"If you've never sailed the Whitsundays, you're missing out," When I stepped onto the stunning vintage tallship, Solway Lass at Airlie Beach, time seemed to drift away so completely that I could've hurled my timepiece into the sea. Throughout the following three days and nights, dinner times were announced by mouthwatering scents and "happy hour" kicked off whenever the sun dropped a respectable way down the sky.

In 2002, Solway Lass turned 100 years old, having begun her years as a sailing cargo ship, constructed in 1902 in the Netherlands.

With a storied and complex past, the Solway welcomes up to 32 passengers at a time who are keen to hear tales of her fascinating heritage. Captured by the British as a wartime prize in 1915 and employed as a Q-ship throughout World War One, she was subsequently taken by German forces in World War Two, sustaining severe damage from a mine strike. Following the war's end, the Solway Lass ventured to tropical regions and operated as a trading ship throughout the South Pacific, gradually deteriorating over time.

Following a complete restoration, Solway Lass featured prominently in the 1st Fleet recreation marking our Bicentennial Year, later heading north to the Whitsundays, where she remains a treasured asset of Airlie Beach-based Southern Cross Sailing Adventures.

Featuring 10 sails and 5,500 square feet of canvas, this represents sailing designed for adults in fully-catered luxury! You're free to participate as much or as little as you wish, and throughout our journey, most passengers enthusiastically took part in learning to raise and adjust sails or attempted steering the vessel.

Though the sound of creaking timber decking echoes through time, contemporary comforts await below. Solway Lass boasts air conditioning and 11 cabins accommodating 32 passengers, offering double, twin or four-berth options. A bar and bathrooms with steaming showers provide perfect respite after salt-soaked days. Diners showed consistent enthusiasm, and the cuisine aboard Solway Lass proved outstanding—fresh, flavourful and abundant.

We travelled roughly 90 nautical miles (160km), visiting stunning locations such as Whitehaven Beach, Blue Pearl Bay on Hayman Island, Mantaray and Nara Inlet and pausing to snorkel, scuba dive and swim on the island coral fringing reef. Around 4:30pm each day in a calm anchorage we regularly moored alongside one of Southern Cross's four ex-racing yachts, including renowned Whitbread maxis, The Card and British Defender.

The Solway Lass sets out on its three day/three night voyages from Airlie Beach every Tuesday and Saturday at 7:30pm. All meals are provided.

Being amongst the world's most spectacular aquatic playgrounds, the Whitsundays boasts a vast fleet of vessels which traverse the islands and nearby Great Barrier Reef. Day excursions on fast-catamarans, fully-crewed tours on celebrated sailing sloops and motor cruisers are obtainable from the islands and the mainland, or you can opt for the "drive yourself" choice of bareboating.

The Whitsundays also hosts the largest bareboat charter fleet in the southern hemisphere