Albany, Australia
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Albany, Western Australia (Port of Entry)
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| 35°1.534′S, 117°53.23′E |
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| Local chartlet |
Local Weather
Give local weather conditions or refer to another page (a region or island group) that covers these conditions.
Sources for Weather forecasts:
Charts
- Australian Hydrographic Service
- Aus110 - Australia South Coast - Western Australia - King George Sound
Radio Nets
Also see World Cruiser's Nets
Local Volunteer Sea Rescue "Albany Sea Rescue Squad" keeps a 24/7 listening watch on VHF channel 16 and 82. The base is manned every Saturday and Sunday from 0800 to 1700 hrs and at other times VHF is monitored from home-bases. The premises are at Emu Point. They have 2 high speed RIB Naids, and one 10 mt Steber craft with 2 Cat diesel engines.
Channel #82 (repeater) is used commonly for non-emergency traffic, including as 'call' channel. This group has an HF radio but is not monitored. Range of VHF reception is about from Cheyne's Beach in the East to Denmark in the West. Call sign is "VMR610". 'VMR' stands for: Volunteer Marine Rescue.
Provide any navigation notes especially any dangers or peculiar local conditions here.
Coming from the West:
- You can pass Eclipse Island either side.
- Watch out for Vancouver Rocks at coordinates tba. At calm seas not really visible, in rough seas you won't see them either until you are on top of them.
- You will see Breaksea Island ahead (lighthouse on top), keep that to your right, or in nautical parlance: keep that to starboard.
- Just round the pointy bit ("Bald Head") and sail or steam towards Princess Royal Harbour or Oyster Harbour. Waters round Bald head are very deep. Just mind the swell.
Coming from the South:
- meaning from Antartica? If you need this information you should have never gone South!
Coming from the East:
- Generally between Breaksea Island (with lighthouse) and Michealmas Island. Deep waters all round.
- Or between Michealmas Island and the shore. Again deep waters everywhere.
- After passing Michealmas on the portside, just mind Gull Rock, which you might not see at night as it is a rock only and 1-2 metres high, deep water round this.
Approach Princess Royal Harbour:
- East of Mistaken Island there 2 rocks (two Sisters) submerged at high tide, seas are often breaking here, keep well East of these.
- North of Mistaken Island and the "Two Sisters" there is a large mussel-farm, indicated by small yellow markers and faint flashing lights at night. Easily missed, both day and night. Stay East of all this.
- A deep channel is dredged (to 12-13 mt) and marked for the big ships towards Ataturk entrance, which leads into Princess Royal Harbour.
- It is deep (ie 4 mt plus) outside the channel, right to close to shore (ie 30 mt), except for:
- 2 rocks at coordinates tba
- multiple rocks passed the 5th port marker
- It is deep (ie 4 mt plus) outside the channel, right to close to shore (ie 30 mt), except for:
Approach Oyster Harbour via Emu Point channel, hmmm, there is no other entry:
- There is a sectored laserlight on Western shore:
- 5 fathom reef is visible as the waves break over this in all but the calmest conditions, at coordinates tba , with a moored cardinal buoy is on the South side and lit at night.
- One can sail/motor on the inside of this reef ie stay close to shore ie no further out than 100 metres.
- Emu Point channel is marked, and it narrowest approx 50 mt wide.
- At times there is a tidal current up to 2-3 Knots.
- It is not advisable to sail only as often winds are fickle here and the hill to the East causes the wind to change often by 180 degrees! Motor-sail if you want, to impress the folks on the groyne on the West.
- If there is a large swell running one tends to surge or even surf into the channel, although not without danger of broaching! In particular when tide is running out and swell/winds going the other direction. Therefore if the winds are Southerly and over 35 knots and/or waves 2 mts or more, unless you have local knowledge, consider alternatives and avoid this entrance.
- Once in the narrowest part swell decreases and one can follow the narrow marked channel to the marina. Shortcuts are penalised with touching the seaweed over sand bottom.
Check-in facilities (for Customs and Immigration)
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Berthing Options
Describe here the berthing options of this port. Are there moorings or you have to anchor? Do most boats moor side-to, stern-to, or bow-to? Etc.
Marinas & Yacht Clubs
There is no fuel facility at any of the marinas. One has to phone for a truck for delivery or carry jerrycans.... There are three marinas in Albany suitable for deep drafted vessels and a fourth one is now being repaired, but may only be open to vessels who are member of a private consortium. This latter marina is situated further into Oyster Harbour, near Elisabeth street. The other 3 marinas are:
- Albany town marina, managed by the Department of transport in WA
- New in 2011, floating pontoons, quite pricey and close to centre of town (500 mts).
- Toilet and shower on shore but no other facilities.
- There is large wooden jetty, that allows bigger boats ie up to 200 ft to and ??? tons to be docked. This jetty is used for events like Endeavour, sail training ship Leeuwin, around the world clipper race etc.
- There is also one jetty with floating pontoon for visiting boats, free of charge and a timelimit of 3 hours
- phone contact: tba
- website: TBA
- Emu Point marina is inside Oyster Harbour
- Max draft vessels of approx 2.3 mts, jetties are wooden and fixed.
- There is slipway for up to 40 tons and a large hardstand and a good local shipwright
- There is a large service jetty with car access for loading and unloading. Generally no daily/weekly hire of pens are available.
- There is marine shop that caters mainly for trailable powerboats.
- There is a good fish and chips shop on the foreshore, otherwise town is approx 8 km away by road, no public transport here.
- The pens for the professional fishermen are managed by the Department of Transport, contact details see above
- Recreational pens are managed by the City of Albany
- phone:
- website:
- Princess Royal Sailing Club is situated across the harbour from Albany
- Facilities are fairly old, and deep drafted vessels ie over 2 mt might bump the sand now and then.
- Most pens are quite narrow-ish. There are 3 pens for catamarans.
- Short term hire of pens is possible and the cheapest in Albany. There are nearly always pens available.
- There is a jinker that can accommodate boats up to 8 (tbc!) tons. Bar and restaurant are open Friday evenings and bar is open post racing on Wednesdays and Saturdays. #* Wonderful harbour views from the clubhouse!
- Closest deli/small supermarket/bottleshop and fuel station is approx 1 Km away by road.
- Albany city centre is 10 km by road
- phone:
- website:
Anchorages
No real safe winter anchorages in King George Sound or close to Albany, except maybe in Oyster Harbour. But then again, if one has good groundtackle..... one can anchor anywhere.
- Frenchmens Bay offers good anchorages when it is blowing from the South or West
- in front of the old whale station coordinates tba
- further West in Frenchmens Bay itself coordinates tba , where there is a spring that always provides fresh water, flowing from the rocks in the bush onto the beach. Captain Vancouver used that in year tba . Water is 0.5 to 10 metres. Bottom is seaweed over sand. Stay approx 200-300 metres from the beach as it becomes very shallow. Good access to the beach. 13 km to nearest shop, 25 Km to Albany via road.
- Further west still, in front of Goode Beach and its same name settlement (no shops though), anchor in 3 to 20 metres of water crystal blue water with weed patches, anchoring is possible right up to Mistaken Island, then also in the lee of any Northerly winds, but more exposed to S to E winds.
- Ellen Cove, that is in front of Middleton Beach: coordinates tba , no protection from the summer Easterlies, very rolly in a swell (and there is nearly always a swell) sandy bottom with some seaweed, reasonable access to the beach, coffeshops, cafes and restaurants on the beach front, 3.5 km to Albany via road.
- Johnson's Cove, inside Oyster Harbour, coordinates: tba , in 3 metres of water, bottom seaweed over sand, anchoring is prohibited but there are 3 public moorings for boats up to 15 metres, very well protected from the Easterlies that blow from November to March. Approach in the dark is not recommended, approach is via an unmarked wide channel. A long (and often wet)1 Nm dinghy ride to the Emu Point Marina. 8 Km to Albany city centre via road.
- Oyster Harbour: coordinates tba to the N and NW of the Emu Point Marina, in waters 3-5 metres, bottom is seaweed over sand/mud. Good protection in winter from Westerlies, 0.5 Nm to Emu Point Marina.
- Inside Princess Royal Harbour. Coordinates tba , directly West of the town marina, in the lee of the groynes, good protection in summer from East and North in waters 3-4 metres, sea weed over sand. Not good in winter storms. Close to town, 50-100 metres in dinghy, 300 metres walk into town.
- In fact one can anchor nearly anywhere in Princess Royal Harbour, depth is usually 3 to 5 metres, but check charts as there are large patches of shallow areas to the West and South. The area close to the docks of the merchant vessels is dredged to 13 metres and obviously off limits for anchoring.
Offshore Islands and Groups
- Michaelmas Island: deep water all way round 30-60 metres, although there is small patch on the North side (between it and the main land, that large ships anchor at times, in water 15-20 metres deep
- Breaksea Island: this has a light house on it, deep water all way around, 30-60 metres
- Mistaken Island, hmmmm, only with very good local knowledge you can sail around it, very shallow channel on the West side, some rocks ("Two Sisters") on the East side, where seas are nearly always breaking
- Eclipse Island: Lighthouse is no longer in use (de-commissioned approx in 2000)
- Green Islands: indeed there are 2 islands named as such. One in King George Sound with clear deep water all round, 20-40 metres of water. The other Green Island is in Oyster Harbour with shallow water around it, sea weed over rocky ground, in 0.5 to 2 metres of water. One would not like to get on this island, or downwind from it, due to the awful bird-poo smell. Thousands of seagulls, pelicans and other birds breed here.
Then there some "rocks" in King George Sound: Gull rock, Rock Dunder and Flat Rock.
None of the above islands and rocks can be accessed easily, no beaches; large swell with rocky coast makes it quite dangerous. In fact most islands are nature reserves anyway. Rock Dunder, in particular, can throw enormous plumes of foamy white water into the air, when there is a swell coming in from the South.
Yacht Repairs and Services
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Marine Stores
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Repairs/Yards
Fuel, Water, & Electricity
- Fuel
- fuel notes
- Water
- water notes
- Electricity
- electricity notes
Things to do Ashore
Tourism
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Grocery & Supply Stores
Eateries
Internet/WiFi
Available?
Laundry
Motorbike & Car Rentals
Garbage Disposal
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Transportation
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Routes/Passages To/From
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Cruiser's Friends
Contact details of "Cruiser's Friends" that can be contacted for local information or assistance.
Forum Discussions
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External Links
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References & Publications
Books, Guides, etc. Use the Reference template or not at your discretion. For example:
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{{Reference|Rod Heikel|Greek Waters Pilot|Imray Laurie and Wilson, Cambridgeshire|9780852889718}}
, expands to - Rod Heikell, Greek Waters Pilot Imray, Laurie and Wilson, Cambridgeshire, ISBN 9780852889718
- Author, Title, Publisher, ISBN ISBN number
- Author, Title, Publisher, ISBN ISBN number
Personal Notes
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Last Visited & Details Checked (and updated here)
Date of member's visit to this Port/Stop & this page's details validated:
Contributors to this page |
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Names: Haiqu |
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