3 days under sail

Liquid Desire offers private overnight charters departing Port Douglas to the spectacular Great Barrier Reef.

All charters are professionally catered for by our onboard chefs. Liquid Desire is also crewed by myself as skipper and an in water guide / deckhand when needed.

We take small private groups of 4 to 6 for overnight trips.

What's included?

• Your skipper and crew, snorkelling gear, and meals from our private chef, made to suit your tastes.
• We provide soft drinks. Yes. Bring your own alcoholic drinks; we will have a fridge or esky for them.
• Snorkelling gear, stinger suits, wet suits and towels.
• Stand up paddle boarding
• Fishing equipment (note: we fish for food but are not fully focused on fishing)
• Reef taxes

There are a couple of great options available for an overnight charter out from Port Douglas.

Liquid Desire departure and return point is the public pontoon in Ashford Avenue. Not the marina. Use the map and link on the website. Or type in Ashford Avenue to Google. Please arrive 15 minutes before departure.

A shuttle bus can be arranged for pick up from Port Douglas, Cairns or anywhere on the Northern Beaches. Best if you arrange this yourself or have your accommodation management/travel agent assist.

It is useful to be comfortable in the water. We do regard our trips as reasonably adventurous. If you are not a strong swimmer, we will manage with either flotation devices or a guide if possible. Flotation vests and noodles are on board.

We fish only where the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park zoning allows it, and the focus is on soft plastics and lures.

Sailing Options

OPTION 1 - Opal Reef / Agincourt Reef

Day 1

Opal Reef is located 28 nautical miles offshore on the Outer Barrier Reef. This is approximately a 4-hour sail, a great opportunity to troll for Mackerel or Tuna along the way.

Opal reef is a premium Outer Reef location, with dozens of snorkel sites available. You can expect to see over 400 species of colourful coral, reef sharks, rays, large fish such as the beautiful Maori Wrasse, and occasional turtles.

Liquid Desire can anchor at Opal reef with a beautiful coral garden directly behind the Yacht. There may be a bit of current here and we often engage in exciting ‘drift snorkels’ using our high speed tender.

You can go stand up paddle boarding, fishing, or simply relax and unwind on the beautiful catamaran.

Watch the sun set and be treated to a delicious meal cooked by your personal chef.

View the stars at night from your bed while you gently rock to sleep.

Day 2

After breakfast the following day we travel to Agincourt Reef, 12 nautical miles, about 1.5 hours.

We can do some trolling between Opal Reef and Agincourt. upon arrival to Agincourt we offer a tasty lunch and drop the anchor.

Agincourt Reef has many locations worth visiting and we can spend the afternoon drift snorkelling the top and bottom of Agincourt # 1. ‘Triggerfish Point’ is a great drift snorkel, particularly on the incoming tide where we end up starting out on the pass and finish up in the shallows at least 1 to 2 km away.

The drift snorkelling requires you to have a reasonable level of fitness as you will be away from the main vessel and need to be able to get in and out of the inflatable dinghy in open water.

‘Whaler’ is another great drift snorkel location on the southern end of Agincourt # 1, there is a progression of shallow and isolated reefs leading to some deeper edges. It is possible to see large schools of fish, reef sharks, rays, more than 400 species of coral, and the occasional turtle.

The waters around the reefs of Agincourt are deep and can attract Minke whales, Pilot whales and even whale sharks.

Day 3

We spend the night at Agincourt and snorkel Agincourt # 2 the following morning. ‘Barracuda Bommie’ and ‘Nursery Bommie’ are both spectacular underwater peaks with various large schools of fish circling in the current. There are some beautiful drifts on the inside of Agincourt # 2 also.

In the afternoon we sail back to port and need to allow 5 to 6 hours where we can do some trolling and relaxing on the deck. Lunch on day three is generally served whilst underway.

We can cater to all your preferences and have activities such as snorkelling, diving (at cost), stand-up paddle boarding, fishing, spearfishing and of course sailing.

OPTION 2 - OPAL REEF / MACKAY CAY

Day 1

Opal reef is located 28 nautical miles offshore on the Outer Barrier Reef, this is approximately a 4 hour sail, a great opportunity to troll for Mackerel or Tuna along the way.

Opal reef is a premium Outer Reef location, with dozens of snorkel sites available. You can expect to see over 400 species of colourful coral, reef sharks, rays, large fish such as the beautiful Maori Wrasse, and occasional turtles.

Liquid Desire can anchor at Opal reef with a beautiful coral garden directly behind the Yacht. There may be a bit of current here and we often engage in exciting ‘drift snorkels’ using our high speed tender.

You can go stand up paddle boarding, fishing, or simply relax and unwind on the beautiful catamaran.

Watch the sun set and be treated to a delicious meal cooked by your personal chef.

View the stars at night from your bed while you gently rock to sleep.

Day 2

After breakfast the following day we travel to either Mackay Cay or Undine Cay. This is 20 nautical miles from Opal Reef, and the sail will take 2.5 hours.

We can do some trawling between Opal Reef and the Cays, this is generally a nice downwind sail with the spinnaker out in all its glory.

We anchor up behind the sand cay and spend the afternoon snorkelling and exploring the small sand island. The cays are spectacular, with aqua-blue water and sensational swimming. We sometimes light a small fire on the cay and watch the sun go down behind the mountain range of Cape Tribulation and the World Heritage Rainforest.

Dinner on the boat and let the sound of the water drift you off to sleep.

Day 3

On day 3 we normally set sail after a quick snorkel and or island walk. Sailing via Snapper island for a quick sheltered lunch stop. Snapper island is a rainforest-clad tropical island with amazing beaches and vegetation.

We can do a couple of short walks here and enjoy the peace and quiet as we are more than likely to have the place to ourselves. From Snapper island it is another 12 nm to Port which can be a nice sail with the fishing lines out.

We can cater to all your preferences and have activities such as snorkelling, diving (at cost), stand-up paddle boarding, fishing, spearfishing and of course sailing.

Boarding and sailing

ARRIVAL AND BOARDING:

• Public pontoon in Ashford Avenue. Not the marina. Please arrive 15 minutes before departure.
• Meet the crew and get acquainted with the yacht.
• Receive a safety briefing and any necessary instructions.

SETTING SAIL:

• Depart from Port Douglas and start sailing out to the reef or Island
• The island takes around 1 hour and the outer reef 2 hours.
• Enjoy the scenic views as the yacht glides through the water.
• Anchor in a sheltered reef / island lagoon and go for a snorkel.
• Enjoy a tasty lunch and enjoy your choice of activity for the afternoon
• Either stay on anchor or find another anchorage depending on weather and your preferences and settle in for the night.
• Enjoy the sun setting over to the west and get rocked to sleep for the night.
• The following day you can enjoy a healthy breakfast then we plan the days activities. Snorkelling , SUP , Sailing , relaxing.
• By mid afternoon we up anchor and sail to next location.

RETURN TO PORT:

• As the sail comes to an end, head back to the departure point in Port Douglas.
• Disembark from the yacht, bidding farewell to the crew.