Sailing or a Fast Boat From Airlie Beach? How the Two Days Differ
The short answer. Take a fast boat if you want the most stops in the fewest hours: Whitehaven Beach, the lookout and a snorkel in seven or eight. Take a sail if the day on deck is the point, and you are happy to trade stops for wind and quiet. The sail days are longer, and several of them go to other islands.
The choice behind the choice
Most people deciding between a sailboat and a fast boat are deciding how to spend the hours in between. On a fast boat, the crossing is a means to an end, and speed buys time on the sand. On a sail, the crossing is the day: the wind, the deck, a drink as the islands go past. Neither is better. They sell different things.
So ask what you want to remember. If it is the view from the Hill Inlet lookout and the feel of the sand, go fast. If it is an afternoon with the sails up and the engine off, sail. The fares are close enough that the price should not decide it.
Side by side
| The day | Length | Where it goes | Drinks | Cancellation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ocean raft | 7 hours | Whitehaven Beach, the lookout, a reef | For sale, by card | 24 hours |
| Fast catamaran, snorkel | 8 hours | Whitehaven Beach, the lookout, two reefs | Not included | 24 hours |
| Speedboat with a picnic | 7 hours | Whitehaven Beach, a stop at the inlet | Not included | 24 hours |
| Camira under sail | 10 hours | Whitehaven Beach, the lookout by tide | Included, from 10am | 3 days |
| Tongarra under sail | 8.5 hours | Langford Island, the sandbar | Bring your own | 24 hours |
| Wings III under sail | 6 hours 15 | Langford Island, the northern bays | Bring your own | 24 hours |
Two rows decide it for most people. "Where it goes" shows that the sail days from Coral Sea Marina head for Langford Island, not Whitehaven Beach. Of the day sails, only Camira goes to the famous beach, from the Port of Airlie. And "Drinks" shows the one real perk of sail: Camira pours them, and the others let you bring your own.
The case for a fast boat
Speed buys the itinerary. The ocean-raft day reaches the islands faster than bigger boats and fits the Hill Inlet walk, a reef snorkel, lunch on the sand and about two hours on the beach into seven hours. Red Cat's fast catamaran adds a second snorkel stop in eight hours. Big Fury's speedboat stops at Hill Inlet, then lays out a picnic lunch on the beach, with snorkel gear and a lesson if you need one.
You pay in comfort. The raft is open, wet and bumpy when the wind is up, and its listing advises against pregnancy and back problems. If you are prone to seasickness, a big catamaran is the steadier fast boat, and the choices are on Airlie Beach boat tours.
The case for sail
A sail day is slower on purpose. Camira is a big sailing catamaran that makes a ten-hour day of it, with about three hours at the northern end of Whitehaven Beach, the lookout walk when the tide allows, and a reef snorkel. Lunch is in the fare, and so are drinks, with alcohol served from 10am or after the snorkel. It asks for strong swimmers at the snorkel, because there are no flotation aids.
Tongarra and Wings III sail somewhere quieter. Both go to Langford Island, and both let you bring your own drinks, with coolers and ice on Tongarra and a fridge on Wings III. Wings III adds paddle boards and a clear-bottom kayak, and returns by 3:30pm. Tongarra comes home at sunset. Every sailing day, and the overnight boats, are on Airlie Beach sailing tours.
What you do on board
On a fast boat you mostly sit and hold on between stops. The raft's seats are open to the spray, and the fun is the ride itself. Red Cat's catamaran has a driver-guide giving live commentary on the way. The time that matters is off the boat: the walk, the snorkel, the sand.
On a sail day the boat is part of the time you pay for. On Tongarra, one reviewer spent the crossing on the beanbags on the top deck. Wings III carries paddle boards and a kayak for the stop, and its crew of skipper and host serve morning tea on board. On the sunset sail you can take a turn at the helm and help sail. Camira counts beach activities in its fare, along with lunch and drinks.
Wind, weather and the calm months
Every one of these days needs the weather. If a boat is cancelled for poor weather, the booking terms offer another date or a full refund. The wind is the other variable, and it matters more under sail. In the Bureau of Meteorology's Proserpine figures, the average 3pm wind is lowest in June, at 19.7 km/h, and highest in March and October, at 23.1 km/h. Tourism Whitsundays says September has the lightest average winds at Hamilton Island. Month by month, the figures are on the weather page.
Who should skip both
- Pregnancy or back problems: the raft and Tongarra both advise against them.
- Limited mobility: Tongarra suits travelers who can board by ladder, and Wings III's snorkel means climbing a ladder into the tender.
- Over 70: Wings III does not recommend its day.
- Non-swimmers: Wings III keeps you on board, and Camira has no flotation aids at the snorkel.
For any of these, the air is the answer: the flights see the islands and the reef without a ladder or a wave.
What sail costs you in time
A sailboat goes at the wind's pace. Wings III spends about an hour and a half sailing each way. One Tongarra traveler counted about 2.5 hours out and 2.5 back to a single snorkel site, and said it was not the day if snorkeling is the main aim.
The terms are different too. Camira needs three days' notice to cancel, where most day boats need 24 hours. That matters if your dates may move. The fast boats also fit short stays better: a seven-hour raft day leaves the evening free for the lagoon.
Can you do both?
Yes, on different days, and the short trips make it easy. Take a fast boat to Whitehaven Beach on one day. Then take the sunset sail on the bay on another evening: two and a half hours on a yacht, private to your group of up to eight, with champagne and canapés, from $87. You get the beach at speed and the sail at leisure.
If you want to live under sail, go for two nights. The overnight sailboats anchor among the islands, and Prosail's walk the Hill Inlet lookout on the second day. They run from $434 a person, and some fares are non-refundable, so read the terms.
The verdict, by traveler
- One day, want the famous view: a fast boat to Whitehaven Beach.
- Snorkel first: the fast catamaran with two stops, or Wings III.
- A slow day with a drink: Camira under sail.
- A quieter island than the famous one: Tongarra or Wings III to Langford.
- Prone to seasickness: a big catamaran, or the sky: the hour-long scenic flight.
- Short on time and want a thrill: the guided jet ski.
Which islands each boat reaches is set out in the island-by-island guide, and what the fares leave out is in the first-timer guide.
Under sail or under power
Camira Sailing Adventure through Whitsunday Islands
Ten hours under sail on a big catamaran, with lunch and drinks in the fare, about three hours at the northern end of the beach and a reef snorkel. The lookout walk depends on the tide; cancel three days out.
From $187 per person
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Full-Day Whitsunday Sail and Snorkel Adventure with Lunch
Eight and a half hours on a sailing catamaran to a fringing reef, a short lookout walk and a sandbar, back at sunset. Snorkel gear and a stinger suit are in the fare; ages 12 and over, and the drinks are yours to bring.
From $142 per person
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Whitsundays Day Cruise: Whitehaven Beach & Hill Inlet
Seven hours by speedboat to the beach, with a stop at the inlet, a picnic lunch on the sand and snorkel gear with a lesson if you need one. Children from three; not suited to cruise-ship passengers.
From $174 per person
Check AvailabilityNext: Check the surprises before you go in the Airlie Beach facts post. Every fare sits side by side on Airlie Beach Tours.