Sailing inyourfootsteps.com

9°C

Swell today

Direction S, height 0.7 metres, period 9.9 seconds, significant wave height of 0.9 metres.

Haven position?

52° 3.300' N, 007° 32.714' W

Where is that position?

At the head of Helvick Harbour’s pier where the west facing entrance will be found.

What is the initial fix?

This is quarter of a mile east by southeast of the Helvick East Cardinal marker. It is set on the Ballynacourty Point Lighthouse’s 325°(T) westernmost red sector edge (covering Carrickapane). A course of 250°(T) for just over half a mile from here will lead into the harbour.

What is the story here?

Helvick is a small artificial fishing harbour protected by a breakwater that resides beneath Helvick Head on the southeast most point of Dungarvan Bay. The location offers an anchorage plus the opportunity to come alongside in the harbour.

This is a good anchorage from anything south round to southwest. Depending upon draft the fishing pier may also be available offering protection for all quadrants except for north-westerly conditions where it can get choppy. In these circumstances you are best to head across the bay to Dungarvan. Access is straightforward, at any state of the tide, night or day but the bay should be avoided in easterlies.

Please note seasonal visitor moorings were available in the past in Helvick. These have been removed. There is a limited amount of deep water quayside available in the harbour and many fishing vessels require this section. Even if you do secure a berth alongside you should plan to move off if it is required to support commercial operations.

Why visit here?

This is an excellent place to come into and duck out of some weather or wait out a tide. There are no obstructions coming from the east or from the sea so you can drop back out and be on your way very quickly and easily.

How to get in?

Dungarvan Bay is entered between the high bold promontory of Helvick Head on the south and Ballynacourty Point and its outlying rocks to the north. Viewed at high water, the bay presents a large expanse of which the greater part uncovers and the remainder is shallow. Helvick is situated on the southern side beneath Helvick Head.

From this initial fix come in directly to the harbour on a bearing of 250° (T) standing off the inner headland at least two hundred metres to keep clear of obstructions.

This passes to the south of the Helvick Buoy plus the Helvick Rock and The Gainers that it marks.

Helvick – East cardinal Q (3) 10s position: 52° 03.611’N, 007° 32.251’W

Helvick Rock, situated 400 metres to the west of the marker, has 1.4 metres of water.

The Gainers, situated about half a mile to the northwest of Helvick Rock, is a rocky shoal that uncovers at low water. To the west of these rocks the bay is entirely choked with sand-banks.

Pass Helvick harbour straight up to the anchorage approximately 200 metres northwest of the harbour entrance and anchor in 3 metres with sand and shale.

As mentioned above yachts may also berth alongside the inner side of the breakwater if unoccupied by fishing vessels. If you wish to go into the harbour the pier entrance faces westward and depths in the entrance are about 1.5 metres. There is also a small 0.5 metres patch off the north pier so keep at least 30 metres off the wall before rounding to come in the entrance. It should also be noted, at low water there is scarcely room to turn around inside the harbour as a large section of the southern portion of it dries.

The deepest water is on the south breakwater side of the entrance. This section of the pier is busy due to a limited amount of deep water quayside available. Some dredging has been carried out to give 2 metres along the length of the pier but it is always subject to silting and you cannot rely upon it at any given time.

What are the tides here?

Today's Dover tides — High waters: 10:33, 22:54, Low waters: 05:34, 17:58 ^{From Tide Times}

Dover -0540
MHWS 4.1m MHWN 3.3m MLWN 1.1m MLWS 0.4m
The spring rate in the pool is 1.5 kn but may reach 2.5 kn at the entrance between Abbey and Cunnigar Points. There is slight stream of tide in the bay, except along the north shore and through the pool where it can attain speeds of 1.5 kn.

What facilities are available?

Apart from the pier there is very little in Helvick. Supplies can be got from one mile away. Duncannon, on the north side of the bay, offers better provisioning potential.

What emergency contacts are there?

Dublin Maritime Rescue Co-ordination Centre (MRCC) VHF Ch 83 covers the area from Carlingford Lough to Youghal. Carlingford (04), Wicklow Head (02), Rosslare (23) and Mine Head (83) 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. Dublin (MRSC) may be contacted directly on +353 1 662 0922/3

Other useful contacts in this area:
Dungarvan Yacht Club +353 58 45663

Any security concerns?

It would be unlikely that you would experience any issues on anchor or moorings.

What navigational resources are available for this area?

Admiralty Charts 2049 ‘Old Head of Kinsale to Tuskar Rock’ Scale of 150,000 covers this sailing area. Admiralty Charts 2017 ‘Dungarvan Harbour’ Scale of 15,000 that includes Helvick is also available. Imray chart C57 and Discovery Ordinance Survey Map 82 also cover this area.

With thanks to:

Burke Corbett, Gusserane, New Ross, Co. Wexford & Austin Flynn Commodore of Dungarvan Yacht Club

---

Please zoom out to see the 'initial fix' for this location.

How can I get this offshore?

If a mobile signal is available you can access all of our information via a mobile phone's internet browser. We provide a 'Lite' site, Lite In Your Foot Steps using the shorter initials www.liyfs.com, that presents our data in a simplified, speed optimised format. Similarly, if an internet connection is limited or expensive, switching to the 'Lite' site enables faster and more efficient access.

Alternatively print this page's text, illustrations and photos, but without the internet menu, layout, backdrops and Google maps, or economise upon printer consumables and print this page with text only, to get a hardcopy of this location.

What other useful information is available?

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’.



Print this haven

Add a review or comment:

Please log in to leave a review of this haven.

Please note inyourfootsteps.com makes no guarantee of the validity of this information, we have not visited this haven and do not have first-hand experience to qualify the data. Although the contributors are vetted by peer review as practised authorities, they are in no way, whatsoever, responsible for the accuracy of their contributions. It is essential that you thoroughly check the accuracy and suitability for your vessel of any waypoints offered in any context plus the precision of your GPS. Any data provided on this page is entirely used at your own risk and you must read our legal page if you view data on this site.