Hall Point (The Kimberley)

[Kyle]After a sunrise start in Sampson Inlet, we unrolled just the jib, shut the engine down that we were using, and slowed to a crawl in the light winds. The leg wasn’t a long one, so we weren’t worried.

Most days the wind here has a pretty cushy job. It starts after the sun has been up a little while, takes off for a late lunch just after noon, and then decides it’s tired and goes home instead of coming back for the rest of its shift. Since it was a Saturday, we were expecting it to take its time to get going.

The area between Sampson inlet and Deception Bay is supposed to be a favorite for whales. We kept looking, but only spotted one about a quarter mile ahead of us. It took three deep breaths and then disappeared for ten minutes. When it resurfaced, it was just as far behind us. It did the same thing and then dove again.

Sailing along the coastline we spot our first Kimberley Humpback Whale

We were originally planning on heading into Deception Bay to anchor. As we passed by, it was looking pretty rough in there, so we carried on to an anchorage a little farther on that was tucked in behind Hall Point, which was smaller and thus better protected from three sides. Just before we got there, we spotted two more whales that we actually would have had to alter course to avoid. Instead, since we were almost there, we pulled down the sails and stopped. Once they had moved on, we started an engine and headed in.

Just before we turned in for the night, a big Parks and Wildlife Dept. boat passed by, launched a tender and then it sped towards us. Mostly, they were concerned about our compliance with Western Australia’s strict fishing laws. One provision of which is that you are only allowed to catch enough fish to consume right away. To check this, they headed straight for the freezer.

An evening anchored at Hall point, with unexpected visitors

Nope, no freezer. No fish in the fridge. We also didn’t have poles and other gear scattered around the boat, so they seemed satisfied. Then they wanted to make sure we knew we were in a Marine Park and handed us a packet with lots of info about the various dos and don’ts of each zone. The rules for Montgomery Reef had changed recently, possibly since a few days earlier someone had anchored too close then grounded on top of it at high tide. When I asked for clarification, the officer helpfully directed me to a good anchoring spot on our chart. Then they wished us a good evening and sped off to chase their big boat, which had already left them and gone into Deception Bay.

[Maryanne]Thinking of visiting the Kimberley with your own boat? – Check out our Cruising the Kimberley Tips