Kangaroo Island

Kangaroo Island is an excellent cruising ground within easy reach of Adelaide.

Depending on the intended destination, the distance from Adelaide to the North East Coast is 70 – 75 miles, and while this can be done in one day, many cruising yachts prefer to take two days, and overnight in one of the pleasant anchorages available on the west or east coast of the Gulf of St Vincent.

The North East Coast has many interesting anchorages including some which can be used in all weathers.  It is in the more settled part of the island, and has the towns of Kingscote, American River and Penneshaw where provisions and fuel are available, and mobile phone coverage is generally good.

The North West Coast is very different. The anchorages are more remote and much smaller but very beautiful, and the scenery is magnificent with soaring cliffs up to 200 m high above a rugged and rocky shoreline. Mobile phone coverage ranges from poor to non-existent. Even the VHF repeater channels used by the local Volunteer Marine Radio (VMR Channels 21 and 80) do not always work in the anchorages, and contact must be made while still outside.

It is an extremely interesting and rewarding coast to explore. However, it should only be undertaken in the right weather conditions.  There is no shelter from winds from W through NW to N in any of the anchorages, and even SW can be difficult. The settled summer pattern of SE winds is by far the best time to explore this area.  If the forecast suggests an approaching front with NW winds becoming W later, then it is definitely time to move.