14) Northern Territory: Darwin to Point Londonderry, WA. 10 to 25 May, 2014.

We finally left Darwin on the 10th May for our big adventure with Brian, Gayle and Pam on their 45ft catamaran “Sea Lynx”, to sail the Kimberley coast. Travelling in a flotilla is an ideal way to do the Kimberley as you have company along the way and help if needed, but you also have your own space and get to share the experience with your friends. The weather for the first three to four days was perfect allowing good progress along the NT coast by day and quiet nights for sleeping. Thankfully the good weather continued for the crossing of the Joseph Bonaparte Gulf.

Joseph Bonaparte Gulf - NW on the W.A. coast.

Both boats managed to sail all day at reasonable speed but after lunch time the wind would slowly decrease and our speed would drop down from 6.0 to 0.2 knots per hour. Worse still, on both nights between the hours of 10 pm and 3 am there was no wind at all. 






During this time Sea Lynx motored towards the WA coast as they were only coming for one month they had large fuel reserves to do this. We on the other hand were going for at least two months so we chose to sail to conserve our fuel. The depth of the Gulf was 50m plus so there was nowhere to just pull over and anchor for the night, so we just bobbed around in the Gulf like a cork, being moved slightly north or south, with the tides. Like clockwork at 3am both mornings the wind picked up. 

Both boats had a deadline to make Reveley Island, on the western side of the Gulf by about 4am to enable us to transit the Berkeley River bar close to the high tide as possible and with the early morning light. Sea Lynx made the deadline and crossed the sand bar safely but we arrived about 6am, way too late to cross. Not only was it now a falling tide (too dangerous to cross) but the weather had turned nasty and the bar had crashing waves across it. We then learnt the hard way why the Joseph Bonaparte Gulf is affectionately known as the ‘blown apart gulf’. We had no choice but to stay outside and find shelter in some small and uncomfortable bays waiting for the wind to die down, to allow us to cross into the Berkeley River safely and join Sea Lynx. After two days the weather stayed much the same so we sailed north and around into the safety of Koolama Bay to wait for Sea Lynx there.

Entering beautiful Koolama Bay.

Koolama Bay is completely sheltered from all winds other than northerlies and is the entrance to the spectacular King George River. Since winds from the north were not due until September it was a relief to be in such a sheltered bay. 






After coming into the bay we noticed a familiar boat and we were pretty sure it was a boat that was next to us in Tipperary marina. So we put in a VHF call to them once we had anchored. Sure enough it was David and Lyndell on board their 50ft motor boat “Melita”. We had only briefly met them both as they had not lived on board their boat, while we were in the marina. So we had them over for drinks and nibbles while we were waiting for low tide at 4pm. At low tide we planned to get out in the dinghy and manually measure (the good ole line and rock method) the depth of the King George bar so we could cross safely before high tide the next morning. Luckily for us Lyndell and David had already just crossed the bar in both directions and happily provided us with the exact co-ordinates we needed, a saving of several mind numbing hours in the dinghy. Early the next morning David and Lyndell started their passage west and we hoped we would catch up with them somewhere in the not too distant future.

Crossing the bar and entering the King George River.

Crossing the sand bar just before high tide was easy with the correct co-ordinates and pretty soon the river was flanked by low hills which got taller as we slowly progressed down the river.  

The King George River. 

Entering a safe harbour is always a good feeling, but this was way too good to be believed. The severly eroded sandstone/quartzite cliffs hung on both sides creating a narrow gorge. The cliffs progressively increased in size and continued uninterrupted, and were over 100m high when we finally reached the end. 

The river is deep and meanders inland for six nautical miles. It finally terminates in a sandstone lined cul-de-sac flanked by two giant twin waterfalls. You can anchor very close to the waterfalls in the dry season, when the flow is not too strong.






You see photos and have people tell you the King George River is fantastic but until you have been there it is not the same. As you can imagine this spectacle attracts a lot of attention and when we arrived there were two tourists cruise boats up next to the falls and two helicopters flying left, right and centre. Thank goodness they left just after 3.30 pm. This is the saving grace – they never stay too long in one place and being on your own yacht with your own timeframe you can easily outwait them.

The view from our boat of one of the falls.

When they left and before dark we moved up to within metres of the falls where the cruise ship had been anchored. This indeed was the prime position as you could see both falls from the back of the boat. They knew what they were doing. 







After this we had the river and more importantly the falls to ourselves. Dinner up on deck as the sun set was fantastic. Then it became pitch black and we could only hear the thundering water plunging over the cliffs and could just make out the water due to its phosphorescence green colour. It was errie and also serene knowing there was no one else around for miles and miles.

The next morning at 6 am another cruise ship must have arrived as we heard the sound and then saw large black inflatables everywhere. Later in the morning while on deck a large catamaran made its way up the river towards us, and we were jubilant to see that Sea Lynx had arrived.

The arduous climb - up and down.

In the afternoon we all set off for a long hot climb up beside the falls to the rock pools above, to have a swim. This was hard going as it is a near vertical climb for over 100m, over large sandstone boulders, in 34 degree heat and 70% humidity. Gayle and Peter had to take it easy due to their knees but we all finally made it to the top. We then walked for about 1km along the cliff face to the falls.




 

View from top and Reverie anchored close to the waterfalls.

The rock pools with the falls in the background.

Finally after many photos we could partake in having a long swim in the rock pools that feed the falls. They were delightfully cool and some quite deep, allowing you to immerse yourself fully.

The next morning we moved further down the river to check out some other smaller waterfalls. This time the climb was not an arduous one, luckily as all our muscles were sore. Later Gayle, Brian and Pam went to climb another cliff but we begged off as Peter’s knee was way too sore by this stage and my muscles were arching. They were gone for so long we started to worry. Peter tried the radio but no answer, he was about to go and look for them before it became dark but luckily we finally saw them emerge on the cliff face and then dinghy back to their boat. They had got lost and after trekking for kilometres they finally found the track and returned to their dinghy. We were so glad to see them as we were worried about finding them, as it would have been almost impossible at that time of the evening.

After three days we left the King George River and crossed back over the sand bar. At the shallowest point we only had 200m of water between our keel and the sand. Once through and breathing a big sigh of relief we anchored in Calamity Bay (the north west corner of Koolama Bay). This is the site of where the “M/V Koolama“ came to rest after being bombed by the Japanese in 1942. 160 passengers and crew managed to get ashore by lifeboats and camp here. Luckily an SOS call to the Drysdale River mission alerted help and a small boat was sent to assist them. The Aboriginal guides on the boat found the camp. Some people were taken out by boat and the sickest few by seaplane. The Aboriginal guides then led the remaining 93 passengers 150 km west, to safety at the Drysdale River mission. Some of the crew stayed and repaired the vessel, later sailing it south to Wyndham. An amazing story of what people can do in the face of adversity. 

Calamity Bay falls and lower rock pool.

No such hardship for us as luckily our day there was very pleasant. Swimming in the deep rock pools and then taking a shower at the base of the falls, was as arduous as it got for us.

Pam and Gayle.

The next morning the weather was perfect for sailing. Sea Lynx headed east and then would proceed south down the Joseph Boneparte Gulf and into the Cambridge Gulf to check out the many rivers, bays and islands found there. They would then travel slowly back to Darwin and reluctantly to work.

Brian and Gayle.

The Cambridge Gulf is in the lower reaches of the Joseph Bonaparte Gulf, where the Ord River from Wyndham, terminates. 

At the base of Calamity Bay falls.

We on the other hand, set sail with gentle breezes to travel north around notorious Cape Londonderry and then proceed south into Napier Broome Bay. 

Such an enjoyable day.

Cape Londonderry is the most northern part of Western Australia and is the point where the two great seas meet. The Timor Sea on the east collides with the Indian Ocean on the west. This always gives confused seas even when calm. Add a lot of wind, making waves and swell, then tides, currents, and you begin to understand why sailors call it “the laundry”. We were nearing the Cape when our engine just suddenly up and died. We tried but were unable to get the motor started again, so we turned around to try and make it back to the safety of Koolama Bay. Thankfully the winds were picking up and we were able to sail, tacking all the way, back into the bay. We pulled most of the sails down as we just entered the bay. Then the last little bit was rolled up and we eventually ran out of momentum coming to a complete stop in 12m of water. My goodness how fortunate were we to be able to have the wind to get back and from the right direction. If not we would have either been bobbing around in the ocean hoping for someone to tow us back or worse still be swept up on the reef that hugs that part of the coastline.

The next day Peter found the problem after two hours of toil. An algal bloom was living and breeding in our fuel tank. We had this problem twice in Queensland and had thought we had fixed it, but now it was back. Bits of the bloom would break off, get caught in the filters or block the pipes, starving the engine of fuel so the motor would stop. Due to the heat and humidity the bloom never completely goes away. You remove every piece you can see but the residual microscopic pieces eventually breed up again.

The next morning we again left early and rounded “the laundry” in calm conditions. There was a bit of westerly swell and a south easterly wind, which created a bumpy ride but it was not too uncomfortable or frightening.