Portland Roads - Sailing the Whitsundays

14 years ago I met my wife when she was sailing on Portland Roads and vowed I would return one day with her and experience bare-boat sailing for myself and a group of close friends. We just returned from a fabulous 6 day trip aboard Lucy, a 42 foot Lagoon Catamaran with the best combination of light sailing winds and calm moorings. Brad gave us daily advice on where to moor or anchor according to winds and tides which was invaluable. If it isn't on your bucket list then you need to add it and if it is then what is stopping you. Just make sure you go through Portland Roads as the team is amazing with good clear communication, safe, clean and comfortable boat which helps make the experience a whole lot more enjoyable. We will be back.

Just back from a week on a Portland Roads yacht - Lawless a comfortable 42ft Lagoon. John and the team were super professional in all aspects of the organisation, preparation and communication which made it a safe and really enjoyable vacation.Highlights were many and included swimming with turtles, on deck BBQ’s, and setting the sails for a day exploring the passages, bays and inlets of the Whitsundays.Would love to do it all again and would definitely recommend Portland Roads.

Had the most amazing holiday with Portland Roads on Lucy. Through the expert guidance of Brad, the boat manager, we had so many stunning experiences. The yacht Lucy was perfect for our trip and well setup to make the trip effortless. My highlights were exploring many beautiful coral reefs and seeing the vast array of sealife. The stunning sunsets and calm sunrises. And the kids (2 x 6yo and 1 x 10yo) being constantly entertained by nature's beauty. 100% recommended doing this holiday! You will not be disappointed!

Wow! What a beautiful lifetime sail with family. The advice from Brad was invaluable as we headed south and then made our way up north. Brad was available at all hours to ensure we were comfortable with the boats operational details. If you want a magnificent sail in the Whitsundays look no further than the Portland Roads team.

My experience with Portland Roads was nothing but unbelievable.John and Mike are very great host and made sure we had a great time. Trip of a life time this is a must do trip. We had amazing weather got to sail the beautiful Whitsundays and got to snorkel through some awesome parts of the Great Barrier Reef.

To be completely honest…it will be difficult to ever top our experience sailing the Whitsundays with Portland Roads for our friends ‘Buddymoon’.Everything about the trip was perfect. To start with, the knowledge of John and his crew about the Whitsundays was as impressive as it was helpful.It was special to hear John discuss the traditional owners of the whitsunday islands, the Ngaro people, and their history/relationship with the land we were about to travel on during our initial brief. We all loved his way of storytelling. John & the crew’s knowledge of the area was also proven a number of times on the trip when we ended up at all of the best places to visit and dive- all of the special little tips and tricks about where to go and what to do meant we felt like we experienced literally everything there was to offer (I’m sure that’s not completely true but it all felt perfect to us). Sharks, dolphins, turtles. Paradise!I could list so many things about why we loved the beautiful boat Lawless so much…but the thing that stood out most to me was the small details, like the cups and placemats designed by local First Nations artists. But really, every part of being on the boat made us feel like we were living the life of the rich and famous. We definitely lived it up like we were anyway. Truly unforgettable- wish I was back there. THANK YOU!!!

Travelled with Partland Roads on Lucy in April. Amazing experience! Great boat and incredible support from John & the team! Will definitely repeat in the future.

We hired Lucy from 15-22 May. Only a few of us had boating experience- but none of us had any significant sailing experience. We needn’t have worried. Brad made sure we had all the training we needed - which was extremely comprehensive and filled our brains to the point of spilling over! But - it all falls into place as Brad makes sure everyone knows the crucial tasks and that each person is hands on with a certain task while the others watch. In the end everyone knows what is needed to be done.We were all eager to sail as much as we could (rather than rely solely on the motor) however at times the wind was not in our favour, but when we did have the sails up- we had a huge sense of accomplishment! It is not hard - but you need to have common sense and be respectful of the environment and others around you.Lucy is an extremely well maintained vessel and 7 of us fitted comfortably. As with any vessel of this size - you will have to move around other people at times - but there was plenty of room up on the decks to each find a place to sit, relax and enjoy. Plenty of room for everyone to sit around at meal times.We were wondering how we could fit the cold food into two bar fridge size fridges and one freezer - but there was plenty of room!Beds are comfortable and have very expensive mattress toppers on them for extra comfort.We had no pre conceived ideas of what we wanted to do, other than Whitehaven Beach, so we left it up to Brad to make suggestions for our itinerary each day, based on the weather conditions. After all, they are the experts! And each suggestion was perfect - Brad, John and the team know the area like the back of their hands … so they were spot on. The highlights for us would have been Whitehaven Beach and snorkelling at Chalkies and the turtles at tongue bay. Hamilton island was good to fill the water tanks up, have long showers and re-stock supplies. The free buses were great to see the island.Such a magical experience, words can’t describe how amazing it was. Thank you Brad and everyone else at Portland Roads that runs this small company. I can’t recommend Portland Roads enough.