Lorelei’s
Sailing Adventures
At the end of
Episode 50 we had just completed an 8000km Road Trip through Outback Australia
covering 3 states in 7 weeks with Paul’s parents
George and Chez.
We had
finished the road trip in Darwin which is where our yacht Lorelei was stored at
a Marina.
Our location for this
Episode of the Blog.
Our route for this
Episode of the Blog.
Once we
arrived in Darwin it was go, go, go to get Lorelei ready to sail for our Kimberley
trip in remote NW Australia.
The plan was
to have George and Chez on-board for a 6 week one-way trip from Darwin to
Broome through The Kimberley, drop them at Broome and they would fly back while
we continued on for another 10 or so weeks.
The Kimberley
region is very remote and for 1000 nautical miles there is only a few small
aboriginal communities, some basic scattered services (like fuel carts) and no
telephone or internet.
We had to be
100% self-sufficient and have everything on-board in top-notch working
condition.
It was a
frantic 10 days to get Lorelei ready!
Whilst we had
done most of the things prior to leaving for the road trip, there was still
lots to do.
The shopping
trips were huge and we put 5 trolley loads through the checkout on our first
trip to the supermarket – and that was only the first half!!!!
The biggest concern
was we had lots of things serviced or overhauled prior to the road trip and
many new items added – but they were all untested.
It took ages
to check and double check things worked as they should.
However we
couldn’t check everything whilst in the marina within the confines of the
locked system.
We had left
our RIB at our friends Chris and Cyn’s place and had purchased a new 4 meter
aluminium boat (tinny). It took ages to get the final modifications done to
both the tinny and the davits. It fitted on the davits – but only just….
The last
issue was a tear in our canopy roof that needed fixing.
It took 5
days to get it done at the local marine upholsterer only to have it returned
wrong and needed to be re-done.
That took
another 2 days and eventually we departed 2 days late but satisfied everything
was good-to-go.
Going out
through the lock was a great experience for George & Chez but for us a bit
of pushing and shoving to get the overhanging new tinny’s bow past the concrete
walls.
George with the bow line
coming into the lock
George with the lock
opening to leave.
Note the wet water level
on the wall and how much we dropped in height.
We could only
leave the lock on a high tide and that was at 4pm so we motored for 2 hours
around to Fannie Bay out the front of Darwin and anchored for the night.
The final
test was to run the desalinater which had received a major overhaul.
It was fingers
crossed and fortunately it went well – for the first run anyway…..
For Paul it
was a huge relief and the last test was passed.
We could
finally relax and we enjoyed the sunset and a few celebratory drinks followed
by George & Paul watching the 2nd State of Origin Footy Match on
TV.
The next
morning we took off for our sail to The Kimberley.
The first leg
was to sail across the Joseph Boneparte Gulf which was a 230nm/500km crossing.
We managed to
sail in light winds for most of the day until it dropped out just before sunset
and we motored until 1am.
At 1am the
wind came in from the south and we were sailing beautifully in 10-12 knots of
wind that was forward of the beam and pushing wind over the boat the faster we
went.
It was dead
flat seas and a very enjoyable sail which was great as it was George and Chez’s
first overnight sailing passage.
Paul was the
only one awake for the sunrise under sail.
During the
day we had a pod of Dolphins come and play in the bow wave.
They were
happily playing for more than 1 hour.
For our
second night we had a fantastic sunset under sail.
We arrived at
the entrance to the King George River at 5am and just in time for sunrise.
At 9am Hamish
from the power boat Queste came to say hello and asked Paul if he wanted to
join him in his tender to check the river mouth bar.
It is
dangerously shallow and the deepest part of the channel weaves like an “S”.
Hamish had also
picked up Russell off the yacht Njord and the 3 of them went and plotted a
course through the bar.
Fortunately
all 3 boats had similar draft of around 2m.
Hamish had
crossed it only 6 weeks prior so we sent him in first and the 2 yachts
followed.
At stages we
only had 30cm/1ft under the keel which was a little unnerving!!
Once over the
bar, we motored up the river past the amazing rocky cliffs that had incredible
formations.
Looking back
to Njord, the cliff faces looked huge.
We anchored
about half way up the river at a point where the river splits into 2 arms.
It was the
deepest section but still only 6m/20ft deep.
Paul went up
into the crow’s nest and took a panoramic of the anchorage.
We dropped the
tinny in for its maiden voyage and went and explored the East Arm first.
At the end of
the arm is a waterfall but there was not much water after the poor wet season
that Australia’s top end had experienced.
The area received
less than 10% of its average rainfall.
Paul and
George tackled a rope climb up to the top of the waterfall to have a swim in
the top pool that is free of Crocodiles.
It was a
really sketchy climb and certainly not for the faint hearted.
The view from
the top was fantastic looking both back down the gorge and up the canyon to the
swimming hole.
On the way
home we had a look at another area that had some amazing rock formations with
some big rock overhangs.
The next
morning Paul and George went for the first fishing trip in the new tinny.
They trolled
around the rivers edges and caught 8 fish (George winning 5 to 3).
Unfortunately
none of them were 3 or 4 star eating so they let them all go.
The Trevally
and Queen Fish were a lot of fun on light tackle.
Lorelei on daybreak
whilst we were out fishing
That day we
loaded up the tinny and ventured to the end of the river up to the twin
waterfalls.
The scenery
on the way was breathtaking and we stopped loads of times on the way to look at
the wildlife and the stunning rock formations.
At the end we
saw the luxury charter boat “True North” anchored.
The boats
helicopter was taking guests on scenic flights over the gorge.
The
waterfalls had only a little water cascading down.
It was enough
to get the front of the tinny under for a cool off.
The waterfalls
were surrounded on 4 sides by an amphitheatre style enclosure.
The vertical
walls had some big caves, undercuts and overhangs that we could venture into
with the tinny.
We were reluctant to go
any further into this one due to the
huge rock overhead that just seemed to be suspended there.
huge rock overhead that just seemed to be suspended there.
The water in
the entire river system was mostly shallow but the depth in the waterfall amphitheatre
was over 55m/185ft.
There were
1000’s of large pink Jellyfish swimming around in the area.
On the way
back down the river we explored some small tributaries that were mangrove
lined.
We saw lots
of birds but no crocodiles.
That night
Paul taught Chez how to make Sushi rolls.
We would have
loved to stay a few more days but with the tides going towards neaps (and lower
high tides), if we didn’t get back out over the bar we would be stuck inside
the river for at least 7 days.
Lisa and
George went fishing in the tinny and at the same time plotted a new course over
the bar that would give Lorelei the maximum possible depth.
Every centimeter counted!!
Fortunately
we got over the next morning without hitting the bottom.
We ventured
around to a small inlet only half a mile from the river mouth.
It was
protected from the rising wind & swell and had a nice lagoon located behind
the sandy beach.
As we walked
up the beach, Lisa & George spotted a crocodile on the edge of the lagoon.
It was only
about 2m/6.5ft long but certainly confirmed that there were crocs in the area.
We walked all
around the lagoon and took loads of panoramic photos.
The biggest
challenge of sailing through the Kimberley was to round Cape Londonderry which
is the most northern point of Western Australia.
We left the
bay in windy conditions and had a single reef in the main straight away.
It proved to
be way too much sail area and we were over-powered surfing down waves too fast
and weaving all over the place as the wind gusts rose and fell.
We stopped
and put a second reef in and thank goodness we did as it got a lot windier and
the seas much bigger.
Within sight
of the cape we had large waves as high as the davits pushing us along.
Occasionally
we were hit by large green waves which gave us all a thorough dousing leaving
us and the boat soaked in saltwater.
We even got the
spray from one wave down the companionway hatch into the saloon!
We didn’t
dare to bring a camera out on deck….
By the time
we rounded the point, the current had picked up and we were flying with it.
Lorelei was sitting at a constant 9 knots and surfing down waves up to 13
knots. Paul & Lisa were concentrating
on sailing the boat and dodging the many reef systems while poor George &
Chez shared a plastic bucket to be sea sick in.
Chez was surprisingly a lot better than George but they were both green
in colour.
We were all
very happy to round the second headland of Cape Talbot and pull into a calm
bay.
We covered 55
nautical miles in a time of around 6.5 hours for an average speed of over 8
knots and were hopefully over the worst sail of the trip.
The next day
we did another 40nm passage from Cape Talbot to Vansittart Bay.
It was still
windy but the swell was way down from the day before and it turned into a fast
but pleasant sail.
We arrived at
a bay that had a wreck of a Douglas DC-3 aeroplane that crashed on the saltpan
in 1942 after the pilot became dis-orientated and ran out of fuel.
The wreck is
reasonably intact but the wings have a lot of damage from hitting trees and a
section of the fuselage has been cut away for easy access.
Right near
the DC3 was a large Boab tree. It was our first Kimberley Boab so we were
pretty excited.
The get back
to shore we had to walk over the saltpan which resembled a moonscape with lots
of unusual shaped rock structures.
Back on shore
we had the afternoon sun setting over the bay.
The warm glow
made for great photos on the water’s edge.
The next
morning we headed only 2nm over to Jar Island.
The island is
small and surrounded by Pearl Farms and we had to go close to the island to
skirt around the thousands of floating buoys in the water.
There was a
lot of structure with submerged rocks and pinnacles so we had to be very
careful motoring along.
We were only
trolling for 15 minutes before the reel screamed off and we landed our first
Spanish Mackerel for the trip.
Jar Island is
most famous for its aboriginal art which is scattered all around the islands
rocky caves and overhangs.
The artworks
are more commonly known as “The Bradshaws” named after the Joseph Bradshaw who discovered
them in 1891. Now they have been renamed to reflect their traditional
aboriginal name and are called “The Gwion”
After the
initial discovery they were thought to be the oldest artworks in the world but
later tests confirmed their age at around 30 000 years old.
There are
some in Africa at 42 000 years old and some in Kakadu possibly older than that!
The artwork
is not as detailed and is not preserved as well as the Norlangie and Ubirr rock
art we saw in Kakadu only 3 weeks prior but it is very impressive, remote and
rarely visited.
We first
visited the northern side of the island in the tinny and found a series of
artworks under the overhangs within the rocky areas.
Paul
bush-bashed through the dense growth and found a small cave that had some
artwork inside.
There were no
footsteps on the dirt inside the cave so he surmised no one had seen it for a
long time.
Upon return
to the shoreline, we walked along the beach and had a swim in the corner where
it was clear and easy to spot a croc if one turned up.
The rock
shelf at the end of the beach had some great caves with interesting structure.
There were
some big pieces of driftwood on the beach.
After lunch
we explored the southern side of the island and the coastline.
The rock art
on the southern side is in a series of caves that looked out over the bay and
Lorelei.
Overall it
was a fantastic day exploring the island for artwork.
It was great
to search for artwork in remote areas of the island that are rarely visited and
even though we found some, we envisage we had only just touched on the amount
of Aboriginal rock artwork at Jar Island.
We plan to
return on the way back with a bit more time to search again.
During the
day George had seen something large come up onto the surface near Lorelei but
couldn’t identify it and it bugged him all day.
That night
Paul was throwing the fish and veggie scraps over the side after dinner when 2
large objects came along and hoovered them up.
Soon everyone
was on deck with deck lights and torches to discover we had 3 x two metre long
Tawny Nurse Sharks circling the boat.
We fed them
more fish off-cuts and Paul managed to get a series of photos.
George agreed
that it was a Tawny he had seen earlier.
It topped off
an awesome day….
It was dead
flat in the anchorage that night (after a few rolly ones the previous nights…)
and we all slept great and woke to a calm sunrise.
We took off
for a 12nm sail to Freshwater Bay.
By many other
yachties accounts, Freshwater Bay is the best anchorage in the Kimberley.
So we planned
to stay a few days and after anchoring we ran the desalinator for an extra hour
to wash Lorelei from bow to stern and rid her of the caked on salt from the
wild sails of the previous days.
We had
another 4 large 2.5meter/8ft Tawny Nurse Sharks circling Lorelei as we washed
which was great.
On the higher
tide we tried to navigate the shallow mangrove inlet up to the freshwater
swimming holes and small waterfall.
Being a neap
tide the high tide wasn’t that high and we struggled with the shallow depth and
had to paddle the tinny up the inlet.
The inlet became
very narrow and the overhanging mangroves created havoc as we tried to pass
them.
Finally we
got to an area where we could stop and walk up the water course.
The saltwater
pond at the end looked great but had a resident croc so it was definitely no
swimming.
Unfortunately
the water course was bone dry and even the spring fed waterhole (that
apparently always has water in it) was empty.
We also noted
that the surrounding trees and palms were really struggling to survive with the
lack of water.
So much for a
swim…..
That’s one very dry
water course…
We thought Freshwater
Bay was a nice anchorage but certainly not the best in the Kimberley and we
decided to leave.
So our 3 day
stop at Freshwater Bay turned into an overnight stay and we took off for
Prudhoe Island early the next morning after a lovely sunrise.
Our washing
of Lorelei was in vain and within 20 minutes of being underway, we had saltwater
all over the boat again in the strong 20+ knots of wind.
Paul was not
happy!!!
It was
another fast and lively sail from Freshwater Bay to Parry Harbour where we
stopped for the night.
We had sailed
the 55nm from door to door and only used 1 litre of diesel just to lift the
anchor in the morning and to find a suitable anchorage that night.
There was
another great sunrise with 5 orange beams of light radiating out before the sun
came up.
It was off
again at 6am with more salt all over the boat right from the get-go.
To rub salt
into the wound (or onto the boat…), it was a terrible sail and it was like
being in a washing machine with very confused seas, strong currents and unusual
wind angles.
We had to
navigate through scores of small islands and shallow reef systems and put many
gybes in which was a lot of fun with the 4 of us all having our jobs to do. We
got better & better & faster on the winches and in the end were like a
well-oiled sail race team….
well-oiled sail race team….
One big thing
was the lack of info on the electronic charts on both our laptops and iPads.
There were
loads of rocks, islands and shallow reefs that were not even on the charts.
So we decided
to name them ourselves.
We came up
with names like Fraggle Rock, Play-Dough Island, Submarine Rock, etc, etc….
Surprisingly this group
of rocks were not on the charts.
It’s now called Play-Dough Island.
We named this one
Submarine Rock
Lisa realised
we would never make Prudhoe Island before dark so we cut the trip short and
stopped at Krait Bay overnight.
It was flat
when we arrived at mid-afternoon but it started to get rolly around sunset and
was terrible by bedtime.
Needless to
say we all had a restless night sleep and woke bleary eyed the next day.
We had
planned to stop and do some reef fishing for the day around the rocky reefs but
decided to abort and push on to Prudhoe.
It was only a
30nm sail but the winds were light and it was directly downwind so we had
another day of dogging reefs and gybing.
We arrived
mid-afternoon to a gorgeous bay that was flat calm.
Finally we
could stop for a few days to play!
Within an
hour of arriving we had the tinny in and Paul, Lisa & George were fishing
with soft plastics on the reef areas around the island just before sunset.
We all caught
fish with Paul scoring the best one – a great sized Bar Cheek Coral Trout just
as the sun was setting.
The next day
was go, go, go with first a fishing trip at 6am.
We tried some
of the outer reefs but lost lots of rigs to the ever changing bottom profile
and the fish we did get off the bottom, we lost to sharks.
So we came
back to the pass we had fished the night before and had 4 fish in the esky
within 30 minutes.
George took
the crown for the day with 2 Coral Trout to Pauls one and Lisa’s one Golden
Snapper.
Whilst Paul
struggled with the desalinator that was playing up, George and Chez went and
found a nice beach for a swim before lunch.
It was a
really hot day and we had to wait until after 3:30pm to go for a walk on the
island.
By then
everyone but Paul was tired so he decided to scramble up the rocks to the
island’s peak.
It was only
about 20 minutes before sunset by the time he reached the top so it was a rush
back down to be safely back at the tinny before dark.
Note Lorelei anchored in
the bay just right of the sun streak
The next day
(after another mornings fishing – 3 trout and 1 snapper…) we all went and did a
walk from the bay over to the protected side of the island.
It was the
day of the spring tides (biggest tides of the month) and there was a whopping
7m tidal range.
We anchored
the Tinny on a roving line so it was away from the rocky edge.
We tied the
ropes off really high up but on our return they were still 1.5m underwater and
Paul had to dive under to untie them.
Note how high the lines
are tied to the rocks on the far right
There were
loads of crystals in the rocks.
Some rocks
had large seams of the crystals whilst others had broken away to have them
attached to the side. There were smaller crystals and fragments scatted all
over the ground.
The colours
ranged from orange to brilliant white to completely clear.
George found
a near perfect hexagonal one that looked like glass.
It’s going to
get turned into a pendant for Chez.
The hike over
the hill was a hard slog through the large scattered rocks.
We got to the
coast and thought it was too strenuous to walk to the sandy beach for a swim,
so we found a small cove and jumped in off the rocks.
The water
surged in weird ways making different levels of water in 3 adjoining areas. The
water cascaded over the rocks into each section – sometimes taking us with it.
Note the 3 different
water heights from the left to the right
After 3
fabulous days at Prudhoe Island we took off again for the next leg.
We transited
down the Scott Strait which apparently is not recommended as it is mostly
unchartered and has tidal current of up to 8 knots.
Well that
didn’t deter us and we navigated it successfully on a rising spring tide and
motored though with the current pushing us along at up to 10 knots.
Well at least
it was a fast trip…..
We found a
bay that looked stunning and decided to anchor and explore.
It is rarely visited
and is uncharted so we carefully navigated our way into a side bay and anchored
up.
It was only
in 8m/27ft depth and we surmised we would have less than 1m/3ft under the keel
at low tide – well we hoped for nothing less than that….
At midday on
the top of the tide we took the tinny about 6 miles up into a small tributary.
On the way we
passed a small island with the rocks that looked like the ruins of an old
ancient city.
The river was
well protected and we threw some lures around, had a troll and stopped for a
bite to eat.
After another
30nm run, we stopped overnight at Careening Bay to have a look at a famous Boab
Tree on the beach.
The beach was
great and there were a few Boab Trees up above the high tide mark.
The most
popular one is a huge Boab that is over 1000 years old and has split in two.
It has the
inscription of a British Cutter Ship called the Mermaid that was careened on
the beach for repairs in 1820.
The crew
carved the ships name in the tree under instructions from the British Secretary
of State to leave some evidence of their landing.
The carved
ships name and date is still very evident even today.
Fortunately
the WA National parks have put a walkway around the tree in an effort to
preserve it and to stop people getting too close and walking over the trees
exposed roots.
The back of
the Mermaid Boab was a wild looking twisted mix of truck and branches.
There were
some other great Boab Trees along the beach too but they were not nearly as
big.
The beach had
lots of fresh water running along it from the sides and it was evident in the
healthy wild flowers in the area.
The sun was
setting just as we left which made for a nice view looking out from the beach.
From the boat
it looked pretty good too…..
We pushed on
with a 45nm run to The Prince Regent River.
We had to
enter a series of narrow waterways and the St George Basin before arriving at
the river mouth.
The spring
tides were flooding and we were flying along under motor up to 12 knots (twice
our normal speed) but were consistently over 10 knots.
It made for a
very fast and fuel efficient passage.
The Basin was
surprisingly deep and we had depths over 100m which was the deepest we had
encountered of the entire trip.
The
whirlpools in the narrow passages are marked on the charts and we had Lorelei
going in all directions each time we motored into one.
Some were
very fierce and threw Lorelei’s 30 tonnes around 90 degrees in seconds.
It was a lot
of fun and the photos didn’t really do the whirlpools any justice.
The scenery
along the passage was excellent with some amazing escarpments along the way.
We passed a
small island that had loads of large Boab Trees on the shoreline.
We were
rushing to make the river mouth on the high tide so we didn’t stop but we made
a note to have a look on the way back.
The currents
in the main channel of the Prince Regent River are strong so we anchored in a
side inlet called Purulba Creek which is about 7nm in from the river mouth.
There were a
set of cliffs right along the edge that made an easy reference point for
anchoring.
In the
afternoon we took a trip in the tinny for about 6nm up Purulba Creek.
The glassy
water and afternoon sun made for a pleasant trip.
We stopped to
have a look at a large rock plateau only to find a large crocodile sunning
himself on the lower rocks.
We didn’t
even see him until he moved to slip into the water and we didn’t have the
cameras ready.
We motored up
some little mangrove lined side passages and did some trolling.
The rock
walls and mangroves made for some great reflection photos.
In one little
inlet George spotted a very small Crocodile that was only about 30cm/1ft long.
He was happily sitting on a log and didn’t move despite us only being about
2m/6ft away and taking photos.
Note the Mudskipper Fish
that was also hanging out
on the log in the bottom
of the photo
On the way
back to Lorelei we stopped in a small inlet to throw some lures around the
mangroves.
We heard a
noise that we have heard a few times now in different locations and we were
sure it was a crocodile grunting to let us know he wasn’t happy about us being
in his area.
Sure enough a
minute later a croc swam on the surface right up to the tinny.
It sat only
1m/3ft of the side and watched us. It would sink after a few minutes and come
up next to another part of the tinny.
We got a lot
of close-up photos of him before we left him in peace.
It was an
excellent croc experience and a bonus to finally confirm that the noises we
were hearing were from Crocodiles.
The first
morning’s sunrise in Purulba Creek was great with the reflections.
Once the tide
started to flood back into the river system, we took off in the tinny towards
the Kings Cascades.
From Purulba
Creek it was a long way and we did a 23nm (40km) return journey.
We packed
lunch, fishing gear, 2 tanks of fuel and bolted on the 3.3hp auxiliary engine
just in case.
The Kings
Cascades are a series of large waterfalls on the waters edge and swimming holes
with more waterfalls that you can climb/walk up too.
It is all
located in a small amphitheatre off the side of the main channel.
Unlike many
of the other waterfalls in The Kimberley that were dry, these ones were flowing
nicely.
The falls are
the location of the Crocodile attack that killed US model Ginger Meadows in
1986.
She was
standing on the rocks under the waterfall and decided to dive in and swim back
to the boat.
She died from
the crocodile attack that happened on the day before her 25th
birthday.
Paul was able
to tweak his camera and use a ND Filter to slow the shutter speeds down for
some soft water shots of the waterfalls.
We parked the
tinny off to the side and walked/climbed up to the top pools.
About ½ way
up we noticed the luxury cruise boat Kimberley Quest arrive and nose the boat
right up to the main waterfalls.
The river is
so shallow in parts with lots of hidden rocks and there was no way we were
going to attempt that with Lorelei’s deep keel.
The first top
pool looked black with its deep water and high surrounding cliffs.
The only way
to access the next series of pools and waterfalls was to swim across the black
pool.
We were so
fortunate to have George’s small waterproof camera to take with us up to the
next levels.
By the time
we got back down to the bottom, Quest had gone and we explored some other areas
within the amphitheatre that also had water coming down the rock faces.
We took one
last photo as the sun set behind the rocks and motored back to Lorelei in the
orange colours of dusk.
It was just
getting dark as we arrived safely back on-board.
We did a
second trip up to another series of waterfalls at Camp Creek which was only
about half the distance of going to the Kings Cascades.
We left a
little earlier on the low tide and had to slow down in the creek due to the
shallow water.
So we turned
the engine off and drifted along with the incoming tide to do some lure casting
and watch the wildlife.
We saw a
Chestnut Rail that we have never seen before and is only found in small patches
throughout Australia’s top end.
The view up
at the end of the creek within the high rocky sides was amazing.
At the end we
stopped for lunch on a rock ledge overlooking the canyon.
After lunch
we walked up the water course looking for a safe swimming hole.
We passed
lots of small waterfalls and rock races that were flowing strongly.
Further up we
found a series of large billabong style waterholes.
They were big
with black water and we decided to find something a little smaller and safer
for a swim.
On return to
the rock bar we tried to fish from the rocky edges as it was close to the high
tide.
We threw
lures for ages and tried a dozen different sizes and colours but George caught
the only fish – and even then it was a large Saw Fish which got off.
We were
pretty disappointed not to get a Barramundi.
On the way
home, the sun was setting creating a warm glow on the rocks and reflections in
the glassy water.
It topped off
another great day but by 8:30pm we were stuffed (after many consecutive days of
going non-stop) and we all slept until 8:30am the next morning.
The next day
something really unusual happened – it rained!!!!
Whilst that
doesn’t sound too weird – it is supposed to be the dry season with SE trade
winds, cooler weather and clear skies.
The cooler
conditions lasted for about 1 week (the week prior) and then a low pressure
cell formed off the NW coast of WA (which usually happens in Summer) and we
were back to stinking hot days, no wind and rain.
It just adds
another chapter to the book of crazy weather for 2016 that has been with us
since Bali at Christmas time and hasn’t stopped since.
We figured
the rain might flush the Mud Crabs out of the creeks so we set up the new WA
approved crab pots (which are a bit unusual) and put 4 of them up the creek
inlets.
We put our
round polystyrene floats on them that we have used for years on the East Coast.
We discovered
that the Crocodiles love to chew on them and after only half an hour we found a
Croc hanging out in the shallows with one of our floats in his mouth and bits
of polystyrene floating down the inlet.
It was a bit
of a mission to wrestle it away from him but eventually we got it back.
So mental
note for when we arrive in Broome – purchase some new hard plastic crab pot
floats!!!
In between
checking the pots we threw some lures around and caught & released 3
different types of fish.
We also
celebrated George’s birthday in the Prince Regent River.
With the wild
weather off the coast (and rising winds with big seas to add to the already
silly weather…) we decided to stay and do some more fishing.
Before going
fishing Lisa cooked George apple muffins for breaky.
We split the
fishing into 2 parts.
George and
Lisa fishing the main inlet along the rocks at low tide and caught Mangrove
Jacks.
Not big but VERY
tasty…..
In the arvo
Paul and George tried the side tributaries on the rising tide but all they got
were Crocodiles hanging around the tinny.
Despite the
strong weather lingering for days we pushed off and snuck around to another
protected area called Hanover Bay.
The passage
was a lot flatter than we expected but we did weave through the islands for
protection.
Hanover bay
was fantastic!!
It had
beautiful white sandy beaches with clear water where we could have a quick swim
and some nice tributaries close by for fishing.
The fishing
was a heap of fun.
We found the mouth
of a small inlet on the first arvo that had a mixture of rock bars and
mangroves.
It was the
first time we had 3 of us in the tinny all lure casting and it was no problem
at all.
We teased the
Queenfish and Trevally right up the boat and it made for a fun arvo of sport
fishing on light tackle.
Paul had
tried and tried to run the desalinator on the previous 10 days but could only
run it for about 30 minutes before it played up and sadly we were slowly going
backwards in the main tanks water levels.
It had him
stumped! It was the only thing not running right on the boat and was really bugging
him.
It was also
one of the most important and critical items on board and it needed to run
properly to complete the trip.
Paul was
about to start to break down the system and replace pumps, etc. with spares on
board but he decided to check the filters first.
They looked
fine looking through the blue tinted housings but on closer inspection we found
them coated in a fine film of light grey clay that was
non-porous and had virtually clogged the filter, subsequently starving the system of incoming salt water.
non-porous and had virtually clogged the filter, subsequently starving the system of incoming salt water.
The filters
which normally last for well over 3-4 months and are usually only replaced as a
preventative, were well and truly spent after only 3 weeks in
The Kimberley’s silty muddy water.
The Kimberley’s silty muddy water.
It turned
into a 3 minute and $6 fix!
Fortunately
we brought about 30 new filters before we left Darwin.
We thought
that amount would last for years - but obviously not….
Either way
Paul had a smile from ear to ear for the rest of the day and enjoyed an extra
drink or two at sunset.
The hot
weather came to an abrupt ending when a strong wind warning was issued and the
wind brought big seas and cold (really cold….) weather.
We had a
yacht next to us that left in the morning and an hour later they were back
after coping a flogging for 30 minutes under sail before returning covered in
salt water and a little worse for wear.
So we rugged
up and decided to explore the inlets around Hanover Bay.
The inlets
high sided cliffs offered great protection from the wind and were stunning to
look at.
The inlets
had some Mangrove Trees with big solid trunks that looked more like gum trees
in the water than the normally stunted, twisted mangroves.
At the end of
the inlet we found loads of Boab Trees up on the hill sides and deep within the
dense growth.
George
spotted one huge one with its top sticking out high above the other foliage.
Lisa and Chez
dropped Paul and George ashore and they bush-bashed up the slope to the tall Boab
Tree.
There was a smaller
second one behind the first and the photo looking into the sun was as challenge
but came out well using the flash on high power.
We saw a few
Rock Wallabies on the rock faces and were amazed at how agile they were.
We watched
one jump from near sea level all the way up a large rocky cliff face in a very
short time.
Paul managed
to get a shot of one mid-air as she jumped from rock to rock.
On the way back
to Lorelei we stopped in a small rocky bay that had 2 small beaches that were
only exposed at low tide.
The shallow
shoaling water was perfect for a safe swim, however George was wading through
the water and a small curious shark swam right up to his feet.
Above the
beaches were lots more Boabs and we clambered up the rock to have look at a
few.
Fishing
started a little late that arvo and we only got a 30 minute session in just before
sunset.
Paul managed
to hook an Estuary Cod on only his second cast.
We don’t eat
Cod so we let it go after the photo.
If the day
before was cold, the next day was windier and much colder.
We all were
in long pants and jumpers all morning and stayed on board while it blew dogs
off chains.
The poor
people on the yacht next to us still couldn’t leave despite having to meet
friends soon.
We still
managed to explore a new inlet that was protected from the wind.
The cooler
temps allowed us to go for the trip without the canopy.
The arvo fishing
session was a very fun one with lots of big fish action on the rock bar at the
inlet we explored during the day.
Paul lost a
huge Mangrove Jack just next to the boat and we soon discovered it had
straightened the hooks on the lure.
He then had a
barracuda take the lure right next to the boat just has he was lifting it out
of the water. It made a hell of a splash and stripped a lot of line off the
reel before finally boating it and letting it go.
We caught
loads of Cod of all sizes too.
Sadly after a
great session we went home (once again) with no fish to eat.
We had a
terrific sail from Hanover Bay to Sampson Inlet.
It was a
solid 20 knots and we were reefed down and flying downwind.
We went past
a Humpback Whale and it put on an incredible acrobatic show for us and was
leaping well clear of the water.
Nobody had a
camera on deck and by the time Paul got one set up it, the show was almost
over.
We had to
weave through lots of islands and tight straits (although there was nothing
straight about them) and we had to do a lot of gybes to dodge things.
Eventually the
tide got the better of us when the high cliff walls shadowed the wind and we
had to motor the last few miles.
As we
approached the inlet we could see large schools of Northern Bluefin Tuna (also
called Longtail Tuna) busting up whilst they fed near the surface.
They were
still at it even in the confines of the inlet!
So as soon as
we anchored Lorelei, it was in with the Tinny and off to catch a Tuna.
It didn’t
take too long and soon we had landed a 7.5kg one which was a hoot on light
tackle.
The inlet
anchorage was super protected and glassy flat.
Early the
next morning we headed up stream on the high tide to explore.
The inlet was
stunning with lots of interesting rock structures, loads of Boab Trees, Cycad
Palms and wildlife.
We saw the
biggest Boab we had ever seen right up on top of the escarpment.
We called it
Sampson and figured it was the Granddaddy of all Boab’s in the area.
At the end of
the gorge we tied the Tinny up to the side rocks and ventured up the water
course on foot.
With the 8m
tidal range we had to be careful not to tie the Tinny up too tightly.
Paul went
climbing up a steep grass slope to take some Boabs photos when the rock he was
standing on to take the photos suddenly gave away and rolled down the hill.
Paul went tumbling into the rocks and smashed his camera and face onto the
rocks.
The camera
was fine (fortunately it was one of the older ones….) but Paul received a split
and bruised lip, grazed leg and a nasty cut to his toe that he got through his
shoes!!
It knocked
him around a little for the next 24 hours.
The Boab
shots came out well though….
On the way
home we stopped at another smaller inlet which was reported to have aboriginal
rock art.
We searched
and had all but given up when George found some under an overhang. It wasn’t
very clear and quite faded.
From Sampson
we ventured a little further around to Deception Bay which is the best area to
view Whales in The Kimberley.
We saw a
mother and calf lazing in the shallows close to land.
George, Chez
and Lisa spent a morning swimming and exploring the area while Paul rested up
after his fall.
Do you think
they even took one photo??? ……No!
But they did
find fresh turtle tracks on the beach and freshly dug egg nests.
From
Deception Bay we headed to Langgi on the day of the full moon and spring tides
which were around 9 meters difference between low and high.
On the way we
saw more whales. We tried to get close with the motor but they would dive. So
we stopped the motor and unfurled the headsail and ghosted along in the light
winds which allowed us to get much closer.
Langgi is a
special place for the Aboriginal people as it has rock art, a burial cave and
some very unusual rock formations on the water’s edge that are unique.
The rock
formations are covered in water at high tide so we had to wait until 4pm to go
ashore.
The rocks are
amazing and we spent a long time walking around them and exploring.
You had to
have a bit of an open mind when looking at the rocks, many of which resembled
animals or other objects.
Low tide was
5pm and by then the Tinny was high and dry so we had to wait until after 6pm
before we could re-float it to get back to Lorelei.
The low tide
and setting sun made for excellent photos as the light spread over the beach
and rocks.
We watched
the sunset and the amazing colours that formed after the sun had set. At the
same time the full moon rose bringing lots of light to the area.
It was a
terrific experience and certainly a highlight of the entire trip.
We left the
coastline and ventured out to Montgomery Reef.
The reef is
famous for its cascading water overfalls when the tide drops and water pours
over the reef into the channel.
At spring
tides it is far more dramatic and water level differences of up to 5 meters can
be experienced between the top of the reef and the inside channel.
We had a 10.4
meter tidal difference so we knew we were in for a treat.
We didn’t
know what to expect of the reef and had images in our head of the Great Barrier
Reef with clear water and easily visible reef edges.
Well it was
nothing like that and the reef was totally covered at high tide and we couldn’t
see any reef.
However we
had to navigate up the narrow channel, anchor Lorelei and sit and wait for the
tide to drop.
Anchoring up
turned into a mission with huge currents running through the channel making it
hard going to scout around and find a safe and suitable anchorage without
knowing where the reef edges were.
Once anchored
it was surreal and it was like being anchored up in the middle of the ocean
with nothing visible for miles around.
Fortunately
it was dead flat seas, clear skies and only a little wind so conditions were
close to perfect.
As the tide
dropped the reef slowly became apparent and somehow we fluked it and had
anchored right in the middle of the channel and opposite a series of great
overfalls.
As the reef
became exposed the current channelled through the pass and was flying at well
over 6 knots.
We had to be
extra careful dropping the Tinny in off the davits and getting it tied safely
up to the side of Lorelei. If it had tipped onto its side whilst being tied on,
the current would have rolled it over for sure.
At first the
overfalls were small and we were able to nose right up to the edge with the
deeper water.
As time went
on, the overfalls became fiercer and the water at the base of them became
shallower. It was all the more difficult in the Tinny as we couldn’t see the
rocks in the turbulent water.
The birds
also turned up for a feed when the reef became exposed.
When the tide
dropped right down, the water backed off but was coming down fast in certain
areas which allowed Paul to walk up a drier section and get some photos.
Dead low tide
was just after sunset and it was glassy flat as we were about 3-4 meters below
the water level on the outer reef areas.
Just on dark
the tide was rising and the water had backed off to a slow run.
Despite it
being flat and calm, we had to be vigilant that night and monitor our
positions, particularly during the tide changes.
The sunrise
at low tide in the glassy conditions was special and the full moon was still
up.
We managed to
leave at 9:30am the next morning.
It was a
great experience (and we were the only ones there) but a little fraught with
danger and we had to really be in the ball with getting in and out and
anchoring.
We motored
through the channel and over to Raft Point.
The bay is
open and exposed but the calm conditions made for a perfect anchorage.
We took the
tinny into the next bay and around some amazing rocky headlands.
We parked at
a fantastic beach that had lots of Boab Trees close to the water’s edge.
There is a
trail that winds up into the hills and finishes at 2 caves that have Aboriginal
rock art.
The rock art
is different from both The Gwion/Bradshaws and anything we had seen in Kakadu.
It was quite
vibrant against the rocks and came up great in the photos.
The area is
well known for Dugongs (Sea Cows or Manatees) and there were lots of paintings
of them in the caves.
That evening
was excellent and dead flat.
Lisa and
George went fishing, a neighbouring yacht came to say hello (it was one of the
only ones we had seen) and Paul and Chez watched the rocks transform into
amazing colours as the afternoon sun cast its glow onto them.
A cruise ship
then came into the bay after dark.
By morning it
was still dead flat and the rising sun cast its glow on the rock faces on the
other side of the bay.
The next big
stop was the Horizontal Waterfalls at Talbot Bay but it was a 55nm run and
there was not enough wind to sail the entire way in daylight hours so we split
the trip into two and stopped half way at Kingfisher Island.
We saw stacks
of Whales on the way.
The second
half of the trip to Talbot Bay had dead flat seas and no wind so we motored the
whole way.
It started
with normal boat speed but as we entered the channel into the bay, the flooding
tide pushed us along faster and faster.
At one stage
we were doing over 13.5 knots boat speed which is the fastest Lorelei has even
gone under motor.
That equated
to 6.5 knots boat speed at the engine revs we were doing and 7 knots current
assistance!!
The islands
within the passage were stunning and the water was a glassy green colour.
We arrived at
the end of the bay to find a hive of activity.
There is a
floating hotel (called The Horizontal Hotel) with pontoons attached to it all
around.
We counted 4
helicopters on the hotel roofs and pontoons, up to 5 sea planes coming and
going and tourist boats of all shapes and sizes for exploring the area.
We anchored
not far away and watched the spectacle.
We had
helicopters flying overhead, sea planes taking off & landing right next to
Lorelei and boats wizzing past.
The
Horizontal Waterfalls are a series of narrow water filled passes that separate
the long steep rocky gorge and an inland sea that is landlocked. The passes are
the only entry for water to the inland sea. The tidal ranges and times differ
from the gorge to the inland sea and at the ends of the tides there can be a
significant difference in the water heights.
The water
then spews through the passes with tremendous force.
At the
opposite end of the tide the water forces its way back through the other way.
We listened
on the Hotel’s radio frequency and found out they were doing a 1:30pm boat trip
through the Horizontal Waterfalls for guests.
So we put the
tinny in and beat them there by a few minutes so we could check it out and see
what they did at the waterfalls.
Their boats
were large RIBs with 3 x 300hp outboards and they blasted through the passes at
high speed.
We thought it
looked possible in the tinny so we turned around, lined it up and blasted
through the pass at full speed. We hit a few whirlpools and current patches
which threw us around a bit.
We ventured
over to a second waterfall that was very steep and not even the big boats were
going through it. We watched the skipper carefully reverse the boat back down
into the top of the waterfall and manage to hold it there with high revs for
the excited guests.
We realised
it was going to be a huge challenge to get safely back through the waterfall we
had just come over.
The water was
screaming through at well over 12-15 knots and there were deep holes from
whirlpools and loads of turbulence.
We did a
dummy run first to pick a line and take some photos.
Everything
was packed away and locked down before the main run.
Paul had a
big run up and was going at 100% full throttle.
The boat bucked
and tipped and lurched all over the place and at one stage a gunnel went under
water.
We slowed
considerably from the current once in the main pass and the engine was
screaming from water cavitation.
We crab walked
quite close to the rock wall at one stage but slowly we crawled through and
eventually into some green and less turbulent water at the top where we picked
up speed and got through – just!!!
Looking back
it was a little silly and there were lots of white knuckles
- but hey, we did it!!!
- but hey, we did it!!!
Later in the
afternoon we explored Cyclone creek which is close by.
The rock
formations were stunning and we spent ages exploring all the different inlets.
Later in the
arvo we were all relaxing when George walked on deck to see a shark swimming
around the boat.
Initially he
thought it was a Tawny Nurse Shark so he went down onto the rear platform only
to have a good sized Hammerhead Shark come right up to him, roll onto its side
and look up at him.
It hung
around for a least 30 minutes and came up very close to us heaps of times.
It was
Saturday and that night they had live music on the pontoon.
In the calm
conditions we could hear it and were singing along as we had a BBQ outside.
The next
morning we had a look at the waterfalls going the other way and a second trip
up to Cyclone Creek.
We contacted
the Hotel and organised a doors-off helicopter flight over the area.
We arrived at
the pontoon to find lots of very friendly staff and a really tidy and well run
set-up.
We were able
to tie up the tinny right next to the helicopter.
The flight
was excellent with firstly a fly over the horizontal waterfalls.
We then did a
trip around the inland sea and then Cyclone Creek.
On the way
back, Fraser our pilot did a loop around Lorelei on anchor.
After the
flight we were just about to leave when Chez enquired about a series of alloy
cages in the water and they said they were for shark feeds.
They
explained how it all works with the local Tawny Nurse Sharks which sounded
great.
By chance
they were just about to start one on another pontoon and they allowed us to
come along and watch.
Talk about
good timing!!
The feed has
the guests in shallow cages and the sharks are free to swim under the pontoon
and up to the cage side for a free feed.
They get up
to 20 of the harmless Tawny’s each time.
There is also
a 4m long resident Bull Shark that usually hangs a little deeper under all the
action and the area is also known for Tigers and Hammerheads, hence the reason
for the cage.
With the huge
current flow we had entering Talbot Bay, we needed to get the run out tides
spot on when leaving otherwise it was going to be a very slow trip.
The issue was
we either had to leave at 2am or 2pm.
2am was
fraught with danger manoeuvring through the islands at dark and leaving at 2pm
would mean arriving at the next available anchoring location after dark.
Lisa planned
and planned and managed to find a route that would get us to Silver Gull Creek
just on dark – providing we had no current against us.
Any current
with us would mean we would arrive earlier but we had to go through a few
narrow passages and the current direction in those areas were unknown.
So we took
off as soon as the tide ebbed and motored out at normal speed.
The forecast
was for a strong wind warning – apparently!!
It was so
glassy with zero wind and no swell.
Things were
going well but the big trial was to navigate the Koolan Canal.
It is narrow
and has an old wharf and mine site that was run by BHP up until only a few
years ago.
The mine face
which goes all the way to the water’s edge is an eyesore and as yet has not
been restored by BHP.
Fortunately
the currently was flying along with us in the Canal and we were all very happy
with Lisa and her navigating abilities.
We entered
Silver Gull Creek with light to spare and passed some awesome rock formations
and a beautifully kept old gaff rigged yacht.
Lorelei was
anchored up just on dusk and in time to enjoy a drink or two (or more for
Lisa…) and a great sunset.
We tried
fishing again and threw everything at them but once again no edible eating
fish.
We did get a
few Trevally and George managed to hook 2 at once on a single lure that had 2
treble hooks on it.
In all our
years of fishing we have never seen that before.
After lunch
we decided to explore the Inlet and found lots of small arms on the high tide
with steep walls and narrow passages.
Paul walked
up one water course for a look.
Once again the
waterfalls were all bone dry and the pools stagnant.
We found 2
large birds nests that had both adult and chicks in them.
We left Silver
Gull for Cape Leveque which was a full day sail.
We had
currents, whirlpools, winds & tides going in all directions and it made for
a frustrating days sailing and motoring.
Cape Leveque
looked nice from the water but we had to anchor Lorelei out a long way from the
beach due to the shallow water and it was a little too rolly to bother putting
the tinny in.
So instead we
got an early night sleep and tackled the 50nm run from the cape to Beagle Bay
the next day.
It was our
second last run before tackling the final 85nm run to Broome.
The sail to
beagle started nice and finished poorly.
There was a
strong wind forecast and we left at 6:30am reefed down and flying down the
coast in 18 knots of wind and doing 10 knots boat speed with current
assistance.
Great we
thought – 5 hours and we’ll be in the bay.
But slowly
the wind died, not strengthened, and our speed went down and down until
eventually it dropped out and we motored the final 10 miles.
We anchored
in the bay and had NW winds on the nose which was crazy as the strong wind
forecast was for SE-E winds.
So that’s it
for this episode of the blog.
The next leg
is the final day sail to Broome where we will spend some time there with George
and Chez before they fly back to Darwin, pick up their rig and continue onto
QLD.
For Paul and
Lisa on-board Lorelei, we will continue sailing on the next leg of our NW coast
of Australia tour.
As to where
that will be – well to be honest, we just don’t know yet……
Either way,
with the very limited internet in this part of the country, it may be a while
before our next blog post.
So that it
for Episode 51 and the last of the 4 full Episodes with George and Chez.
We’ve been
together for over 3 months, have explored 4 states of Australia by boat and car
and travelled well over 10 000km (8000km by car & caravan, 1700km in
Lorelei and over 300km in the new tinny).
Cheers for
now
Paul and Lisa
Hogger
George and
Chez Hogger
Yacht Lorelei