Willie Cruises

APRIL & SEP­TEM­BER CRUIS­ES: Willie may sail in Roe­buck Bay instead of Cable Beach due to sea­son­al changes in wind and swell con­di­tions. Sail­ing loca­tion will be con­firmed on the day of depar­ture sub­ject to these conditions.

Willie Cruis­es and its expe­ri­enced crew offers peo­ple the oppor­tu­ni­ty to expe­ri­ence the blue waters of Broome in Australia’s north west aboard ​‘Willie’, one of the last oper­at­ing pearl lug­gers in Aus­tralia. ​‘Willie’, a 67’ Gaff Rig Schooner mod­elled on the designs of ear­ly 1900 pearl lug­gers was built to fish for moth­er of pearl shell Pinc­ta­da Max­i­ma, the shell which put Broome on the map and shaped the his­to­ry of the region as it is today.

Sail­ing the beau­ti­ful waters of Broome, ​‘Willie’ allows you to see how a tra­di­tion­al gaff rigged sail­ing ves­sel oper­ates with all sails heaved up man­u­al­ly just as our fore­fa­thers did, whilst tak­ing in the beau­ti­ful sun­set. With plen­ty of com­fort­able seat­ing options aboard, any­one can enjoy the calm waters and nat­ur­al beau­ty of the coast­line sur­round­ing Broome.

To make your cruise with us com­plete­ly stress free we will pick you up in our cour­tesy bus from your loca­tion. Once there you will be able to kick off your shoes and feel the beau­ti­ful sand and wet your feet in the warm Indi­an Ocean as you make your way to our wait­ing ten­der which will trans­fer you to ​‘Willie’.

You can com­plete­ly relax hear­ing sto­ries of the rich his­to­ry and cul­ture of the area, and enjoy the delight­ful com­pli­men­ta­ry canapes served by our crew and chilled bev­er­ages of your choice from our well stocked open deck bar. Our crew will hap­pi­ly point out the abun­dance of marine life from tur­tles, seas snakes, dol­phins and the mighty hump­back whale, to dugongs, man­ta rays and the pletho­ra of pelag­ic fish – all in a day aboard Willie Cruises.

Inclu­sions:

• Return trans­fers to nom­i­nat­ed Broome accommodation

• Ten­der to/​from the beach

• Com­pli­men­ta­ry Canapes

• Use of boom nets

What to Bring:

• Bathers, tow­el, hat, sun screen, cardigan/​light jack­et & camera

• Slip-on shoes to leave in cour­tesy bus, your feet will get wet board­ing the ten­der at the beach

Impor­tant to Note: If book­ing cruise on day of depar­ture, due to secur­ing food arrange­ments, the cut off time for this is 10:00AM.

Cancellation Policy:

• Broome Sunset Cruises: cancellations made more than forty-eight (48) hours prior to departure date may be made without penalty and a full refund will be given to the customer. Cancellations made within forty-eight (48) hours of departure date will result in loss of total costs.

• Broome & Perth Private Charters: cancellations made more than six(6) months prior to departure date (as logged in operator’s booking system) may be made without penalty and a full refund will be given to the customer. Cancellations made within six (6) months of departure will result in loss of specified deposit and cancellations made within two (2) weeks prior to departure will result in loss of total costs.

The operator has the right to retain all deposits received up to the amount of the cancellation fee and invoices will be issued for any further amounts outstanding.

• Weather Cancellations: cancellations made by the operator due to weather conditions will entitle the customer to a full refund of the Fare Price. Please note that if the customer made the booking for a cruise or private charter through a booking agent all refunds of deposits and booking fees are to be obtained directly from the booking agent. Such booking agent may at their discretion retain a booking fee less than or equal to 100% of the total price.

• Other Cancellations: cancellations may be made at the operator’s discretion due to mechanical breakdowns which may result in the vessel being unable to operate. If this occurs the customer will receive a full refund of Fare Price. Please note that if the customer made the booking for a cruise or private charter through a booking agent all refunds of deposits and booking fees are to be obtained directly from the booking agent. Such booking agent may at their discretion retain a booking fee less than or equal to 100% of the total price.

• Failure to Board: It is the passenger’s responsibility to ensure that they arrive on time at the nominated point of pick up by the courtesy bus or for the departure of the tender for boarding of the vessel. Failure to do so will mean that the passenger forfeits the full fare price to the operator.