Earlie Beach is a small town of about 1,300 people, in Queensland, Australia, along the Whitsunday coast. It is the gateway to the incomparable Whitsunday Islands and the Great Barrier Reef.
It is very popular with backpackers…and I was one of them! After arriving in the famous town, I spent a couple of days relaxing and wandering around, trying to figure out what the area might be of interest to me.
She just loved the feeling of being carefree, lucky to be in this beautiful part of the world.
One day, I don’t remember if I was backpacking or in a pub, I saw an ad on the wall that triggered my imagination. The image of a wonderful sailing ship with all its sails unfurled appeared in front of me. One comment said that being in it would have been an adventure of a lifetime experience.
It involved a week-long cruise through the Whitsundays, a collection of 74 mainland islands off the northeast coast of Queensland.
I got hooked. She knew she had to go.
The ad also advertised: “Backpackers who are willing to help with catering and cleaning will get a great discount.” Without hesitation, I went to a travel agency and immediately bought a ticket. I was very lucky; the ship was almost full for the next few weeks with only a few places left.
He was very excited about the trip and the boat as well. I began to collect information about my new means of transportation, which was a brigantine.
What is a brig? Sorry for the technical wording, but there is no other way around it…
It was, no longer exists today, a two-masted sailboat with a fully square foremast mast and at least two sails on the mainmast: a square topsail and a gaff mainsail (aft of the mast). The main mast is the second and taller of the two masts.
The ship was built in 1910 by the Ports and the Harbors of Victoria, in Australia. At that time, she was called “Plover”.
The best materials were used for its construction: Kauri from New Zealand, a gigantic native tree, and copper fittings.
This amazing 30 meter vessel was one of the last tall ships on planet earth.
It’s hard to describe the feeling of being in it.
His story is fascinating. She started out as a steamer in Melbourne and worked various jobs as a fishing ketch, ferryboat, scallop boat and finally as a flashy cruiser.
Unfortunately, in 1986 it caught fire. Fortunately, no one died as the fire burned, but the deck was destroyed. Even its superstructure was completely destroyed. The ship was then abandoned in the mud for 2 years in the Marybyrnong River. A disaster!
Providentially 4 guys from Germany and a professional rigger from Geelong named George Herbery had the foresight to see the enormous potential of the disreputable boat.
The brothers, named Helmut, Günther and Gert Jacoby and an engineer named Ed Roleff, were lovers of ships. In 4 years and 6 months they converted the abandoned ship into an elegant and classy sailboat.
It was so picturesque, eye-catching and unique that it was regularly used in movies. One was the notorious softcore “The Blue Lagoon”…
However, the day came that I was eagerly awaiting to embark on my new journey…
The ship was blue with immaculate sails. What a wonderful sight when I first saw it! What a feeling to start with this masterpiece!
My imagination ran wild… The golden plover reminded me of pirates, black and white flags with skulls, a symbol of piracy par excellence… deadly naval battles and hidden treasures…
Not only was he on a magnificent ship… he was going to sail through the fabled and stunning Whitsunday Islands.
Bright white sand beaches and turquoise waters awaited me…
Whats Next? Just follow me… And I’ll show you the world!