Choose "Save as PDF" in the dialog that opens. A4, no margins. On a phone, use the share icon and pick Save to Files or Print.
A quiet New Year · 10 nights · From Hamilton Island
South from Hamilton Island through the Percy Isles and the southern Reef to K'gari, and home by a different set of islands
Best months
December - January
How long
11 Days / 10 Nights
Start and finish
Hamilton Island to Hamilton Island
Planned by
The Ahoy Club charter team
The idea of the week
If you know the Whitsundays, this is somewhere few charter guests ever go. Board at Hamilton Island and point south: New Year's Eve at anchor in the remote Percy Isles, then Great Keppel, the coral cay of Lady Musgrave in turtle season, and K'gari, the largest sand island on earth. Home again by a different set of islands, the Town of 1770, the outer Keppels and a last night in the Percys.
It is a New Year with no crowds and no city lights, two World Heritage areas, and around 765 nautical miles of coast most people only ever see from a plane. Distances are approximate and every anchorage is chosen on the day by the captain for wind, swell and tide. The long passages run faster than the short hops, so you spend more of each day at anchor.
The route
What the crew arrange along the way
New Year's Eve dinner at anchor
A long dinner on deck in the Percy Isles, with the menu designed with your chef before the charter. No crowds and no city glow, just stars and the countdown.
A private K'gari 4WD day
A licensed local guide takes you across the island: Lake McKenzie's freshwater lagoon, the rainforest at Central Station, Eli Creek and the Maheno shipwreck on 75 Mile Beach.
The toys, every day
Jetskis, seabobs, paddleboards, wakeboards and the slide if the yacht has one, in the water by the time breakfast is cleared. In the Whitsundays and on the Reef the snorkelling gear matters more; in the Kimberley the tenders do the work.
Day by day
Keswick Island · Board · ~40 nm · 3.5 h · South, past the familiar anchorages
Board at Hamilton Island Marina and point south, past Lindeman and the Cumberland Islands, leaving the Whitsunday anchorages behind. Lunch under way, then an afternoon snorkel on Keswick's fringing reef, or St Bees across the channel if the wind suits it better, and a quiet first night at anchor.
West Bay, Middle Percy · ~60 nm · 5.5 h · The A-frame hut, and the countdown at anchor
Middle Percy is a sailor's legend, a favourite of yachties, trawler skippers and fishermen for its fishing and its anchorages. Ashore at West Bay stands the A-frame hut, hung with decades of mementos left by passing yachts: leave your own mark among them. Then back on board for a long New Year's Eve dinner on deck. Forty-odd miles offshore there are no crowds and no city glow, just stars and the countdown.
Great Keppel Island · ~100 nm · 6.75 h · A slow New Year's morning
A slow New Year's morning, then the longest run south while you rest on deck. Arrive at Great Keppel in the afternoon: seventeen white beaches, clear water and the snorkelling at Monkey Beach, right off the sand. If anyone has energy left, the hinterland hike is rugged and worth it.
Lady Musgrave Island · ~90 nm · 6 h · Into the southern Reef, in turtle season
Into the southern Great Barrier Reef and the Capricorn-Bunker group. Lady Musgrave is a 14-hectare coral cay ringed by 1,192 hectares of its own reef and lagoon, with some of the clearest water on the Reef, and the second southernmost island in the Great Barrier Reef chain. The yacht anchors off the reef edge and the tender takes you into the lagoon. Early January is peak turtle season: green and loggerhead turtles come ashore to nest at night, and the first hatchlings of the season can appear.
Lady Musgrave Island · Stay · tender days · The lagoon, at your own pace
The extra night is the point of the ten-night version. Snorkel the lagoon again with the turtles and the rays, walk the cay, and go back out after dark with the crew for the nesting turtles, with the briefing first so you watch without disturbing them.
Kingfisher Bay, K'gari · ~95 nm · 6.25 h · Across Hervey Bay, dolphins on the bow
A dawn swim in the lagoon, then south across Hervey Bay, often with dolphins on the bow. Anchor off Kingfisher Bay on K'gari's sheltered western shore in time for sunset over the Great Sandy Strait.
K'gari · Stay · shore and tender day · The largest sand island on earth
K'gari, formerly Fraser Island, is World Heritage-listed and the largest sand island on earth. Take a private guided 4WD day to Lake McKenzie's freshwater lagoon, the rainforest at Central Station, Eli Creek and the Maheno shipwreck on 75 Mile Beach. Or stay on the water and explore the mangroves and sand banks of the Great Sandy Strait by tender, looking for dugong and dolphins. Dinner ashore or on deck.
Bustard Bay · ~105 nm · 7 h · Homeward, where Queensland's recorded history begins
North again, to the place where Queensland's recorded history begins. The yacht anchors in Bustard Bay while the tender takes you into Round Hill Creek. Explore the village, climb to the headland for sunset, and try the local mud crab.
Humpy, Halfway or North Keppel · ~75 nm · 5 h · A different side of Keppel Bay
A different side of Keppel Bay this time. Anchor off Humpy, Halfway or North Keppel for reef snorkelling, paddleboarding and a beach to yourselves.
Percy Isles · ~100 nm · 6.75 h · One last remote night
Back to the Percys for a final remote night, this time in a different bay chosen for the breeze. A last sunset dinner a long way from anywhere.
Hamilton Island Marina · ~100 nm · 6.75 h · Home through the Cumberland Islands
Breakfast at anchor, then the run home through the Cumberland Islands, arriving at Hamilton Island Marina in the afternoon to fly home from the island's own airport.
Make this week yours
This is a sample week, planned by the Ahoy Club charter team from trips we have run before. Every stop moves with the weather, the tide and the group. We reshape it around your yacht and your dates, book the tables and quote the rate.
Australia
+61 (02) 9327 3333
Europe
+33 4 9367 3735
USA
+1 561 813 7511
ahoyclub.com · charter@ahoyclub.com
https://ahoyclub.com/charter/itinerary/whitsundays-southern-passage-10-nights
Yacht charter, sales, management and refit.
Sydney · Côte d'Azur · Palm Beach
