Story - Pelican Kimberley Journal 1

DAY ONE - 8 June 2002
Cullen Bay Lock at 0730, four yachts departed heading for Native Point, some 45 miles to the west of Darwin. The yachts were:
> Brumby Jack, a Roberts Offshore 44, with Colin and Anna Firmin
> Maverick Dream, a Stratus 12 catamaran, with Peter, Pearl and Layton Webb.
> Spindrift, a Roberts 32, with Mark Stephenson and Russell Wither, and
> Pelican, our Easy 32 catamaran.

This was the start of our long awaited trip to the Kimberley in Western Australia.

We had been looking forward to a great sail, as is usually the case at this time of the year in Darwin, but due to fluky winds, we ended up motoring 8 of the 10 hours taken on the trip. Our speed log was not working, despite Joyce’s best efforts of inserting and removing the equipment several times, flooding the bilge at each attempt (as it does). This necessitated Joyce donning snorkelling gear at the end of the day and going to have a look. A fine and healthy colony of white coral was found growing on the depth sounder/speedo sensors. This probably accounted for the depth sounder constantly showing 50 metres with squillions of fish at 40 metres when we were in 12 metres of water! All was removed, Joyce had a lovely swim and was rewarded with a gin and tonic on her arrival back on board. Sunset drinks were partaken on the good ship Maverick Dream.

DINNER: Dinner consisted of fresh mackerel, (courtesy of Maverick Dream) a little salad and yet another very welcome glass of white wine. The Pelican crew crashed at 2045 for a very well deserved sleep.

DAY TWO - 9 June 2002.
Very early start, 0500, as the plan was to travel 65 miles to Cape Scott. The wind was promising for about 10 minutes when it quit entirely and we were forced to motor for the next 51/2 hours. Colin had promised us wind by 1000 rhs , but still none was forthcoming. However, 10.30 saw us romping along under full sail at 5 knots and ever so pleased to turn the motors off. Our elation was short lived, as by 1330 the remaining wind had come directly onto our nose and we were under motor again. Having to make landfall before dark necessitated us making a 5 knot average, so there was no ability to use what little wind there was to tack our way to the anchorage. Jack and I (and others in the fleet) thought gloomily of the amount of fuel we were forced to use so early in the trip. Eighteen hours’ motoring in the first two days was not what we had in mind. As it was, we were forced to amend our overnight anchorage in order to reach landfall before dark. Colin from Brumby Jack selected a spot near Pelican Rock in Anson Bay. We dropped anchor at sunset in a beautiful sheltered spot in about 5 metres of water. It turned out to be a calm, pleasant anchorage, with abundant supplies for the hunter/gatherers amongst us. Peter from Maverick Dream put some crab pots out and harvested a veritable smorgasbord of 19 crabs, 2 catfish, a mangrove jack and two cod.
MENU DAY 2
Breakfast: Buttermilk Pancakes with Pure Canadian Maple syrup and fresh plunger coffee.
Lunch: Sandwiches of Swiss wholegrain bread with fresh tomato, Australian lite cheese and Asian Green salad.
Dinner: Cheesy Chilli beef potatoes with fresh salad.

DAY THREE - 10 June 2002
We actually managed to sleep in this morning, to 0730hrs. The very loosely devised plan was to depart at 0800hrs in order to catch the outgoing tide to Cape Ford and then the incoming tide down the next 10 miles or so to Cape Scott. The previous night we had been beset by plagues of crickets, moths, mosquitos and a myriad of other winged critters. We turned the lights out early and enjoyed the beauty of the night sky. The breeze piped up at about 0300 and persisted for the rest of the night. Morning saw a 15-20 knot south easter blowing, promising to increase to at least 25 knots during the morning. Brumby Jack made a prompt departure at 0800, followed soon after by Pelican. Maverick Dream and Spindrift decided to wait for a little while, MD to cook their ill gotten gains and Spindrift to collect their wits from the previous days’ long haul. Pelican ventured bravely out into the fray, with the headsail only. Soon she was romping along in the stiffening breeze, surfing down the .5 meter waves at 7-8 knots and topping 10 knots down some of the bigger ones. Soon the headsail was brought in a little to result in 6-7 knot speeds with 8 knots down the waves. The autopilot (Percy Verance) thanked us for our consideration.

Once around Cape Ford, the wind was a little more forward, so we put up a reefed mainsail and had a great sail until we had to motor the last 4 miles into wind to reach the anchorage. An excursion ashore in the dinghy (Egret) revealed a creek meandering through the sand dunes with great promise of many crabs to be caught. A heavy pall of smoke obscured the view of the entire beach all afternoon and the other boats appeared as spectres from the haze as they arrived later in the day. Pelican and Brumby Jack certainly made the best call in departing early as Spindrift and Maverick Dream had to motor most of the way, the wind having gone onto the nose or died out completely by the time they were underway.

A brilliant sunset display saw the intrepid adventurers sitting on the deck of Pelican, doing justice to the crabs who surrendered their lives in the food chain of which we were the final link. The crabs were delicious and sweet and all were quickly demolished. This in fact became dinner, and we had another lovely early night. The wind was a rather constant 10 - 15 knots all night which made for great sleeping.
Menu
Breakfast: Cereal, fruit juice and fresh plunger coffee
Lunch: Sardines in a tomato sauce on toasted Swiss grain bread with fresh luncheon salad of Asian greens, selected pickles (onion and egg), tomato and red sweet capsicum.
Diner: Fresh mud crab, nibbles washed down with a chilled Chardonnay and/or red wine.

DAY 5 - 12 JUNE
Another 0500 start. We had a long way to go and wanted to make the entrance to the Berkeley River at high tide the next morning. We had one hundred and twenty odd miles to travel and wanted to be there at 0830hrs. We set off under a spectacular canopy of stars and a very light breeze. We plotted a course to take us north of Emu Reefs in the Bonaparte Gulf, then the 90 or so miles on a south westerly course to the mouth of the Berkeley River. We were forced to use some more precious fuel for the first two hours, then the breeze came up and we gratefully put up the sails. The sunrise was spectacular and very welcome. By 1000hrs, both sails were up and we were maintaining course though the speed was not quite as exhilarating as we had hoped. We passed north of Emu Reefs at 11.30 and turned onto the Berkeley River waypoint, 90 miles away.. At 1430, we made radio contact with Emma Ward and Capricorn III, two of our fellow Stress Busters. They had departed for the Kimberley four weeks earlier and we had originally hoped to meet up with them in the Berkeley. However, they had decided to make the most of the good weather for the dash across the notorious Bonaparte Gulf. We all spent a wonderful hour talking to them on the VHF radio, quizzing them on their experiences, writing down their waypoints and catching up with all the latest news. We were assured that we were approaching one of the world’s greatest cruising grounds. A little later we saw their sails on the horizon. We marvelled at the coincidence of friends in their yachts, departing opposite sides of the Gulf and almost running into each other in transit. At 1720 (CST) Pelican crossed the 129th degree of longitude, marking her entry into Western Australia. Spindrift crossed this land(sea)mark about an hour later. There was much celebration and drinking of Crossing Longitude liquid.

Soon we began to make preparations for the night ahead. Joyce cooked dinner of Indonesian Beef Rendang and jasmine rice, washed down with chilled white or red wine. We decided to try 2 hour watches, instead of the more common 3 hour watches. This suited us very well, as we were rather tired, but could not sleep for more than an hour or so at a time. Two hours meant not quite so long a drag on the one on watch, but adequate time for the off-watch to gain sufficient rest for the next two hours. If we had to do more than one night, we agreed that we would revert to 3 hour watches on the second night.

The conditions that night were almost perfect. The wind direction and current saw us sailing almost 40 degrees to the north of our course for many hours, but with some clever pinching up when Pelican was not looking and the fact that the breeze was swinging more to the south/east during the night, we were back on course by morning. All night, the breeze remained constant at 10 - 15 knots and seas were perfect. We were able to carry full sail all night. The sky was magnificent, there being no moon, and at one stage I could see the loom of the Milky Way reflected in the sea. The stars were spectacular in a clear, cloudless moonless night sky. The fleet agreed that it was the best night sail any of us could remember. “Treasure the memory!” we were warned.

Daylight saw us within 10 miles of each other, but unfortunately facing the prospect of having to do the dreadful ‘M’ thing in order to make the deadline at the entrance of the river. Not arriving in time would have resulted in our having to anchor outside the river mouth until the late afternoon when we might have been able to cross the sandbar at the mouth. Reluctantly, we cranked up ‘Yasmine’ Yamaha and motor sailed for the next four hours, making the entrance just behind Spindrift. Brumby Jack and Maverick Dream were waiting inside for us. We proceeded up the creek like a line of ducks following their mother. The mouth of the river consists of low sand dunes and brush scrubland and we wondered what all the fuss was about. We proceeded up the river in convoy and the scenery soon began to change into escarpment country, with rock faces set back from the river and mangrove lined banks on each side. We anchored in a beautiful spot, mangroves lining the river’s edge with escarpment country well behind it to one side, and on the other side rock face walls falling straight into the river. We took our dinghies for an exploratory trip up the nearby creek to search for a waterfall which was supposed to be there. Unfortunately, due to the record dry wet season, only a trickle of water was coming over the rocks. However, there was sufficient for the determined ones amongst us to wash our hair but not enough for us to wash our clothes. That would have to wait for another time. We began to appreciate the awesome beauty of this place, especially from the deck of Brumby Jack where we gathered to take in the spectacular sight of the setting sun illuminating the rock face walls of the escarpment country. Dinner this evening was hastily prepared and eaten while the very tired crews of four yachts fell into deep sleep. The monohull crews found the haven very welcome, as the anchorages of Cape Ford and Cape Scott produced nasty swells which kept them from resting. When they made mention of this to the catamaran crews we were quite amazed and could not remember any conditions which were particularly uncomfortable. Uncomplimentary (envious, I suspect) remarks were made regarding catamarans and their devotees.
Day 5 Menu
Breakfast: Cereal, skim milk, fruit juice and fresh plunger coffee.
Lunch: Home made bread sandwiches with cheese, ham and tomato filling.
Dinner: Fried rice with tuna, crunchy vegetables, corn and peas.

DAY 6 - 14 June 2002
Early morning in this anchorage was equally as spectacular and the sunset. The morning sun shed a rosy glow over the rock walls on the other side of the river and made wonderful reflections in the mirror calm water. We were reluctant the leave this picturesque spot, but Peter informed us that we were in for bigger and better things further up the river. Reluctantly we pulled up the anchor at 0800 and began motoring up the river. How right Peter was!

As we progressed up river, the walls became steeper and the river closed in further and further. Soon we were motoring between towering cliff faces, the morning sun highlighting the brilliant red and ochre of the sandstone walls. This was in stark contrast with the lush green foliage of the mangroves lining the riverbanks. It was almost incongruous to see the starkness and barrenness of the rock cliff faces together with the lushness of the mangrove stands, more usually associated with tropical rain forests or wetlands. We remarked to each other that this would be like cruising through Kakadu National park many eons ago when there was water where there is now just wetlands and arid scrub land.

The bird life was prolific. We could hear the shrill cries of corellas and the eerily beautiful call of the spangled drongo. A white breasted sea eagle circled us and crows squawked as we made our way slowly, absorbing each spectacle. We stopped a few miles up the river to savour the moment and to try to absorb the magnitude of the scenery around us. Colin took us for a ride in his dinghy so we could see our boat in the magnitude of the surroundings. On we went, this time with Pelican taking the lead. Soon, we were completely surrounded by towering cliff faces, the river meandering ahead of us. In some places, we could not see around the next bend and were confronted with sheer rock faces. The awesomeness of this experience left us speechless. Brumby Jack (a Roberts Offshore 44’) tucked into the shade against one of these walls and was completely dwarfed, her 60+ foot high mast reaching only about one third of the way up the cliff. Superlatives such as ‘majestic’, ‘awesome’, ‘spectacular’, ‘grandeur’ etc cannot describe the beauty of this river. Gradually, the scenery became more open and the walls were not quite so high. Approaching the head of the river, it became quite shallow, so we chose this spot to anchor.

An expedition in the dinghy revealed a small gently flowing waterfall, about two metres high. We all quickly grabbed our bathing gear and were soon frolicking in the cool, fresh water. On climbing to the top, we found exquisite scenery of a little creek with numerous swimming spots and flat rocks climbing away to the scrubby bushland behind. Little lacy water lilies lined the edges of the pools and jewel coloured Bee Eaters darted over the water’s surface, giving a brilliant display of emerald and amber as they flitted about. There were some little double barred finches in the trees as well. We chose this spot for our Sunset Conviviality this evening. On our return to Pelican, we hosted our dear friends Mark and Russell from Spindrift to dinner. A wonderful evening was spent, reminiscing about our shared sailing experiences over more than twenty years.
Day 6 Menu
Breakfast: Cereal, skim milk, juice and fresh plunger coffee.
Lunch: Toasted cheese and tomato sandwiches on home made bread.
Dinner: Crusty baked macaroni cheese (done on the barbecue) with a salad of tomato and asparagus. Mini Mars bar for desert, followed by coffee and port.