We departed Exmouth at about 9.30am on Monday morning after enjoying a couple of great days there. Dived the Navy Pier which was fantastic with hundreds of different species of underwater goodies including sharks, groper, nudibranch, moray eels, dolphins etc etc. No wonder it is rated as one of the top 10 shore dives in the World. On Sunday we went around to Oyster Stacks and Turquoise Bay for snorkelling. The big swell meant there was quite a strong current, the drift dive at Turquoise Bay was particularly quick. Good fun. We had drinks with Graham and Anne on "Leewin Current" an Aluminium stink boat that they have been cruising from the East Coast back to their home in Geraldton. They have been away for 18 months! Graham is a keen diver and built the boat specifically for the Abroholos, so he gave us some good tips of places to dive if we get to visit on our way back down the coast.

We arrived around the corner from NW Cape at Tantabiddi by mid arvo. It couldn't have been a more contrasting trip than when we came around the Cape last time. It was calm with gentle breezes and we were able to motor sail close into the reef. We anchored out off the boat ramp at Tantabiddi and then supped over to the reefs in the sanctuary zone. It was glassed off and spectacular, like having your own private aquarium on a massive scale. Turtles, fish and the odd reef shark.

The next few days we used the hookah in the mornings to dive and supped and snorkelled again in the afternoon with the breeze barely getting above 10kns the whole time. Just magnificent! We left Tantabiddi at 5.30pm on Thursday and motored all the way to Coral Bay (Mauds Landing) due to lack of wind. We have found out that there are about 30 000 whales that migrate up and down the coast each year. We can attest to this, because about every kilometre or so we would see whales breaching with full bodies launching out of the water, or spouting or fin slapping. 

The weather is expected to remain pretty calm for the next few days, so we will take the opportunity to catch up on all the diving we didn't get to do last time because of the weather. But today we have to settle down to some serious business - watching the Dockers play Port Adelaide to try and finish in the top four!! Fingers Crossed…..

Well it has been a while since I last blogged. Fiona did a great job as guest blogger for Hanover Bay back down to Broome. Meanwhile, I have been too busy enjoying the cruising life to get back on the computer plus internet connection is still pretty limited in these parts, but here goes.


Back in Broome, Maxine and Arnhem again put us up (put up with us) at their lovely abode. We enjoyed some great meals and fun nights while during the day restocked the boat. Nic fell in love with the camels on Cable Beach (she is easily pleased!). On the final Saturday afternoon we took Maxine, Arnhem, Scarlet, Alan and Sudha out for a gentle sail down to Cable Beach, anchored for lunch and then a motor back up to Gantheame Point. Arnhem showed off his rope skills by doing two “Turks Heads” knots to mark the centre of the steering wheel, plus a “Monkey Fist” which is a handy gadget that can be used for clonking rowdy sailors on the head or garroting pirates! Fantastic mementoes of a great time in Broome.

We left early on Sunday morn to head to Lagrange Bay which was about 70nms. We arrived late arvo and anchored up for the night, with a curious Dugong swimming around the boat. Our original plan was to hang in close to the coast and pull in at night along Eighty mile beach, but the weather had other ideas with strong E and SE winds predicted for the next few days. We had arranged to pick up my mate Geoff at Dampier on the 9th of August so we decided just to straight line to Dampier and get there a few days early. The breeze - true to form picked up to 25-30kns during the days and we had a quick and rolley trip down to Dampier arriving on the Wednesday lunchtime.

We caught up with one of Nic’s friends in Dampier and did our shopping then picked up Geoff from the airport on the Friday. We had dinner at the lovely Hampton Bay Yacht Club and meet up with a local Rory who gave us the low down on all the best Islands to visit in the Dampier Archipelago. Saturday lunchtime we headed over to flying foam passage in search of some aboriginal art Rory had told us about. After anchoring up we dinghied ashore and went looking for the art. A few hours wandering up dry creek beds, across spinifex grass and down and round about, but to no avail. We didn’t find the art, we did however discover some oysters so the trip was not a complete failure. On return to the boat we figured we were probably actually in the wrong bay! Oh well. During the night we had a “glass off” and had a whale just drift past the boat snorting - we think he was asleep and just running with the current. On Sunday morning we headed over to West Lewis Island, the breeze had gone into the East and a familiar pattern had set in 25-30kn E - SE which was predicted to hang in for the next few days. Well that it did! We finally made a run for the Montebello Islands on Wednesday which was the lightest of the days but still 20-25kns. 

Our chosen approach to the Monte’s was around the southern end of Trimouille Island. This takes you from 30m shelving to 5m over the course of about 1nm and with 5days of honking easterlies and 20-25kns and a 1.5m swell behind us I started to get a bit nervous as we got closer. There is a very narrow channel and as expected waves were breaking all around us, it made seeing the channel easier! I was pleased to see relatively calm water on the other side of the shelf so we decided to go for it. We could also see what appeared to be spouts of water on the many little islands dotted around the entrance. As we negotiated the passage the waves started breaking all around, I was at the wheel fiercely focused on keeping the boat on track and not broaching and keeping an eye on the depth. Then all of a sudden we realised that the spouting we had seen was not waves bashing against the islands but whales spouting, lots and lots of whales spouting - they were everywhere! Including one conveniently popping up right in front of the bloody boat! With a channel of about 10m wide to get the boat through and a 15m whale broadside in front of us I didn’t have a lot of options. I just hoped he would get out of the way. Which he did, gently rolling down and out of the way. This happened at least half a dozen times as we made it over the shelf into calmer waters and made our way the next few miles to our anchorage. Really amazing stuff to have these huge animals just metres from the boat.

Another yacht Bucephalus was in the bay as we arrived so we anchored a courteous distance away from them. We had seen Bucephalus in Dampier and saw them heading out here a day or so earlier. We found out the next day they had travelled down from Darwin. The boat was actually from USA and the owner had jumped on board in Dampier with one of his mates who was a world champion spearfisherman. So they were spending the next few days spearfishing.

The breeze was unrelenting for the next few days only ever easing up for a couple of hours in the late afternoon. This meant supping and fishing activities were restricted to these times, the rest of the days spent reading and relaxing - tough life! One morning we awoke to the sound of a whale spouting, jumping up on deck we found a whale right next to the boat. He swam back and forwards, under and around the boat for the next half hour. If that wasn’t enough about an hour later he bought back three friends and they did the same thing all over again. I think they were trying to tempt this lazy fat (blu-esky) whale (our boat) to play with them. With no response they soon got sick of us and eventually swam away. This happened nearly every day we were anchored up in Main Bay off Trimouille Island - great stuff.

On Monday we finally had some lighter breezes and took advantage to go over to Chianti Bay on Alpha Island. The Montebello’s are of course the spot the British Navy let off three Nuclear Bombs in the late 1950’s so a few of the Islands have signs warning that people should not stay ashore for more than an hour. Alpha Island is one of these. We finally had a “glass off” in Chianti Bay so took advantage and went supping around the bay. Beautiful clear waters, turtles everywhere. On returning to the boat we found a huge Potato Cod lurking around - a truly massive fish.

Well unfortunately, Geoffa had to be back in Perth at the end of the week so we took advantage of one more day on the Tuesday, then headed off to Exmouth on Wed morn for the 130 odd mile trip (20-26hrs). We carefully picked our way out of the Montebello reefs. Still a lot of the area is unchartered or “inadequately surveyed” according to the charts - so it is important to keep a close eye on the depth gauge and a constant lookout for “bommies”. We made it OK with a minimum depth of 40cm under the keel at one point! But we were going very very slowly!

As we departed the reefs of the Monte’s we were rewarded with a lovely big Makerel on the lure. Standard fair now was to make some sashimi for lunch - beautiful way to eat fish! Store some in the icebox and one fillet ready for dinner. Hard to beat this life!

We enjoyed a nice sail until late arvo, and then the breeze died a bit so we went back to the normal motor sailing. Arrived in Exmouth at 3pm on Thursday. Geoffa turns out to be good family friends with the Harbour Master - small world experience number 101 on this trip! So a quick catch up for those two. We enjoyed a lovely steak burger and chips (oh the joy after so much bloody fresh fish!) at one of the local restaurants then home to bed.

Geoffa flew out this morn (Friday) and now Nic and I are left to stock up and plan the next few legs on the long trip home. A bit strange to be by ourselves again after a couple of months in the company of great friends and family. We have a key to get in the gate here now (thanks to geoff’s contacts) so I am wondering whether Nic will be able to surprise me with some new skills I am still unaware of! We are diving the Navy Pier tomorrow, and will take the hire car on Sunday to do some snorkelling a bit further down the coast at some spots we won’t be able to get to on the boat. Probably leave here on Monday to Tantabiddi assuming the predicted 5m swell has subsided by then - onwards and upwards....

Hanover Bay to Broome  July 2014, by Fiona

Lloyd and I left Perth on a cold rainy July morning for the two hour flight to Broome. 

After loading up with fresh food to resupply FatBlueSky, the next day we drove two hours to Derby. Already we were appreciating the beautiful warm weather, dramatic change in the landscape and spectacular sunsets. 

Our adventure started when we took off the next morning in a small KAS helicopter from Derby for another two hour flight. The view from the air was incredible, with the massive tidal influence on the rivers on display. One third of the way into our journey we landed on a boulder in the middle of nowhere where the pilot had a secret fuel stash under a big rock. Next stop was the white sandy beach at Hanover Bay selected by Colin and crew as a good landing spot. The pilot, Guy, had never been there but had the coordinates and was as excited as us to be going to a new place. Our first view of the stunning turquoise waters of the Kimberley was breathtaking but nothing could surpass the feeling when we flew over a mountain range and there below us was FatBlueSky with four enthusiastic people waving madly. Guy buzzed the boat then landed on the beach and Col, Nic, Mon and Paul arrived in a flash with cold champagne to greet us.  Soon Guy took off with Mon and Paul and we were out on the boat being introduced to Kimberley cruising life with a lunch of sashimi prepared from a Mackerel that Paul had caught earlier in the day and fresh bread baked by Colin. The wonderful welcome we received counterbalanced a slightly shocked feeling that we had just been dropped into one of the most remote and beautiful places on the planet.

The next few days were spent exploring the Prince Regent River. We stopped overnight in Purulba creek anchored next to a stunning rock face that our voices echoed off. These acoustics encouraged Colin to get out his bagpipes and play a couple of tunes. A crocodile that had swum up to the boat and then sidled over to the rocky wall to keep an eye on us politely kept out of sight after this performance.

We woke up to a rainy day for our trip up to King Cascade. The navigation was tricky with lots of sandbars and islands and we were happy to see the charter boat, Reef Prince, come up behind us and then show us their usual track. Arriving at the waterfall with plenty of warnings about the infamous  fatal crocodile attack in 1987 on a pretty American model, we were happy to take the advice of crew from the Reef Prince about the best track to climb up to a freshwater swimming hole above the falls. Fortunately we had the place to ourselves because the rain made it too hazardous for the elderly guests on the charter boat to climb up. The sun came out on cue and we had a lovely climb and swim, being mindful to get back to the boat before the tide hampered our mooring to a small tree, and to negotiate the sandbanks back down the river.

St. George Basin provided another overnight stop on our way to High Bluff. The tide provided fun whirlpools to negotiate and pushed the boat along at near 11 knots at times. This speed was surpassed the next day going through Roger’s Straight at up to 12 knots before we went past the beautiful Tengarra Bay.  We sailed past Kuri Bay and past one of the only other private yachts that we saw on our trip, a single handed bloke sailing a catamaran. That day we saw a turtle, dolphins and our first glimpse of a whale. As we entered Sampson Inlet a sting ray jumped out of the water and did a backflip through the air. We shared Sampson Inlet with a large private motor yacht Anya and after the crew were astounded at Lloyd and Nic’s inability to catch a fish, they shared a spare snapper with us. 

The next morning Col and Nic went off to pull some fresh oysters off the rocks and brought back a few tasty morsels. Lloyd and I went exploring in the dingy up through a stunning gorge to a small sandy beach, looking for the ubiquitous freshwater pool and waterfall that lay beyond. Some fresh looking crocodile prints and tail swish marks on the sandy beach, combined with an outgoing tide, made us cautious so we stayed in the dingy and rowed it into a beautiful rock pond full of fish, fed by a small but noisy waterfall. Mindful of the story of another couple a few years earlier who had their dingy chomped by a croc and were stranded for several days, we beat a hasty retreat in the tinny, back down the shady gorge, to the safety of FatBlueSky.

Col and Nic caught a snapper in lower Sampson Inlet and we spent one of many evenings looking at the amazing night sky.

A night in Deception Bay was followed by a day visiting the remarkable Langgi which must be viewed at low tide and is like snorkelling through interesting rock formations without the water. The living molluscs are still clinging to the rocks waiting for the water to flow back in every few hours. More whales seen today but only a few compared to what lay ahead. Lloyd was keen to put up the asymmetric spinnaker for our sail into Raft Point and it gave the 106 guests on National Geographic Orion something to photograph while they were being transported to the beach in 10 Zodiacs for a traditional Aboriginal smoking ceremony and a hike up to see the famous Rock Art. It was also a talking point for one of their crew who was a yachtie and had recently sailed his catamaran across the Pacific.

Horizontal Waterfall was our next overnight stop. Nic needed to fly back to Perth for family reasons so she booked on a seaplane to Broome. There was a thriving business with several seaplanes flying guests in and out throughout the day and even an overnight hotel. Lloyd and I took the high speed tour through the waterfalls. It was a thrilling ride and a unique tidal phenomenon that was an amplified version of what we had already experienced with the massive Kimberley tides.

Dugong Bay brought us our second close encounter with a croc. Our timing was a bit out so we found ourselves exploring a mangrove lined gorge which was only about 5 metres wide at a less than ideal low tide. Cautiously, not wanting to spend too long there, Lloyd had turned around to motor out, only for Colin to notice a 5 metre Croc eyeing us off while blocking the exit. Thankfully he sank below the surface and Lloyd hooned it out of there while we hung on very tight. Our Kimberley cruising guide published in 2007 does mention a large resident croc and we are happy to confirm he is still there!

Silvergull Creek was another interesting stop. We went up river to meet the new residents Mal and Shel who have taken over from Phil and Marion who had lived there for 16 years. Marion had sadly died after a long illness, only 3 weeks before but had left the creek about a year earlier. Mal and Shel gave us a guided tour of the establishment including a freshwater spring and tank for swimming, vegie gardens, tobacco plants, a BBQ area for yachties, and even a tourist shop for guests from the charter boats. They get about 3,000 visitors per year and are very welcoming. Mal and Shel recommended our next few stops that were highlights of the highlights: Crocodile Creek and Silica Beach.

We arrived at Crocodile Creek at 8 am in order to navigate the sandbars that would prevent our entry at low tide. We found the deep pool right up next to a water fall and tied the bow to a rock and the stern to a ladder up to a freshwater pool. This was definitely paradise but we remained wary of dipping into the temptingly beautiful pool. 106 Orion guests in black Zodiacs to the rescue! The crew from the Orion tossed their guests into the pool for us and not one of them was eaten by a croc. They also told us they had not seen a croc there all season and they visit every couple of weeks. As soon as they left, a tedious process  involving getting all the oldies back down that ladder, we had the place to ourselves again. We enjoyed a relaxing swim, climbed up the waterfall to another pool and even did our clothes washing in the freshwater pool.

That evening I caught my first fish, a sea mullet. It was delicious. After champagne and star gazing we dozed off to sleep to the sound of our own private waterfall just metres from the back of the boat.

Another early morning to catch the high tide and we were off to Coppermine Creek.  Here we were escorted into the creek by 3 playful dolphins who frolicked in our bow-wave for ages.  Once anchored, Col and Lloyd went off in the dinghy for some fishing. They weren’t gone long when they came speeding back.  Alas, no fish caught, but they had got ‘slightly’ stuck on a mud bank while being distracted watching a large croc sliding into the water 100 metres away.  Some maneuvering with the outboard motor and all was good again.  Soon after a large private fishing boat ‘Southern Image’ came motoring past with 2 families including young kids on board.  When told about the croc, the skipper asked hopefully if he ate children. Perhaps multiple kids on a boat in a remote region can take its toll.

Silica Beach at the top end of Hidden Island was our next stop.  Lovely white squeaky sand. Then the trip across the top of King Sound. With 20-25kts from the south east it was one of the few times we got to sail without the motor running. As we approached Cape Leveque the strong winds running against the fast tidal currents created regions of flat water right up against 2 metre high breaking waves.  Lloyd had great fun negotiating the tricky conditions. After the weeks in the Kimberley arriving at Cape Leveque felt like getting back to civilisation, mobile phone reception and a Cafe! 

On the trip down to Beagle Bay we saw numerous whale pods, mostly just splashing on the horizon as they breached.  On approach to the bay we came across 3 whales right on our course.  Over about half an hour the whales entertained us with breaching, rolling, and fin and tail slapping before they headed off to deeper waters. Beagle Bay also provided our only, brief encounter with a Dugong.

With Broome and fresh food beckoning we put in a couple of longish days with a stop over at Cape Baskerville. Observing different whale pods from close up and a far over 3 days was magical.  Just after sunset, on our 19th day on-board, we approached Gauntheame Point.  Fresh Barracuda caught that day provided a fitting meal to end our remarkable Kimberley adventure.  Many thanks to Col and Nic for doing all the hard yards to make this possible.