“With palm-fringed white sand beaches surrounded by clear blue waters, the Whitsunday Islands are the epitome of a tropical paradise.” So says the QLD-tourism Australia regarding this most beautiful stretch of Australian water. 74 islands encompass the Whitsunday’s, but a fair proportion of those are tiny, uninhabited specks. The main Islands are, from the south looking north, Shaw, Lindeman, Hamilton, Whitsunday, Hook, and Hayman. Easily the best way to explore paradise is by yacht, and there are plenty of choices to spoil you. The two main venues for charter are Hamilton Island and Airlie Beach, the later being our home base. ‘Bareboat’ chartering, as they call all hiring of yachts, both power and sail, is a thriving industry with the marina at Airlie filled to overflowing with eager vessels. We again used Whitsunday Escape, this being our third charter with them, and our weapon of choice was a 35 foot Bavaria, which is perfectly suited to couples. How easy is bareboat charters people have asked, and the answer isn’t always clear. If you have previous experience, …