Western Australian Cruising Guide v5.5 now available
by Kim Klaka 31 Mar 08:20 BST
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 650 pages, 230 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.
This latest edition is version 5.5, published in February 2025. It contains more than 100 changes and updates since version 5.4 was issued in February 2023.
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 without charge:
- A pdf file, for reading on any computer, tablet or smartphone with Acrobat Reader installed.
- An ePub file, for use with e-readers such as Kobo, and any platform with software such as Adobe Digital Editions, or iBooks (Apple devices only).
This will enable the guide to be read on almost any platform, including desktops (PC and Mac), laptops, tablets (ipad etc.), android phones and iphones.
The pdf file is about 70MB and the ePub file is about 200MB, 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.
To download your free copy of this invaluable resource go to: Western Australian Cruising Guide edition 5.5.
Photocopies of the guide are available from Fremantle Sailing Club in an A4 lever-arch file. To buy one of these hardcopies contact FSC on: 08 9435 8800 or .
Alternatively you can print out all or part of the guide yourself, in any format you want.