the Whitsunday’s (The Most Magical Location in the Whole Great Barrier Reef Marine Park because so many of the previously described features of the Marine Park are so easy to experience simply by jumping off the dive platform at the back of our yacht). We have over 22 years experience in guiding our guests on the uninhabited islands, in the intertidal zone and under the water in this Water Wonderland.
The Islands used to be part of Mainland Australia but became separated when the sea level rose after the last ice age, so they have much of the native flora and fauna seen on the mainland. When Lynne and I guide our guests on bush walking excursions on these Islands to visit places of remarkable natural beauty, we can appreciate much of the Australian wilderness experience including Aboriginal caves complete with ancient paintings dating from before the discovery of the area by Captain Cook in 1770.
On reef walking expeditions in the intertidal zone, when the drying reefs are exposed at low tide, Lynne's 30 years experience as a conchologist is invaluable because she is able to locate the cleverly disguised reef dwellers. Her knowledge is so extensive that she can identify them by their Latin name and inform our guests of their life cycle and interaction in their environment. Her experience in this aspect of our excursions is remarkable, she has even found a shell that has never been seen before and will be named after her !! Our guests find the few hours spent on these drying reefs absolutely fascinating, and without an experienced guide, the novice explorer, would miss 98% of what there is to see and experience, because the reef dwellers use disguise as their natural protection.
Wonderful waterways are what the Whitsunday's is all about, and this is where our experience really counts. We can guide our guests to locations, where entering the magical world of colorful coral gardens is as close as just jumping off the back of our boat. Here you will be accompanied by so many colorful, friendly fish that it is like swimming in your own aquarium. We will take you to places where these fish will eat right out of your hand and will swim up to your mask to look you right in the eye as if to say "Welcome to my world"! We offer free tuition to those who have not snorkeled before and (being scuba divers) we can "buddy" up with any qualified diver who does not have a buddy and guide them to the best locations underwater.
World famous film Producer/Director and Oscar nominee, Greg MacGillivray, wrote: “In producing our documentaries, we have visited some of the most remote and remarkable locations on earth, (highest mountain for “Everest” and deep in the ocean for “The Living Sea”), where we have been able to experience truly pristine environments. While enjoying our cruise with you as our guides, taking us to more (by comparison) accessible locations, we were surprised by the high quality of marine life encountered. The colorful coral gardens and the multitude of friendly fish that you introduced us to, really impresses us, as did your ability to produce mouth watering meals in such magical locations. We will certainly be “singing your praises” back home, as we look forward to another opportunity to share this unique experience with you”.
We prefer to (safely) offer our "Adventures in Paradise" during the Warm, Dry months of June to October. Our season just happen to coincide with the period that the giant Humpback whales are in the area, so we have regular close encounters with the Giants of the sea. Also, by late in October, the prevailing winds have turned from the South to the North which means that the best bays for snorkeling and scuba diving are inaccessible (almost all the spectacular corals are on the northern side of the islands or reefs, where it is not possible anchor when the northerly wind is directing large waves to these locations).
We offer a "hands on" holiday, where our guests can take the wheel and experience true "big boat" sailing, without having the responsibility of navigating the "tricky" reefs or the drudgery of cooking. The American magazine "Bon Appetite", has written to Lynne requesting one of her recipes for publication in the USA, so you can be assured that the meals you will enjoy aboard will exceed your expectation and surpass much of what is served in well known Sydney restaurants ! Our package is quite remarkable, you will enjoy fine, healthy, delicious meals, complimented by an extraordinary fine and varied wine list, set in an amazing environment where one minute you are swimming over magnificent corals or walking on drying reefs (where turtles are often stranded at low tide and at your feet) and the next dining on “Sydney Sundancer’s expansive aft deck in a magnificent bay surrounded by corals and incredible scenery. Award winning restaurateur and gold medal wine grower, Luigi Bazzani wrote: “A wonderful chef, A brilliant skipper. We were willingly enticed into a whole new world and adored every minute”.
We suggest that guests should consider our yacht as their own private floating luxury hotel, located in the middle of the world's largest marine park because it is fully equipped with "play toys" such as floating inflatable chairs, fishing gear, and snorkeling equipment. We Even Have a Glass Bottomed Dive Tender making us the first live aboard sailing vessel in the area to boast such a great facility! At time of writing, we are the only yacht to have a hydrophone (underwater microphone) aboard so you can listen to the magical songs of the Humpback Whales.
Our yacht offers so much deck space for relaxing (we are licensed to carry 70 day passengers), that you can just imagine how enjoyable our cruises become when we limit our guests to a maximum of 10. We like to think of our yacht "Sydney Sundancer" as the little sister to the QE2, and indeed previous guests have advised that our level of service for those who want a "do nothing" holiday, is similar !
We conduct 7 day, scheduled departures from Hamilton Island, leaving each Saturday afternoon and do not see civilization for a whole week until our return on Saturday morning. Each night, we anchor our yacht in a different bay, so calm that long stemmed wine glasses are safe! We like to advise that our guests can go snorkeling over magnificent coral gardens accompanied by thousands of friendly fish before breakfast And Their Day Just Gets Better From There. Our itinerary each day depends on the wind direction and the best place to visit on the day, and is decided upon by the guests and skipper. We know the islands so well, both below and above the water, that you can be sure to see the very best of everything the Great Barrier Reef has to offer.
You will find that our yacht is just perfect for family holidays (private charter only), as it is so spacious, very stable and very safe. We have a wide and sturdy ladder on the aft deck leading to a massive transom (dive platform), which in turn makes getting in and out of the water extremely easy for all ages (both old and young). It is also very safe and easy to get into our large, stable (because it is a catamaran), glass bottomed dive tender. Not only is this type of holiday wonderful for all ages to enjoy equally but it is an educational holiday with nature too!
Lynne is delighted to guide guests onto the drying reefs pointing to amazing creatures which the normal eye would miss. She is always in the water to guide our guests at all times, ensuring all the best corals and fish are observed at close quarters, and to inform guests the names of the fish and corals that they are viewing! John is always nearby in the tender whilst our guests are snorkeling, just in case anyone wants to vacate the water before the others! This also gives confidence to those who are more nervous or not confident about snorkeling.
The private charter rate is A$15,600 for 7 days / nights which includes the meals for 6 guests. Extra guests can be accommodated free of charge but there is a charge of A$55 per person per person per day (to cover the extra food consumed) when the group size is greater than 6 guests (up to 12 max). Similarly, if there is (say) only 5 in your charter group we would deduct A$55 per day for the food content of the guest not on board.
If you would like to relieve Lynne and me of all the washing up duties (while still enjoying her fabulous food being expertly prepared), we offer a $50 per person/day discount, and some families use “child labor” for this purpose ! It is really not a chore - we have had many guests who paid full price but by mid week wanted to help (but not take the discount). It is just like fully participating in shipboard life! Everything is included in these prices except drinks (a wide selection of fine Australian wines, beer and soft drinks is available at reasonable prices), reef taxes A$25 per person (for the 7 days) and scuba diving (for qualified divers only).
We also offer individual cabin bookings (you can see photographs of each cabin by clicking on “view this supplier profile”, at the top of this page and viewing the slide show), where adult guests can join other adult passengers on the yacht (ie no children will be aboard when we offer individual cabin bookings) :
The master stateroom is located between the engine room and crew quarters, for Lynne and me. It is the full width of the ship (hence the name stateroom) and contains a double bed nearly 7ft long, and varying in width from around 5ft to 6 1/2ft (because of the curve shape of the hull). It has ample headroom, a settee (which can convert to an upper and lower bunk if required) on the opposite side to the double bed. There is an en suite bathroom attached. This stateroom also has direct access to the aft deck above.
The forward stateroom (called a stateroom because it too extends the whole width of the ship) is smaller than the previously described because the ship is narrower at this location. There is a bathroom immediately next to the door to the stateroom. The side double during the day is a corridor to the master stateroom which is converted by the crew to a double bed after dinner. There is a curtain affording privacy from the main saloon and a door at the opposite end giving privacy from the master stateroom. The guests share the forward bathroom with other guests.
I would just like to mention one more important matter to consider : Hamilton Island was developed after Airlie Beach (the original gateway to the Islands) which has Proserpine as its nearest, but not so local, airport more than half an hour drive by taxi and a lot longer by the local bus. We have decided to establish our base on the island (which has daily flights from most major Australian cities direct to the airport and is less than 5 minutes from our marina berth), rather than the cheaper (for us) alternative on the mainland at Airlie Beach, For our Guests Convenience and Benefit, Not Ours! Once we depart our base at the marina on the island, we are immediately sailing the waterways that are world famous and can quickly enjoy all the activities mentioned above. This is vitally important for guests whose time is short, because the first day of any excursion beginning at Airlie Beach is wasted by sailing from the mainland, as is the last day sailing back to the mainland.
Without trying to brag, we know we offer "the best of the best". This fact was recognized in May 1999, when we were awarded Best Product at the first "World Wide Aussie Specialist Conference" (of overseas travel agents) in Brisbane. We hope you will allow us to personally introduce you to the "Wonder of the Whitsunday's", where we guarantee that your expectations for your holiday of a lifetime will be exceeded and your dreams come true.
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