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Darwin Trip on Kokomo V: Sampson Inlet to Darwin

7th – Oct. We stayed in Sampson Inlet for a few days so we could rest a bit. Travelling almost every day or rolly/lumpy anchorages can be quite tiring. We motored up to the end of the inlet and tried to work out how we could get to the freshwater creek and some pools. I walked a short distance up the rocks while Frank stayed with the dinghy. We now know you really need to try that on the high tide as we had a description of a talked about rock bar – when we looked at Google Earth we were way short of the bar. After our investigation here we moved to the small side inlet where The Doctor was anchored. The next day we went to the end of this inlet which is where Phil & Marion spent a wet season, before moving to Silver Gull Creek. There we found a nice shaded area with a small soak. There was nowhere near as much water as they have at Silver Gull Creek. We walked up the gully with Diana until the debris from floods got too thick to bypass, by then we were almost out of the gully into the drier climate and growth. The gully was like an oasis with quite lush vegetation and if we had been earlier in the season there would have been more running water.

8th – Oct. We sailed for Hanover Bay, we used the ebb tide to carry us out of the bay and around  Augustus Island. We then needed to go between Jungulu Is and Augustus Is at as close to slack water as possible due to a strong tide rip through the gap. We found we were still on an ebb tide when we got there and we had to cross a very unnerving set of “over falls”. Frank checked the depths as we crossed the line the depths in quick succession went – 40 metres, 25 metres, 30m, 35m & back to 40m. We figure that is why with a running tide it looked so scary. We sailed around Augustus Island and then used the incoming (flooding) tide to get us down to the bottom of Hanover Bay and into Hanover Inlet, where we anchored for a couple of days. Rob and Diana on The Doctor tried anchoring further into the inlet but came back to where we were the next morning. We used a couple of days to explore a small inlet off Hanover inlet, and on the 2nd day, having worked out the tides we went to the end and got out of the dinghy 1 hour before high tide and went up to a small freshwater stream. Here we were able to get into the water for a paddle as opposed to a swim , it was beautiful. We then had to leave at 1 hour after high tide or we would have had problems getting the dinghies out again.

11th – Oct. We sailed out of Hanover Bay and around the bay into The Prince Regent River (we have decided it is a long way into that river and we are not really ready to tackle it). We anchored between 2 islands just into a small bay called Ivy Bay after a pearling lugger. They stayed there and carved the name of the lugger in a boab tree. We went ashore and took a photo of the tree. The next day we motored down to Careening Bay, here Phillip Parker King had careened his ship the Mermaid in 1820. They had carved the name of the ship and date in a boab tree, the tree is still there and we had a look. We then continued on to York Sound, into Prince Frederick Harbour and into the Hunter River. It was a long way in and we found with the SW winds and therefore seas came into the river and it was not comfortable. We had difficulty figuring out the tides and so could only find an “average” anchorage and not completely out of the seas. We figured it would calm down for the night, but we decided not to stay and planned to leave 1st thing in the morning at 1st light.

13th – Oct. We headed out with a head wind, again making the seas sloppy and then the tide started against us as well. We were glad when we could finally turn the corner around some islands and head across York Sound with the wind behind and the tide only across our path. We anchored at a place called Rainforest Ravine and again had issues with what the tide really was, so we had to move, “just in case”. I don’t think we did need to move although I am not sure. The next day on the rising tide we moved into the inlet again and then took the dinghy up to the end of the inlet. It was not quite high tide so we investigated tying up the dinghy so we could still reach it as the tide came in more. We succeeded in securing the dinghy and scrambled up to the ravine. This creek was even more like an oasis than the 1 in Hanover Bay. We did not go all the way up as it was quite hot and we were still unsure about the tides. We did manage a dip again which was very good. When we came back to the dinghy we had a bit of a scramble to get into it, but all was fine. We went back to Kokomo and got the anchor up so we could move to a different anchorage at Kartja Is out of the prevailing westerly wind.

We had had problems with the anchor winch in the morning where firstly it would not work at all, then when Frank got it to work it was very sluggish as if one part needed lubricating. Frank had managed to get it going at the time. Then when Frank went to use it after our trip up the ravine, we had a similar problem, although again Frank coaxed it through to get the anchor up. We anchored at the spot recommended in the book at Kartja Is and found it too deep with a current running and then we started dragging towards a shallow area. The anchor winch really started to fail, so

Frank had to pull it apart and try to see how to lubricate the area not working. He was not able to access the area and we were still dragging. After much frustration and some other issues Frank got the anchor up enough so we could move further around the island, here we found a very good anchorage, out of the tide and the seas. Now our problem was how to get the anchor up again. Frank was sure the last effort had burned out the electric motor. After a night of little sleep with our minds going mad, we both got up at about 0600, and Frank got a couple of double tackle blocks out that he was sure he might be able to use (we had bought them in Broome for lowering our heavy 9.9 outboard down to the dinghy, which we had not attempted at that stage). Frank connected 1 block to the bracket that the foremost mast side stay attaches. He connected the other block to this one using a spinnaker halyard that we had for Illowra (previous boat), I think this gave him a 1 to 4 purchase. This block could go between the side stay and the anchor chain along the deck without catching anything. He then attached  a “claw” to the free block, and hooked the claw onto the anchor chain. He then used the block and tackle system to pull up about 5 metres at a time. We had a second hook on a rope strop that we always used on anchor so the boat was not actually pulling on the chain on the anchor winch. He used this to hold the chain, while he moved the claw along the chain to pull the next lot up.

It was slow and Frank’s back was sore at times, but we decided we could keep going without heading straight for Darwin which was 420 miles away. What a relief! We had told Rob & Diana via radio that we were planning on going straight for Darwin as Frank’s back & shoulder would not cope with pulling the chain and very heavy anchor up more than the once (if that). When we spoke to them the next day Rob offered to assist with pulling our anchor up then going back to their boat and getting their anchor up. This offer was very nice of him and much appreciated, but now we had a solution we thought we could manage and it would have been very inconvenient for Rob. As long as the boat was staying on the anchor, I could help Frank by hooking and unhooking and feeding the chain down into the chain locker, so he only had to work with the claw. Once the boat started to drift, I needed to be back controlling the engine and wheel. If there was too much current then I stayed at the wheel and used the engine to move forward as Frank pulled.

17th – Oct. After pulling the anchor up on 16th by the above method we decided to head for the Prudhoe Islands for a couple of days. These are a set of 3 islands close together that make a very sheltered anchorage.

On our way into here I tried to call The Doctor on our VHF as we had only been able to talk to them on HF with a lot of interference and at a set time as neither of us kept the HF on full time. After I called without any luck at getting an answer, I suddenly got a call from Coastwatch for the boat called Kokomo. I replied to them and they asked if I needed a doctor. I assured them I was calling another boat called “The Doctor” not asking for a doctor. They wished us a safe trip and signed off. The next morning I tried calling The Doctor again, from the same location and for some reason they could hear us this time, so we assured them, we now had a solution for raising the anchor and were now continuing through the Kimberly.

19th – Oct. After our rest day at Prudhoe Is, we continued our trip. On 17th we headed for Krait Bay, The Doctor had headed for there on 16th and were to continue on to the Osborne Islands on 17th. We left at 0500 and found the wind on our nose (NE winds were not in the forecast at all), but at least the seas were calm until ½ way across Montague Sound when they picked up swung easterly which assisted us, but they got stronger (23-24 kn) and the seas increased, so it was not comfortable. My problem was, as we came out of Prudhoe Is the air started to get hazy, then we found it was smoke and getting thicker, so that some of the islands we could see disappeared into the smoke. I found this not very good for my breathing. When we finally arrived at Krait Bay, near Cape Voltaire the wind had blown a lot of the smoke through, but I was quite wheezy. We found The Doctor had stuck there nose out of Krait Bay in the morning, but the wind was already quite strong and they would have had to “bash into it” all the way to the Osborne Islands, so they turned back. When I spoke to them on the radio, they decided that I was not cooking, so Rob cooked up a Thai green curry with a mackerel they had caught the day before.  While they were cooking I used my nebuliser and felt much better. They brought dinner over to our boat and really looked after me. I wasn’t even allowed to do the dishes. I used the nebuliser before going to bed and felt much better in the morning, mainly just a bit slow.

The next morning 18th, we headed for Parry Harbour while The Doctor headed for the Osborne Islands. The weather was much nicer and calmer. We had a good motor sail and although some of the time the tide was against us, it was not too strong and the wind did assist. We had a latish lunch and relaxed in the afternoon. We got up early again to catch the outgoing tide around Cape Bougainville. Frank pointed out a very big crocodile swimming in the water not far behind us,  he estimated 14 – 16 feet. He started swimming towards us, but when we started the engine and pulling the anchor it turned and swam away from us, much better! We then headed out and around to Freshwater Bay.

25th – Oct. We stayed at Freshwater for 5 days just taking it easy to begin with. We checked out the creek and found it was still running. We found a pool deep enough for a dip not too far up, that was very nice. We tried going up the smaller creek on the other side of the cove, but we were a bit unsure about access – the mangrove trees were closer together making the channel quite narrow. We found out later it was worth going up. While we were there The Doctor caught up with us and then on the last day, I got an infection. I called my Dr on the satellite phone about the antibiotics I had aboard, she said they might work but often did not, in which case I needed to get to a Dr quickly. That was going to be very difficult from where we were. Then Rob suggested we ask via radio if the people at the Paspaley Pearl farm in the next bay could assist us as they would need an extensive medical chest being so remote. We called them up and they said they would have to call base for permission and would get back to us. They called back and asked if I had had this type of infection before, I had. They then offered to bring the antibiotics around to us if we could wait. We worked out they would still be quicker than us going to them. Not long after a large dinghy with a jet system in it arrived and they gave us a pack of antibiotics. I started taking them straight away and very soon things began to improve. By the next morning 25th when we were getting ready to leave I felt a lot better, so I called up on the way out to say thank you and they were happy to hear I was improving.

26th – Oct. It took us 2 days to sail from Freshwater Bay to Koolama Bay, where the mouth of the King George River is. From Freshwater Bay, we had to sail between Middle Rock and Mary Island through quite a narrow channel. The channel is deep enough but you cannot see into the water and the charts are not accurate. We had some GPS way points to use, but you always wonder if your GPS is the same as the other peoples’. We tried going through as close to slack tide as we could but did find the current was with us. On our way through, we found we got a bit close to the rock and suddenly the depth came up very quickly. Frank had to quickly change direction and find the channel again, we were very glad it was calm that day. We then continued on to Cape Talbot and anchored the night there. On 26th we headed around Cape Talbot and Cape Londonderry sailing. We got off Cape Londonderry where the water colour changed to a brown colour with all the sand stirred up by 2 different tides each side of the cape. We had sailed only until then, but being caught in the tide and the wind dropping to almost nothing we finally started the motor and motored to Koolama Bay. We arrived there and with a tide still rising we carefully motored into the river. It was a bit hair raising as at 1 stage Frank says the depth got to 0.0 metres under the keel, but we did not touch. We followed The Doctor up the river to an anchorage. We actually anchored in the dark which is different.

28th – Oct. The next day when the tide came in we headed up to the head of the river, it was about 4 miles and quite spectacular. The only disappointment was that the falls had stopped running by this time of year. We were a bit concerned that the next daylight tide high enough to get out of the river was not until either 8th or 9th Nov, and we did not think we wanted to wait that long. We discussed it with Rob and Diana and decided to leave in the dark using the path on the GPS plotter that we used to get in. While we were at the head of the river we had a BBQ on a rock ledge near where   the east waterfall, it was good fun except luckily we took our little foldup spade with us as we had to move the fire to a higher rock as the tide came in, and that was before we had started to cook.

29th – Oct.  Diana, Frank & I climbed up to the top of the gorge and walked around to where the waterfalls come over the edge. It is quite a climb to get up there, but with cairns to show us the path  and rocks and trees to hold onto it wasn’t so bad. It is actually more unnerving coming down, but again fine. We got up at 0500 to do this so it was in the coolest part of the day, although we still got pretty hot especially coming down again. Rob took our dinghy back to The Doctor and then came and got us which made it a lot easier. Once we had cool down and rested a bit, both boats headed back down to the mouth of the river to await the incoming tide for leaving the river. We went as far as we could over some “sand ridges” and anchored at low tide with 0.1m below the keel.

Just as Frank dropped the anchor, I had a burning sensation in my eye and put my hand up to it, to press on it, (I probably rubbed it). It did not stop burning and then I found I was not sure where my contact lens was to take out. I flooded it with eye drops and after a bit (Frank had a look but could not find the contact lens) I finally found it down at the bottom of my eye. The eye was still burning a lot under the top eye lid, and the only way to ease it was to lie back and keep both eyes closed. When it came time to move out of the river (tide high enough) I found if I put a pad over the sore eye and was careful moving my other eye I could see enough to drive the boat while Frank pulled up the anchor and re-anchored outside the river. Frank drove out of the river using our previous track which was still recorded on our Garmin GPS plotter. The tide we used was going to be higher than the tide we used coming in so we knew if we touched the sand we would still be able to get off it and get out. Frank also decided on the very shallow spot, if he went slightly to the left of the track, it should be deeper, he was correct and we always had more than 0.0 metre under the keel. We anchored outside in Koolama Bay for the rest of the night. We got up at 0510 and started to get ready to leave, Rob and Diana were already pulling up their anchor. We were not far behind them. Rob was a bit worried if he had enough fuel to motor all the way to Darwin rather than sailing for part of it (~240 Nautical miles). Frank was fairly confident we had sufficient fuel, but was going to be careful. As it happened we did motor the whole way, but when the wind was helpful, we also used the sails and kept the revs on the motor down and when the wind was not helpful we still did not push too hard (just went a bit slower). Frank looked after the boat all the way while I tried to lie in the saloon keeping both eyes closed, I helped when required but Frank did most of the work and would not call me unless he had to. We got to Darwin with plenty of fuel still available and The Doctor also got here with fuel to spare. That is pretty good as we could only fill up in Broome, then we bought an extra 40L, and Rob only bought an extra 80L. We came into Darwin and headed straight for Tipperary Waters marina or the anchorage at Frances Bay just before the channel into Tipperary Waters. Going on the FSC guide “Western Australian Cruising” book, we can call up between 0600 and 2100. This is not quite true, I rang at 0600 and got Keith (lock master out of bed), he was very good once he woke up and rang back. He suggested we anchor and come in at 0700. I said we will be slow as our anchor winch does not work and I need to get to the hospital. He said give him 15 minutes and he would ring back. He called back and said to come straight in – the tide was high enough for us to get in and Keith was on the lock to let us in. We successfully came through the lock and took Kokomo into a pen. Once we were tied up, Keith said worry about the paperwork tomorrow, go to the hospital, so I got a taxi to the hospital and waited and waited. The conclusion was, I had scratched the eye, it was already healing but they gave me some antibiotic cream for my eye and some pain killer drops for it. Then come back in 2 days unless it gets worse. Two days later, back again, it is healing so now some cortisone drops to minimise the scarring and some antibiotic drops to make sure no infection and come back in a week.

Our rather expensive marine air-conditioner failed as soon as we tried it on the 240 volt connection. We had used it twice while we were away, so it was a worry, we suspected it was electronic as the compressor worked, but not the fan to push the cold air through the ducts. Frank rang the people in Perth who supplied it, they rang Sydney and we had a guy come out to look at it. He asked for new electronic boards be sent to Darwin, in the meantime we are melting. Frank worked on a system to catch the condensation and pump it out of the boat from the air-conditioner. He just decided to try running the air-con once he had his system in place, the air-con decided to actually work. We left it running during the day, but Frank found he needed to do more work on the box catching the water as it was leaking so he had to turn the air-con off before we went to bed. The next morning the air-con would not start again – so back to the boat getting hot inside. On Mon Frank had turned off all power to the air-con and turned it on again – it started, so we have left it going and do not dare turn it off (we are definitely sure the problem is electronic) we are still waiting for the new parts to be sent to find out what is wrong.

Of the trip through the Kimberley - I would definitely recommend visiting earlier, Sept – Oct is getting too hot and a lot of the fresh water creek/falls have stopped. The heat means you cannot explore much because you cannot carry enough water and it is too hot, plus ther are not so many creeks to cool down in if you are exploring.

I also believe it would be easier to do it from Darwin, early in the season, the winds seem to be easterly, and a lot of the anchorages recommended by the FSC guide are for easterly winds. From what I can understand from the beginning of September (or there about) the winds change from easterly to more predominantly westerly, this makes it easier to get to Darwin, but a lot of anchorages are not satisfactory, but others are protected.

It is a major learning curve to try to work with the tides so you can safely go through some areas and also save a lot of effort and fuel by travelling with the tide, but you need to be very aware of them all the time, so you do not travel against them and do not anchor where you will run out of depth. Also you really need to spend quite a bit of time in an area where you do wish to explore so you can be confident about the best time of the ide to go ashore and when to come back to the dinghy so you do not find the dinghy either “high and dry” or way out there in the water where you cannot get to it until the tide goes back down again.

There is some spectacular country, but it all needs to be treated with respect and then you will be rewarded with the scenery. It would take a lot of trips to see most of the known spectacular areas but I am not sure I could cope with the stress of making sure we have the tides close enough. I did enjoy what I did see and I do think there is a lot more to see and possibly after a break from the boat I will be sorry we did not see more, but I think considering our timing, I will be happy we came to Darwin when we got here.

I am glad I stuck with the trip considering I was pretty ready to get off in Jurien after our saga getting there.

I was also ready to get off in Exmouth after sitting out the 40-50 knot winds in Tantabiddy. I was so appreciative that we had permission to use the mooring that Dave and Kaye Thomson had put in there, as I was confident the mooring would safely hold us but I found I was scared anyway.

The Kimberly is an amazing area and quite remote, so you cannot see it all and you definitely cannot see a lot of it except from the sea or air.

I would definitely recommend Tipperary Marina here in Darwin as it is small and friendly and quite close to Darwin, which is handy when you do not have a car. The people staying on boats here are very friendly and helpful too.