Author Archives: lj431

A rough and lumpy sea greeted us as we untied from our mooring and began our passage south from Broome. The big waves had us putting our life jackets on and I was feeling pretty crappy, tired and emotional. We sailed well, if uncomfortably, in the 20 to 25 knots winds, and as the dayContinue reading “Dampier and islands of the Dampier Archipelago”

Back in Cairns and in Darwin, a lot of people would ask me how I knew how much food we would need for the trip, and how would I plan and shop for such a long time. My response; I didn’t really know, just guessed and estimated and if in doubt, bought extra! Matt thoughtContinue reading “Provisioning for the Kimberley”

The passage from Cygnet Bay to Broome is approximately 140 nautical miles. There are several possible anchorages along the way so we had the choice of three quite longish 40 to 50 mile days or two very long 70 mile days. In true ‘end of trip’ fashion we chose the quickest option possible and ploughedContinue reading “Broome”

We were nearing the end of our time in the Kimberley, and although we had truly loved exploring such a special place for such a long time, the lack of fresh food, particularly fruit and vegetables was beginning to weigh on us. Both of us were feeling a little bit rundown. We found ourselves lookingContinue reading “Cruising the Kimberley – Horizontal Falls, Silver Gull and Dog Leg Creeks, Cockatoo Island and Cygnet Bay”

Whilst our little adventure into the Prince Regent River had been nerve wracking at times, I was still very glad we had come. It had been a great experience. But we weren’t going to linger and risk being stranded, so we were off downstream as soon as we woke up, with more water under usContinue reading “Cruising the Kimberley – Augustus Island, Deception Bay, Raft Point and Montgomery Reef”

After a relaxed morning on the boat waiting for the tide to turn, we set off and headed west. We left a little bit too early so pushed some tide for a while, before the current shifted and began assisting us. We were slowly sailing south into Port Nelson when we heard Terry’s voice onContinue reading “Cruising the Kimberley – Careening Bay and the Prince Regent River”

Leaving Bigge Island, we sailed slowly south in 10 knots of breeze. There was no sign yet of the strong winds that had been forecast. When the wind dropped to less than 5 knots, we turned the engine on in order to motor into Rainforest Ravine before dark. We could see no evidence of theContinue reading “Cruising the Kimberley – Rainforest Ravine, Prince Frederick Harbour and the Hunter River”

I was a little unsure about the tidal streams and currents we were going to encounter rounding Cape Bougainville on our way to the Osborne Islands. The wind was off and on, fluctuating from 1 to 10 knots, making for a frustrating sail as we put sails up and down and the engine on andContinue reading “Cruising the Kimberley – Osborne, Prudhoe and Bigge Islands”

Feeling slightly under the weather after our unexpectedly big night on Luna Sea, I was very grateful for the calm waters we encountered rounding Cape Londonderry. Cape Londonderry is the northern most part of the mainland of Western Australia and it is here that tidal currents coming across from Cape Talbot converge with currents comingContinue reading “Cruising the Kimberley – Napier Broome Bay and Vansittart Bay”

Our planned passage to Koolama Bay included an overnight stop at Seaplane Bay and then a day stop at Gallery Bay to view some rock art. Unfortunately the 10 knot breeze that had given us a lovely, gentle sail for the first day and a half ramped up to 15 to 20 knots, just asContinue reading “Cruising the Kimberley – Koolama Bay and the King George River”