Sailing inyourfootsteps.com

12°C

Swell today

Direction SW, height 0.0 metres, period 9.9 seconds, significant wave height of 0.2 metres.

Haven position?

51° 26.450' N, 009° 30.230' W

Where is that position?

North Harbour pierhead.

What is the initial fix?

This waypoint is approximately 400 metres north of the harbour.

What is the story here?

Cape Clear, Ireland's southernmost inhabited island, 3 miles long by 1 mile broad, lies 8 miles off the coast of West Cork. The North Harbour (or Trawkieran) situated in a small inlet on the northwest coast of the island is the primary pier and ferry port.

Although it is exposed to everything with a northerly component it is a good harbour. You will find it protected and comfortable alongside the harbour wall for an overnight stay.

It is however small with a narrow entrance and badly silted so that the inner basin dries. A yacht can only come up against the very end of the pier but should comfortably lay alongside in at least 1.5 metres – any further in and the boat will dry. Alternatively it is possible to anchor just off the east shore.

Please note if you plan to come alongside you should have a fender board prepared to protect the topsides.

Why visit here?

Cape Clear Island (official name: Cléire and sometimes also referred to in Irish as 'Oileán Chléire') is Ireland's most southerly populated (120 persons) island. Thereby, South Harbour is the most southern anchorage in Ireland. It is such a picturesque inlet, particularly so when viewed from the shore, that it has become a popular berth for yachts.

The island itself is small, three miles long and one and a half miles wide and is divided into east and west halves by an isthmus. Yet it can only be described as a natural paradise with feral scenery, sparkling harbours, cliffs and bogs and a lake to discover by foot. Heather, gorse, sea pinks, honeysuckle and a variety of other wild flowers cover the rugged hills carved up by a patchwork of stonewalls. The surrounding seas abound with seals, basking sharks, dolphins, leatherback turtles, sun fish and even whales. The air above is full of Black and Common Guillemots, Cormorants and storm petrels making it a noted centre for bird watching - the best months residing unfortunately just outside the sailing season being April and October. All of these contribute to Cape Clear’s unspoiled charm that makes a very important visit for the cruising yachtsman.
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The island is also known as the birthplace of Saint Ciarán but its history reaches back to megalithic standing stones and a 5000 year-old passage grave, a twelfth century church ruin, a fourteenth century O'Driscoll castle, cannonaded in the early 1600s are there to be explored. Along with the disused original Cape Clear lighthouse, standing 33 metres high near the centre of the south eastern side of the island, operated from 1810 until 1854, to be replaced by the Fastnet Rock lighthouse 1854.

Cape Clear also forms part of the Gaeltacht, meaning that the first language is Irish and that it is one of the few places in Ireland where it is still in daily use. In the summer many students come in order to perfect their Irish.

For late sailors every first weekend of September, Cape hosts the Cape Clear Island International Storytelling Festival, which has been running annually since 1994. The festival features professional international storytellers from all over the world.

Removed from the hustle and bustle of mainland life, Cape Clear offers relaxation, nature and peace.

How to get in?

Approaching from Gascanane Sound you will find a lot of offlying rocks to the north of the island - please see Gascanane Sound cut detailed in routes. You will need to keep well clear, approximately half a nautical mile off the island, paying particular attention to stay outside the Bullig Reef. Once round the Bullig reef you can lay off a course for the initial fix waypoint.

From there you can come straight in. Be aware of a rocky outcrop on the east side of the entrance so you should be aware of this. Once inside this that part of the cove becomes the safer side.

Approaching the waypoint from the west, it is equally advised to stay offshore. Note Tonelunga Rock laying 200 metres offshore near the ruins of Doonanore Castle and that Illaunnagart Rock extends 150 metres to the northeast of the headland on the western entrance to the harbour.

Once inside the harbour you may come alongside the pier, as mentioned above, or anchor just below the slip and quay on the east shore. However as the harbour is constrained you will need to anchor bow and stern to keep the yacht in out of the way of the ferry & post boat.

What are the tides here?

Today's local tide estimates are based on High Water Cobh -0015
Today's Cobh tides — High waters: 06:31, 18:48, Low waters: 00:38, 12:54
Today's Dover tides — High waters: 00:05, 12:22, Low waters: 07:13, 19:27 (From Tide Times)
Nearby Baltimore’s tides are:
Cobh -0025sp, -0005np
MHWS 3.5m MHWN 2.9m MLWN 1.4m MLWS 0.6m

Between Cape Clear and Fastnet Rock the tides are estimated to be:
Dover +0215 East (Cobh-0420)
Dover -0400 West (Cobh+0150)
Spring rate approximately 2 to 2.5 kn maximum. Watch ot for confused tides and eddies off Blananarragaun.

The latest monthly Dover Tides and Cobh Tides courtesy of the National Environmental Research Council. Printable monthly tides for Dublin, Dunmore, Cobh, Galway, Belfast are available from the ISA.

The national weather forecast, Met Éireann and BBC shipping forecasts, plus a very simplified Munster tourist outlook. From an Atlantic perspective a 24 hour North Atlantic synoptic chart that you may ‘right click’ and save to your hard disk. Met Éireann’s Eastern Atlantic chart and the BBC’s surface area forecast plus visible satellite images for Ireland and Northeast Atlantic from Met Éireann. Wind observations, XC UK & Ireland, Windguru wind & wave reports, and Windfinder where you can determine a forecast time. Coastal radio stations (VHF Channel) Weather forecast at 0103 and thence every 3 hours updated every sixth. Cork 26, Bantry 23, Valentia 24. Radio broadcasts on RTE 1 (89.1FM) 0603, 1253, 1655 and 2355.

A free tidal range prediction application for windows, a simple tide monitor plus the rule of twelfths are available in inyourfootsteps.com shared ‘experience’.

What facilities are available?

A limited amount of stores and water is available at the local co-operative. You can walk a half a mile or twenty minutes distance across the saddle to see the picturesque South bay and Illaunfaha quay.

What emergency contacts are there?

Valentia Maritime Rescue Sub-Centre (MRSC) VHF Ch 24 & MF 1752 kHz covers this costal area. Cork (26), Mizen (04), Bantry Bay (23), Shannon (28) and Galway (04) provide relay stations. Coastguard Radio is always called on a working channel. Emergencies are worked on 16, 67 and working channel.

Alternatively, or if ashore, phone 999 or 121 (free) and ask for ‘Marine Rescue’. Gardai (police), Fire and Rescue are also available on this number. Valentia (MRSC) may be called on +353 669 476 109

Any security concerns?

Never a security issue known to have occurred on Clear Island.

What navigational resources are available for this area?

Admiralty Charts 2184 ‘Mizen Head to Gascanane Sound’ & 2129 ‘Long Island Bay to Castlehaven’ Scale of 1:30,000 cover this area. Also Imray C56. ’Sailing Directions - Irish Cruising Club - South and West Coasts of Ireland’’ cover this area.

With thanks to:

Burke Corbett, Gusserane, New Ross, Co. Wexford.

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