Explore Whitsundays’ premier Tall Ship ‘Whitsunday Magic’ sank while tied to the dock at Shute Harbour in the early hours of Friday August 5.
Explore Whitsundays Marketing Director Allen Grundy said fortunately no-one was on board or injured during the incident.
“Words cannot explain how devastating it is to see our ‘Magic’ at the moment,” Mr Grundy said.
“Our immediate priority is to work with guests who are booked over the coming weeks to ensure they still enjoy an amazing Whitsunday experience. We are also working to have the boat lifted out of the water as soon as possible. Until then it is impossible to ascertain what happened or the extent of the damage,” he said.
On Thursday August 4, Whitsunday Magic returned to Shute Harbour after a 3-night charter. All passengers exited and the crew preformed the standard vessel turn-around.
The vessel was then on a scheduled maintenance break to fit a dive compressor on the foredeck and install new custom-built storage lockers for dive and snorkelling equipment, but it sank at the dock at around 2.30am.
A spokesperson from Maritime Safety Queensland (MSQ) said MSQ was investigating the event.
“We’ve established there was no risk of pollutants entering the water and MSQ is in discussions with the owner regarding salvage arrangements,” the spokesperson said.
Mr Grundy said Explore Whitsundays would like to thank Maritime Safety Queensland, Shute Harbour management, Whitsunday Police, Tourism Whitsundays and Oceanic Insurance Brokers who have all been of great assistance.
“This is heartbreaking for the owners and staff at Explore Whitsundays, as well as for the many hundreds of guests who are booked on her over the next few months,” Mr Grundy said.
“We would like to assure travellers and locals that we will do everything to restore this beautiful vessel and have her touring the Whitsundays again as soon as we can,” he said.
“We would also like to take this opportunity to thank the businesses and friends of ours, and past and present staff and crew who have offered assistance and support over the past few days.”
Tourism Whitsundays Chief Executive Officer Peter O’Reilly expressed his sadness at the news.
“Not only is Explore Whitsundays one of the premier business operators in the Whitsunday region, but the boat itself is a stunning vessel with a long history,” Mr O’Reilly said.
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