Cruising the Kimberley: Special Feature

Melbourne couple Rob and Rose Ungar always knew they wanted to go on a long cruise. And after a holiday on the magnificent Kimberley coast in the north of WA they knew where they wanted to go.

The Kimberley Coast, with nearly 13,000kms of largely untouched coastline and thousands of tiny islands, is one of the world's last great wilderness areas.

Accessible for the most part only by sea, this pristine, unspoilt marine environment also boasts Australia's largest inshore reef with a great diversity of corals, world-class seagrass meadows, extensive mangrove forests and wild rivers.

It also the home of the world's largest population of humpback whales and important seabird breeding colonies.

Spectacular sunsets, which constantly change the hue of the rugged landscape as the sun drops below the horizon, mark the end of each day in an area that has remained virtually unchanged for thousands of years.

Of course, the Kimberley Coast has become an increasingly popular tourists attraction with many charter boats. But such is its vastness that you can go days without seeing another boat, giving visitors the feeling they are the first ones to explore this special part of the world.

"Every day that you spend in the Kimberley is completely different to the previous day and equally impressive," Rob said after spending more time than most pleasure boaters exploring the area on his Princess 72 Motor Yacht.

"The one thing that does remain with you is that special feeling you are the only people there, it is so quiet and peaceful. We rarely saw another boat or person.

"It is an amazing part of the world."

THE PLANNING

Rob, who sold his book-publishing company and retired six years ago, said the early stages of planning mainly involved talking to people who knew the Kimberley region and other boaties who had made the trip.

He said the Kimberley Coast Cruising Yacht club was also a very useful resource. "The biggest concern was fuel," he said. "How much we were going to use and where to get it. It is only when you start talking to people who have made the trip that you learn about what facilities are available."

He said another major consideration was food. They were going to be cruising for two-three weeks at a time without being able to replenish stocks and, with six people on board needing three meals a day and snacks, ensuring they had enough food was important.

"We sat down and wrote out a menu for the entire trip, breaking it down into two-three week lots," he said. "By sticking to the menu, it made shopping for provisions and meal preparation easier."

Rob said that just to ensure they did not run out they ordered 25 per cent more food than they thought they needed to cater for any unexpected delays.

They also had to make a number of modifications to their Princess 72 (R&R — Rest and Recreation or Rob and Rose) to make it suitable for the journey.

A boatie since he was 14, Rob believes the Princess is the best-finished production boat in the world. But he also admits the English-designed and -built luxury cruisers were not built for long-distance cruising in Australian conditions.

They needed to add extra refrigeration and extra storage space and to ensure their 72MY was suitably setup in other ways for the hot weather they would encounter for most of the journey.

Then there were all the spares needed to get them out of a bind and ensure trouble-free cruising. Rob said the tides were the most important consideration for anyone planning a similar trip. 

"You need to make sure you are always moving with the tide," he adds.

Rob said the AST Tides published by the Federal Government was a valuable resource providing all the information you will need.

He also recommends anyone going into the Kimberley for the first time hire a guide with knowledge of the area. 

A local guide, or navigational routes from boats that have done the same trip in recent seasons, is important because the majority of the Kimberley has not been surveyed or inadequately surveyed meaning that there are no accurate navigational charts available. 

It also is important not to rely on old tracks because the severe storms, cyclones and rain in the wet season can cause river beds, sandbars and depths to change significantly from year to year.

THE BOAT

He said the main changes were making sure the boat had plenty of shade and protection from the sun.

They also needed to carry additional fuel as well as creating aforementioned extra storage space and boosting fridge and freezer capacities.

To make cruising more comfortable and safer they also had a hydraulic stabiliser kit fitted to the boat and upgraded their navigation by including an AIS system, which shows all other boats in the area, what speed they are travelling, and how close they will get to you, plus there was night-vision camera to provide a clear picture of the water ahead via a screen in the helm area.

The fuel was a relatively easy fix with two 750-litre temporary plastic tanks, which can be folded up and stored when not in use, on the front deck for a total capacity of 6500 litres.

To create extra shade they also had an additional bimini on the foredeck over the sun lounge. He said the front of the boat was the best place to sit when cruising in a following sea and, while the sun lounge had seating for six people, without the shade it would have been too hot to use.

The flybridge was also fully enclosed using tinted plastic and it was air-conditioned. They also opted for the stronger tropical air-conditioning pack when they ordered the boat.

The sun lounge in the flybridge was modified to create a large storage area underneath it. Rob says it was the ideal place to store the beer and champagne.

While on the subject of refreshments they also created a large underfloor storage area accessible via a hatch in the forward companionway. With the storage area being below the water line it was the obvious place to keep the wine. They also used it for large objects like suitcases.

The 72 has four cabins as well as a crew quarters under the aft deck, so the smallest cabin was turned into a pantry and utility room. They carried three extra portable freezers and two portable fridges.

With such a heavy reliance on power they upgraded the inverter to 4500W and increased the number of house batteries to 12. This allowed them to run everything, including the air conditioning in the master cabin, on battery power, which not only made it a quieter boat at anchor but reduced the amount of hours they needed to run the generator from 24 to 10 a day.

To ensure the batteries were not flattened they installed an auto-start system on the genset that kicked in when the batteries were down to 40 per cent charge and turned off when they reached 90 per cent.

They also had wireless internet and a satellite receiver fitted to ensure they had communications and satellite TV so Rob could follow his beloved Collingwood AFL team throughout the trip.

They had additional water pumps installed an carried a good stock of spare filters, impellers and other consumables for the engines and generator.

The anchor chain was replaced with a stronger SS tested chain. They also increased the length from 50m to 75m to give them better security in rougher weather.

They even needed to change their RIB tender for a tinnie. Rob said the reason for getting an aluminium dinghy was to give them greater access to the many swimming holes and creeks in the Kimberley where you need to drive up against rock ledges for passengers to disembark. It also offers a higher freeboard and more protection against curious crocodiles.

While the bent anchor could still be used, and the leak was quickly and easily fixed by replacing a small part in the blown electric motor, they had to hand steer the Princess 72 manually for four days.

While they got to watch some spectacular storms as they arrived in Sydney on week two, and again as they were approaching Mooloolaba on the Queensland coast five weeks later, they otherwise enjoyed a run of very good weather.

"We had a couple of days when we were cruising in 25-30 knot winds but the boat handled the conditions really well," Rob said.

"I have been very happy with the boat. It has been extremely reliable and very comfortable. The stabilisers have made a big difference when travelling side on to the swell and when at anchor they reduce movement by about 90 per cent."

The Princess 72 powered by twin V12 Caterpillar C32 1620hp diesel engines is capable of a top speed of 35 knots. But Rob found 9-10 knots was the most comfortable and economical speed to travel. They used about 20 per cent less fuel than they budgeted.

Rob said at that hull speed, engine noise was minimal and the boat remained stable making life on board very comfortable. That said, the extra power did come in handy when trying to ensure they made anchorage before sunset.

They then continued passing through Mooloolaba, crossing the infamous Wide Bay Bar at the southern end of Fraser Island, before crossing the Great Sandy Straits and onto Hamilton Island, a destination they have visited every year for the past 15 years.

They left the Whitsundays in late May, to avoid the cyclone season further north, for Cairns.Here they restocked, refuelled and changed guests for the month-long passage to Darwin.

Staying inside the Great Barrier Reef, in mostly sheltered waters, the next destination was the Gulf of Carpentaria (the longest leg of the journey at 305nm). Then it was on to Darwin, their final stopover before heading into the Kimberley Coast.

They spent two weeks in Darwin, which enabled a family visit, while giving the crew some time off and getting the boat serviced.

Restocked and with new guests and a second skipper/guide on board, they headed for the Kimberley visiting Cambridge Gulf, Berkley River, King George River, Hunter River, Montgomery Reef, Dog Leg Creek, Silica Beach, Kalooma Bay, Faraway Bay and McGowan Island.

They arrived in Broome, the halfway point of the journey, on September 6. After a one week stopover, they turned around and started retracing their track home.

They were expected to be back in Melbourne by late October, 2014.

STATISTICS
Boat: Princess 72 Motor Yacht
Overall length: 22.35m
Beam: 5.49m
Draft: 1.68m
Engines: Twin Caterpillar C32 (V12 1620hp) diesels
Left Melbourne: February 26, 2014
Arrived in Broome (mid-point of cruise): August 8, 2014
Time Away: 25 weeks
Distance travelled: 4578 nautical miles
Cruising hours: 486
Average speed: 9.4 Knots
Fuel burned: 43,983 litres
Litres per nautical mile: 9.8
Litres per hour: 90.5