The Western Australian Cruising Guide is regarded as the coastal cruising bible for WA, covering the coast from Darwin to Eucla, including the Christmas and Cocos Islands. This book is a definite "must have", especially for cruising the Kimberley, with over 600 pages, 220 chartlets and many interesting colour photos. The main source of information for this guide is feedback from the hundreds of sailors who have shared their knowledge of this largely unexplored part of the coast.
The 5th edition, now in its fourth update (v5.4), was a major revision of the 4th edition published in 2014. It includes dozens of new diagrams and several hundred new items of information. The first part of the guide covers weather, tides, passage planning, communications, emergency services, marine animals and government departments. The second part contains specific pilotage information on many anchorages, showing suitable spots to anchor, dangers, the amount of protection, tidal information, places of interest, history of the area, and local contact details.
The guide is available in two electronic formats, downloadable here without charge:
This will enable the guide to be read on almost any platform, including desktops (PC, Linux and Mac), laptops, tablets (iPad, Android etc.), android phones and iphones.
The pdf file is about 70MB and the ePub file is about 140MB, so a reasonable internet connection is required for sensible download times. Once downloaded, you do not need an internet connection unless you want to use the live links in the document. Hardcopy versions will not be offered, but anyone can print out all or part of a copy if they wish.
To download your free copy of this invaluable resource:
Photocopies of the guide are often available from Fremantle Sailing Club in an A4 lever-arch file. To buy one of these hardcopies contact FSC on:
Alternatively you can print out all or part of the guide yourself, in any format you want.
The current edition is version 5.4 (files are labelled 540). It contains more than 150 changes and updates since version 5.3 was issued in March 2021. If you wish to be notified when the next version becomes available for download, send an email now to editorwacg@gmail.com
The changes and updates we make derive mostly from reports submitted by users of the guide. Anyone wishing to contribute further knowledge for the next version, whether by correcting errors or providing new information, is asked to email the editor at editorwacg@gmail.com
To go behind the scenes and find out how the guide has been prepared, download this document: click here to download How and Why doc
Kim Klaka
Editor