Manta Rays Beside Our Sailboat Sailing to Butterfly Bay Hook Island Whitsundays Australia Ep 142

You can become part of our crew over at Patreon https://www.patreon.com/c/sailingastridthewombat/posts Hi and welcome aboard @SailingAstridTheWombat We are Gav and Shezz and two and a half years ago we bought our Beneteau Oceanis 430 sailboat with absolutely no sailing experience and jumped straight into the deep end of liveaboard sailing. Our very first passage was just over 700 nautical miles, launching us headfirst into the world of bluewater cruising, learning to sail, and real life at sea. Since that moment, we’ve been fully immersed in boat life, documenting the journey of turning a production cruising sailboat into a capable, self-sufficient home for full-time liveaboard life. From major sailboat upgrades and off-grid power systems to everyday maintenance and skills building, we have been learning what it truly takes to own, sail, and live on a boat while preparing to sail around the world. We have now left the dock and our adventure has begun so hit subscribe to come along on the journey of a lifetime. If you’re into sailing adventures, beginner sailing, sailboat ownership, cruising lifestyle, and traveling the world by sailboat, our journey is all about real-time learning, ocean freedom, and realising our dream of world cruising under sail...Let's go! Join us as we leave the stunning Nara Inlet on Hook Island in the Whitsunday Islands and sail to the incredible Butterfly Bay — and this anchorage turns into one of the most unforgettable wildlife encounters of our sailing journey so far! We’re living aboard our sailboat and exploring the Whitsundays by sea, and after leaving Nara Inlet, we make our way towards Butterfly Bay on Hook Island. With beautiful Queensland coastline, turquoise water and spectacular Whitsunday scenery surrounding us, we settle into what looks like another peaceful night at anchor. But then we spot them… MANTA RAYS swimming right beside our boat! What starts as a normal morning aboard quickly turns into an incredible few hours in the water. We jump off the boat and swim alongside these amazing animals as they glide effortlessly through the crystal-clear Whitsunday waters. Having manta rays swimming so close to our sailboat is an experience we’ll never forget, and it’s another reminder of just how incredible life on the water can be. In this episode of our liveaboard sailing adventure, we explore Butterfly Bay, Hook Island and the Whitsunday Islands as we continue our journey north along the Queensland coast. We share what it’s really like living aboard a sailboat, travelling from anchorage to anchorage and discovering some of Australia’s most spectacular cruising grounds. If you love sailing, sailboats, cruising, marine wildlife, tropical islands, boat life, liveaboard sailing and travelling the world by sailboat, come along for the adventure! Whether you’re an experienced sailor, a beginner sailor, a sailboat owner, a boat lover or simply dreaming about giving up land life and travelling the world by boat, we hope you enjoy coming along with us. Subscribe and join us as we continue our liveaboard sailing journey around Australia and eventually around the world. There are plenty more sailing adventures, beautiful anchorages, challenging passages, wildlife encounters and boat life to come! If you're interested in sailing, cruising, sailboat life, boat life, liveaboard sailing, sailing around Australia, travelling the world by sailboat, beginner sailing, sailboat ownership, ocean sailing, cruising the Great Barrier Reef or exploring the Whitsundays, you will love Sailing Astrid the Wombat! Boat: Beneteau Oceanis 430 Mission: Sailing Around the World Lifestyle: Full-Time Liveaboard Sailing Route: Nara Inlet to Butterfly Bay Hook Island Whitsundays Queensland Australia You can also become part of our crew over at Patreon https://www.patreon.com/c/sailingastridthewombat/posts Chapters 00:00 Introduction 01:29 Sail Plan 03:14 Leaving Nara Inlet 10:40 Hayman Island 12:00 Butterfly Bay Hook Island 16:10 Manta Rays 21:31 Exploring Butterfly Bay Please leave a comment, like and subscribe to follow our journey. Join us now as we head off up the coast of Queensland to explore the world by sailboat. We promise you we will keep it real through the highs and lows of Liveaboard Cruising life! Welcome aboard Astrid The Wombat Gav and Shezz You can also find us on Instagram and Facebook: Sailing Astrid the Wombat #sailing #liveaboard #sailingaustralia #sailingadventures #sailboat