Sailing inyourfootsteps.com

5°C

Swell today

Direction SE, height 0.3 metres, period 0.0 seconds, significant wave height of 0.4 metres.

Haven position?

53° 12.560' N, 006° 5.925' W

Where is that position?

The southern pierhead at the harbour entrance.

What is the initial fix?

This waypoint is 200 metres northeast of the north pier on the five metre contour.

What is the story here?

Bray Harbour is a small harbour situated one and a half miles northwest of Bray Head on the northwest county Wicklow coast. It is a tidal harbour that dries out completely to the entrance at low water. However a depth of 3 metres is available at MHWS alongside the decayed wharfs at the north pier that offer the best depth. Alternatively you may dry out inshore on a mooring or anchor offshore.

Bray affords a tolerable anchorage but good shelter may be found here for conditions with any westerly component. Access is straightforward as there are no immediate offlying dangers and you are free to come in at angles.

Please note that there are many unlit race markers offshore of Bray in the summertime.

Why visit here?

Bray (Irish: Bré, formerly Brí Chulainn roughly translates to hill or rising ground, possibly referring to the gradual incline of the town from the Dargle bridge to Vevay Hill) is now known as the Gateway to Wicklow. A vibrant holiday resort boasting fine hotels and festivals it has a family safe 1.6 km long beach of sand and shingle to walk on fronted by a spacious esplanade of shops, restaurants and evening entertainment.

It is an ideal base for walkers, ramblers and strollers of all ages. Walkers can join the many locals who stroll the promenade continuing from the harbour to Bray Head at the southern end of the promenade. From there a well worn track leads to the summit (241 m, 790 ft above sea level) marked by a large concrete cross, where spectacular views of mountains and sea can be enjoyed. Also very popular with walkers is the 7 km Cliff Walk along Bray Head to Greystones.

Other attractions in Bray include the Old Courthouse (1841), Victorian sea front and Bray harbour (1891), St Paul's Church (1609) and Bray Town Hall (1881) (now a McDonald's restaurant). There is an eighteen hole golf course available in the vicinity, tennis, horse riding plus amusement arcades and games centre. There is also a leisure centre on Quinsboro Road and a National Sealife Centre on Strand Road.

The annual Bray Summerfest is a popular tourist event, taking place over six weeks in July and August each year. Bray Summerfest features over 100 free entertainment events, including live music, markets, sporting entertainment, carnivals, and family fun. Bray also hosts an annual international jazz festival on the May bank holiday weekend, each year.

How to get in?

Bray is highly recognisable due to its remarkable Headland Bray Head. The headland raises 287 metres high and is fronted by steep cliffs. Don’t sail too close to the headland as there is the drying Cable Rock one hundred metres off the south of the head and the drying reef called Crab Rocks extending 150 metres to the northwest of Bray Head.

Cable Rock - position: 53° 10.523’N, 006° 04.185’W
Crab Rocks – position: 53°11’.800’N, 006° 05.100’W

Approaching from the north there is a yellow outfall buoy Fl (4) Y 10s situated 1•2 Mile northeast of the harbour entrance. Do also be aware that there are several unlit racing marks off-shore of Bray in summer months.

The tidal harbour enclosed by two unlit piers dries out completely to the entrance at low water. The entry approach is from northeast, keeping close to the south pier for best water. Berth alongside one of three landing ladders on the north pier.

Sailing vessels with circa 1.6 metres can plan a visit two to three hours either side of high water and come along side the North Pier. If you time it correctly you could get four to five hours alongside. The harbour wall is very rough and you will need oversized fenders or preferably a fender board as the wooden piles here have wide gaps.

If you prefer anchoring there is shelter from the south west round to northwest by anchoring 60 metres off the pierhead. There is good sandy holding and you can use the pier for landing. However you need to be mindful of the currents which run particularly strong here due to the tighter proximity to sand banks.

If you can dry out alongside the south pier on a mooring, you should contact the particularly welcoming Bray Sailing Club. The harbour contains large selection of sailing craft that dry, all moored fore and aft so arrangements need to be made for space.

What are the tides here?

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

HW Dublin (North Wall) -0006
Rise: 4.1 – 3.4 metres on springs, 1.5 - 0.6 metres on neaps.

Tidal direction
Dover +0545 NNE-going 3.5 kn (Dublin +0515)
Dover -0015 SSW-going 3 kn (Dublin -0045)
Flow broadly follow the line of the coast outside of the harbour

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 Leinster 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. Carlingford 04, Dublin 83, Wicklow Head 02, Rosslare 23 and Mine Head 83. 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?

Supplies of all sorts may be obtained from Bray. As it is a major tourist town there is a focus on recreation pubs, restaurants, evening entertainment, cinema and night clubs.

You can also obtain boat services and repairs, including sail repairs. The club welcomes visiting yachts and has showers. It overlooks the harbour, and has been established for more than a century; feel free to give your custom to the bar.

As Bray is situated just 20 km south of Dublin, it has excellent transport connections. The DART Rail Network which stretches north to Malahide and Howth and south to Greystones. The town is also on the mainline Iarnród Éireann Rail Network which connects north to Connolly Station in Dublin city centre and further to Drogheda and Dundalk. To the south, the rail line goes through Arklow, Gorey and Rosslare Europort.

Four bus companies pass through Bray and Dublin Bus is by far the biggest operator with frequent services to and from Dublin City centre and many services within the greater Bray area. Dublin Bus also provides services to Dún Laoghaire, Enniskerry, Greystones, Kilmacanogue, Kilcoole and Newtownmountkennedy.

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:
Bray Sailing Club - Telephone 01 2860272, VHF working channel 11
Open Wednesday & Friday night throughout the year at 2115 hrs. Outside the sailing season, the bar also opens at 1600hrs on Sunday afternoons.

Any security concerns?

Never an issue known to have occurred in Bray. However as with any provincial area secure and lock up your vessel if leaving it unattended.

What navigational resources are available for this area?

British Admiralty 1411 ‘’Irish Sea - Western Part’, Scale of 200,000:1 and 1468 Arklow to the Skerries Islands Scale of 100,000:1, Imray chart C61 plus Discovery Ordinance Survey maps 56 & 62 cover this area. ’Sailing Directions - Irish Cruising Club - East & North Coasts of Ireland’ provides an excellent pilot for this area.

With thanks to:

Frank Murphy, local sailor and member of Wicklow Sailing Club.

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