Charter Chatter

Little is known about manta rays but researchers from the University of Queensland and Earthwatch have begun a five year research project to discover why they are such regular visitors to Lady Elliot Island, a coral cay at the southern end of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park, where they congregate to be preened by cleaner wrasse - small fish that feed on skin parasites and pieces of loose flesh.

Cobalt blue on the back with a white underbelly, the manta is the largest ray with a wingspan of up to nine metres and weighing up to 1500 kilograms. It has a short, barbless tail and can swim up to 24 kilometres an hour and is found mainly in tropical waters throughout the world.

Sunsail Yacht Charters turns 35 this year and to celebrate, it is giving customers a whopping 35 percent off selected last-minute bookings from their base in the Whitsundays, north Queensland. All customers have to do is call Sunsail and ask about the last-minute Birthday offers and they will be offered a selection of boats in the Whitsundays on specific dates over the next few weeks.

For those who do not want to or might not be able to participate in SCUBA diving or snorkelling, Seawalker @ Green Island is a safe underwater experience on the Great Barrier Reef. It's a fully guided underwater optional tour where your face stays dry and you walk underwater on the smooth clean sand of the sea floor surrounded by fish and marine life in a beautiful coral garden. No experience is needed. Light sun protection, wet suits and walking boots are provided.

Tourism Whitsundays recently lodged a Federal Government funding submission for a proposal for three separate dive wrecks to form the Whitsundays Dive Wreck Trail. The location of the wrecks has been specifically aimed at reducing traffic at busy reef dive sites as a reef conservation measure.

Ideally the wrecks would be located within 30-120 minutes from Airlie Beach and within close distance to other key sites in the region, offering one or multiple day diving options.

The Brisbane Whale Watching season has opened and only two permit holders are licensed to operate commercial cruises in the Moreton Bay Marine Park.
Departing from Redcliffe Jetty, the purpose built luxury catamaran MV Eye-Spy has six viewing decks and a large bow, allowing for unobstructed viewing for up to three hundred guests.

If you have ever wanted to race during Cowes Week but have limited or no sailing experience, LaserPerformance, the company behind the Laser SB3 keelboat, the largest class at Cowes Week, UK, for the past four years, has teamed up with Pelican Racing to offer an opportunity to ‘Come Racing' when the 1,000 boat fleet has finished racing for the day – at a cost of just £10.00 per person. More here.

The Cruising Yacht Club of Australia launches its annual Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) Trusts Raffle with the major prize of a cruise for two onboard the Queen Victoria, sailing from Sydney to Fremantle, departing on 20 February 2010. The package also includes one night post cruise accommodation in Perth and airfares from Perth to Sydney, supplied by EseaCruising.com. More here.

Crew members on Sunsail Yacht Charter's single-place training yacht last year raced on an Oceanis 361 yacht in Audi Hamilton Island Race Week under the supervision of Sunsail's expert skippers. This year four of the five crew have joined forces again and have chartered a boat for the event. More
here.

To celebrate the dry docking of Spirit of Tasmania, day tickets from Devonport to Melbourne are available for $49 for travel between 21 July and
7 August 2009, (conditions apply).

Connection Cruises operates a fleet of SCUBA diving yachts, which sail the Red Sea, exploring the dive sites from South Sinai to the Egyptian-Sudanese borders. Or sail the River Nile, from Luxor to Aswan. Details here.

Winter has hit southern Australia and smart boaties are heading north to the Whitsundays to escape the cold. Sailing, fishing, diving and sight seeing day trips can be booked upon arrival in Airlie Beach or on the islands but overnight crewed or skipper yourself charters are usually booked in advance.

The third annual Seawind Whitsunday Rally set sail from Shute Harbour on Saturday 20 June for a week of racing and partying around the Whitsunday Islands onboard 14 luxurious Seawind catamarans. Seawind catamarans are available for charter next year from event sponsors Whitsunday Private Yacht Charters and Whitsunday Rent A Yacht. More here.

Photograph: Manta ray at Lady Elliot Island