Charter Chatter

Fifteen Eastsail yachts have been selected to be part of the 2010 Australia Day evening celebrations on 26 January. The yachts will perform Dancing with Sails within the exclusion zone at Cockle Bay just before the fireworks. The sails will be lit up with a rainbow of changing colours with crews and skippers keeping the boats in formation. Four crew places are available on each yacht.

Sunsail Sailing Holidays offers luxury skipper yourself vessels for cruising in the Whitsunday Islands and, to make Christmas special, is hosting a festive Christmas barbecue for guests on Christmas Eve. Sunsail guests will also get their own marina berth on Hamilton Island for the duration of their stay meaning they can go shopping, dine out and party on Christmas Eve and cruise around to Whitehaven Beach for lunch on Christmas Day.

A second specialist expedition cruise ship is scheduled to commence voyages in May 2011 for Orion Expedition Cruises. Clelia II, a 50 suite, 100 passenger expedition cruise ship, is to be renamed Orion II and will be based in South East Asia.

December is an ideal time to entertain business associates or get together with friends on a charter boat on Sydney Harbour. The following events are on the harbour in December.

- Dec 5-8 - Sydney International Regatta – top sailors from Australia and around the world compete in this Olympic class event.

- Dec 6 & 13 - The Australian 18 Footers League charters a spectator ferry to follow their races on Sydney Harbour. The ferry leaves Double Bay Wharf at 2.15pm and all visitors are welcome. Tickets are $15.00 per adult and can be purchased at the office on race day. Kids under 14 are free. www.18footers.com.au

- Dec 16 - SOLAS Big Boat Challenge – about 20 of the largest boats in the Rolex Sydney Hobart Race race around the harbour. Individual places are for auction on ebay.com.au, and spectator boat tickets are on sale with all proceeds going to SOLAS Trusts. Or you can charter your own boat and watch the racing. www.cyca.com.au

- Dec 26 - Rolex Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race start – People line the shores of Sydney Harbour, others watch it on TV, but you can be on the harbour watching the start of this iconic event. RolexSydneyHobart.com

- Dec 31 - New Year’s Eve - Spectacular fireworks are fired off the Sydney Harbour Bridge, barges, and city skyscrapers at 9pm and midnight. Over 50 charter vessels will participate in a themed parade following the 9pm fireworks. A special area is set aside for charter vessels in the Harbour. Cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/nye/

Coral Princess has announced a special 2010 Christmas cruise through Melanesia, including a traditional Christmas lunch in the remote Solomon Islands and New Year’s Eve on Champagne Beach in Vanuatu.

The ice-breaker Le Boreal will be launched in May and in contrast to many boats that sail to the Antarctic it is luxury all the way, with an outdoor heated pool, theatre, lounge with dance floor, Turkish steam room, spa and fitness centre. Le Boreal comes with the latest technology relating to water and waste. It also has a positioning system that eliminates the need for dropping anchor in fragile areas.

A new day trip is available from Rosslyn Bay, near Rockhampton, to Great Keppel Island. The day includes tea and coffee on arrival, a tube ride along Fisherman’s Beach and free use of snorkel gear and fins, kayaks, catamarans, sun suits and life jackets. Situated just 30 minutes by boat from the mainland, Great Keppel Island, with 17 beaches, is situated on the southern end of the Great Barrier Reef.

Further south is Lady Elliot Island where the Eco Resort has reduced its diesel consumption and carbon emissions by at least 75 per cent since 2005 through a range of initiatives including a new solar hybrid power station. Daily boat trips for divers and snorkelling tours on glass bottom boats allow visitors to see the manta rays, turtles and tropical fish which call this part of the Great Barrier Reef home.

Photograph: Dancing with Sails courtesy of Eastsail