Happy New Year. It was a busy end to 2009 despite the fact that I'm now so pregnant I can barely move! We set sail from Shute Harbour (as seen above) for a trip to Hamilton Island or 'Hamo' as it's often known. Once inside the marina we were given a berth on E arm next to the recently opened Yacht Club.
Our neighbours had just taken delivery of their brand-new custom-built Riviera 70 and we were lucky enough to be invited aboard for the guided tour. The interior finish was impressive to say the least and the fishing gear - well that's another story.
Our main reason for being on Hamilton Island was work. Julian had a shipwright job on the luxury charter boat Zanzibar II, as pictured below.
"If only Brilliant II had a saloon this big", I thought when I dropped by!
Julian spent the best part of a week repairing exterior gelcoat on Zanzibar II so she would look her best for the festive season and beyond.
Meanwhile I made some work-related visits to some of Hamilton Island's more recent additions. These included the Great Barrier Reef Yacht Club, Hamilton Island Golf Club and 'qualia', a 6-star luxury resort. Below are a couple of shots of the Yacht Club and Golf Course.
The Hamilton Island Golf Club (located on neighbouring Dent Island) was particularly spectacular (if a little dry at the moment due to the lack of rain). To read my write-up on the Golf Club please follow this link to Suite 101.All too soon our five days on Hamo came to an end and it was back to Airlie Beach for Julian to continue renovating our v-berth. No rest for the wicked, or so they say.
Our working Christmas was held in Abel Point Marina. Here we made friends with a new set of neighbours - the crew of a catamaran named Nirvana Seafari. Carlos was fascinated by their dog Lulu, although he disgraced himself by stealing her food.
On Boxing Day we took off for a couple of days r&r to Stonehaven Bay on Hook Island. Here Julian was especially pleased to catch a coral trout.
I took up residence under our Bedouin tent-style awning on the foredeck. Stonehaven is a hilly anchorage where the wind funnels down from the peaks. In tradewind season we tend to avoid it because of these 'bullets' but in the summer heat we're now experiencing it's one of the more comfortably exposed spots.
It was back to Airlie Beach for a tropical New Years Eve complete with fireworks under the palm trees on the beach - a great start to 2010 with lots of excitement ahead.
Our working Christmas was held in Abel Point Marina. Here we made friends with a new set of neighbours - the crew of a catamaran named Nirvana Seafari. Carlos was fascinated by their dog Lulu, although he disgraced himself by stealing her food.
On Boxing Day we took off for a couple of days r&r to Stonehaven Bay on Hook Island. Here Julian was especially pleased to catch a coral trout.
I took up residence under our Bedouin tent-style awning on the foredeck. Stonehaven is a hilly anchorage where the wind funnels down from the peaks. In tradewind season we tend to avoid it because of these 'bullets' but in the summer heat we're now experiencing it's one of the more comfortably exposed spots.
It was back to Airlie Beach for a tropical New Years Eve complete with fireworks under the palm trees on the beach - a great start to 2010 with lots of excitement ahead.
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