Providence Sailing Whitsundays

Providence V is a 62-foot gaff rigged schooner which runs daily trips out to Langford Reef or Bali Hai for snorkelling. Lunch is on the beach and we always love it when people join in to hoist a sail or two. Her deck is perfect to chill on too as we head back across Whitsunday Passage with an afternoon fruit platter and something sweet.

Providence V starred in a Hollywood movie in 1992 called Survive the Savage Seas. She is a replica of the first boats to sail in the America's Cup in the 1870s. Her Australian builder sailed all the way to America to find his dream 'schooner' he wanted to build in the 1980s. He landed in Florida and travelled all the way to Maine until he found the Blackfish, an American bluenose built in 1925. He tracked down the plans in the Mystic River Museum at Connecticut and was told he was only allowed to build one boat. So we know our lady is unique. He took the plans back to Mourilyn halfway from Townsville to Cairns and used timber from the last of the Tully rainforest. No wonder the Hollywood scout was impressed when he spotted her from the air in the early '90s.